The following was taken from https://www.didyouknowdaily.com/story/charlie-and-franz . We could learn a lot from how to behave from this story.
In WW2, as an American pilot struggled to keep his bomber in the air, a German flying ace flew alongside him. Instead of firing, the pilot saluted. 47 years later, the two men finally made contact
It was December 20, 1943 and American pilot Charlie Brown was somewhere above Germany, returning with his crew from a bombing mission targeted at a German munitions factory.
The mission had been a success when it came to the bombing, but upon retreat, the bomber had been targeted by fifteen German planes. The pilot had been knocked unconscious, coming to just in time to pull the plane from a nose dive. His crew and plane had not fared so well.
The mission was the first for the rookie crew, and it seemed as if it would also be the last.
With one man dead and six wounded, Brown found himself alone in the cockpit, his co-pilot, Pinky, tending to the wounded. He was struggling to keep the badly damaged B-17 in the air.
Of four engines, only one was still working.
The men had a decision to make. They could jump, landing in the German forest below. However, the wounded men were not all strong enough, and Brown would have to remain with the plane and at least try to get it to England. The men made a decision, with Pinky re-entering the cockpit to tell the pilot:
We're staying. The guys all decided – you're gonna need help to fly this girl home.
The situation seemed dire enough, but then something terrifying happened. Brown shut his eyes quickly, hoping that when he opened them, the sight would prove to be nothing more than a figment of his imagination.
A German plane appeared beside the B-17, so close that Brown could see the pilot clearly. The pilot seemed frantic, mouthing and pointing things that made no sense. With the B-17 almost at the Atlantic wall, Brown knew they were getting close to safety, but the German was still there. Still in shock from the attack and aware that the enemy was right there beside him surely about to shoot them, Brown screamed at his gunner to fire.
At this, the German looked Brown in the eye... and saluted. He then flew away.
Miraculously, Brown landed the B-17 in England. He told his commanding officer what had happened in the air, but was told to keep quiet. The enemy could not be humanized. Brown would continue serving until the beginning of the Vietnam War, before settling in Miami. He rarely spoke of that traumatizing day in 1943, but for decades after he continually wondered what it had all been about.
In January 1990, after his searches through official records gave no answers, Brown placed an advert in a newsletter for fighter pilots. The advert stated that Brown was "looking for the one who saved my life on Dec. 20, 1943". He left out one crucial piece of detail: where the German pilot had left the bomber.
In Vancouver, a man named Franz Stigler saw the advert. "This is him!" he shouted to his wife. "This is the one I didn't shoot down!"
After years of wondering if the bomber had made it home, finally he had an answer. He immediately began writing a letter to the American. Upon receiving the letter, an impatient Brown scrambled only to find the name, calling the operator. He could wait no longer to hear the voice, and the story, of the man who had ensured his crew reached safety.
"When I let you go over the sea, I thought you'd never make it," were the first words Stigler said to Brown. He had answered the American's question without even being asked.
Franz Stigler, a commercial airline pilot, had been conscripted to the Luftwaffe in 1942 at the age of 26. On his first day, he had been taken aside by his commanding officer, Lt. Gustav Roedel. Roedel would have a profound influence on the young man. He warned him:
If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you down myself. You follow the rules of war for you – not for your enemy. You fight by rules to keep your humanity.
On that day in 1943, Stigler was already a Luftwaffe ace. If he could down the B-17, he would be awarded the Knight's Cross. This was the highest honor a German soldier could reach in WW2.
As Stigler had approached the B-17, what he saw left him reeling. The plane was terribly damaged. The guns themselves had icicles of blood hanging from them. As he flew further along, he could see through the middle of the plane, where young men were frantically trying to help the wounded. The nose of the bomber was missing. How the plane was still in the air was a mystery.
How could he shoot this plane down when it couldn't even fight back? To shoot it down would be no different from targeting a parachute.
Stigler pulled up beside the cockpit. Risking his own life, he had desperately tried to help the enemy.
Decades later, Brown finally asked the question he had been wondering for so long: "What were you pointing to?!"
Stigler was able to explain that Brown hadn't realized at the time just how badly his B-17 was damaged. He was pointing to the ground below, mouthing 'Germany', then he kept pointing further afield. He had been shouting 'Sweden', trying to escort them to neutral territory where they could land and would receive medical treatment.
He had flown as far as he could with them to try and help them escape German airspace. When he'd seen the gun swing in the turret, he'd said "Good luck. You're in God's hands", before saluting and flying away.
Stigler would serve until the end of the war, holding his secret close. If anyone had found out, he would have faced execution. In 1953, unable to feel at home in Germany, he relocated to Canada. He only told his wife what had happened in the air that day.
The two men, once sworn enemies, would go on to become close friends. In 2008, just six months apart, both died from heart attacks. Stigler was 92, Brown was 87.
They were both listed in the other's obituary as "a special brother".
