Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Big is a relative term. A Catalina isn't a Sunderland or DoX. If the Sunderland is a battleship, the PBY is a destroyer, the Goose a minesweeper and the Widgeon a PT boat.A big flying boat can take I believe up to 2 miles to get off the water, more if it doesn't have the wind to fly into.
The Seenotdienst aircraft were white, with civil registries and red cross insignia - they were clearly marked and their mission was to rescue, which they were fully outfitted for.There's no provision in the rules of war for a fighting service to operate an air-sea rescue service without interference from their opponents.
There's no provision in the rules of war for a fighting service to operate an air-sea rescue service without interference from their opponents.
Hey Stona,
Except for the parts in ( ), [ ], the *s, and the words My bold., all of the above was copied and pasted from the Geneva Convention of 1949.
Search and rescue aircraft, regardless of how they are painted, were not and are still not considered Medical Aircraft. To be considered Medical Aircraft they must be used exclusively for transport of wounded and/or medical personnel and/or medical supplies.
It seems logical that any craft operating to further the objectives of the enemy would be a legitimate target. Retrieving a fighter pilot to fight again sounds to me like furthering the enemy's war effort. Said pilot is a war asset. War is hell and total war isn't pretty.
If the Sunderland is a battleship, the PBY is a destroyer, the Goose a minesweeper and the Widgeon a PT boat.
While I agree that it was poor form for the RAF to attack the German ASR aircraft,
How is it different to bombing unarmed civilians in London?, Germany attacked Poland Belgium France Britain and killed innocent people by the thousands doing it. If I was a fighter pilot in WW2 I would have attacked and do my best to destroy any and every Luftwaffe and Japanese aircraft I found.
I do not know why the Germans thought it would apply, unless there was some sort of hoped for gentlemen's agreement between the Germans and the British?