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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GeorgeM, post: 4539193, member: 28550&quot;]I picked up one of these recently with a placeholder bid. It very well might be a copy, because I know so little about the variations.</p><p><br /></p><p>To add to what was mentioned before; the cargo included a large volume of ammunition. There were Remington .303 rifle bullets (standard issue for the British Army) listed on the customs manifest when she left the US (roughly 4,200,000 rounds), plus supposedly unfused artillery shells, &amp; 18 cases of &quot;non-explosive fuzes&quot; (maybe the mechanical components alone??)) &amp; suspicions have abounded ever since that she may have been carrying additional, unlisted war material, such as gun cotton or aluminum powder.</p><p><br /></p><p>While these were routinely shipped on commercial ships at the time, it certainly seems (from a modern perspective) that this cargo would make the Lusitania a valid military target with the guilt lying on whoever would use human shields to hide armaments.</p><p><br /></p><p>Germany was also being embargoed by the Allies at the time, causing widespread malnourishment &amp; preventable civilian deaths. The embargo was protested by the German government &amp; it had questionable legality under the prevailing rules of war. The declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare was largely in response to this embargo - it was an attempt to apply unexpected pressure &amp; turn the opinion of the British public against the embargo. Since the Lusitania was carrying foodstuffs &amp; raw materials to the UK (which had to import much of its needs for the war effort), those also could be considered material aide to the British military.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Cruiser rule also casts the British in a poor light. Under that pre-war standard, submarines were expected to surface, give ships a chance to surrender &amp; evacuate non-combatants before they could sink the vessel.</p><p><br /></p><p>The British Admiralty issued orders for passenger ships to attempt to ram any submarine that was spotted surfacing in their path. This secret order made the &quot;Cruiser rule&quot; untenable. These orders had been broadcast under encryption codes that the Brits knew had been broken by the Germans, making them an open secret among submariners.</p><p><br /></p><p>One last thing I find interesting: the British had also leaked plans to rush troop reinforcements from Canada. This was a false flag operation to cover actual reinforcements crossing the English Channel by fooling the German Navy into focusing submarine efforts to the west. So, British actions actually *increased* the risk for neutral passenger ships &amp; then British propaganda &amp; diplomacy took advantage of the situation when the Kriegsmarine sunk a passenger vessel.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have to tip my hat to the masterfulness of that strategy, but... wow.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, is there an easy way to determine which version this is? Mine is 80g in weight, &amp; non-magnetic. There&#039;s no seam on the edge, but no &quot;K Goetz&quot; inscription either.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1123739[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1123740[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1123741[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1123742[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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