While Karl Dönitz did not believe that his submarines should have to maintain adherence to the Submarine Protocol in the face of armed merchantmen, due to the political situation, restrictions remained in force after this incident and he was merely able to issue instruction to all submarines to exercise caution. Radio Officer James Turner remained at his post until the last moment.
The passage describes a situation where Karl Dönitz, the German Navy commander, faced a dilemma regarding submarine operations during wartime. He was constrained by political factors and could only issue general instructions for submarines to exercise caution when encountering armed merchant ships. Radio Officer James Turner remained steadfast in his post despite the challenging circumstances.