Germany's Weirdest Move That America Never Saw Coming
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- čas přidán 28. 02. 2021
- During the five grim years of World War 2, all of the countries involved created an effective propaganda system that portrayed enemy soldiers as monsters who deserved nothing more than death.
British, American, German, Russian, and Japanese army departments were tasked with creating a false reality where stereotypes, racism, and discrimination were used to humiliate the enemy and increase the hatred between adversaries.
However, the reality of war was often different.
On the Western Front, enemies were mostly treated with respect, according to old laws of war. Although it may seem unlikely, acts of honor and soldier camaraderie depicting the ancient Warrior Ethos were no strange thing to the Second World War soldiers.
Especially among air force pilots, mutual respect and acts of honor shared by aviators resembled the medieval acts of chivalry.
A young 21-year-old USAF pilot, Charlie Brown, experienced first-hand the virtuous conduct exhibited by a Luftwaffe pilot during a bombing raid when his B-17 bomber was severely damaged and about to go down.
After the German pilot, Franz Stigler, realized the American crew was defenseless, he took the dangerous decision of escorting the aircraft to safety across German-controlled territory.
It was an almost unbelievable tale of two pilots that met each other as enemies in the skies of WW2, survived, and died as best friends and real kamaraden.
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Lt. Col. Charles Brown was my father in law and his good friend Franz Stigler became a friend to our entire family. Both men heroes to the men they served with and their families. I will always remember and love them both. Thank you for taking the time to make this short film and honoring two great men...
Amazing men
Man the stories you must have heard from them. That is an amazing story, as a US Navy vet, I can only hope we have done them proud. Truly great men, honor should never be lost,
Fate.....It was meant to happen...🙏
Not date just the human conces
Truly, a few good men
My wife's late uncle, Lloyd Jennings was the surviving waist gunner on that flight! When Franz Stigler was coming towards them, he said his first thought was, "Well, we are dead!" An amazing story and an amazing and brave man!
Nice to read such comments from people somewhat nearer to the things that happened.
No medal is greater than saving a human life but for Franz Stigler saving multiple lives that day deserved the greatest honour of humanity. Huge respect Sir 👏
As a soldier myself this story always touches me. Franz may have been on the side that lost the war but he didn't lose his honor. RIP Franz and Charlie.
...YOU SUMMED IT UP PERFECTLY-!!!
@@daleburrell6273 thank you my friend. I always like to see respect and honor between adversaries.
People forget how few of the Germans were actually "With Hitler". MOST wanted to hear the same news we wanted to: "He's been killed."
My great-uncle had been a German fighter pilot in WWII. He told us a story about a British pilot who chased him on his way back over the English Channel. My uncle had been out of ammo and low on fuel. But the Brit waited to shoot him down until they were over land, so my uncle could save his live by getting out with his parachute. Those guys were not killers. They had a sense of dignity and respect and fairness. I hope we will never fight each other in Europe.
The Polish pilots had the right idea, after seeing what Germany did to Poland they joined the RAF and just wanted to kill Germans, not damage the plane but kill the pilot... that is the way to fight a war.
@@chrissmith2114 No, its not a loot of germans didnt even knew what hitler was doing... A war should never happen its trash , useless why the heck should we die because of stupid politics?
This story is a morally enlightening one and shows the fact that all pilots knew that one day they could be in the same situation as the US pilot. Shooting down the enemy aircraft was one thing but the pilot was quite another. 10:00 10:00
Danke Schun mien frien
Having heard this story told well over a hundred times, it never gets old. Rest In Peace Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown!
This story remains me of the actions of a British sailor who jumped into the sea to save a German sailor, whose arms were blown off during the Battle to sink the Bismarck.
He was a true soldier with honor
Men, not animals.
I think about those two as I build my plastic model of the B-17. Next, I want to build the German plane of the pilot who spared her. The same thing happened to my uncle during the war. Both he and a German soldier ran to the same foxhole. As fast as they realized what happened, the shooting stopped and they ran back to their units. This was during the battle of the bulge.
Just yesterday, by accident, I saw a video of Brown himself telling the story. It was made 5 years ago. Are there any vets left from that war? When the last known dies, it will make the news.
I had the privilege of meeting both men at an Airshow in Abbotsford Canada where we had brought in a C5 for display. You would never be able to tell they adversaries in a conflict hard fought by both sides. They were the best of friends and it showed. As I have progressed in my own flying career, this is one meeting I'll never forget.
Possibly one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard, and for the first time in a very long time, I am proud of being born in Germany and being a German.
...GLAD TO HEAR THAT-!!!
There are honorable ppl in every culture.
@@jimrich4192 Most certainly. Unfortunately, Germany was brainwashed for generations into believing they weren't one of them. It is heartwarming to see George Waters understand that he does not bear the sins of this fathers. And furthermore, said fathers were just a capable of good and evil as every other belligerent in the war.
