Originally Posted by
jolihokistix
Does this not take us back to the ethics of shooting enemy pilots parachuting from stricken craft?
No, it does not. The pilots you refer to were invariably captured and, consequently, 'hors de combat' for the duration. These pilots were, no doubt, about to embark on further missions, raining death and destruction on innocent civilians. I have no sympathy whatsoever. There is also the psyops effect to consider - if it makes one other bomber pilot think twice about deliberately missing a target or defecting then that is an added bonus.