Killing Enemy Pilots In Parachutes – Was It A War Crime?

Is it a war crime to kill enemy aviators with their parachutes? Were helpless men killed in their parachutes? Did one side do this more than the other? Was it a violation of the rules of war? We’ll look at World War II stories and archives to find out.

Origins

During the First World War, British flying ace Ira ‘Taffy’ Jones was one of the first men who did this without regret and went on to discuss the disagreements this caused among his fellow airmen. The topic eventually came to light and the opinion was clear that it was frowned upon.

According to the Hague Rules of Warfare that were written in the 1920s, Article 20 stated, “When an aircraft has been disabled, the occupants when endeavoring escape using parachute mustn’t be attacked in the course of their descent.” Unfortunately, these rules weren’t actually entered into force and thus, it wasn’t officially a war crime. Instead, it simply fell into the hands of the pilots in the machine.

Debate

As conflict started to break out in Europe once again, it soon became clear that this was going to be a different war and the battlefield had changed. The first instance of unarmed combatants being shot at appeared and this time it would be the Germans who would be doing the shooting.

As the war went on, sometimes the practice not only carried on but even changed forms. This issue came to the forefront of military leaders from both sides of the war, causing discussion and debates among Allied and Axis forces. In 1940 for instance, Air Chief Marshall Hugh Doubting brought up this issue with Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Since the Battle of Britain was taking place in British territory, Doubting proposed that German pilots were completely entitled to shoot RAF airmen parachuting down over English soil since they were still potential combatants with the possibility of being put back into another plane in no time.

RAF pilots, on the other hand, should refrain from parachuting Luftwaffe pilots as they would inevitably become POWs. Churchill on the other hand, was disgusted by the idea and said that shooting a parachuting pilot was equivalent to downing a sailor. The conversation also came about in Luftwaffe leadership. Hermann Göring, who was himself a WWI fighter ace, asked one of his top pilots and most respected leaders Adolf Galland what he thought of the idea of shooting parachuting pilots. Galland famously replied, “I should regard it as murder. I should do everything in my power to disobey should order.”

Additionally, once the Americans entered the conflict in Europe, they were also discouraged from doing such acts on at least one occasion. Dwight D. Eisenhower made it a point to specifically forbid the practice.

Easier Said Than Done

While it’s easier said than done, rules are harder to implement on the battlefield. As the war carried on, chivalry began to disappear. As bombs began falling on German cities in increasing numbers, German pilots began hating bomber crews more and more. Thus, on more than one occasion, they were seen to kill parachuting crew members as they floated down over Germany. They would also be likely to be killed by angry civilians as the bombing increased.

Likewise, American pilots were no innocent bystanders. On several occasions, German pilots were found riddled with bullets with their parachutes deployed as they landed on the ground in Germany.

The Exception

There was one side, however, that was without a doubt, had no debate about killing men in their parachutes and that was the Japanese. Unlike the skies of Europe, the Pacific was far more cutthroat in brutal war.

While the Americans at first may have some respect for their adversary, any chivalry was quickly thrown out of the window when they met their opponent on the battlefield. The very first B-17 shot down while flying for the US Army saw its crew strafed by Zeroes as they floated down in their parachutes. The Japanese were quickly known for not only strafing men in their chutes but also strafing survival rafts in the water as well. This is likely due to the difference in culture since the Japanese regarded bailing out as a dishonor and such men didn’t deserve to live.

Is it Really A War Crime?

When the war ended, many regarded this practice as a war crime. However, nothing was outlined in the Geneva Convention and the practice was not technically outlawed. However, many nations chose to prohibit the practice within their own forces.

Decades later, a protocol was later added to the 1949 Geneva Convention that addressed this topic, Article 42 states that no person parachuting from an aircraft in distress should be made an object of attack during their descent.