Always be proud of your heritage & your country. People & countries aren't so bad as the politicians who grab them & rule them. War can bring out the best( in some people) as well as the very worst. Thank you for your sentiments.
@@phyrr2 "Brainwashed"
Exactly what's going on right now with Russia and the Russians. Kreml propaganda keeps painting Russia as the victim, while Putain and his oligarchy keep antagonizing the west.
To this day, I don't understand why that story hasn't been made into a movie...
I've heard it many times but it still strikes me .
I concur, big style
Ditto...
Agreed
I understand the rights have been bought to do that. But when it finally gets made - is anyone's guess.
@@stuart8663 hopefully it’s soon
These types of things happened more times than recorded in history. My Great Uncle was a special forces night scout who snuck behind German lines at night. In the final days of the Battle of Berlin, he got into a hand to hand scuffle with a German soldier where they both could have easily killed each other. Turns out the German was actually an American born to German immigrants who returned to Germany to “fight for the Motherland”, which was quite common. My Great Uncle was shocked during their fight when he started speaking perfect English with no accent. They stopped fighting, they both knew the was was all but over, and the German soldier actually escorted him to safety, and then defected to American forces. After the war, the German soldier returned to America and they stayed friends the rest of their lives.
...HOO-RAY-!!!
That's a touching story of good men s humanity overcomes the crap leaders , that started the whole thing .
What happened to him next? Became a neo Nazi?
Germany is referred to as the Fatherland! The Motherland is Russia.
My goodness what an extraordinary account. I have the meanest chills. I wish more stories like that were out there. Thanks to you, I now know one more. Beautiful. 😭😭😊😊🥰🥰🙇♀️
Thank you for this video. My wife’s grandfather was saved by a German fighter. Her grandfather was shot bad. And the German soldier serenaded and brought my wife’s grandfather back to his camp. I am so glad he did that because I wouldn’t have my wife today. Not everyone is bad in this world.
I've heard a handful stories like this, from different wars as well. I think that very few soldiers are bad in any war. They are just doing what they perceive to be the right or honorable thing for their homeland. History could always go either way and the ones really waging war are the governments anyway not the guys on the ground (or air).
My grandad was an Australian soldier in WW1, he was riding dispatch through some heavy fire when his horse was shot. He jump into a trench to take cover. In it were two young German soldiers. (About his age 18) they both surrendered. He sat with them for about 20 minutes until the shooting subsided. Then he shock their hand and left. Before he left Australia to go to war his best mate was German.
@@liamgross7217 that is an awesome story and very Aussie 😊
@@muthahumpa2715 he never said anything bad about any “enemy” soldiers. Only that there we’re all brave young blokes just on different sides.
They still murdered millions of innocent people but ok
A wonderful story of compassion and honor. RIP Franz and Charlie. This story brought tears to my eyes. If only the world would learn compassion ...........
It's the governments that want the mess around since the common people just wants to work and live in peace!...
Flying those planes was already a task in itself. Much respect to the German pilot for listening to his inner voice.
Ba-ba-Baba!
Hey pitching the Talking sooo fast???
Don‘t eat to much Panzerschokolade broooo! ✌️
I gotta agree with you, went completely against the nazi ideology to act the way he did. Gotta respect that guy.
You'd be surprised.
My great uncle spent 19 months in a NAZI POW camp after being shot down. He talked very little about those days, too painful. But he did speak of German civilians, being bombed into oblivion by people like him, bringing food every day, passing or tossing it over the fence. (Only reason my uncle survived.) Even though they were hungry.
The NAZI officers could be cruel, but everyday soldiers would do things like complain of an abscess tooth to get some anti-biotic and give them to the wounded allied prisoners. This kind of thing is forgotten in the horrors of war. But don't ever let anyone tell you humans are evil at heart. We are exactly the opposite (agreeing that some of us can be pure evil.), generally humans are very forgiving and compassionate when given the chance. Especially if we haven't endured the oppression and brain washing of Religion or Trump style nationalism.
We have to be taught evil. Goodness comes naturally.
@@larrystevens7410 you could not be more wrong
@@larrystevens7410 I totaly agree
Next time when politicians start a war, let them go do the fighting.
you got to be joking, take the LORDS for instance they are all past their sell by date,they would not stand a chance in hell!!, TOM.....
Or better yet, the bankers who pull the politicians puppet strings...
Bo Han...I was a Marine and I agree with you completely...the leaders should find each other face to fact and see how it feels to really be in the fight. War is just wrong...we all are brothers and sisters mothers and fathers living on this blue planet together....
These cowards can only send other people's children to the front line ...
