Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

An article on this appeared in Flypast issue: July, 1991, p 11-14. Article by Ben Rovevink and Lt Col Herbert Hintze. Formation led by Lt Col Hintze and aircraft that carried out the attack were flown by Lt Bellstedt and Lt Wittermer Eigenbrodt.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

Are you sure of that date? 1st of June would make it the KLM DC-3 Flight 777 I mentioned in a previous post. Unless KLM lost another DC-3 the following month.

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

According to above Flypast article aircraft was KLM Flight 777, aircaft DC-3 Ibis G-AGBB shot down June 1st 1943.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

I can't help thinking that if I was a KLM pilot at the time I might have took some sick leave.

Thanks for that Robert, most kind indeed.

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

Full details of the 1 Jun 43 incident is in my book 'Bloody Biscay'.

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

Cheers Chris, I'll pick up a copy next pay day.

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

Gentlemen:

I don't believe that the question put in the initial post has been completely resolved i.e. were there treaties, conventions, international laws, etc that, in WW 2, explicitly prohibited attacks on civilian aircraft?

I share Graham's view that there probably were, but it would be nice to have a primary source to confirm this.

This might be one for the lawyers who follow this Board (but perhap it doesn't pay well enough for their advice)

Cheers

Don W

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

Thanks Don

That was the point of asking the question.

Did the Geneva Convention cover this?

Cheers
Brian

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

Mea culpa!
First of June indeed.
pp

Re: Air attacks on civilian aircraft
 

I think the same conventions that affected civilian ships also affected civilian aircraft, and the same attitude by the bellligerents i.e. ships/aircraft, even though civilian in that they do not carry defensive or offensive weapons, are assumed to be part of the war effort of said country and so fair game for attack. The only exceptions being craft from neutral countries amd they should be explicially marked as such.

There appear to be no explicit treaties/concentions of war that mention civilian aircraft but I have read that aircraft were treated in the same way as ships when retrospectively judging legality of action.

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/lawwar.asp