Firing on crashed aircraft

[derekjgregory]

I know there was an earlier thread about devices in German and British aircraft designed to destroy them if they came down behind enemy lines: the German Flugzeugzerstörer and the British Aircraft Bomb Demolition.  But reading The war diary of the Master of Bellhaven, Lt Col Ralph Hamilton commanding 18 Brigade Royal Field Artillery, I found this entry for 12 January 1918:

‘The Hun shot down one of our planes, which fell in the German lines.  Our observers reported that there were at least a hundred Huns crowded round it, examining it.  Fortunately, two of my batteries could reach the plane, so I gave a zero-time, synchronised watches and ordered ten rounds of gunfire, ie the most rapid rate of fire possible.  The observers reported that the shells burst right on the crowd, which fled in all directions.  With any luck we must have got a good bag.  I am always sorry for our airmen on these occasions, but we have strict orders to bombard any of our planes that we can reach if they fall in Boche lines.  If the airman is not wounded, he probably has time to get away before we begin.’ 

Can anyone shed any light on the 'strict orders' to which Hamilton refers?  And whether this was a common practice?

[AOK4]

Hello,

I have read as well in German regimental histories that crashed airplanes were usually very quickly shelled. I assume this may have been done to destroy the airplane (to avoid it being salvaged/to prevent "technological espionage") and/or any other interesting items it might have carried (camera and pictures in case of photograph reconnaissance planes).

Jan