@@mikearnspiger9715 Well said and thank you for your service. Life is precious, so is this blue marble we all live on. Sometimes looking at NASA space footage of our planet really changes your perspective on humanity.
My grandfather "Frenchy" was on this plane. The fact that I am here today is directly tied to that day and the decisions made.
My grandfather fought in the Africa campaign and on through Italy to France, he said to me he
always had the greatest respect for the average German soldier as a professional well trained dedicated
person.
Their friendship after the war demonstrates the insanity of war and that all people have far more in common with others, than things that separate them.
War is the only thing that rids Humanity of Tyranny in its many forms. Sadly, We the People may soon find this out.
My dad had the great fortune to meet a Japanese rear admiral after Vietnam who almost launched torpedoes at the escort carrier my grandfather was on in the Pacific. My grandfather was jealous that my dad got to meet him and said he would've loved to talk to him and have a beer with him.
It was another brother war orchestrated by... Well , if you look for the answer you'll find it.. but regardless,I think a lot of men on the ground knew that.
@@epifunny1 no my friend it isn't. It depletes the amount of good strong brave men so that the real tyrants have a much easier job with the people that are left and divide up the geopolitical spoils of war.
@@FuelAirSparkTime Well Sparky, look how well your Voting Proxy for War worked with the Tyrannical Left this time. The weasels always win out if they can't be hanged by the neck - why do you think they've had such a strong reaction to the "riots"? They'd forgotten...
I am grateful that we are brothers now.
Greetings from Germany.
Johann Janssen
Greetings Johann. Blessings from Australia.
Blessings from England!
Greetings from Tampa, Florida!
Greetings from England Johann :-)
Greetings from California.
I read the book about this in the library. Quite a touching story--it goes much more in depth on the lives of both men, their military service, and the actual event featured in this video. Worth reading if you haven't yet. A salute of respect to the memories of both from this veteran.
See Sabaton: no bullets fly. A song about this event.
So did I, and the 2nd time tears came to my eyes.
A warrior knowing when to show mercy is what separates men and monsters.
Thank you for this video. My father was a tail-gunner on a B-17. He earned a bronze star for his service. He was extremely lucky to come home in one piece despite being a tail-gunner. Many never made it back. He passed away in 2013. The B-17 was a terrific plane.
God bless him for his service and bravery
Respect.
Godspeed.
My Great uncle was a tail-gunner also. He was shot down over Germany though,but survived only to become a POW with another of his crew after hiding out for 2 weeks.
He brought back some souvenirs after the war.
I still have a coin a little larger than a $.50 piece that has Hitlers bust on one side and a cross on the other and stored in a velvet lined box that it originally came in.
Also have a NSDAP party pin,a shoulder epaulet from a German Arty Lt.
There were many other things he brought home or mailed before his capture but they were divided up through the family.
The belly ball turret gunner was the most dangerous.
Who were these common men that rose to such heroic bravery?
Stigler's photo looks like a movie star, _ playing a German pilot_ from a WWII movie. 😎
And he had a good heart as well.
I'm glad they got to meet each other under better circumstances!
The inscription on a book he gifted to Charles Brown.
“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"... RIP
handsome lookin dude.
My wife says he was a very handsome man.
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns I'm sure she's not the only one. 😃
I bet he did pretty good for himself, when on leave! lol
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns The little almost-smile sold it for me. Reminds me of my Dad's war photos, cocky but not arrogant.😎
@@Alvan81 You're right.
He was also no ordinary pilot, but a very gifted ace just one shootdown away from the Knight's Cross that he wanted very badly.
Shooting down Ye Olde Pub was all that he needed to receive that medal, but he stayed his hand and never received it.
He received two things much better in its place: A very special friendship and immortality.
Amazing story, my mother was a refugee who had to leave Scheveningen as the Atlantic Wall was being built and she ended up in a farmhouse in Nijkerk Netherlands where a German Commander was stationed with his troops. This Commander was very compassionate and sympathetic to the Allied cause and even turned a blind eye to downed allied airmen that were on the farm waiting to be moved back across the English Channel under cover of darkness. Sadly this Commander and his soldiers were sent to the Battle at Arnhem and although they didn’t want to go they had to and almost all were killed.
What an incredible story. Just this week I watched a movie called "The forgotten battle", a true story set in WW2. I couldn't help but notice how the German soldiers weren't portrayed as fearless monsters, but rather terrified young men trying to survive. Its not often that they are portrayed like this.
Yeah thats the reason i hate hollywood
The monster label is more fitting for the Waffen SS, the average German enlisted/conscripted/officer army solider was no more monstrous than their equivalent European/American soldier
This story is told in a book titled 'A Higher Call' by Adam Makos...best WW2 book I ever read.. Highly highly recommended
An interesting story by the author in the forward.
