Civilised war

[KingBeast 0]

Okay im reading a book called Pegasus bridge and i came across this little story that really made me smile. Its quite lengthy but take the time to read it, its a nice story

In North Africam Hans von Luck was fighting in the only war he ever enjoyed. He commanded the armed reconnaissance batallion on Rommel's extreme right (southern) flank. He thus enjoyed a certain independance, as did his British opposite number. The two commanding officers agreed to fight a civilized war. Every day at 5 pm the war shut down, the British to brew up their tea, the Germans their coffee. At about quarter past five, von Luck and the British commander would communicate over the radio. "Well," von Luck might say, "we captured so-and-so today, and he's fine, and he sends his love to his mother, tell her not to worry."

Once von Luck learned that the British had received a months supply of cigarettes. He offered to trade a captured officer - who happened to be the heir to the players cigarette fortune - for one million cigarettes. The British countered with an offer of 600,000. Done, said von Luck. But the Players heir was outraged. He said the ransom was insufficient. He insisted he was worth the million and refused to be exchanged.

One evening, an excited corporal reported that he had just stolen a British truck jammed with tinned meat and other delicacies. Von Luck looked at his watch - it was past 6pm - and told the corporal he would have to take it back, as he had captured it after 5 pm. The corporal protested that this was war and anyway, the troops were already gathering in the goods from the truck.

Von Luck called Rommel, his mentor in military academy. He said he was suspicious of British moves farher south and thought he ought to go out on a two day reconnaissance. Could another battalion take is place for that time? Rommel agreed. The new battalion arrived in the morning. That night, at 5:30pm just as von Luck had anticipated, the British stole two supply trucks.

Would be nice if anyone else could come up with other such gentlemanly conduct in war

[Aculaud 0]

So..............elaborate on that if you would. Were there any killings? Any tank casualties? how civilized was it?

[second_draw 0]

Is this a true story? Based on a true story? Or just a nice little book on how a war should work?

[KingBeast 0]

Okay the book is based on the British paras that were basically the first soldiers on french soil before the D-Day landings. They went in on gliders to capture some important bridges and such.

And the story about von Luck is true.

Acculaud im sure there were casualties, so i guess it couldnt have been 100% civilised (wouldnt be a war if it was

But still, stopping the wat at 5pm every day for tea and coffee is pretty nice I would say

[Aculaud 0]

yeah, i would too.

[KingBeast 0]

The book is written by the guy who did Band of Brothers. Heres a sumamry (written on the back of the book) for anyone interested.

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944 a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-Day, the turning point of World War II. This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial, that had it been unsuccesful, the entire Nomandy invasion might have failed.

[second_draw 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KingBeast @ April 20 2002,03:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But still, stopping the wat at 5pm every day for tea and coffee is pretty nice I would say<span id='postcolor'>

& treating the wounded

[Wobble 1]

during WW1 on christmas the germans and brists at one part of the line paused.. and ended up playing a game of football (soccer)..

[Antichrist 0]

WW1 was pretty screwed anyway

[christophercles 0]

At galipoli the anzacs and the turkish at times ended up designating days when neither side would fire and they would bury thier dead and stuff, they took christmas off, and ended up swapping jam and coffee and stuff. Thats pretty civilized i guess. But then they started killing eachother again.

[Hardliner 0]

I had and still have a game on Commadore 64 called Pegasus Bridge. The British had to secure two bridges for the forces landing on the beaches nearby and destroy or hold several other bridges to the east to cut off German reinforcements. It was always easy for me to be German.

[Satchel 0]

When an Enemy Was a Friend

Brown's B-17 was perhaps the most heavily damaged bomber to return from combat. It survived because of an enemy's act of chivalry.

Dec. 20, 1943, was a typically cold, overcast winter day in Britain as 2d Lt. Charles L. Brown's B-17F lined up for takeoff. It was 21-year-old Charlie Brown's first combat mission as an aircraft commander with the 379th Bomb Group, the target an FW-190 factory at Bremen, Germany. He and his crew of Ye Olde Pub were to become participants in an event probably unique at that time in the air war over Europe--a mission that would remain shrouded in mystery for many years.

The bombers began their 10-minute bomb run at 27,300 feet, the temperature: negative 60 degrees. Flak was heavy and accurate. Before "bombs away," Brown's B-17 took hits that shattered the Plexiglas nose, knocked out the number two engine, damaged number four--which frequently had to be throttled back to prevent overspeeding--and caused undetermined damage to the controls. Coming off target, Lieutenant Brown was unable to stay with the formation and became a straggler.

Almost immediately, the lone and limping B-17 came under a series of attacks from 12 to 15 Bf-109s and FW-190s that lasted for more than 10 minutes. The number three engine was hit and would produce only half power. Oxygen, hydraulic, and electrical systems were damaged, and the controls were only partially responsive. The bomber's 11 defensive guns were reduced by the extreme cold to only the two top turret guns and one forward-firing nose gun. The tailgunner was killed and all but one of the crew in the rear incapacitated by wounds or exposure to the frigid air. Lieutenant Brown took a bullet fragment in his right shoulder.

