German Jasta officers never hesitated to invite allied shot down pilots to sit at their table for lunch or dinner before being escorted to a prisoner camp. Several accounts state that some allied pilots remained several days completely free on German airfields if they gave their word they wouldn’t try to escape. They were able to play cards, football, read, and listen some music with their counterparts in a very relaxed and friendly way.
It was the last of the wars of gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteIn many parts of the front, the British and Germans had an agreement that they wouldn't kill each other. They'd send over the schedule for shelling, and would advise each other to keep their heads down. Naturally high command on both sides were inflamed when they heard of such situations.
The officer corps on both sides generally had rules that they lived by including keeping their word. Not at all the war with the Nazis, or the Japanese or the Muslims.
From the most excellent Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old", some of the Brits recalled that they liked the Bavarian soldiers as regular guys caught up in the war just as they were, and some others not quite so much, but that everyone hated the Prussians. When a Saxon division was being pulled out of the line, they sent over a message saying that they were being replaced by Prussians and urged the Tommies to, "Give them hell!"
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