Thanks man I will check but out
Read that in middle school it's a great book
The best ever. I have to check this out
Read it back when I was in middle school. Even as a kid who hated to read, I was stuck in that book and think it's one of the best out there.
I also recommend checking out the interview with Charlie and Franz. It's a good watch.
First time i heard this story, i felt a lump in my throat. Such a heartwarming account, it almost restores your faith in mankind.
They both passed in 2008, only a few months apart.
You really should read the book.
U actually describe excactly my same feelings😢 I need to get hold of that book!
Brothers
Wow that's amazing.
It reminds me of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. They were political rivals but became good friends later in life. The unbelievable fact of their deaths is that they both died on the exact same day. As if that fact weren't enough to make you wonder, that day was July 4th 1826, 50 years from the date when congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. You couldn't write a fictional account with such irony, no one would believe it.
@@macski6924 Two polar opposites, not just politically but in every other aspect of life.
My God man, you have finally stumbled upon a topic that didn't just entertain, it really and truly struck a cord with this old vet. Well done. If there is one thing this country, this world needs, it's more stories like this. I feel like I'm alone in a search for humanity these days. With half the country divided between politics, the hate, the lies, the anger, all that rage is just too much for me to take. I sit here, alone, watching this 3 yr old video bawling like a baby and I am not ashamed. If that's what it takes to let a little bit of hop take the lead in an otherwise horrible time, then I'll take it. Well done.
A true hero doesn't know when to take a life, but when to save one.
The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.
G.K. Chesterton
Great quote ...
Thanks.
Brother Marky-Mark, observe the nose art on that 17. They used that very same design in, "Memphis Belle"
True soldiers fight for who is beside them...and nothing else
That hangs o n my wall. Got it for Christmas.
So all war is bad except the wars you agree with? Sounds like some hardcore hypocrisy to me
Man, i hate to admit it but fuck it! This story made me cry. It takes a special kinda human to see over all this horror and trouble he could get into afterwards. To do what he did in a fcuking world war! Such an exceptional human being!
No one who did not fight in a war or at least short but high-intensity xxxxx-ops CAN NOT UNDERSTAND THIS, helping a defenseless "enemy" cus he is wounded, underaged, inexperienced conscript frightened to the core who just stands frozen TAND and few similar situations is something that true warrior will notice, understand and do what he can to help him as his own Brother in Arms and escort him to the POW camp to be replaced with your captured fighter! Lying if you must to your superiors even if you risk your rank and imprisonment, especially if his side is a bunch of lunatics like ISIL that exploit locals as cattle! I noticed that when a large number of their sentries not just volonteurly surrounded when they saw they are surrounded with MUCH more advanced and equipped soldiers who came behind and in front of him like the ghosts! My experience is as follows...a guard in the pillbox was beaten by his superior who was a true psychopath and as he exited the pillbox my BROTHER
and Commander grabbed this monster and "enabled him to yell, shout and drained him" with 3 quick incisions and show him his intrails! The poor sentry froze in fear he saw me, with a silenced race pistol pointed to him by the figure with no face with 4 eyes (integrated head exoskeleton, armor and few other things)! He Yelled silently few times: "Ifrit, ifrit! and close his eyes starting to recite the Kur'an and my Bro came from his back with the knife uncomfortably close. I gestured him to stop and removed my "mask" so he can see I don't mean harm! He explained tru our coms to the third guy in our team who was also translator on the coms that the whole section of the pillboxes are the boys who were horribly abused cus they are of the different denomination and they had a channel of their own. So I asked him to call them and explain what is going on and if they can silently "dispatch" their "masters" that we did not (YES, they were slaves!) and they should get their guns to protect themselves just in case and go with us after but THOSE KIDS (who unfortunately grew VERY FAST) had other plans! They explained how the enemy behaves, their swarming tactics, and MUCH of very useful INTEL and insisted that they are already dead and their flight will only jeopardize our mission, after we saw they truly mean that and called us their saviors, they insisted to die if needed fighting with us to avenge their families. PLUS they had either GOOD OLD 50.calls or even better German MG34-s and MG42-s on the heavy tripods well mounted! After some considering my Brother and Commander approved since he had a similar mindset. LOL Well, let me tell you, after the arranged signal we just needed to duck and watch, it was insane! They wiped out more than half of the first swarm and an entire second one approaching with heavier mounted weapons confusing the enemy beyond the madness who started shelling both the pillbox and ANOTHER warehouse next to ours, where another wave was mostly eradicated! Hehehe We covered them and they covered us! We did not even notice they have that e recoilless cannons (something like a better RPG-7. It sits on the tripod, it has insane accuracy and backblast rocket that works much like thaqžt of RPG-7. )
Those boys fought valiantly and fought until they got killed or in the mad dash
toward the spot where we told them and then to our position! Honestly, we thought he will only be a burden but he wasn't! He would cover us with RPD as reasonably well as he grabbed few "clips" from the pillbox and from the dead,and we gave him reserve ammo enemy uses that we carry just in case our guns had a catastrophic malfunction or similar. In the end, there was a Bedlem...I could not tell reality from delirious hallucinations due to the poison they used on us but we managed to exfiltrate due to the gunship even the dead. I heard that Valiant kid got American citizenship after his political exile ended...I am looking forward to meeting him one day and heard he got family now! Good luck and all the best I wish to him for he is
My Brother in Arms!
