Aircraft Lovers Group
Hobbies & Interests
This group is open to everyone who likes any kind of aircraft
The tale of Ye Olde Pub
(view original)
Post a comment
Description
What happens when a German pilot, one kill off of his Knights Cross, finds a crippled B-17 with a crew that has been through hell?
Things like this happened quite often believe it or not.
Good picture and thanks for letting more people know about this.
Not as often as you would think actually. The Great War was far more common for this sought of thing than WWII, e.g. Not continuing a fight if one was out of ammunition and so on.
This one stood out to me because of Stigler's determination to see the bomber home. He didn't just give up when they wouldn't land in Sweden, but instead escorted them to the Channel.
Thanks all the same. :)
I've heard of plenty of other storys like this as well, especially on the ground.
One of my Favorites is in the African Theatre The German and British Troops would Play Football and Grill together during holidays, and had a mutual Respect for each other as human beings.
Another was of an Italian Crew who had prisoners and were transporting them, the prisioners Hijacked the plane and it crashed in the Med. When the Search and Rescue team came, they found the British Prisoners and The Italians happily Drinking wine and playing cards together.
Now...I doubt this thing ever happened with the Russians or Japanese.
Moral is at the end of the day sometimes Human Beings are just that... Human Beings.
The real reason this story stands out though is the situation, and who this Pilot was.
I think he should have finished them off.
They probably took off again and killed many civilians.
If he did, maybe today we'll have 50 more families instead of 8 war veterans...
It's war mate. Civilians are going to be collateral damage no matter what happens.
War is especially brutal due to your above mentioned statement. There will always be the moral dilemma of whether you choose to let the enemy live to fight another day or kill him where he stands. It's a personal choice as much as it is a worldly one. However what you do in that situation will stick with you forever, for good or for worse.
You'd have to ask yourself, where does it stop? Should POW's be executed on the spot, for fear that they could escape and then be put back into service against you?
Boundaries and gentleman's laws in war are about as much of a joke as a war can be itself, but moral decisions and maintaining integrity towards your fellow man should always be a priority, no matter what the situation.
Plus Most soldiers/Pilots/Sailors.. They don't hate the enemy. they have to fight them to win a war but they don't hate them.. Because they are in the same situation they are in themselves. They all have jobs to do an they will do it to the fullest.. it's like that Japanese Naval bomber pilot an a American Fighter Pilot.. they engaged each other in combat an years later after the war became friends.. even though the Fighter pilot wounded that bomber pilot. It's about more than killing man.. it's about Respect to one's duty to an for their country as an 11B i was taught to not hate my enemy but to respect him