Al Deere is one of a few pilots who, in their combat reports, refer to making 'front gun exercises' at German airmen they have shot down. In two examples, Deere and Eric Edsall, the 'front gun exercise' was made at a downed airman climbing into his dinghy in the English Channel. I have never understood whether this 'exercise' meant that the British/NZ pilots concerned were attempting to kill the unfortunate Germans or whether they were making a dummy pass at them. Does anyone have a proper definition of a 'front gun exercise'?
Incidentally both Deere and Edsall were jumped by Bf 109s whilst doing this, both had their aircraft shot up, but managed to evade their attackers and return to England, so it might not have been a particularly smart thing to do.
Cheers
Steve