Charlie Brown figured the only chance of surviving this pitifully unequal battle was to go on the offensive. Each time a wave of attackers approached, he turned into them, trying to disrupt their aim with his remaining firepower. The last thing oxygen-starved Brown remembers was reversing a steep turn, becoming inverted, and looking "up" at the ground. When he regained full consciousness, the B-17 was miraculously level at less than 1,000 feet.

Still partially dazed, Lieutenant Brown began a slow climb with only one engine at full power. With three seriously injured aboard, he rejected bailing out or a crash landing. The alternative was a thin chance of reaching the UK. While nursing the battered bomber toward England, Brown looked out the right window and saw a Bf-109 flying on his wing. The pilot waved, then flew across the B-17's nose and motioned Brown to land in Germany, which the aircraft commander refused to do. After escorting them for several miles out over the North Sea, the Luftwaffe pilot saluted, rolled over, and disappeared. Why had he not shot them down? The answer did not emerge for many years.

L. Franz Stigler, former Oberleutnant, during WWII, and on Dec. 20, 1943, Commander No. 6, JG-27, Luftwaffe Fighter Forces, was a part of the German air force before it even became known that Germany had an air force. Stigler came from a family of pilots; his father flew in WWI and his brother, whom he had trained, was KIA in WWII.

Over the course of his career, Stigler had been shot down 17 times and captured once in Africa, escaping almost immediately. On that fateful day, the Squadron Commander had shot down two B-17s, one more that day and he would have automatically been awarded the Knight’s Cross, Germany’s highest military award.

He had landed to refuel and rearm when he saw Brown’s B-17 come up from behind some woods across the field where he was refueling. Stigler leaped into his plane and took off after them. He flew about 500 feet above the enemy aircraft, trying to decide the best way to finish it off. “I thought I would do it the classic way, from the rear,†remembers Stigler. “So, I flew above and to the rear of the airplane, about 200 feet. I wanted to give his tail-gunner a chance to lift the guns, to point the guns at me. The guns were hanging down.â€

The guns never rose to take aim at Stigler. Flying within 20 feet, he was able to find out the reason. “I saw his gunner lying in the back profusely bleeding….. so, I couldn’t shoot.†He then flew up to the right wing and looked into the cockpit at Brown. “I tried to get him to land in Germany and he didn’t react at all.†Stigler believes that Brown reacted the way he did partly due to the previously experienced lack of oxygen. “So, I figured, well, turn him to Sweden, because his airplane was so shot up; I never saw anything flying so shot up.â€

He described the plane as “the most badly damaged aircraft I ever saw, still flying.†Stigler continued trying to get Brown to turn to Sweden because the flight would have only taken about 30 minutes; that was about all the time Stigler figured the plane to have left in her. Brown refused and continued towards England. The Commander accompanied the beaten up plane as far as he safely could. “I thought, well, I hope you make it. So, I waved off and saluted him and flew back to the airport.â€

The B-17 did make it across 250 miles of storm-tossed North Sea and landed at Seething near the English coast, home of the 448th Bomb Group, which had not yet flown its first mission. The crew was debriefed on their mission, including the strange encounter with the Bf-109. For unknown reasons, the debriefing was classified "secret" and remained so for many years. Lieutenant Brown went on to complete a combat tour, finish college, accept a regular commission, and serve in the Office of Special Investigations, with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and in other Air Force and State Department assignments until his retirement. He now lives in Miami, Fla., where he is founder and president of an energy and environmental research center.

The image of his strange encounter with the Bf-109 remained firmly embedded in Charlie Brown's memory. In 1986, he began a search for the anonymous pilot. Finally, in 1990, former Oberleutnant Franz Stigler, now living in Canada, responded to a notice published in a newsletter for German fighter pilots. By comparing time, place, and aircraft markings, it was determined that Stigler was the chivalrous pilot who had allowed Brown's crew to live. Not surprisingly, Brown and Stigler have become close friends.

On that December day in 1943, there had been two persuasive reasons why Stigler should have shot down the B-17. First, earlier in the day, he had downed two four-engine bombers and needed only one more that day to earn a Knight's Cross. Second, his decision to not finish off the aircraft was a court-martial offense in Nazi Germany and if revealed could have led to his execution. He considered these alternatives while flying formation with the B-17, "the most heavily damaged aircraft I ever saw that was still flying." He could see the wounded aboard and thought, "I cannot kill these half-dead people. It would be like shooting at a parachute."

Franz Stigler's act of chivalry has been justly, though belatedly, honored by several military organizations here and abroad. On the other hand, Charles Brown was not decorated for his heroism over Germany, which never was reported by the 448th Bomb Group at Seething to his commanders. Such are the fortunes of war and its aftermath.

[Placebo 28]

Great story Satchel, thanx for posting it