Hear more of the story at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=_8EkmyoG83Q&feature=emb_logo
In WW2, as an American pilot struggled to keep his bomber in the air, a German flying ace flew alongside him. Instead of firing, the pilot saluted. 47 years later, the two men finally made contact
It was December 20, 1943 and American pilot Charlie Brown was somewhere above Germany, returning with his crew from a bombing mission targeted at a German munitions factory.
The mission had been a success when it came to the bombing, but upon retreat, the bomber had been targeted by fifteen German planes. The pilot had been knocked unconscious, coming to just in time to pull the plane from a nose dive. His crew and plane had not fared so well.
The mission was the first for the rookie crew, and it seemed as if it would also be the last.
With one man dead and six wounded, Brown found himself alone in the cockpit, his co-pilot, Pinky, tending to the wounded. He was struggling to keep the badly damaged B-17 in the air.
Of four engines, only one was still working.
The men had a decision to make. They could jump, landing in the German forest below. However, the wounded men were not all strong enough, and Brown would have to remain with the plane and at least try to get it to England. The men made a decision, with Pinky re-entering the cockpit to tell the pilot:
We're staying. The guys all decided – you're gonna need help to fly this girl home.
The situation seemed dire enough, but then something terrifying happened. Brown shut his eyes quickly, hoping that when he opened them, the sight would prove to be nothing more than a figment of his imagination.
A German plane appeared beside the B-17, so close that Brown could see the pilot clearly. The pilot seemed frantic, mouthing and pointing things that made no sense. With the B-17 almost at the Atlantic wall, Brown knew they were getting close to safety, but the German was still there. Still in shock from the attack and aware that the enemy was right there beside him surely about to shoot them, Brown screamed at his gunner to fire.
At this, the German looked Brown in the eye... and saluted. He then flew away.
Miraculously, Brown landed the B-17 in England. He told his commanding officer what had happened in the air, but was told to keep quiet. The enemy could not be humanized. Brown would continue serving until the beginning of the Vietnam War, before settling in Miami. He rarely spoke of that traumatizing day in 1943, but for decades after he continually wondered what it had all been about.
In January 1990, after his searches through official records gave no answers, Brown placed an advert in a newsletter for fighter pilots. The advert stated that Brown was "looking for the one who saved my life on Dec. 20, 1943". He left out one crucial piece of detail: where the German pilot had left the bomber.
In Vancouver, a man named Franz Stigler saw the advert. "This is him!" he shouted to his wife. "This is the one I didn't shoot down!"
After years of wondering if the bomber had made it home, finally he had an answer. He immediately began writing a letter to the American. Upon receiving the letter, an impatient Brown scrambled only to find the name, calling the operator. He could wait no longer to hear the voice, and the story, of the man who had ensured his crew reached safety.
"When I let you go over the sea, I thought you'd never make it," were the first words Stigler said to Brown. He had answered the American's question without even being asked.
Franz Stigler, a commercial airline pilot, had been conscripted to the Luftwaffe in 1942 at the age of 26. On his first day, he had been taken aside by his commanding officer, Lt. Gustav Roedel. Roedel would have a profound influence on the young man. He warned him:
If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you down myself. You follow the rules of war for you – not for your enemy. You fight by rules to keep your humanity.
On that day in 1943, Stigler was already a Luftwaffe ace. If he could down the B-17, he would be awarded the Knight's Cross. This was the highest honor a German soldier could reach in WW2.
As Stigler had approached the B-17, what he saw left him reeling. The plane was terribly damaged. The guns themselves had icicles of blood hanging from them. As he flew further along, he could see through the middle of the plane, where young men were frantically trying to help the wounded. The nose of the bomber was missing. How the plane was still in the air was a mystery.
How could he shoot this plane down when it couldn't even fight back? To shoot it down would be no different from targeting a parachute.
Stigler pulled up beside the cockpit. Risking his own life, he had desperately tried to help the enemy.
Decades later, Brown finally asked the question he had been wondering for so long: "What were you pointing to?!"
Stigler was able to explain that Brown hadn't realized at the time just how badly his B-17 was damaged. He was pointing to the ground below, mouthing 'Germany', then he kept pointing further afield. He had been shouting 'Sweden', trying to escort them to neutral territory where they could land and would receive medical treatment.
He had flown as far as he could with them to try and help them escape German airspace. When he'd seen the gun swing in the turret, he'd said "Good luck. You're in God's hands", before saluting and flying away.
Stigler would serve until the end of the war, holding his secret close. If anyone had found out, he would have faced execution. In 1953, unable to feel at home in Germany, he relocated to Canada. He only told his wife what had happened in the air that day.
The two men, once sworn enemies, would go on to become close friends. In 2008, just six months apart, both died from heart attacks. Stigler was 92, Brown was 87.
They were both listed in the other's obituary as "a special brother".
Hear more of the story at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=_8EkmyoG83Q&feature=emb_logo
Good story.
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