[Brian Bines]

Following on from what Larry said a few years ago a 8th AF ace was asked on a TV programme about shooting of pilots on parachutes and he replied that there was no order to do so. However briefing officers in his Group did say every German pilot who baled out and got into another fighter had the potential to kill ten American bomber boys next mission. In this case no order but a strong suggestion to fire on a chute to protect the bomber crews. As regards the point about firing on jet pilots from nealy 60 Me262 pilots who baled out at least ten died as a result of chute failure or jumping too low, one was fired at on the ground following a crash landing but was not hit, five were reported killed on their chutes, one wounded on his chute and three claimed to have been fired at while descending. Of the five who died one died of blood loss following being hit which could have been caused in the cockpit but people on the ground reported he was fired on, a second was found dead with bullet wounds but some reports say his chute did not fully develope. I believe Galland had a fear of being fired on if jumping from a 262, as some allied pilots thought all 262s were flown only by aces.