German Bf-109 Spares a Heavily Damaged American B-17 Bomber

It’s December the 20th, 1943 and in the freezing air high above Germany, 2nd Lieutenant Charles “Charlie” Brown is at the controls of his B-17 F, Ye Olde Pub. Nearly the entire 8th Air Force’s Bomb Group are headed towards Bremen to take out the Focke-Wulf plant on the outskirts of the city. They can expect more than 500 FW-190s and BF-109s defending Germany. Charlie’s formation is right at the front and out behind him strung out over 80 miles are nearly 500 bombers.

Just after 11 am the Pub is approaching the German border when Hugh “Ecky” Eckenrode cries out: “Bandits!” German fighters were attacking someone high up behind the Pub. Two escorting P-47s race to intercept. The bombers push on leaving the dogfight behind them and at 11:30 approaching the target, Flak starts to bloom all around them.

The Pub is rocked as 4 explosions go off right in front of the B-17. A cry comes across the intercom: “We’re hit!” In the plexiglass nose, a huge hole has been made, and now the icy cold wind was being blown inside. Charlie’s co-pilot, Spencer “Pinky” Luke, told Charlie: “Engine №2 is losing oil pressure.” Charlie looked out the window to his left and saw that it had been hit. “Shut it down!”, Charlie ordered. Just 1 minute from the drop, Pinky let out an expletive as he noticed a huge hole in the right wing.

Then engine №4 began to rev wildly and accelerate. Charlie had been warned by his ground crew that there were problems with engine №4. What to do now? They chose to reduce power and press on through the hail of flak. Releasing their bombs over the factory the crew turned North planning to head over the coast and then turn West for home. With one engine out and another faulty, The Pub started to fall back from the formation with another damaged plane that was trailing smoke from two engines on the left wing.

Charlie heard the distress call as it lost altitude. Sam “Blackie” Blackford in the Ball Turret watched as it disappeared behind and below into a cloud bank. Blackie watched and there was an orange flash in the cloud. Something bad was happening… “Bandits!”, Ecky shouted as 5 BF 109s streaked from the cloud bank. Then another cry: “Bandits!” as 8 FW-190s were spotted in formation ahead of the Pub. Two FW-190s peeled off and headed straight towards the cockpit. Charlie nudged the Pub up to meet them. Opening fire the lead 190 hit the Pub but did little damage. Once in close Sergeant Bertram “Frenchy” Coulombe in the Turret shot the 190 out of the sky. The Navigator Al “Doc” Sadok took out the second.

Pinky reported that Engine 3 had been hit and was now stuck on half power. That left just 1 engine at full power. Like sharks sensing blood in the water, 5 BF 109’s emerged from behind the Pub. Ecky cried out: “Fighters attacking 6 o’clock level!” To their dismay, both Ecky and Blackie’s guns were frozen. Hearing the shouts of his men Brown put the injured bird into a turn. The 109s pressed their advantage and half the rudder was shot off. Charlie felt the plane judder under the impact. All the time hearing reports from the other crew members that their guns were also inoperable because of ice.

The tail gunner position was hit instantly killing Ecky. A shell penetrated and exploded near the waist gunners. Alex “Russian” Yelasenko had been badly hit and was losing blood. With the Pub still in a tight turn, bullets tore through the cockpit hitting the oxygen supply. The plane lurched and spun toward the ground, Charlie and Pinky passed out…

The Pub fell for 4 miles… 1 mile above the fields below, Charlie started to come around. Realizing the peril and gripping the controls he pulled back as the plane continued to fall. 5,000 feet, 4,000 feet, 3,000 feet… Just moments from hitting the earth the plane pulled up almost scraping the trees as it did.

Passing low nearby a German airfield, the Pub was heard by a pilot who was refueling and rearming his BF 109 G6. Having been in the fight already there was an American bullet lodged in his radiator, but Franz Stigler was 1 bomber victory away from earning the Knight’s Cross and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him. He jumped in and took off to claim his prize.

Stigler rapidly caught up with the Pub, having the plane fill his sites he was about to deliver the death blow when he realized something was wrong. The B17 was incredibly badly damaged. The rear gunner was dead. What’s more, he’d never seen a more shot-up plane still flying.

Realizing there was little threat to him he flew around to the right wing. He could see the hole where the waist guns should be and inside the pitiful site of the injured crew, desperately trying to stay alive. The plane was a barely flying wreck. Blackie and Franz locked eyes. “What are you waiting for!”, Blackie cried out in defiance.

Franz made an ominous decision. He remembered the words of his commanding officer. Honor is everything. This plane was no threat. In Franz’s mind, it would be the same as shooting a man in a parachute. He decided: “This is no Victory. If I shoot this plane down, it will be on my conscience for the rest of my life.”

At the controls, Charlie looked out the window and their to his complete dread saw the 109. Locking eyes with Franz, the German pilot nodded! Pointing firmly at the ground, he gestured at the pilots for them to land in Germany. They responded with the firm “No”. He flew in formation alongside the plane as it passed over the German flak batteries. There was no way they would fire at a German plane even one that was flying in formation with the enemy!

Neutral Sweden was just 30 minutes away and Stigler knew that it was a far better option than England which was about 2 hours flight across the North sea. Stigler mouthed, “SWEDEN” and gestured wildly. Pinky just shrugged in return. Trying the same thing with Charlie and getting the same response, Stigler thought the Americans were just totally stupid! The crew of the Pub, thought they were being told to land in Germany. Charlie ordered Frenchy to train his guns on the German fighter. Stigler saw the guns wheel around. Locking eyes one last time with Charlie, he saluted and turned away knowing that they would likely crash in the North Sea…

The crew totally confused as to why their enemy had seemingly spared them, flew on towards England. Skimming the sea and losing height and speed they were intercepted by 2 P-47s who directed them to a nearby airfield. Unbelievably they had made it back to England. Other than Sergeant Hugh “Ecky” Eckenrode, all the crew survived.

At debriefing, Brown told his story about the German fighter which escorted him. It was decided that this should be kept secret – notion of an honorable German pilot choosing not to shoot down a damaged American bomber was not a story that anyone wanted to get out.

Brown kept his silence about the incident until 1986 but then started searching for the German pilot that had spared him and his crew. In 1990 he received a letter from Stigler who had emigrated to Canada in 1953.

Franz gifted Charlie a book and inside the inscription read: “In 1940, I lost my only brother as a night fighter. On the 20th of December, 4 days before Christmas, I had the chance to save a B-17 from her destruction, a plane so badly damaged it was a wonder that she was still flying. The pilot, Charlie Brown, is for me, as precious as my brother was. Thanks, Charlie. Your Brother, Franz”

Franz Stigler never got the Knight’s Cross, but as he always said, he got something better. In 2008 within a few months of each other, the two firm friends went on their final journey.