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GMC Forum _ CHILL OUT _ Amazing Wwii Story!

Posted by: Praetorian Jun 6 2009, 04:44 PM

Subject: A True Story

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. 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 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 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.

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.

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 is a true story http://www.snopes.com/military/charliebrown.asp
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......

Posted by: Jesse Jun 6 2009, 04:46 PM

Amazing, veterans FTW!

Posted by: sigma7 Jun 6 2009, 05:00 PM

thats unbelievable, ...incredible!

Posted by: Sircraigery Jun 6 2009, 06:48 PM

That's cool, I'm a fan of 'the olden days'. People today are too careful about everything and pansy-a.. for me.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jun 6 2009, 10:40 PM

Very nice story, lots of things happened during that terrible war, this is a shiny example.

Posted by: kaznie_NL Jun 7 2009, 12:31 AM

It's good to see not all Germans were bad Ofcourse they were just people as well, accept for Hitler, he was kind of a machine I gues... i read a book, where they compared Hitler to a "black hole", you know, the ones that get there after two stars have colided. The book said that a black hole can suck everything in it, and never let it out, Hitler was kindof the same...

I'm sorry if I've offended someone!

Posted by: jimmypw Jun 7 2009, 10:07 AM

Incredible story

Posted by: botoxfox Jun 8 2009, 01:57 PM

That's a pretty cool story.

Posted by: sted Jun 8 2009, 04:19 PM

Nobody wins a war, its just down to who loses the most! Great to see another story of human nature triumphing over hatred in the face of such adversity, its sad that it takes conflict to bring out the best in some people.