Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

Hi all,

There is an interesting article regarding this topic at wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_on_parachutists

Michael

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

Hi all,

here are two more exsamples.
See copy of shot down reports and translation.

Best regards
Rüdiger
------

Uffz Emil Enenkel
Shot down at 16.8 1944. Made emergency landing. After jumped out of plane shot down by American Fighter by maschine gun fire. Dead. Grave located at Halberstadt, military cemetery grave5..


Uffz. Wilhelm Mertens
Shot down in airfight at 8.8.1944. Jumped out by parachute and shot by American fighters. Extremely Wounded. Died in Hospital at Salzwedel. Grave will be reported later

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

Aside from any intentional attacks on parachutists, if you bailed out in the middle of an aerial combat, there must always have been a degree of risk from the dozens of automatic weapons being fired in the immediate vicinity, even if they weren't aimed at you.

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

Yes I agree, and we must add the many aircrafts debris, but remember that the post it´s about intentional attacks.

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

The attacks on parachuted pilots seem to have been quite common. I wonder if it would be the logic on war to accept them as "logical" when one considers all the cruelties happened during WW2 and other conflicts? Thus making the chivalrous behaviour the one which is the "strange thing" in wartime and worth of psychological analysis: is cold-blooded killing or hate motivated behaviour more logical and understable than to spare the life of an enemy and letting him to parachute in safety?

Besides attacks in air, some parachuted pilots were shot from the ground when they were descending. Of this I know well documented cases during Spanish Civil War committed by both sides. Sometimes even own airmen were killed with the assumption that they were enemies.

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

I'm perfectly well aware of that but people in wartime often think badly of their enemies. Anyone finding the body of man who parachuted and had bullet wounds might well assume that he had been shot intentionally.

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

Yes of course but the examples regarding here are shootings with one or more witnesses.

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

Witnesses are not always reliable... especially in an air battle, where you can't stop and watch one point for some time.

As for the chivalry of air war... in WWII the most efficient tactic for fighter vs fighter was a bounce from above and the sun and then a zoom up. Most of the shot down pilots never saw their attacker, and so were as unable ro reply as an airman under his chute...

Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted
 

I guess that the post is very clear. Nobody ask about if a pilot "John Smith" or "Johannes whatever" that was finding death on earth with parachute and body full of holes, was murder in the air or not. I mean knowing cases with witnesses that tell that they were present at that moment and saw all the thing.
And Laurent, a pilot in his aircraft is a combat fighter he isn´t defenseless like a pilot hanging on his parachute. I think that you are capable of understand the difference between both cases.