Crippled B17 BF109 Showed The Way Home
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Going to capitalize on a book sale.....ok, I'm fine with that. There are a lot of stories of compassion during war time and that can be a good thing too.
Basket case
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I remember reading about this years ago.
Mike67
Well-Known Member
Ya saw a post on FB about it last week...pretty amazing story!
I read the book - it was a good read. The two pilots met later in life and became best friends.
According to the book, the Luftwaffe often protected Allied pilots that had been shot down. Unlike their Allied counterparts, they did not shoot at pilots who had to bail out and were parachuting to the ground. A key part of what Franz's officer instructor stated was that you tried to kill the machine, not the man piloting the machine. Luftwaffe personnel often went out to try an capture the pilots. If the general population of the regular army caught the Allied pilots, they typically fared much worse.
Interesting stuff...
According to the book, the Luftwaffe often protected Allied pilots that had been shot down. Unlike their Allied counterparts, they did not shoot at pilots who had to bail out and were parachuting to the ground. A key part of what Franz's officer instructor stated was that you tried to kill the machine, not the man piloting the machine. Luftwaffe personnel often went out to try an capture the pilots. If the general population of the regular army caught the Allied pilots, they typically fared much worse.
Interesting stuff...
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Yes, that was a great book. The German pilot Franz Stigler ended up flying ME262 jets with the JV 44 squadron at the end of the war.
Sadly, even decades later when it was revealed that he was the pilot who let the bomber go, he was criticized and called a traitor by some of his former countrymen.
Sadly, even decades later when it was revealed that he was the pilot who let the bomber go, he was criticized and called a traitor by some of his former countrymen.
Bruzilla
Well-Known Member
My grandmother's neighbor was a waist gunner on B-17s and had some great footage of this. A plane in the high group had been hit and the crew bailed out. They were falling into some clouds that the low group was going to enter. A couple flights of 109's broke off and flew a race track pattern in front of the clouds and caused the low group to divert. Once the crew came out of the bottom of the clouds and were safe, everyone went back to killing one another.
Amazing piece of film.
OK charger
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I guess enemies had more respect for each other back then. I can't imagine being able to pull the trigger on a guy dangling from a parachute.
BeeKool
Well-Known Member
I couldn't pull the trigger on a pilot who's ejected.
I don't know if the same is true for a paratrooper though. You getting invaded and the enemy is dropping in behind you, instinct may take over and survival dictates.
The European theater was this way. Germans and Americans treated the captured in accordance to the Geneva Convention. Mostly
In fact many of our boys spoke German on account of their family being of German descent. My grandfather and his brothers were all fluent in German
The Pacific was a race war though with very little quarter given or received. Same with the Eastern front
Actually most Allied fighter pilots WOULD shoot at German airmen that had bailed out of their planes. The thought was that if they survived, they could just jump into another airplane and go up again - this time better due to the experience. On the opposite end, an Allied airman that was shot down was out of the war anyway, since he would be captured by the Germans and kept as a prisoner of war.
Bruzilla
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If you're out there day after day, watching your country getting bombed, and seeing your friends getting killed, and you know that guy in the chute could be back at it tomorrow, you might have a different view.
But I do agree there was more respect back then, at least in the European Theater. Another piece of film my grandmother's neighbor had was when he had strapped his camera to his gun so he could get some film of how he was shooting. You can see him blasting away at a FW-190 that makes several passes on him, but he didn't get him. He stopped shooting to put a new ammo can on, and he started filming again when the FW-190 pilot flew right into the area between the wingtip and elevator, snapped him a sharp salute, and then flew off.
66Satellite47
Well-Known Member
Human nature is amazing. You see what happens in Las Vegas and the difference you see with the results of this encounter of enemies. Also the death camps really did not define the German people, only a small faction of the "leaders". Humans are different, I doubt a Zero would have given the same quarter to my fathers B-24 in the South Pacific, just my guess.
OK charger
Well-Known Member
Maybe some could. I couldn't do that. To me if hes on a parachute and hes over my home turf he's probably going to get picked up and put in a P.O.W. camp for the duration. I wouldn't want to be shot at either in a parachute.
Basket case
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at least with the German's there was a chance...the Luftwaffe did treat their fellow fliers better as a rule. The Japs were known to pick up our downed fliers from the ocean....beat them...tie them up and toss them back in the ocean. And if an Allied flier made it to the POW camps...forget escape....but get ready for the daily beatings.
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