# During WW2, was it an unwritten rule among pilots that you don't shoot at a bailed pilot

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**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 19, 2017, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-ww2-was-it-an-unwritten-rule-among-pilots-that-you-dont-shoot-at-a-bailed-pilot/804847 "2017-12-19T07:35:42Z")\
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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2017, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-ww2-was-it-an-unwritten-rule-among-pilots-that-you-dont-shoot-at-a-bailed-pilot/804847/32 "2017-12-19T18:30:58Z")

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> [@Mogle](#):
>
> That would be U-156, while the air crew did get credit for sinking her, she wasn’t actually sunk, only forced to dive(the difference was of course academic to the people sitting on her deck).  
> This was later known as the [Laconia Incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconia_incident).

Thanks, Mogle!

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