Hope this "little" "chance" encounter can clarify how even in the last days,
"When Empire attacks Empire, Kingdom attacks Kingdom, Nation attacks Nation..." there is still old chivalry in the hearts of the True Warriors.
You rarely become one, You must be born One!
...AND LET'S REMEMBER THAT FRANZ STIGLER DESTROYED MORE THAN HIS SHARE OF ALLIED AIRCRAFT!!!
BUT THAT WAS WAR.
@@daleburrell6273 So what!? He defended his Fatherland from the indiscriminate terror bombing
Would not YOU?! Watch "Hellstorm" and "Last Battle-Europa" and You will understand the other side of story. All those killing for few rich bankers.
BTW EVERYONE fighting for his Homeland/Fatherland against all odds is a hero!
@@maxluburic657 ...I WASN'T CRITICIZING- THAT WAS DIRECTED AT THE PEOPLE WHO THINK FRANZ STIGLER WAS A TRAITOR!!!
It is a beautiful story of humankind. We are not all monsters. 🙏
Play the video at 0.75 speed and he talks in a normal speed.
This reminds me of a Similar story I heard from a B-17 and crews shot down during the war. Every time I met a WW2 veteran I would ask them about their experiences during the war. Once they found out that I was uninterested in the Gory Details, they opened up and talked about what it was like as young men flying in war. Anyway this B-17 crew parachuted into German held Territory and were taken Prisoner by the Germans. My Friend Soldier told me they were taken to a POW camp and one thing saved them: The SS who picked the aircrew up, wanted to shoot them. Fortunately, the POW camp was run by German Aviation or Flyers and they would not let the SS shoot the soldiers. My Soldier described fair treatment and remembers being Liberated by General Patton and see him. Sometime your Fate can Hinge on the smallest Whim of Luck.... They are all leaving us now, and their stories as young men in war are priceless. Great video. RH DSD
"We"re not hunting soldiers, we destroy airplanes." The Red Baron.
"We are sportsmen not butchers"
A kind of "luxury" during war, in a twisted way. You understand there are fathers, sons and brothers you kill inside of the aircraft but you don't get to see them. Compared to being in the army of any nation when you had to be up and close. It must be a night and day difference.
Did he really say that? Because from what I know of WW1 dogfights was that pilots would usually not aim at the aircraft, because it would take too long to take out, but instead they would aim at the pilot. They even used their handguns on close flybys trying to shoot each other.
@@aztaclalz I wouldnt call it a luxury and your missing the point. Theres a difference between shooting the pilot inside and merely crippling an aircraft. I hope your aware every pilot was trained to bail
@@Quotenwagnerianer yes he did, look up his documentary. He took pride in his flying, not to kill and take life, but to be the best pilot in the sky. It's why his group was called the "circus" they were unorthodox and flew more like stunt pilots rather than military fighters
Marvellous story. I live in Germany. An old German told me how he woke up in a British military hospital where his severe head wounds had been treated, saving his life. He couldn't understand how people that only a few hours that before had fought like lions to kill him, were now doing everything possible to save him. He gave me his medals.
Because us soldiers help ich other when we are down, that's our human nature, we all are brothers and sisters across the globe 🌎 ✌
@@firstprototype Over my home town in Germany a B17 was shot down in July 44, an American airman was seriously wounded. He was taken to the local hospital to be operated on, was then sent to an internment camp nearby and got home safely after the Soviets had conquered the town.
This shows that men caught up
in murderous warfare and who - on both sides - had undoubtably been involved in the killing and maiming of enemy airmen and civilians, could maintain their humanity and empathy for fellow human beings, regardless of their nationality. As long as this kind of chivalry exists, there is some hope for the human race. A wonderful story with a beautiful and moving ending. Thanks so much for compiling and uploading this truly amazing video.
In the depth hell of war, there were gentlemen warriors on both sides that kept their honor in high standard and respected a beaten enemy instead of killing him!...
"For me, that pilot is as precious as my brother was".. if that does choke you up, nothing will.
Sabaton No Bullets Fly is about this story
That's one of the best war stories I've ever heard of. Hats off to the German fighter pilot!
There where more of these man on both sides...
Franz stigler
Thank god for Franz Stigler he deserves his place in heaven alongside Charlie Brown.
