amazing story....

[billmunny]

Have you guys seen this story about the B-17 crew and the German pilot who saved them?

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/1376

[Adrian]

Most pilots became heroes for shooting down planes, dropping bombs and taking lives but this guy beats them all in my book with a very humane and selfless act made even more poignant by his modesty.

[organix]

I agree...

its always kind of heart warming to hear of these kinds of acts in war....

I wonder how many humane "acts of mercy" stories there are out there....

[gregM]

great story

[VtwinVince]

This story has had alot of press over the years. Knowing these people personally (Stigler has been a family friend since 1942), keep in mind that many doubt whether this actually happened, for a number of reasons.

[JägerMartin]

A very well known story in Luftwaffe circles
and a very lucky B17 crew, not much quarter was given either way by that stage

[bobcam1]

This story has had alot of press over the years. Knowing these people personally (Stigler has been a family friend since 1942), keep in mind that many doubt whether this actually happened, for a number of reasons.

I'd be interested to know what those reasons are.....

Bob.

[pete]

.

It's not unusual and is documented that this sort of thing happens. Get the book "on killing: the pychological cost of learning to kill in war and society" by Grossman. it will certainly answer questions and give an insight into what we are made of and reality. Before you say i am crazy and discount me read the book and then comment. I am not going to go into huge detail just a very broad description of the subject matter. It has alot to do with this story i am certain.

www.killology.com

Oldest example: (Many) Guns dug up from gettysburg, with 6 and 7 balls down the chamber, unfired. But that had to do with the un natural act of the job at close range and the training methods of the day. But it shows that there is a resistance to killing and people were just going through the motions. That went on until the second world war (20%) were firing, then 90% in VN. One constant is that the difference in the act of killings difficulty is always the distance. Then add other factors like anger of freinds killed, following orders (proximity to authority), and personalization with the enemy. Hence why snipers are profiled and although they are not socio paths, they fit the profile. Well 2 % of every military ( cross section of society) are sociopaths, maybe not the dangerous ones but they have no problem doing them job at close range. But, like this pilot he was not in the 2%. That is also how good men can prevent or join massacres.

In that book it talks about how soldiers in VN met each other in a tunnel in the dark (and because of the various reasons, to keep it short, where killing is not a natural act in human nature despite any amount of training and conditioning) looked at each, shook their heads and parted.

I have heard the exact story about a partisan and a german direct from a grandson of the partisan as well in WW2 Yugoslavia, and a same story from WW1 about two tunnelers who met each other, or WW1 football xmas 1914. The list goes on.

There is a high chance that when faced with a situation where the soldier personalizes with the other soldier (for whatever reason) no killing will occur. Only people who do not under stand the pychology of the act of killing in combat (in relation to all other factors- and there has only ever been one defenitive study which was done by grossman using data from all pertinent past sources) will doubt this things occured. Make no wonder the PC game world hates his studies (and constantly tries to discount them) but yet its now required FBI and Military reading in training systems. of course I do not know the other "details" as was refered to and i am speaking from what i know. The proof in the pudding is the actual data feedback from veterans and other data. Some of this they never admitted or talked about ever.



Best,

Pete

[organix]

interesting post pete

There must be lots of incidents where such things happened. Imagine being in the middle of an artillery barrage and jumping into a bomb crater to take shelter, absolutely petrified, then finding an enemy soldier, same age as yourself, also scared for his life in that barrage doing the same, and looking at each other straight in the eyes.

Could I instantly kill him? Could he instantly kill me?

It's a scenario to think about it....

[Jean-Loup]

"This story has had alot of press over the years. Knowing these people personally (Stigler has been a family friend since 1942), keep in mind that many doubt whether this actually happened, for a number of reasons."

Yes, could you tell us more about this? Was the wing man of the German pilote named GOttfried Dullias by any chance?