Shooting pilots in their parachutes

[ValorStudios]

In reading several Luftwaffe pilot memoirs I was shocked at the number of incidents involving American fighter pilots shooting Luftwaffe pilots in their parachutes.

Has anyone come across any incidents like this during the Desert Air War where British or commonwealth pilots gunned down Luftwaffe pilots in a similar way?

I should probably clarify why I’m asking this question since this topic has obviously been well discussed on this site - in reading Chris Shores “Fighters Over the Desert” it gives the appearance that the Desert Air War was as fair as war can be, almost sporting.

I’m trying to figure out if the fair play idea went out the window with the arrival of the Americans who brought a different attitude to the fight.

Thanks!
Bryan

[Oberst]

Doolittle was a big advocate of the practice, unofficially of course. While in command he encouraged it. It got to the point where FDR wrote a letter with specific instructions not to shoot at pilots bailing or under there chutes. Whether over allied held territory or not.

[Larry deZeng]

The Americans believed the Germans could always build more fighters, no matter what was done to their aircraft industry, so the way to destroy the Luftwaffe was by killing its pilots. It has been argued that verbal instructions to that effect were given to American fighter pilots beginning around February 1944. No one has satisfactorily proven this yet, but it sounds logical. There are numerous examples of this in the Jochen Prien histories of individual Jagdgeschwader and in the Alfred M. de Zayas books on Allied war crimes against German soldiers and civilians.

[Oberst]

Yes civilians. Some frustrated American pilots who could not find targets would strafe German farms, people, bicyclist, cars, cows, whatever they could find.

[Larry deZeng]

de Zayas has similar incidents by non-American pilots, too. According to fully investigated cases, RAF and Empire pilots in Italy had a "thing" for Wehrmacht ambulances with big red crosses painted on the roofs. They loved to swoop down and shoot them to shreds. All of the Wehrmacht war crimes investigative files survived the war and are available at Freiburg. OKW encouraged these investigations to counter the relentless accusations of war crimes made against German forces during the war. IIRC, the entire collection runs to some 2,500 case files, but it may be more.

[Nick Beale]

Moderator's note:

We've had this discussion before and as I recall every combatant nation thought its parachuting pilots were being shot up by the enemy, so Oberst's post should not be taken as a cue for another round of the international blame game.

[Larry deZeng]

O.K., so we'll let Oberst and other with similar opinions who provide no sourcing accuse Americans of war crimes, and the small number of Americans who are still members here are not permitted to respond in a fair and reasonable way? Or have I misunderstood you?

[Oberst]

Well, private and confidential letters of a Luftwaffe Pilot family member of my Mothers side tells me different, my appologies for not posting them.

[drgondog]

Originally Posted by Oberst

Doolittle was a big advocate of the practice, unofficially of course. While in command he encouraged it. It got to the point where FDR wrote a letter with specific instructions not to shoot at pilots bailing or under there chutes. Whether over allied held territory or not.

You have sources and documentation for this claim?

When Doolittle was commander of 8th AF he was acutely aware that there were FAR more USAAF crews bailing out over Germany than LW. You make him out to be pretty stupid without specifics?? please document this claim?

[drgondog]

This is a weary discussion - for every claim of a luftwaafe pilot being killed in his chute there are eyewitnesses of bomber crews bing killed intheir chutes or by civilians or soldires on the ground. I have a personal friend, Bill Cullerton who was shot down over Ansbach, suurendered to SS and shot in the gut with his surrendered .45 - saved by a German Catholic Priest during the last two weeks of the war.

What are we to make of this 'Oberst'??

How many unarmed civilians were pushed into gas chambers or shot by German soldiers on East front or France - how do you wish to balance this with your spurious claims of Jimmy Doolittle?