Chivalry

[Camaero]

Easily my favorite war stories are acts of chivalry between soldiers who are at war with each other. It is refreshing to me to see that even when there is so much hate and killing, a little human kindness can shine through every now and then. It also hammers home the point that people don't start wars, governments do.

Some examples:

A 109 pilot, during the Battle of Britain, spotted a wounded Spitfire or Hurricane (I don't remember which) and he pulls up along side the fighter, salutes, and escorts the Brit over land. Some days or weeks later, the 109 pilot was badly shot up and had two British fighters salute, and escort him back over to France.

You will have to forgive me because I am bad with names but, a U boat captain talked about handing out food and life rafts to merchant sailors he had just sunk. He said his job was to sink ships, not to kill people.

Anyone see the movie Merry Christmas? I am sure most of you know the story of the famous Christmas truce. The movie was not based on any one single event, but sort of a mixture of what was reported to have happened all along the fronts during WWI on Christmas. German, French, and Scottish soldiers called a truce to collect their dead. One thing leads to another, and they ended up celebrating Christmas together. The next day, the Germans invited the Scotts and French over to their trenches because the German artillery was about to pound them. Later, the French or Scotts invited the Germans to their trenches for the same reason. This part of the movie was not confirmed, but there were reports of it happening. I would like to think it did. I can believe it though, if you had just gotten to know the "enemy" and seen that they were not much different than you, how could you go back to killing them? I think that could only have happened in the first world war though. The German officers and many soldiers were usually much too idealistic in WWII to let something like that happen.

Anyone know some other acts of Chivalry during times of war?

[ASWnut101]

besides when our troops in Iraq shoot a gurilla (spelling!) and then take him to a medical facility (though, thats probably not Chivalric), the only thing I can think of is US Apache helicopters during Gulf War I would fire warning shots at the Iraqi's, waited for them to get out of their vehicles, drop their weapons and get a safe distance away before blowing up the vehicles, allowing the Iraqis to return home alive.

[geetrue]

The movie you talked about, "Merry Christmas" must have been based on a true story. It was reported that you could hear both sides singing in their own language, "Silent Night" from each others trenches.

That was WW I of course, but in WW II it was reported, I know, I know some of these reports get told over and over again till they get polished like a river rock, but it has been reported that Spitfires were seen still dog fighting in the Battle of Britain with the pilot slumped over dead in the cockpit.

[waste gate]

The Christmas truce of 1914.

[Dowly]

Yep, I´ve heard of the WWI Christmas Truce too. I think it was my history teacher who told about it.

I remember there was a movie where a Japanese & an American sniper were dueling it out on some island in the Pacific. They both survived/gave up/made truce (cant remember) but anyways, in the end they were shown as old men in some WWII reunition. Cant remember if that was based on a true story.

[AG124]

You will have to forgive me because I am bad with names but, a U boat captain talked about handing out food and life rafts to merchant sailors he had just sunk. He said his job was to sink ships, not to kill people.

I think there were several commanders who gave this kind of aid actually. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Peter Cremer of U-333, and both George-Wilhelm Schultz and Johann Mohr of U-124. Of course, there was also the Laconia incident, but that was a little different in that Werner Hartenstein actually towed the lifeboats rather than just giving aid.

[nightdagger]

These stories are all fine and great but in most cases I would rather kill an enemy who doesn't really want to kill me than risk my own life in the hopes that an enemy won't kill me.

[bradclark1]

Unfourtunately in todays day and age chivalry will get you killed.

[Dowly]

Unfourtunately in todays day and age chivalry will get you killed.

Agreed.

[Letum]

There where two high ranking commanders on opposing sides that where fighting over a sector of north Africa for several months of the war.
Despite the fighting, both commanders where in regular radio contact and arranged to make the war a little more civil. Every day at half past eleven the fighting always stopped for a half hour so both sides could take tea and prisoners where often exchanged for food rations.
It so happened that in one German advance a member of the British commanders staff was taken prisoner. The German commander was so happy with his newly acquired captive that at first he refused to exchange him for any amount of food rations. Instead he invited the prisoner to stay with him at his command HQ. However, the Germans learnt that the English has just received a supply of one million cigarettes. Upon being told of this, the German commander contacted the British commander and offered to swap the prisoner for the full supply of one million cigarettes. The British commander refused and said that he would only swap for half a million cigarettes. The German commander accepted, but the prisoner, who had been listening to the conversation, refused to go back to the British lines complaining that he was worth far more than just half a million cigarettes! He reminded captive until the end of the war.

[StdDev]

I remember there was a movie where a Japanese & an American sniper were dueling it out on some island in the Pacific. They both survived/gave up/made truce (cant remember) but anyways, in the end they were shown as old men in some WWII reunition. Cant remember if that was based on a true story.

Sounds a bit like "Hell in the Pacific" with Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune.. except thats not how this movie ended..

[Sailor Steve]

Sounds like Hell In The Pacific to me, too. Of course the way the movie ended is not how the movie ended either. The DVD has the original filmed ending in a separate file. Much less downbeat than the way it was released.

[August]

Unfourtunately in todays day and age chivalry will get you killed.

It's always been that way except for a few (highly embellished or downright mythical) incidents.

[U-533]

Unfourtunately in todays day and age chivalry will get you killed.

Agreed.

or severely maimed

Im all for being nice but...:hmm: well i'll leave that but alone for now.

[Takeda Shingen]

I remember there was a movie where a Japanese & an American sniper were dueling it out on some island in the Pacific. They both survived/gave up/made truce (cant remember) but anyways, in the end they were shown as old men in some WWII reunition. Cant remember if that was based on a true story.

Sounds a bit like "Hell in the Pacific" with Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune.. except thats not how this movie ended..

Toshiro Mifune: What an actor!

As Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai:
http://www.shermanleeinstitute.org/images/events/samurai1.gif