@@JPee-ww6sv All sides but the Soviets...
@@phyrr2 ...I'M WILLING TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE INSTANCES OF SOVIET PILOTS WHO SHOWED COMPASSION- BUT THEY SURE AS HELL KEPT QUIET ABOUT IT!!!
A Higher Call is a fantastic read. Both pilots stories are incredible and moving, hopefully one day we’ll be able to watch this tale on the big screen.
A very heartwarming story that i have watched twice now. We are human, our so called leaders, some of them are not. Bravo for these two men, who both lived to later meet and become like brothers that we really are and should be.
@0:45 brought tears to my eyes. My dad was from a small town and never saw many planes until he was in the war. He used to talk about being at Normandy and seeing so many planes in the sky that it looked like you could walk from wingtip to wingtip and never fall. My dad died of Alzheimer's and the planes over Normandy were one of the last things he could describe.
I'm sure many of us here thank your dad for his service.
@Timmy Pruitt Thanks
Thank you his service 🙏 ❤
And thank you sir for telling your story ✌
I’m sorry for your loss and may He Rest In Peace.
@@user-82719a Thank you
Absolutely brilliant. That is a level of respect that you rarely see these days. People could learn a lot from them.
Pilots were officers. And were therefore supposed to be gentlemen. He crippled the bomber. And by escorting it back, he ensured the plane and its payload would not kill innocent Germans as it crashed. He was doing his duty to protect his country to the nth degree.
@@RobCalhounPGH I don't think that he crippled th bomber. Watch it again.
With the stress each of us endure every day, it's a stories like this one that finally let's us release our emotions, we root in the goodness of a man even during dark times for men...this brought tears to my eyes. I am a former soldier and only comrades in arms can understand the unique brotherhood that is only earned in battle!!!
I salute you brother 🤝
That’s a great story, thank you for retelling it, and for bringing some much needed humanity and perspective back to the examination of WWII and the German people.
Germany was not called the motherland. It was called the fatherland.
hitler refered to it as the motherland
You feel like briefly telling me why it's called the fatherland or do you know why
@@ryanknox8841 most refered to it as the fatherland. it was a psychological thing for hitler
@@shadowfox001 Thanks I had feeling it was called that based off Bullshit
All in all, every leader calls their land ______land like a worthless dictator
This is a most amazing story. The humanity of the German pilot Franz Stigler saved those men to live to old age. I'm so glad they not only lived after the war, but were able to reunite and become fast friends. When sworn enemies can become life-long friends, this is the true meaning of life.
Thank you for that. My my grandfather was a Navy diver during World War II. He was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. He was one of the many Navy divers who did their best to salvage Pearl Harbor & tried to rescue their trapped brothers. Unfortunately for myself & siblings none of us knew that my grandfather was in the Navy much less a Navy diver who was there at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. I didn't find out any of this about him when was alive. I have to say that I'm a little jealous & at the same time happy for you, your grandfather shared that part of his life during WW2.
Honor and respect! This is a lesson for us all, especially in these trying times...
It was an almost unbelievable tale of two pilots that met each other as
enemies in the skies of WW2, survived, and died as best friends and real
kamaraden. Very nice end of this brutal war ...
in the sabaton music video, I saw a commentor say
"enemies yesterday, friends today, brothers tomorow"
@@ninjablaze6665 ...WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN "BROTHERS"- LET'S REMEMBER THAT CAIN AND ABEL WERE BROTHERS TOO-(!)
@@daleburrell6273 true
Hitler didn’t want the English to be enemies , their own propagandist did and still have always pinned the Anglo people against European heritage
Don’t forget the rebirth of a nation!
:) עם ישראל חי
Much praise to Franz Stigler for not letting the war make him a monster.
that in itself is short of a miracle ,wish the world would look at itself presently and see what an insult it has become.
Well stated
Yes, and the same for Brown. You should remember they regularly bombed civil places with loss of up to 20.000 humans each city, mothers, children. War is always cruel - on both sides!
@@WallyF1 ...ALL THAT THE GERMANS GOT WAS A DAM GOOD TASTE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE- LET'S REMEMBER WHO STARTED THAT GODDAM WAR IN EUROPE!!!
@@daleburrell6273
Without the unfair Treaty of Versailles, including land grabbing after the First World War (not started by Germany!), a Hitler would probably not have come to power. By the way, it was England and France who declared war on Germany in second World War. Fact is, the USA and England starting one aggressive war after the other. Has anyone been hanged for it so far? It was cruel how the Jews were treated. Wars of aggression, however, especially by the USA, still take place today.
Such respect to this man, a man of honour. Heart warming story against the odds
Stigler is a real man. Honor and capability go hand in hand.
What a touching story. It is unexpected beauty in the midst of ugliness, compassion in the midst of havoc.
