Hans Von Luck's Gentleman Agreement

In Africa Luck arranged a semi ceasefire agreement with two British recon formations, the Royal Dragoons and the 11th Hussars. the agreement went as follows...

- 1700 hours, precisely, all hostilities would be suspended. We call it "tea time".

- 1705 hours, we would make open contact with the British to exchange news about prisoners, etc.

This agreement went on for some time and proved worthwhile. When Lucks doctor was captured he was swopped by the British for Atebrin, to relieve the malaria in the british troops as they had no quinine. When the British captured the workshop vehicle they returned it as they did not wish Luck to be stranded in the desert without spares!

When the agreement ended, Luck recieved the following letter delivered by a bedouin,

From CO Royal Dragoons

Dear Major Von Luck

We have had other tasks and so were unable to keep in touch with you. The war in Africa has been decided, im glad to say, not in your favour.

I should like, therefore, to thank you and all your people, in the name of my officers and men, for the fairplay with which we have fought each other on both sides.

I and my battalion hope that all of you will come out of the war safe and sound and that we may find the opportunity to meet again sometime, in more favourable circumstances.

With the greatest of respect.

Luck replied with a very similar letter.

When in Normandy, Luck was returned a motorcycle from his unit in Africa which was recaptured from the 51st Highland who had captured it, returned it to Britain, took it to Normandy where it was pinched back by Luck's men. Bizarre!!!

 

Yes, I remember this as quite respectable...in the middle of war and still gentleman manors!

If I remember right von Luck had a British officer as a POW and the British wanted him back and they had already agreed on the number of cigarrettes that the British would give for him but the British officer thought that the price was too low for him and refused to return...

 

Very interesting. You could never imagine this happening on the eastern front could you.

 

Good show!
All wars should be fought with the same gentlemanly attitude. As Mahross said, imagine it happening on the Eastern Front....NOT BLOODY LIKELY....