Reply With QuoteFascinating Story ....
Honour In The Skies. 20 Dec' 1943 (Daily Mail Article)
Honour in the skies: The day a chivalrous German flying ace saluted a crippled US bomber and let them fly to safety instead of shooting them down
- Charlie Brown's B-17F bomber had come under fire from 15 enemy planes during successful mission
- Franz Stigler pursued it, but when he saw the damage he let it fly home to safety, guided by the moral code laid down by his commanding officer
Article continues: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ting-down.html
Fascinating Story ....
A few months back another story/article was also posted here, on the forum, about a German fighter that gave the direction back to England to a bomber crew that got lost.
In Dogfights there was a mention of another German fighter that saluted and let go a P-47 that was heavily damaged and had its guns jammed.
Cheers,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...tal_engagementOriginally Posted by Get_It
The Fw 190 pilot ran out of ammunition before rocking his wings in salute and egressing.
What an amazing story - and a fantastic image:
The book "A Higher Call" may be worth tracking down too.
A higher call aka WWII's most incredible encounter
Not trying to make any excuses but not all Nazis were assholes.
great stories from both pilots. I think the paintings in the video are awesome. they remind me of the Jim Dietz pics they used to try and sell in WW2 Magazine in the 90s. thanks, cool post
Repost... good story anyway.
And not all Germans were Nazis.
Ok, didn't knew.
Btw, the paintings are from John D. Shaw.
Agreed, great looking paintings.
The earlier thread: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums...wn+b-17+bf-109
that's one seriously tore up bomber. if actual batte damage was anythign like the painting I couldn't imagine how the thing still could fly.
Two enemies discover a 'higher call' in battle
Source CNNThe pilot glanced outside his cockpit and froze. He blinked hard and looked again, hoping it was just a mirage. But his co-pilot stared at the same horrible vision.
"My God, this is a nightmare," the co-pilot said.
"He's going to destroy us," the pilot agreed.
The men were looking at a gray German Messerschmitt fighter hovering just three feet off their wingtip. It was five days before Christmas 1943, and the fighter had closed in on their crippled American B-17 bomber for the kill.
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.
........................
Revenge, not honor, is what drove 2nd Lt. Franz Stigler to jump into his fighter that chilly December day in 1943.
Stigler wasn't just any fighter pilot. He was an ace. One more kill and he would win The Knight's Cross, German's highest award for valor.
Yet Stigler was driven by something deeper than glory. His older brother, August, was a fellow Luftwaffe pilot who had been killed earlier in the war. American pilots had killed Stigler's comrades and were bombing his country's cities.
Stigler was standing near his fighter on a German airbase when he heard a bomber's engine. Looking up, he saw a B-17 flying so low it looked like it was going to land. As the bomber disappeared behind some trees, Stigler tossed his cigarette aside, saluted a ground crewman and took off in pursuit.
As Stigler's fighter rose to meet the bomber, he decided to attack it from behind. He climbed behind the sputtering bomber, squinted into his gun sight and placed his hand on the trigger. He was about to fire when he hesitated. Stigler was baffled. No one in the bomber fired at him.
He looked closer at the tail gunner. He was still, his white fleece collar soaked with blood. Stigler craned his neck to examine the rest of the bomber. Its skin had been peeled away by shells, its guns knocked out. He could see men huddled inside the plane tending the wounds of other crewmen.
Then he nudged his plane alongside the bomber's wings and locked eyes with the pilot whose eyes were wide with shock and horror.
Stigler pressed his hand over the rosary he kept in his flight jacket. He eased his index finger off the trigger. He couldn't shoot. It would be murder.
I have been in war. I have killed men in war. I would have not hesitated. I would have shot them down, no question. And, years later, I would suffer for it as I suffer today for the things I did, in war. Stigler is a far, far better human being than I could have ever been. God Bless him. If there is a heaven, he's in it. If not, there is no salvation. MM
For honesty, I will repeat my post there; I have been in war. I have killed many men in war. If it had been me, I would have shot them down. And, as a result, I would suffer to this day for it, as I suffer to this day for the things I have done in war. Stigler is a far, far better human being than I. If there is a heaven, he is in it. If not, there is no salvation.
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