Blitz had the honor to meet the famous german ace franz stigler in january 2001. His father, also named franz, was a world war i pilot observer. The complete story of franz and charlie can be read in the international bestselling book, a higher call, available in bookstores worldwide. Jan 12, 2015 ludwig franz stigler was born in regensburg on august 21st 1915, the younger of two sons of franz stigler. American charlie brown, who in december 1943 found himself in the pit of a crippled b17, and franz stigler, the german pilot who, rather than ending his life, helped guide him to safety. Stigler recalled both of his parents with great affectation. Stigler saw the bomber and quickly flew up to get above and behind it.
Luftwaffe pilot and ace franz stigler had an opportunity to shoot down the crippled bomber, but instead, for humanitarian reasons, decided to allow the crew to fly. Oberleutnant franz stigler 21 august 1915 22 march 2008 was a german fighter pilot in world war ii. Messerschmitt bf109 ace, franz stigler aviation art store. Brown was able to get some altitude just as german pilot franz stigler was refueling. An incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the wartorn skies of world war ii. Stigler was a veteran pilot who would eventually serve over 400 combat missions in nearly every front of the war. Til of franz stigler, a german ace fighter pilot who. Franz stigler obituary vancouver, british columbia. Franz stigler was a fighter ace in the german luftwaffe during wwii and is most famous for sparing the b17 ye olde pub and its crew of nine american airmen including.
Franz stigler, jet fighter instructor and jet pilot ace in jv44. The badly damaged b17 was a straggler, alone when stigler came upon it in his messerschmitt. Til of franz stigler, a german ace fighter pilot who risked his life to spare and then save the lives of 9 americans by escorting their injured b17 bomber out of germany. Thats when german ace franz stigler lifted his finger from the trigger, sparing the b17 ye olde pub before escorting the b. A higher call an incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the wartorn skies of world war ii. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called the most incredible encounter between enemies in world war ii. German fighter pilot, franz stigler, and american bomber. He caught up to it and flew with it in close formation so german flak wouldnt shoot at the b17.
Lastly, i would like to thank both herr stigler and especially mike fuller for taking the time to. Stigler is seventyfive, which would have made him twentynine in 1943. Stigler had emigrated to canada and was living near vancouver, british columbia. All pilots who had missions in the hundred and kill scores to match.
In telling the story he also tells a little of his own growth in researching that story. He had his finger on the trigger, one eye closed and the other squinting through his gunsight. Ludwig franz stigler was born in regensburg on august 21st 1915, the younger of two sons of franz stigler. It was his job to train pilots well, and when his turn to fight, do just that, kill the enemy. A higher call, the new book by adam makos with larry alexander, tells the incredible true story of these two pilots. Truly touching moments of humanity, ethics and morals are rather rare in warfare. Why a german pilot escorted an american bomber to safety. Shaw the charlie brown and franz stigler incident occurred on 20 december 1943, when, after a successful bomb run on bremen, charles charlie browns b17 flying fortress named ye olde pub was severely damaged by german fighters. While this book is the story of the two pilots, charlie brown yes thats really his name who was piloting the b17 and franz stigler, who was flying the me109. As with many from that generation, franz approached war from the point of view of his country and his belief that what he was doing was just. Luftwaffe pilot and ace franz stigler had an opportunity to shoot down. Stigler escorted the b17 all the wall to the english channel. The 2 men spoke on the phone and stigler described everything that he remembered about their meeting, right down to the salute at the end. This is the story of franz stigler and charlie brown, two world war ii pilots.
Bf 109 pilot franz stigler and b17 pilot charlie browns first meeting youtube. I kept thinking of franz as a german luftwaffe fighter pilothow wrong i washe was quite simply, a pilot. Bf 109 pilot franz stigler and b17 pilot charlie browns first meeting. He was what the allies feared most a seasoned, gifted fighter pilot flying the most advanced weapon in the air. The american pilot, charlie brown, never forgot this. Dec 09, 2012 the pilot in question was franz stigler, a 26yearold ace who had 22 victories to his name needing just one more to be awarded the knights cross. A higher call is mostly the story of franz stigler, an ace wwii german fighter pilot who came upon a heavily damaged and helpless american b17 bomber struggling to return to england. Luftwaffe pilot and ace franz stigler had an opportunity to shoot. But his copilot stared at the same horrible vision. Nov 04, 2019 franz stigler a pilot glanced outside his cockpit and froze. The luftwaffe pilot of a messerschmitt bf109 fighter, some of his kills had been revenge, payback for the death of his brother august, earlier in the war. We have all heard the term ace, and along with that spark the names, hartmann, galland, rall.
