An incredible Story

[jom 4]

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. [/font]

Now read the story below. I think you ' ll be surprised.....

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 was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and bullets from fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper into enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.

After flying the B-17 over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, 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 plenty of ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked over at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.

BF-109 pilot Franz Stigler

B-17 pilot Charlie Brown

Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees. Franz then 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, and never told the real truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told everyone at their de-briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it again.

More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to see if he could find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had still never talked about the incident, not even at any of his post-war reunions.

The men finally met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 family members who are alive now - 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 off 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.

THIS WAS BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN THERE WAS HONOR IN BEING A WARRIOR....THEY PROUDLY WORE UNIFORMS, AND THEY DIDN 'T HIDE IN AMBUSH INSIDE A MOSQUE, OR BEHIND WOMEN AND CHILDREN, NOR DID THEY USE MENTALLY RETARDED WOMEN AS SUICIDE BOMBERS TO TARGET AND KILL INNOCENT CIVILIANS.

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MY, HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED......

[YuAndDan 153]

Nice post.

[rclouse 0]

Also from a time when we'd capture prisoners of war and treat them according to conventions and not torture them...

[Ladylethal 12]

Nice story indeed.

[justashooter 430]

Also from a time when we'd capture prisoners of war and treat them according to conventions and not torture them...

yeah, like the germans did with 200 men in the ardennes during the battle of the bulge?

oh, that's right, they just machine gunned the whole lot of them after a unit surrender.

[YuAndDan 153]

Also from a time when we'd capture prisoners of war and treat them according to conventions and not torture them...

yeah, like the germans did with 200 men in the ardennes during the battle of the bulge?

oh, that's right, they just machine gunned the whole lot of them after a unit surrender.

Yep and the Japanese did with our guys with the Bataan Death March.

I don't think a cloth over a face with some water on it compares to what the Japanese and Germans did during WWII.

The prisoners of war in Gitmo are treated very well compared to other atrocities.

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

Also from a time when we'd capture prisoners of war and treat them according to conventions and not torture them...

yeah, like the germans did with 200 men in the ardennes during the battle of the bulge?

oh, that's right, they just machine gunned the whole lot of them after a unit surrender.

Yep and the Japanese did with our guys with the Bataan Death March.

I don't think a cloth over a face with some water on it compares to what the Japanese and Germans did during WWII.

The prisoners of war in Gitmo are treated very well compared to other atrocities.

some should really watch this movie......

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326905/

[Scott & Lai 12]

Joe, do you have a link to the original article?

[jom 4]

Joe, do you have a link to the original article?

It was sent to me through email. If you can pm me your email add I will forward it to you.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Also from a time when we'd capture prisoners of war and treat them according to conventions and not torture them...

Note: Geneva convention does not cover non-state combatants, such as the Gitmo detainees.

Basically, this was from a time when combatants represented (and wore uniform of) a nation.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Good for him!

[MikenKyhen 0]

Hey Job, That;s an incredible story. I would love to have the original article as well if you wouldn't mind forwarding it to me. Thanks a lot. Mike