12-20-1943 The Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident

[wedgy]

Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident occurred on 20 December 1943, when, after a successful bomb run on Bremen, 2nd Lt. Charles "Charlie" Brown's B-17F Flying Fortress Ye Olde Pub of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was severely damaged by German fighters. Luftwaffe pilot Franz Stigler had the opportunity to shoot down the crippled bomber but did not do so, and instead escorted it over and past German-occupied territory so as to protect it. After an extensive search by Brown, the two pilots met each other 50 years later and developed a friendship that lasted until Stigler's death in March 2008. Brown died only a few months later, in November of the same year.[1][2]

Pilots​

 

[STOMP442]

Man I love stories like that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Knotwild]

Adam Makos wrote a book about it - A Higher Call. The book was ok, but not riveting to me. He also wrote Devotion, which is a movie now.
If you want to read a great and riveting book get Spearhead, also by Makos. That one is flat out awesome.