Franz Stigler – Sparing a Sure Kill

On 20 December 1943, an American B-17 Flying Fortress, piloted by 2nd Lieutenant Charles “Charlie” Brown, was returning from a successful bomb run on Bremen. On its way home, it suffered a direct hit from a German anti-aircraft gun, which shattered the plexiglass nose and damaged two of the aircraft’s four engines. A little later, it was attacked by eight German fighter planes, which completely destroyed the planes hydraulic, oxygen and electrical systems. The tail gunner was killed in the attack, and three other crew members were severely wounded.

On the ground, the B-17 had been spotted while flying over a German airbase, and ace pilot Oberleutnant Franz Stigler, who had shot down 27 planes till now, took to the skies in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 to finish it off. As soon as Stigler caught up with Brown’s plane, he was surprised that the plane had not fired at him. Flying closer, he realised why. The flak and machine gun fire had blown away parts of the airframe, allowing Stigler to see the crew rushing about, providing first aid to the wounded. Later in 1997, Stigler told the Associated Press about the condition of the B-17:

“I was amazed that the aircraft could fly…. It was a wreck. The tail gunner was lying in blood … holes all over.”

Franz Stigler held his fire, and made the decision to escort the bomber to safety. He flew alongside the cockpit, and tried to gesture to 2nd Lieutenant Charlie Brown to land, or to divert to neutral Sweden, but the latter couldn’t understand. He then flew in close formation with the B-17’s port wing, so that the Germans wouldn’t target it. Stigler flew with the B-17 until it reached the North Sea. As soon as they were over the open seas, Stigler waved and saluted, and then headed back to his base in Holland.

Stigler reported to his superiors that he had shot down the plane over open waters, as telling them the truth would have resulted in him facing a court martial, and possibly execution. The B-17 managed to fly across the North Sea and land at RAF Seething. He informed his commanding officers about the incident, and was told to stay silent about it, so that no positive sentiment was created about enemy pilots.