04-14-2024, 12:47 AM
We can't over look what the Lusitania was carrying on board.
Cargo - The Lusitania Resource (rmslusitania.info)
Just a highlight a few items that might have been seen as a concern (sorry for the wierd quoting format, but it's a very long list and these items are placed oddly in the list_
It is possible that some people in the Kaizers Military thought that the use of civilian ships to resupply allied forces might allow for the ship to be classed as a military target rather than just a cruise liner. Ignoring the facts that the British ship was flying an American Flag, nobody on board the German U-Boat would have known about the mission that Colonel House was.
So here we have a well known British ship flying the colors of another country, and at the same time Germany had spies on the ground at many US shipping ports. World War I Intrigue: German Spies in New York! (historynet.com) We have to suspect that Germany might have thought (rightly or wrongly) that the Lusitania was operating on a covert mission from the Crown to help in their fight against the German Forces.
I guess the questions for me will be, was the people on board sacrifices by the Crown in order to force the Amercian people into wanting war (much like how the Maine was used)?
Cargo - The Lusitania Resource (rmslusitania.info)
Just a highlight a few items that might have been seen as a concern (sorry for the wierd quoting format, but it's a very long list and these items are placed oddly in the list_
Quote:Ammunition, cases Liverpool 1,271
Cartridges and ammunition, cases London 4,200
Military goods, packages Liverpool 189
It is possible that some people in the Kaizers Military thought that the use of civilian ships to resupply allied forces might allow for the ship to be classed as a military target rather than just a cruise liner. Ignoring the facts that the British ship was flying an American Flag, nobody on board the German U-Boat would have known about the mission that Colonel House was.
So here we have a well known British ship flying the colors of another country, and at the same time Germany had spies on the ground at many US shipping ports. World War I Intrigue: German Spies in New York! (historynet.com) We have to suspect that Germany might have thought (rightly or wrongly) that the Lusitania was operating on a covert mission from the Crown to help in their fight against the German Forces.
I guess the questions for me will be, was the people on board sacrifices by the Crown in order to force the Amercian people into wanting war (much like how the Maine was used)?