They met for the first time fiftyseven plus years ago on december 20, 1943. While this book is the story of the two pilots, charlie brown yes thats really his name who was piloting the b17 and franz stigler, who was flying the me109, this narrative is mainly stiglers story. Charlie brown and franz stigler incident military wiki fandom. Aug 05, 2014 a skyhigh act of incredible mercy inspired a dual biography of two world war ii pilots. Mar 20, 20 german fighter pilot, franz stigler, and american bomber pilot, charlie brown, who met in the air on december 20, 1943. Franz stigler a pilot glanced outside his cockpit and froze.
The complete story of franz and charlie can be read in the. Nov 14, 2012 this film was taken when bf109 ace franz stigler met b17 pilot charlie brown for the first time since their encounter during wwii. Instead of shooting it down, stigler escorted the defenseless bomber past german flak batteries to the north sea, where he saluted brown before turning back. An incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the wartorn skies of world war ii by adam makos, larry alexander. He was born august 21, 1915 in regensburg, bavaria. Charlie brown and franz stigler incident wikipedia. Ace profile oberleutnant ludwig franz stigler news. Their planes met in an air battle in december 1943, but due to very unusual circumstances, they ended their encounter without having shot each other from the sky. Suddenly, a messerschmitt fighter pulls up on the bombers tail.
Oberleutnant franz stigler 21 august 1915 22 march 2008 was a german fighter pilot in. The charlie brown and franz stigler incident occurred on 20 december 1943, when, after a successful bomb run on bremen, charles charlie browns b17 flying fortress named ye olde pub was severely damaged by german fighters. Franz stigler was 26 when he was conscripted into hitlers luftwaffe in 1942. An incredible true story of combat and chivalry in. Stiglers most popular book is memoirs of an unregulated economist. Charlie brown and franz stigler incident news newspapers books. Postwar and meeting of pilots edit after the war, brown returned home to west virginia and went to college, returning to the newly established u.
Lr german ace franz stigler, artist ernie boyett, and b17 pilot charlie brown. Charlie brown and franz stigler incident weapons and warfare. History from wwii the charlie brown and franz stigler incident. The charlie brown and franz stigler incident occurred on 20 december 1943, when, after a successful bomb run on bremen, 2nd lt charles charlie browns b17 flying fortress named ye olde pub was severely damaged by german fighters. Franz stigler, a luftwaffe fighter pilot just in from shooting down two b17s, saw ye olde pub limp by. Charlie brown and pilot franz stigler charter for compassion. Amazing tale of a desperate wwii pilots encounter with a german. Franz started flying gliders in 1927 at the age of twelve. He initially studied to become a monk, although he later trained as an aeronautical engineer. His father, also named franz, was a world war i pilotobserver. Charlie brown was a b17 flying fortress pilot with the 379th bomber group at kimbolton, england. A new book tells the incredible story of how a german luftwaffe ace. In late december 1943, a badly shotup b17 bomber was escorted to safety away from germany by a german fighter pilot.
Aug 06, 2017 franz stigler didnt think the big b17 could make it back to england and wondered for years what happened to the american pilot and crew he encountered in combat. The pilot is german ace franz stiglerand he can destroy the young american crew. We rank them based on kills and determine, yes, he was the greatest pilot. One of his most famous students was gerhard barkhorn. I highlighted the story about franz and charlie because theirs is an heroic tale.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. The mid air meeting of franz and charlie is a small slither of the story. A dream that grew in him from his earliest memories in childhood. Luftwaffe pilot lt franz stigler refused to shoot down neardestroyed. Stigler has 25 books on goodreads with 884 ratings. Guestbook provided by vancouver sun and the province. That proved to brown that he had found the right german pilot. At the controls is twentyoneyearold second lieutenant charlie brown. Then, stiglers eyes met those of pilot charles brown. Brown was a 2 nd lieutenant pilot assigned to the 379 th bomb group. Amazing tale of wwii pilots encounter with german flying. He blinked hard and looked again, hoping it was just a mirage.
It was so close that brown could see the german pilot as he gestured towards the ground, telling. Ace profile oberleutnant ludwig franz stigler news war. The pilot in question was franz stigler, a 26yearold ace who had 22 victories to his name needing just one more to be awarded the knights cross. Brown flew his first mission as an aircraft commander. This film was taken when bf109 ace franz stigler met b17 pilot charlie brown for the first time since their encounter during wwii. This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that daythe american2nd lieutenant charlie brown, a former farm boy from west virginia who came to captain a b17and the german2nd lieutenant franz stigler, a former airline pilot from bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in world war ii. American wwii pilot charlie brown left was struggling to keep his damaged bomber airborne in the skies over germany in 1943. Between 1990 and 2008, charlie brown and franz stigler became close friends and remained so until their deaths within several months of each other in. His b17 was called ye old pub and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and. What you get is a tale of a man who found himself caught up in a frought political situation, torn between loyalty to his war ravaged country, and a hatred of the brutal nazi dictatorship.
