At the Nuremberg Trials, the United States sought to convict Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz for a wartime order that appeared deeply ruthless: German forces were instructed not to rescue Allied survivors at sea. The accusation was tied to the principle that leaving shipwrecked sailors to die violated the laws and customs of war. But the charge became far more complicated. Evidence showed the policy was issued after a major incident in which U.S. aircraft attacked German submarines while they were att