GREAT STORY YOU WILL FIND ONLY HERE AT THE INFOJUSTICE JOURNAL
Some
say that the age of chivalry is past, that the spirit of
romance is dead. The age of chivalry is never
past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on
earth."
Charles
Kingsley,
Vol.,
II, Ch 28:
"A good conscience is a continual
Christmas"
Benjamin Franklin
Look carefully at the B-17 and note how
shot up it is - one engine dead and 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. 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 fighters. The
compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over 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 were 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 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 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 truth to anybody. 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. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war
reunions.
They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with
25 people 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 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. HOW TIMES
HAVE CHANGED.
the Little
Guy 
