LEGITIMATE TARGETS

In his London Gazette despatch on the Battle of Britain, the Commanderin-Chief of RAF Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, was emphatic as to the position regarding the Heinkel 59 rescue aircraft, stating:

“Throughout the Battle, of course, fighting continually occurred over the sea, and German aircraft, damaged over England, had to return across the Straits of Dover or the English Channel. Far more German than British crews fell into the sea. The Germans therefore developed an elaborate system of sea-rescue. Their bombers had inflatable rubber dinghies, and various other rescue devices were adopted. Crews were provided with bags of a chemical known as fluoresceine, a small quantity of which stained a large area of water a vivid green. Floating refuges with provisions and wireless sets were anchored off the French coast. “E Boats” and rescue launches were extensively employed, and whitepainted floatplanes, marked with the Red Cross, were used even in the midst of battle. We had to make it known to the Germans that we could not countenance the use of the Red Cross in this manner. They were engaged in rescuing combatants and taking them back to fight again, and they were also in a position, if granted immunity, to make valuable reconnaissance reports. In spite of this, surviving crews of these aircraft appeared to be surprised and aggrieved at being shot down.”

As far as Dowding was concerned, the situation was clear and unambiguous: these were legitimate targets.