German Pirates Ingenious and Brutal

Das boot! Schiff verlassen! While lesser known to many than the British pirates of popular imagination, a suite of German pirates defined by ingenuity, cunning and sometimes brutal approaches to handling perceived cowardice have left their mark on the annals of the high seas. We discover the likes of Hennig Wichmann, known for throwing prisoners overboard; the aristocratic pirate Barnim VI, Duke of Pomerania whose sophisticated operation included the construction of a port; WWII Merchant Raiders; and Gödeke Michels, the perversely merciful medieval pirate who punished those who did not resist him for their cowardice with death.