Only 125 limited edition prints, each autographed by bf109 ace franz stigler, b17 pilot charlie brown, and artist john d. Luftwaffe pilot franz stigler getting out of his bf 109 in sicily after returning from africa. Bf 109 pilot franz stigler and b17 pilot charlie browns. Luftwaffe pilot franz stigler had the opportunity to shoot down the crippled. American wwii pilot charlie brown left was struggling to keep his damaged bomber airborne in the skies over germany in 1943 when luftwaffe ace franz stigler right flew alongside. In further correspondence he learned several facts. When they spoke on the phone, stigler described his plane, the escort and salute, confirming everything that brown needed to hear to know he was the german fighter pilot involved in the incident. Stigler said of him that he could barely fly the plane and i almost failed him.
Doch franz stigler kennt heute in seiner heimatstadt fast niemand mehr. Careful questioning of stigler about details of the incident removed any doubt. This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies over wartime germany on 21 december 1943 the american2nd lieutenant charlie brown, a former farm boy from west virginia who came to captain a b17and the german2nd lieutenant franz stigler, a former airline pilot from bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in world war ii. Stigler could have easily shot the bomber down, but instead he escorted them past an antiaircraft battery and flew along side them for a while out over the north. Your shining example will forever live on in our memories.
History from wwii the charlie brown and franz stigler. There are no tales finer than those created by life itself. On december 20 1943 franz stigler came across a b17 but upon seeing how shot up the b17 and crew was stigler couldnt help but feel sorry. The pilot is german ace franz stiglerand he can destroy the young american crew with the squeeze of a trigger.
History from wwii the charlie brown and franz stigler incident they met as enemies, but finished as friends. The german pilot, franz stigler, related how he came upon the b17. Charles brown, with his wife, jackie left, with franz stigler, with his wife, hiya. The german pilot escorted the b17 to the english channel and then saluted the american pilot and returned home. Mar 11, 2009 charlie brown was a b17 flying fortress pilot with the 379th bomber group at kimbolton, england. Hed search the world for the german who saved his life, find him, and the two became fishing buddies. Franz became a glider pilot in 1927 at the age of 12. A higher call and millions of other books are available for instant access. Charlie brown and franz stigler incident military wiki.
Amazing tale of wwii pilots encounter with german flying ace. Mar 09, 2016 this film was taken when bf109 ace franz stigler met b17 pilot charlie brown for the first time since their encounter during wwii. Franz stigler a true aviator pilot officer for the luftwaffe that fought for his country. Read how franz was selected to learn to fly the first jet fighter aircraft so he could instruct the leading luftwaffe aces of the time to fly the new jet fighter in combat. Visionary leader franz stigler was initially a glider pilot in his youth. On december 20 1943 franz stigler came across a b17 but. Franz stigler condolences vancouver sun and the province. The incident would later be called the most incredible encounter between enemies in world war ii. A skyhigh act of incredible mercy inspired a dual biography of two world war ii pilots. Hans christian andersen 18051875 this week i came across a beautiful story of compassion that i would like to add to my blog. Share your condolences, send flowers, find funeral home information.
Despite the potentially severe consequences of letting an enemy plane escape, stigler felt that he had to. During ww2, luftwaffe pilot franz stigler refused to destroy a damaged b17. The christmas truce of wwi was an excellent example of such humanity, as were the heroic actions of german luftwaffe fighter pilot franz stigler on december 20 th, 1943. Half his crew lay wounded or dead on this, their first mission. Franz stigler later served as a messerschmitt me 262 jetfighter pilot in jagdverband 44 until the end of the war. He wrote report of the meeting and the various answers by the pilot. In the 1930s he flew for lufthansa and was an instructor pilot. Franz stigler was born on august 21 1915, near the ancient danube river city of regensberg, bavaria, germany. It had taken 46 years, but in 1989 brown found the mysterious man in the me109. Stigler is well known and respected from an unusual act of war he refused to shoot down a heavily damaged b17 bomber, and escorted it towards home. Sep 12, 2017 franz stigler, whod moved to canada in 1953, wrote to brown, confirming that he was the one.
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