Was there an order to destroy aircraft force landed in enemy territory?

[edwest]

From an account I read, possibly in Luftwaffe im Focus, the pilot and co-pilot of a bomber were given a new radar. The electronics for the radar inside the plane had an explosive charge installed next to it. Prior to exiting the aircraft during an emergency, the ignitor was activated in some unspecified fashion. For some reason, they wanted to make sure the explosive charge would go off.

They got permission to test an example of the explosive pack at an airfield. The ignitor was activated and it was thrown into a bomb crater a safe distance from any structures or other personnel, and they hit the dirt. They waited and waited. Nothing. They cautiously approached the bomb crater and decided not to disturb the pack. Then they got a hand grenade and threw it into the bomb crater. The grenade exploded and the demolition pack landed right in front of them. There was no mention of what happened next.



Ed