Hi Folks! While perusing my March '42 Collier's I happened upon this article with the title "Don't Lynch Them." Enjoy!

It may come to pass as has been predicted, that enemy airmen may fly over here occasionally during this war, drop bombs on important industrial spots, then bail out, let their planes crash, and give themselves up.

In case such things do happen, we'd like to put in an earnest plea now, to any civilians who may reach these airmen before any police or soldiers, not to obey the human impulse to lynch them, shoot them, or kick them to death.

Such acts will draw reprisals in enemy countries against American prisoners held there. Further, to kill one of these individuals will deprive our military intelligence service of a source of information ranging anywhere from valuable to priceless. Just don't let him get away; see that he is taken into official custody. What if Rudolf Hess had been lynched in Scotland before his identity was learned?

Leave the plane alone too, if it lands intact or partially so. Let the military come for it and take it away for close study of all it's materials, parts, and gadgets.

Mob action in cases of this kind can only injure our cause.

-End

What a different world it was back then! I couldn't help but notice that the author of this article made no mention at all of possible criminal charges being brought against you if you strung one of these fellows up!

Dogdaddy

That's pretty good. I wonder if this could have been written in response to some incident.

I got a good chuckle thinking of Gramps and his buddies from the Coffee Shop grabbing their 30-30's ,jumping into the Model T and chasing a downed plane. I know I wouldnt want to be on the receiving end of that!

I do love that. I can see this happening in some backwoods area down south or out west. Oh watch out honey...

I do love that. I can see this happening in some backwoods area down south or out west. Oh watch out honey...

No need to "watch out Honey" on this westerner's behalf. I've come to view myself as a "redneck who know's better" at this stage of my life. I have just finished reading an article from this month's WWII Magazine that tells about two American B-25 pilots who were shot down over Japan in 1945, charged with war crimes, sentenced to death by beheading, and then the execution was horribly botched by the swordsman. Right now I'm enraged about it...even though it happened 63 years ago. I hope the Japanese who were responsible for this died a slow, agonizing death. ...bastids!

DD