Acts of Chivalry and Honour

[hauptmannn]

Are there any accounts of honourable or gentlemanly acts during ww2 between the two sides? I am aware that there were some in North Africa but i cannot get a hold of any accounts If anyone has anything to share, please do

[cuski]

To me, the most memorable account is that of Herr Oberleutnant Franz Stigler.

Story.

[Gyenes]

That is a very nice story cuski. Thanks for sharing it.

[alf]

I'll post an act of Japanese chivalry here because of the heading

During the Battle of Milne Bay in August/September 1942 where the Japanese suffered their first defeat of the war, the Australian Hospital Ship Manunda, was able to load Australian wounded and sick and sail out of the bay and through the Japanese Naval task force unhindered.

The Japanese Cruiser Tenryu lit the Manunda up with her searchlights but the Manunda was allowed to sail to safety.



That action by the Japanese Navy showed chivalry.

[hauptmannn]

Yes those were indeed very good stories reminding us of some good acts in the war.

[Jeremy Chan]

There was the battle in the Hurtgen Forest in 1945, where the US and German combatants stopped fighting to evacuate their wounded.

[Wiking Ruf]

There was the battle in the Hurtgen Forest in 1945, where the US and German combatants stopped fighting to evacuate their wounded.

Same in Arnhem, September 1944. Allied forces (english) requested a chease-fire for a couple of hours. The germans accepted so both could take care for their wounded and dead.

Both english para's and german Waffen-SS troops fought ferociously, but gained respect for each other.

[Conacher1941]

In the book Das Reich Lucas tells a story of an SS squad bumping into an American squad one night during Wacht Am Rhein. Not being able to tell who they ran into, the German asked "Are you American?" to which the American replied "Yeah". "You want to fight?" asked the German. "No..." came the reply, and they both went their separate ways.


...Conacher

[Beppo Schmidt]

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel gave Allied POWs the same rations and medical treatment as himself and his men. Rommel also refused Hitler's orders to execute British Commandos and Jewish soldiers.

[Piet Duits]

Another Rommel-act of chivalry, or stubborness?: he refused to shoot the french foreign legionairs defending a fort in the desert of Libia, although these Legionairs were germans.

[cyberdaemon]

There was the battle in the Hurtgen Forest in 1945, where the US and German combatants stopped fighting to evacuate their wounded.

in the movie "stalingrad" there was a same thing - both side sieged fire to evacuate theyr wounded
one german even exchanged hes piece of bread against russians piece of meat.

[Jon G.]

Double post, sorry.

[Jon G.]

The Italians had a reputation for treating their POWs well. After the Taranto strike in November 1940, three RN airmen who had participated in the strike were captured alive after their two planes had been shot down. The Italians treated them with impeccable courtesy, even though they had just badly shot up the Italian fleet.

At least the early parts of the war in North Africa was fought with precious little hate between the Italian and Commonwealth units - maybe because O'Connor had fought with the Italians in WWI, and he had an Italian medal to show for it.

When marshal Balbo, Italian governor of Libya, died in a plane crash in 1940, a British plane flew over the lines and dropped a letter of condolence.

One of the Italian frogmen who participated in the December 1941 attack on Alexandria, which sank the warships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth was decorated for this deed in 1943 (after Italy had changed sides) by the British captain of the Valiant!

[Piet Duits]

One of the Italian frogmen who participated in the December 1941 attack on Alexandria, which sank the warships Valiant and Queen Elizabeth was decorated for this deed in 1943 (after Italy had changed sides) by the British captain of the Valiant!

Well, this is sick. To decorate somebody who sank your own ship is not right.
How many crewmembers were killed in the sinking? What did they get?
Maybe I am missing the point, but in my opinion it is a disgrace of the decoration.

[Jon G.]

Well, this is sick. To decorate somebody who sank your own ship is not right.
How many crewmembers were killed in the sinking? What did they get?
Maybe I am missing the point, but in my opinion it is a disgrace of the decoration.

Actually, some of the Italian frogmen were captured after attaching underwater charges to the British ships, but before the charges went off. They were interned aboard one of the ships they had mined but didn't say anything and went down with the ship.