Ethics of pilots fighting for the sides in WWII

[Oktoberfest]

I've read that book from Guy Sajer. He was a drafted french from annexed Alsace in a logistical regiment of the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front.The bbok covers his war experience from december 42 (he was 16...) to his surrender in 1945. It's amazing what this guy went through and survived...

The funny fact is that because of the propaganda he received on the front, he was persuaded that the french army was actually coming to help them fight the soviets nearly till the end of the war... Go figure, as was said, no means of information for the common Joe on the front.

I respect people who fought honorably in this war, on all sides. Not their leaders, as war is usually the massacre of young people that don't know each other for the sake of old people who don't fight and know each other.

I'm french, and my oldest friend is a german. I can't imagine what would've happened if we had met 70 years earlier.

[PeterPanPan]

What a great thread and so uplifting that it is being treated thoughtfully and with respect ... and has somehow stayed on topic and rant free. Well done all.

My own position re IL2 is that I only fly for the Allies. I have flown some German or Japanese a/c out of curiosity, but in actual combat, I'm just not comfortable with flying for the 'enemy'. I have always found it interesting to consider the reasons why some choose to fly Axis a/c and this thread is throwing some light on that.

PPanPan

[Feathered_IV]

There is a saying: A good man in a bad place. I suspect there were many such men, and women in those days.

One thing I have always found heartening about the Japanese was the behavior of many civilians and enlisted men towards prisoners in the home islands. Despite the threat of being quite literally beaten to death if caught fraternising with the enemy, many risked their own saftey to show kindness to PoW's. Even Greg Boyington, a self confessed Jap-hater (his words, not mine) said how touched he was by the way civilians would risk all to give them food, despite their own deprivations. He also mentioned kindly guards that smuggled precious soap to the prisoners. Demonstrating as one would to a child how to bathe and keep themselves clean.

Away from the eyes of the brutal regime, it seems that compassion and dignity still survived. The idea of collective guilt is often mentioned in relation to some nations. In the case of Japan, I think it is rather less so. The civilians could not of guessed what appalling acts were being being committed by their military overseas. Such things could hardly have made it into the newsreels. Indeed, most troops once sent overseas did not return home for the duration of the war. So word wouldn't have filtered back much that way. The civil population would have only known strict military rule, constant reports of victories. Then a slow tightening of bellies before the B-29's came. It's no wonder many would later appear skeptical of the crimes of the military, and be more focused on how much they suffered at home.

Well, just thinking out loud there.

[winny]

Originally Posted by Feathered_IV

There is a saying: A good man in a bad place.

There were plenty of bad men in bad places too. That's the thing, War is all about the individual fight to survive. Take any cross section of society and there will be the rotten few in there somwhere, problem was in WWII they were heavily armed and trained to kill.

I've read accounts of RAF pilots flying very close over German parachutes in order to collapse the 'chute and kill the pilot hanging from it.

IL-2 wise I always felt a little wierd shooting down Spits (I'm British) but not enough to stop me doing it.

Luckily we all share a passion for WWII aviation and so when you see someone flying a 109 around online you don't think 'Nazi' you just think '109 lover'.

The beauty of IL-2 is the emotional attachment to the aircraft means that the politics of it all don't matter. Man and machine, that's all.

[rakinroll]

I only fly German planes because of her:

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2861/...aschifferb.jpg

[swiss]

I only fly blue side because of this:

[WTE_Galway]

Good point Igo

Originally Posted by Feathered_IV

There is a saying: A good man in a bad place. I suspect there were many such men, and women in those days.

One thing I have always found heartening about the Japanese was the behavior of many civilians and enlisted men towards prisoners in the home islands. Despite the threat of being quite literally beaten to death if caught fraternising with the enemy, many risked their own saftey to show kindness to PoW's.

You also hear many stories of the Japanese Navy, who treated prisoners relatively well, being very unwilling to hand captured allied sailors over to the army and the work camps and apologizing to the prisoners they were handing over.