[Ruy Horta]

Ironically many German account describe American fighter pilots shooting up almost everything, both in the air and on the ground, hanging on a parachute or even civilians just walking in the countryside.

I think we run a risk of generalization and exaggeration.

It is far more important to establish to what extend such behavior was condoned or even stimulated (not to mention ordered) from higher hand.

Also what is the exact definition of combattant?

Is there a distinction between shooting an airborne trooper as he comes in to attack, or aircrew bailing out over friendly territory? One will be an immediate threat, the other one will also fight again.

Killing aircrew over what is to them hostile territory into almost certain captivity does not make sense other than killing for the purpose of killing.

During Guadalcanal USN aircraft turned the seas red as they strafed Japanese soldiers who were in the water after their transports had been sunk, how reasonable is that?

I saw an interview with a US fighter ace who described strafing a ditched Me110 crew in the desert, how reasonable is that?

What do you want to achieve with this thread, establish the general levels sadism or compassion in the Jagdwaffe?

I don't know how compassionate I'd be if my home town was left in ruins, with family and friends killed.
Perhaps I'd have compassion for an enemy fighter pilot, but honestly as a Luftwaffe fighter pilot I'd have little compassion for an enemy bomber pilot.

OTOH I'd be smart enough not to waste ammo on something like that.

Another thought, if you didn't see/use any tracers, it would be easy to misjudge a fly by for a firing pass.

OTOH, a close fly by might just as well collapse a parachute...

In the end I really don't care much about the topic. War is hell, people die.