Do unto others....

[Joe Chi Minh]

I'm sure many of you will be familiar with this true story of moving gallantry on the part of a Luftwaffe pilot, towards the crew (most badly injured) of a stricken American plane over Germany during WWII, but for those who haven't, here it is:

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=105373

At the link to interviews with Franz Stigler just below the text, I particularly loved this bit by Stigler:

"He also said that Marseille was a superb pilot and got kills using only 4 cannon rounds(he knew him while fighting in North Africa). Marseille was also a bit of a rebel and not real soldier material."

It all reminds me of Doenitz trying to explain to Hitler that you couldn't ask "crack" troops, i.e. the U-Boat crews, to shoot at women and children who had just survived torpedo attacks. Alas, An Allied plane shot a surfaced U-boat trying to help such survivors, and Hitler's wish prevailed.

I'd better stop here. I'm beginning to sound pro-Nazi, which couldn't be further from the truth. I could probably recite the commentaries on Kursk and Pomarevka in the cable films of those battles, word for word. I never tire of watching them.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. there is an odd comeraderie during war

I've read about this sort of thing before, where combat veterans would help out those on the other side, simply because both knew and understood the horrors of war.

[Joe Chi Minh]

2. Yep. In a village in the US, devoted parents lovingly brought up a son, hoping to be able

to prepare them for a long and happy life; while in Germany, another devoted couple were lovingly bringing up a son with the same thing in mind.

Enter the villains referred to in the psalms and by the late General Smedley Butler, who love to make war ... with other people's children in the front line.

Remember the fellow-feeling during WWII, when they played a soccer match together at Christmas?

Don't laugh, but even the rich and feckless have a weird camaraderie based on materialism. Also during WWI, when some Tory politician suggested setting fire to German forests, another politician - I think called Kingsley something or other - said, "oh no! We can't do that! It's private property! Next you'll be wanting to bomb Bremen!" I kid you not.