8th Airforce Vs the Luftwaffe

[Douglas J Schrack]

This story is out of the 306th Bomb Group newsletter "Echoes". On Dec. 20th 1943 on a raid to Bremen, Charles Brown's b-17 was badly shot up and crippled. The tail gunner was dead and four of the crew were seriously wounded. Brown, the pilot was trying to bring the sticken plane home when German ace Franz Stigler in his ME-109 spotted him helpless and chose not to shoot him down. Stigler motioned him to follow and surrender but Brown ignored him and continued to fly toward England. Stigler saluted the valiant American crew and turned for home. Years later , a grateful Brown located Stigler who was living in Canada and the two became friends. At a recent 8th Airforce reunion in Savannah, Georgia the two of them sat together again. The Americans never told the story during the war and Stigler admitted that had anyone told his story he would have faced a firing squad.

Doug 306th Echoes
"Daily Guideposts 2002"
Carmel, N.Y. pp378-9

[Chris B]

That was a nice story. A little humanity amidst all the carnage. Cheers, Chris B.

[Ty Smith]

Love these stories. I'm sure there are many more untold stories like that.

[PaulR]

These are my favorite stories too. I enjoy the personal experiences individuals had with an enemy that was just as human as they were.


Thanks
Paul Reck

[J.von Canon]

Another...

[QUOTE=Douglas J Schrack]This story is out of the 306th Bomb Group newsletter "Echoes". On Dec. 20th 1943 on a raid to Bremen, Charles Brown's b-17 was badly shot up and crippled. The tail gunner was dead and four of the crew were seriously wounded. Brown, the pilot was trying to bring the sticken plane home when German ace Franz Stigler in his ME-109 spotted him helpless and chose not to shoot him down. Stigler motioned him to follow and surrender but Brown ignored him and continued to fly toward England. Stigler saluted the valiant American crew and turned for home. Years later , a grateful Brown located Stigler who was living in Canada and the two became friends. At a recent 8th Airforce reunion in Savannah, Georgia the two of them sat together again. The Americans never told the story during the war and Stigler admitted that had anyone told his story he would have faced a firing squad.

Doug 306th Echoes
"Daily Guideposts 2002"

A very interesting account.Here's another one...
Back in 1990 I met two former fighter pilots who last saw each other in 1944;one was German,the other a Texan of the A.A.C..
The place was Dobbins Air Force Base,Marietta,Georgia.
The German was Oblt.Gunther Schack(R.K.holder)andthe American was Bud Nowlin.Herr Schack spoke very little English so I translated for them.
Here's some of what Schack said:"I owe my life to a good man!
I was stationed in the third group of Fighter Wing Molders in Lyck,E.Prussia on the 6 Aug.,1944.
We were astounded that a hundred American "furniture vans"(4 motor aircraft)were flying from Danzig eastwards.Every available plane was ordered to intercept-ALL NINE OF US!
The group commander was elsewhere (Hptm.Diethelm Eichelstreiber)and so I had to take command.We met the "big herd"at the(for us)unusual height of 18,000 feet very close to the Russian front lines.
It was reported to us that no fighter escort was present and it took a seemingly long time for us to overtake the bombers,which flew at many different heights,and to attack from the front head-on.
But before we could attack Mustangs suddenly appeared out of the sun.My old patched up ME 109 took a hit in the cooler and I had no more thoughts than to continue west and make a belly landing in German territory.
As I was concentrating on a place to land and diving somewhat to cool the engine suddenly a Mustang pulled alongside me and our eyes met.Then,he waved and continued east...After I was on the ground I received artillery fire and was hustled to cover by some German infantrymen into a bunker.Almost on the frontline I had landed in a small salient surrounded on three sides by the Russians!
Again and again I've asked myself:why did'nt the American fighter pilot continue to shoot?Did he have jammed guns or not?"
And the Texans (Bud Nowlin)view:"I hit him twice and knocked out his engine,but did'nt kill him.Before he went down I flew up alongside him and was so close I could see the differences in our oxygen masks.I gave him a wave and kept going."
It tooK 46 years before these two men met again.
Bill Graham,a New York businessman,German speaker and aviation buff,was the man responsible for Shack's efforts over the years to locate the chivalrous American pilot.
Pouring over old military records and flight logs Graham at last had his man and the two began communicating.Bud lives in Texas.
Then,at Dobbins A.F.B.-these two old eagles met in person.
I felt it an honor to act as a conduit between these two interesting men.
Following a long visit I escorted Herr Schack to a local Civil War battlefield park(Kennesaw Mountain)and conversed in German about this long ago action.
Herr Schack further stated that "on that day in 1944 I became a pacifist and remain so today."
Maybe there is hope for mankind yet...J.v.Canon