One of my favorite stories. Anyone who’s been in combat understands. I remember the thoughts in my head when I had to kill for my country. As a human with humanity you can’t but help to think.....”perhaps me and that young man had a lot in common. Maybe if circumstances were different we might be good friends. That weighs on someone who’s good. Someone who is troubled to kill even if justified.
One of the most moving and heartwarming war stories ive ever heard. Bringing the message that ordinary people are basically decent.
WOW. This a great story. Stigler gained another Brother all those years later. 40 plus years ago I worked with a German Toolmaker, a great bloke, very rigid in many ways. He was a 19 year old tank Commander with Rommel in North Africa during WW2. All those years later, in the early 80s, he was friends with another older guy who came to regularly collect machine parts to repair. The man fought in the same campaigns and was one of the Rats Of Tobruk. When together, they were clearly friends, and had an amazing bond. Thanks for the post.
Thank you for sharing the wonderful story of these men. I’m a Vietnam veteran and my next door neighbor is a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. National Guard; he’s Vietnamese and the best neighbor that I’ve ever had.
I've read the book, but this still reduces me to tears.
I loved the book too
You're weak
@@dominicvega9267 the German pilot was weak.
Me too...
If you reffer to the book "A Higher Call" -
It hasn't reduced me to tears but rather empowered me to them!
35 years ago I was working in. Germany for a few months and met an elderly gentleman who told us the story of how he was a POW and was in a prison in east coast USA. It was a small town and the township actually became friendly with the prisoners. They let the prisoners out on occasion to associate with the local population. Many were helped to learn English. This gentleman loved how they were treated and loved the USA
"He approaced the destroyed B17s nose, looked at Brown, saluted him, and flew away."
That gave me goose bumps!
Same here, true men of honor.
The honor of a man. It warms my heart every time I see this story. Thank you for posting. Respect.
My father was a ball turret gunner and navigator on a B-17. A childhood memory is of him combing his hair and a small metal bit hitting the floor. It was flak that had been embedded in his skull that worked its way out. He had a pill bottle that he kept the bits in. It was 1/3 full.
Holy
WHAT? oh my!
Thank you for his service 🙏 ❤
And thank you sir for telling us your story ✌
...THAT'S AMAZING!!!
+ Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
A higher call. One of the greatest books I have ever read! A story that should be read by everyone! No idea how I missed this video of yours but glad I finally saw it!!
It’s very glad to know the presence of human values even during such difficult times. Salute to the German pilot for his humaneness
This is still one of my favorite stories from WW2. I don’t say it often but that German Pilot is a hero
It never gets old to hear this story... and every time I hear “No Bullets Fly” by Sabaton, I can’t help but cry. I just can’t imagine that first meeting where Charlie brought Franz into the room with the rest of his bomber crew and their combined 40 children and grandchildren and said “because of you, Franz, these 40 men, women, children, and many more to come are alive today.” Franz was one bomber away from the Knight’s Cross, but he forewent it, instead writing in the log that his guns jammed due to the bullet lodged in his radiator earlier that day causing issues, and that he had seen it go down into the Baltic Sea, hiding the fact he had guided them West and knowing no one would go north to verify it, and actively denying himself that Knight’s Cross. As Franz himself put it “I never got the Knight’s Cross, but that day in the sky, I gained something even more precious.”
Beautiful comment. Brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much.
"No Bullets Fly"...that song hits me in the feels every time. Even more poignant is the coincidence that Stigler's grandson was already a Sabaton fan & he was blindsided by hearing his favorite band honoring his grandfather in song on what was at that time their most recent album.
@@SergioImbarlina yup! I saw that in the animated short story they have made by YarnHub! Made me cry yet again when those first came out late last year, made me a subscriber to their channels.
If we ever needed a reminder that pure humanity runs deeper than politics, uniforms and superficially imposed prejudice, this must surely be it.
As I read the following notes left here, I am glad to see that there are many more people who feel the same way as I do! To have an enemy fighter pilot do what he did, shows a good heart. I probably had a lot to do with his brothers death, but who knows for sure. For him to help this crew back home, when he could have easily taken them out, took a good heart and also, that would have been a poor judgement, when these guys were so vunerable. My hat is off to that gentleman, and I would salute him, if he were still alive. May they both rest in peace, having made a great decision in respect to their fellow pilots and crew, this gentlyman made a great and humane decision !
Out of all the war stories I hear, this one is my favorite, true camaraderie in a time of death and destruction.
This does not surprise me at all, i went to my Grandfather's army reunions every year i could, he was on the D day invasion and Battle of the Bulge, i got to hear the most mind blowing stories from these men as i grew up , they are all locked up in my brain and so many could be an epic movie. They don't make men like this anymore they are a dying breed,....thank you so much for posting this !!!♥️
That man is locked up inside some. Lets hope there is never cause to let him out.
