World War 2 story - email jksw

WW II true story ...........
 

Look carefully at the B-17 and note how shot up it is - one engine dead, tail, horizontal stabilizer and nose shot up. It was ready to fall  out of the sky. (This is a painting done by an artist from  the description of both pilots many years later.)

Then  realize that there is a German ME-109 fighter flying next to  it. Now read the story below.

                     

Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress  pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton, England .  

His B-17 was called 'Ye Old Pub' and having been hit by flak and fighters was in a terrible  state.

The compass was damaged, and they were flying deeper over enemy territory,  instead of heading home to Kimbolton.

  After the  B-17 was discovered as it flew over an enemy airfield, a German pilot, Franz Steigler, was ordered to take off and shoot down  the B-17.

When Steigler got near the B-17, he could not  believe his eyes.

He 'had never seen a  plane in such a bad state'.. The tail and rear section  was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The  top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The  nose was smashed and there were holes  everywhere.

Despite  having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and  looked at  pilot Brown.

Brown was  struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.

 
BF-109 pilot Franz Stigler and B-17 pilot Charlie Brown

Realising  that the pilot had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees.

And Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and  slightly over, the North Sea towards England .. He then  saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe  ..
When Franz landed he  told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea.

Charlie Brown and the  remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were  ordered never to talk about it.

More  than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the  Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew.

After years of research,  Franz was found.

Franz had never talked about the incident, not  even at post-war reunions.

Both  met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who were alive - all because Franz never fired his guns that day.

(L-R) German Ace Franz Stigler, artist Ernie Boyett, and B-17 pilot Charlie Brown.

When asked why he didn’t shoot them down, Stigler later said, "I didn't have the heart to finish those brave men. I flew beside them for a long time.  They were trying desperately to get home and I was going to  let them do that. I could not have shot at them. It would have  been the same as shooting at a man in a  parachute."  

Both  men died in 2008.