Don't you love stories like this?
War History Online
...."The B-17 pilot, Charles Brown, was a 21-year-old West Virginia farm boy on his first combat mission. His bomber had been shot to pieces by swarming fighters, and his plane was alone in the skies above Germany. Half his crew was wounded, and the tail gunner was dead, his blood frozen in icicles over the machine guns.
"But when Brown and his co-pilot, Spencer “Pinky” Luke, looked at the fighter pilot again, something odd happened. The German didn’t pull the trigger. He nodded at Brown instead. What happened next was one of the most remarkable acts of chivalry recorded during World War II. Years later, Brown would track down his would-be executioner for a reunion that reduced both men to tears."....
...."Stigler had lost his brother, his friends and his country. He was virtually exiled by his countrymen after the war. There were 28,000 pilots who fought for the German air force. Only 1,200 survived, Makos says.
“The war cost him everything,” Makos says. “Charlie Brown was the only good thing that came out of World War II for Franz. It was the one thing he could be proud of.”"
Hat tip to Javi Prieto Scv of Spain, whom I met through American Civil War Round Table (UK) on Facebook.
More on this incident:
Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident
Brown's damaged bomber was spotted by Germans on the ground, including Franz Stigler, who was refueling and rearming at the airfield. He soon took off in his Messerschmitt Bf-109 and quickly caught up with Brown's plane. Stigler was able to see the injured crew through the damaged bomber’s air frame. To the American pilot's surprise, Stigler did not fire on the crippled bomber. Remembering the words of one of his commanding officers from the Jagdgeschwader 27, Gustav Rödel, during his time fighting in north Africa – “You are fighter pilots first, last, always. If I ever hear of any of you shooting at someone in a parachute, I'll shoot you myself." Stigler later commented, "To me, it was just like they were in a parachute. I saw them and I couldn't shoot them down."
Twice, Stigler tried to get Brown to land his plane at a German base and surrender, but Brown refused and flew on. Stigler then flew near Brown's plane, escorting it until they reached the North Sea and departing with a salute.
War History Online
"But when Brown and his co-pilot, Spencer “Pinky” Luke, looked at the fighter pilot again, something odd happened. The German didn’t pull the trigger. He nodded at Brown instead. What happened next was one of the most remarkable acts of chivalry recorded during World War II. Years later, Brown would track down his would-be executioner for a reunion that reduced both men to tears."....
...."Stigler had lost his brother, his friends and his country. He was virtually exiled by his countrymen after the war. There were 28,000 pilots who fought for the German air force. Only 1,200 survived, Makos says.
“The war cost him everything,” Makos says. “Charlie Brown was the only good thing that came out of World War II for Franz. It was the one thing he could be proud of.”"
Hat tip to Javi Prieto Scv of Spain, whom I met through American Civil War Round Table (UK) on Facebook.
More on this incident:
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| Former adversaries Brown (standing) and Stigler recount their first meeting in the skies over wartorn Germany |
Brown's damaged bomber was spotted by Germans on the ground, including Franz Stigler, who was refueling and rearming at the airfield. He soon took off in his Messerschmitt Bf-109 and quickly caught up with Brown's plane. Stigler was able to see the injured crew through the damaged bomber’s air frame. To the American pilot's surprise, Stigler did not fire on the crippled bomber. Remembering the words of one of his commanding officers from the Jagdgeschwader 27, Gustav Rödel, during his time fighting in north Africa – “You are fighter pilots first, last, always. If I ever hear of any of you shooting at someone in a parachute, I'll shoot you myself." Stigler later commented, "To me, it was just like they were in a parachute. I saw them and I couldn't shoot them down."
Twice, Stigler tried to get Brown to land his plane at a German base and surrender, but Brown refused and flew on. Stigler then flew near Brown's plane, escorting it until they reached the North Sea and departing with a salute.
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| Brown, left and Stigler |
1 comment:
Stories like this make me tear up.
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