Is it true that the German paratroopers took no prisoners?

Answer 1

German Papatroopers did not have a policy of taking no prisoners. As to where the rumor began, like most rumors through lack of the facts.

Richard V. Horrell WW 2 Connections.com

AnswerNo, but I've talked to American WWII vets who told me that some American GIs would never turn over Germans taken prisoner who were in SS uniforms. The Americans routinely murderered them all in cold blood, in direct violation of the Geneva Convention, according to a veteran I know who was in the D-Day landing.

Heinz Knoke, in his book __I Flew for the Fuhrer__, recounts several episodes in which he was an eyewitness to American fighter planes opening fire on German pilots in their parachutes while descending after a bailout (including killing one of them). Again, that's in open violation of the Geneva Convention.

• • • The above passage is a complete fabrication. The author has obviously never read the Articles of the Geneva Convention. First the Articles of the Geneva convention at the time of WWII had no mention of pilots that have bailed out. It was common practice to open fire on any pilot in a descending in a parachute over his homeland since it was assumed he would be put back in the next available plane and shoot at you. It was also a common practice not to shoot at a pilot that bailed out over your territory since he would most likely end up as a POW. However these are not guidelines in the Articles of the Geneva Convention ***

Of course the Soviets (who had not signed the Geneva Convention) carried out the horrible Katyn Forest Massacre of captured Polish officers.

How come when a German is accused of killing a POW its a war crime. However, when the Allies kill German POWs its well you know its only war. TALK ABOUT TO STANDARDS.

AnswerAs paratroopers from both sides (Allies and Axis) are usually dropped behind enemy lines (and thus are surrounded by enemy combatants), it is very tough to take prisoners (where would you put them?). I doubt if it was considered "policy" to kill all captured prisoners, but I'm sure it happened, on both sides. AnswerGerman paratrooper's, like those of Britain and the U.S. were the highest trained and disciplined of all troops and would never have gone alomg with that as a policy. One account of British prisoner's about to be shot by a German officer when the German Maj. Gen. Kurt Student the German Airborne commander happenedon the scene and stopped it immediatelyand ordered the prisoner's to be taken to the normal routine collection system.They said "he saved our lives that day>" AnswerI served as an American Paratrooper and also "earned" my Fallschirmjager wings and the German Army Weapons Qualification Badge in Bronze(times sure have changed since 1945). The book that would answer your question would be "Infantry Aces" written by Franz Kurowski. It tells the story of 8-WW2 German Soldiers who were exceptional Combat soldiers. Oberleutnant Erich Lepkowski was a German Paratrooper who fought at Crete, the Russian Front, and then the western front. Both the British Forces and German Paratroopers took prisoners at Crete, but the Russian Front was another story. Quarter was not asked for or given in close combat by either the Russians or Germans as a rule. Soldies with severe injuries were reasigned from the Russian Front, to the Western Front so their injuries could heal, While waiting for the Allied invasion of Europe. These soldiers with recent combat experience were invaluable as the Allies opened another front to ease the pressure off the Russians. I'm sure that these soldiers fought with the same brutality on the Western Front as they had learned on the Russian Front. Further I'm quite sure that the Allies Forces returned the favor. If in doubt go to the local VFW and talk to the few remainng combat soldiers from WW2.

Do some more reading on Crete. The Brits and Greeks shot and mutilated lots of Germans wounded at Crete.

AnswerFurther research on this subject leads me to believe the opposite is true. The fallschirmjager were part of the German airforce and wore the blue scarves w/ white dots and the fighter pilots blouse to further show their pride. I have read numerous articles written by both German and allied ww2 veterans and have learned that the German paratroopers were actually known for their chivalry in combat as well as their tenacity in the offense or defense. Many times German paratroopers risked their own lives to save wounded allied soldiers, while under fire. But of course there is always an exception. By 1945 few fallschirmjager were left who had fought w/ chivalry in Africa or Crete. AnswerMy father was a Geraman PAR with the 2nd para div. from 1940 till the end of the war. He never saw any German para shoot unarmed troops. But, in Russia it was different.

I am searching for the author of the above reply. My father was also a German para with the 2nd FJ division.

Answerin regard to killing of prisoners and downed pilots it happened to all the nations involved . German killing American ,American killing German and so on . it is what happens in war , along with the deaths of innocent civilians. AnswerGeneraloberst Kurt Student, the head of the German parachute branch, was tried for war crimes before a British court on 6-10 May 1946. The trial involved command responsibility for the mistreatment and killing of British and New Zealand prisoners of war during the airborne invasion of Crete. Two charges on which he was convicted involved the killing of Royal Air Force ground crew on 20 May 1941 when paratroopers landed on Maleme airfield (the Germans wanted the prisoners of war to unload transport planes and when three refused they shot them) and the shooting of wounded soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Welch Regiment after surrender on 27 May 1941. The court determined that these incidents did occur and the paratroopers from the Sturm Regiment were responsible, but the conviction was quashed later because legal doubts were raised about Student's criminal responsibility for the actions of lower subordinates. Other charges, on which Student was acquitted, involved the use of prisoners of war by paratroopers as screens or shields during attacks. AnswerThe German paratroopers treated prisoners according the Geneva Convention, except in a few isolated incidents. In Corinth alone one regiment took 12.000 Allied prisoners without a single being executed. In fact, the remarkable thing about the German paratroopers was that there were never involved in any atrocities or masacres (unlike the SS) though they were always fighting in the toughest parts of the fronts.

It is remarkable that the few German Fallschirmj䧥r officers, who were charged with war crimes after the war (most of these trials were rigged anyway, as the prosecution selected all the 'evidence' and the defence council!), where all defended by testiments of their former foes.

Little is known about the Allied atrocities, because thousands of incriminatating files are still not open after more than 60 years! But some details have come out now, and some of the can be seen on this website: http://members.iinet.net.au/~gduncan/massacres_axis.HTML

If you do the research you see most "light Fighters" (rangers. special forces, airborne) are sometime placed in the position by tactical curcumstance to be unable to look after prisoners. As you can not leave armed enemy combatents in your area of operation, you do what you have to. Wrong? Maybe, but you can't second guess troops fighting for their lives.