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Featured in Ghost Wings
magazine!
Click
to view at full resolution.
The
photo below was taken at the Wings of the North Airshow, July 2004.
Franz Stigler is to
the left, Charles Brown right, Artist Jamie Iverson center.
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This fascinating event
occurred in December of 1943 when Charles Brown and the crew of "Ye
Olde Pub" were nursing their badly damaged B-17 back home. They happened
to fly directly over Oberleutnant Franz Stigler's fighter base. Stigler
had already shot down two other B-17s that day and quickly took off and
caught up with Ye Olde Pub to make it kill number three.
As Stigler moved in to fire, he noticed how badly damaged the B-17 was.
There were gaping holes in the fuselage and half the rudder and horizontal
stabilizer was shot off. The tail gunner did not fire, so he closed in
and could see blood dripping off the .50 caliber tail guns. Inside, Stigler
could see the crew members frantically tending to the wounded. At that
point, he felt that shooting down the aircraft would be like shooting
men in their parachutes.
Stigler pulled up along side the B-17 and motioned for Brown to land in
Sweden. However, Brown continued towards home. When they reached the coast,
Stigler saluted, pulled up and flew back to base. If his actions had become
know, he would have been court-martialed and possibly shot for letting
an enemy bomber escape.
Charles Brown and "Ye Olde Pub" made it back to their base in
England. Much later, these two former enemies met again and became close
friends.
Print Size 11" X 15"
Signed by artist Jamie Iverson.
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