GreyKnight Posted November 29, 2009 Posted November 29, 2009 On my satelitte subscription, they're showing The Red Baron right now. In one scene, one allied pilot is on the deck after a major furball and the Red Baron has to ditch too, and lands next to him. The allied pilot goes to unbutton his pistol, but doesn't shoot the Red Baron. The two meet and shake hands and are all pally before they go their separate ways and re-join their own forces. My question is... if you were that allied pilot, would you 'bust a cap in his ass'? The WWI aerial battle seemed too polite. Considering the propaganda/noteriety the Red Baron had, wouldn't it be beneficial if you took him out there and then, as he ditched, or would you consider it too un-gentleman. Looking at the the history, I'd shoot him with no qualms. But if I was there and then in the moment, I probably wouldn't/couldn't. Quote
Jediteo Posted November 29, 2009 Posted November 29, 2009 I would shoot the german due to his horrible english in the film. Some Gentlemanly decorum is in order though. Quote
Rattler Posted November 29, 2009 Posted November 29, 2009 From what I've read about the Great War, the pilots truly believed themselves to be Knights of the Sky, and successors to chivalric tradition and all of its codes. They wouldn't normally have gone at each other once the other was put out of action. There are umpteen stories of dogfights that ended when 1 pilot ran out of ammunition, and the other waved, saluted, and flew away, not willing to shoot an unarmed opponent. I'm sure that there were also cases of cold blooded killers like Beurling, who probably would've shot the bugger where he landed. I don't think that I'd be able to kill a pilot like that. Quote
JensenPark Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Beurling was such a good shot, he'd do it from a moving plane...with his off hand. Quote
erco Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Beurling was such a good shot, he'd do it from a moving plane...with his off hand. Quote
Perfesser Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 I know that one Christmas Eve soldiers in the trenches heard each other singing and ended up sharing treats before the officers put a stop to it so it isn't impossible. The Red Baron was a fighter pilot that killed without remorse. He himself said it was about sneaking upon people and murdering them before they knew what happened. I doubt he would have taken the chance of landing. Quote
BadAim Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 War is the strangest of all human endeavours, nearly anything is possible, especially when you consider that the soldiers that actually fought the war had more in common with each other than with those who sent them there in the first place. Quote
Tribunus Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 This wasn't Theoretical for my Dad. He was a B-17 pilot during the war, and the second time he was shot down was in February of 1945, coming back from a bombing raid on Lienz Austria. Quote
Vila Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Hell of a story Tribunus! Example of bravery and determination! I am so glad he make home safely! He probably hated winter after that though. I have story too. February 1992. War in Croatia. Western Slavonia region. 48 hours of Cease fire on that part of the Front. 3 uniformed, armed individuals with white flag (T-Shirt) are crossing open field toward 1st defence sector of litle town named Novska. Nobody fires. "They are probably not surrending are they?" "No way bro". "Their mates would cut them on half with MGs". So my platoon CMDR orderd "Keep them on sights but hold your fire guys, I am going to see what they want". So he went. Came back 15 minutes after talking an smoking with them. "They want to set a Soccer mach"! What? "THEY WANT TO SET A SOCCER MACH!!!!!" (8 days before that after all day battle, we stoped their infantry-armorred Brigade on advance). "Can we get some of what ever they use?" "Well, we are siting over here for some time now and doing nothin anyway!" 2 days after "are they serious" talking in battalion, 3 more meetings on "nobodys land" and putting everything and everybody on first defence line, I wached that soccer game. We won 4:2. It was not WW1, it was not in some imaginary country, I was sober, they did it and I saw it. Nobody fired a single bullet until next morning. How to explain that? I do not know. Each side did not hesitate to kill before, or after that. During game, it chross my mind to kill our goolman after 0:1. So much present hate was absent that day and war did not seem so cold und ugly. Quote
Tribunus Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 He probably hated winter after that though. That's why I grew up in sunny southern California. Quote
DoubleTap Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 "As wild as it sounds now, they decided that they would travel east and try and link up with the advancing Russian Army, which they knew from briefings, was somewhere in Czechoslovakia." Jeez, I am glad your dad got back ok. Quote
Lothar Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Quite right DT, I've had a relative (brother of my great grandfather) who went into resistance here in Belgium, derailing trains and such. But early on already he was caught by the germans and ended up in a prison camp. He stayed there for a while, making a friend with very pronounced communist ideas. Together they decided to organise their escape, and since Russia was closer to the camp (or easier to get to, I don't know too much details) + influence from the friend they both decided to flee to the russians. And they succeeded too. Once arrived, they got 'caught' by the soviets. And even though they couldn't speak a single word russian, their ability to read a map and their experience in enemy territory made that both of them got promoted officer, each commanding a handful of men. They didn't have much choice, go fight for them or end up in a gulag. So they spent the largest amount of time, almost 3 years, in the war at the russian front. My uncle never said anything about his experiences there, I think it would've been too painful for him. All we know is he lost his friend there, who was searching the german bodies for valuables and got shot while at it by a wounded german. At the end of the war both allied armies, americans/british/canadians... met in Berlin, but had an agreement that both would send eventual deserters back to their army. My uncle deserted to the americans anyway. The american officer in charge of him phoned his relatives to check his story, but there they all said my uncle was dead (since they hadn't heard of him in several years). My uncle heard that, and had to shout to the phone for his family to recognise his voice. A bit less luck and he would have had to stay in communist Russia for the rest of his life... Quote
Tribunus Posted December 1, 2009 Posted December 1, 2009 Knowing what I know about the Soviets from history, I would have been a little wary of linking up with them. Quote
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