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  #11  
Old 22nd January 2015, 11:42
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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
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  #12  
Old 22nd January 2015, 15:08
Ruediger Kaufmann Ruediger Kaufmann is offline
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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
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  #13  
Old 22nd January 2015, 15:27
Larry deZeng Larry deZeng is online now
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Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blücher View Post
Hi all,

There is an interesting article regarding this topic at wikipedia:

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

Michael
Thanks for the link to the Wiki artical, but reciting anecdotal account after anecdotal account after anecdotal account, all taken from English language "memoir" type books, is not terribly helpful. The author's lead section on how international law views this issue is helpful, though. The author also mentions in passing alleged verbal orders given to U.S. fighter pilots to kill baled out Luftwaffe pilots. According to wartime Wehrmacht war crimes investigative material discussed in the Alfred de Zayas book (see Post #2 in this thread), the Germans were able to obtain prima facie confirmation of this through numerous interrogations of U.S. pilots at Dulag Oberursel north of Frankfurt/M. But we lack ironclad evidence and this would be a project that needs investigating.

L.
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  #14  
Old 22nd January 2015, 17:03
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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.
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  #15  
Old 22nd January 2015, 17:11
edgardo gil edgardo gil is offline
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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.
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  #16  
Old 22nd January 2015, 18:03
GuerraCivil GuerraCivil is offline
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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.
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  #17  
Old 22nd January 2015, 18:29
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Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted

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Originally Posted by edgardo gil View Post
but remember that the post it´s about intentional attacks.
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.
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  #18  
Old 22nd January 2015, 18:40
edgardo gil edgardo gil is offline
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Re: Luftwaffe pilots shot while parachuted

Yes of course but the examples regarding here are shootings with one or more witnesses.
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  #19  
Old 22nd January 2015, 19:51
Laurent Rizzotti Laurent Rizzotti is offline
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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...
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  #20  
Old 22nd January 2015, 20:04
edgardo gil edgardo gil is offline
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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.
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