I have to disagree sir. Although there was definitely a lot of great men, I believe it was just their lot that they came to be in such a chaotic point in history. I think it was the and is the circumstances that people are put in that forged them. Men are men.
My uncle was also in the D-Day invasion and Battle of the Bulge. He was with the engineers and built pontoon bridges--in addition to all the fighting. He told us some stories, as well.
@@mysterytrain3 was your uncle from Texas ?? My Grandad was an engineer too he built bridges and also blew them up trying to halt Germans , he was part of the Red Ball express also .
@@donwoodard2204 My uncle was from Chicago. He went to the reunions, as well, until his health gave out (he had myasthenia gravis). My aunt went to a couple of them in his place.
There were many examples of chivalry displayed by fighter pilots on both sides of the war, German, American, British Commonwealth and even Japanese. My book series The German Aces Speak, and also The Star of Africa and The Me-262 Stormbird have great examples of humanity towards ones enemy.
This is such a good story it needs a movie
They will if Hollywood could figure out how to change the story to where an African or Arab or a LGBTQ(x) as the Luftwaffe pilot. 😆
@@MrNajibrazak exactly lmao. Especially since it is historical
I've heard this story a thousand times. It never gets old.
I agree Doc. Every now and again one version or another shows up in my recommended and I'm game to watch. Great story.
@@nathanarievlis3985 indeed
Ok
This is the first I have heard of it and truly brought me to tears.
The two pilots that live later in life become great friends. Great story and shows how much pride they had for one another.
I have heard this story many times and read the book to learn more but your way of sharing it is the best one yet. Thank you for telling this great story.
There are a few stories of pilots doing this on both sides. I think it shows that even in the worst kind of situations of war, there is still a certain amount of good people that have honour and respect for their fellow man! 👌
Fly, fighting fair it's the code of the air.
Sabaton: no bullets fly
R.I.P Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler chivalry at it's finest
Yeah... czcams.com/video/efxs-Hp0QEw/video.html best interpretation ever
Brothers, heroes, foes.
“Killing machine
Honour in the skies
B17
Flying home
Killing machine
Said goodbye to the cross he deserved.”
@@CSAFD He risked his life 2 times that day
Brothers, Heroes, Foes
Killing machine thunder in the sky
B17 flying home
killing machine, said goodbye to the cross he deserved.
Men of honor !!! Not all those who fought for Germany were bad people !!!
My hometown of Bodø, Norway, got flattened by german firebombs on the 27th of May, 1940. A german pilot named Horst Götz flew one of the german planes ordered to bomb the city. When he was a kid, he had been placed on an island just outside of Bodø as a result of a program ment to give german children and german families a helping hand after WW1. He often visited Bodø with his Norwegian family that lived on the island, and was very thankful for the years he spent there. On the 27th of May, 1940, he flew over the city, and dropped all of his bombs in the ocean outside of it. Everyone in his squadron knew that he had spent time there as a kid, and nobody told the german high command about what he did. He survived the war and visited my town with his wife in the years after. There where good people on both sides during the war.
that took more guts than many will ever know....! thank you for sharing...!!
No bullets fly-Sabaton. I’m not crying you’re crying.
Thank you, I was waiting for this comment
YES I was waiting for fellow Sabaton fans to show up 😂🤘🏻
FLY, FIGHTING FAIR. ITS THE CODE, OF THE AIIR
BROTHERS. HEROES. FOES!
KILLING MASCHINE, HONOUR IN THE SKIS!
My grandpa was saved by a German medic at Arnhem, said we never should’ve fought them. They were our kin.
Except for that little concentration camp thing.
Even Patton said that the wrong side won, shortly before he was killed. Unfortunately the vast majority of people don't know anything about WW2 or what lead up to it, beyond the fictions purported by the victors.
@@pleiku887 Do you also believe in other bullshit like Santa?
@@rileyanoid8444 well it's pretty obvious what led to ww2 so yeah 💀
And it's good that the US got involved...
@@valathaerieldawnblade6075 Concentration camp is a thing you know
Man This Is One Of The Best Stories I’ve Ever Heard! Much Respect ✊ To Both Pilots. Thank You So Much For Providing Us With This Compelling Story!
And thank you for feeling the need to capitalize every single word!
as always a great doc mate.
I am german and we have a saying here: “If somebody is already on the ground, there is no need to beat again!” It was brave as he saved lives by risking his own: shot down by our Flaks, charged by not shooting down an enemy aircraft or even escorting them to get home safe...war is a crime against humanity but humanity will prevail...
What a shame that that Luftwaffe pilot didn't know that saying dw.com/en/world-war-ii-the-photo-that-shocked-the-world/a-55440876
Thank you for that wonderful account!! Erich from New Zealand
On March 23, 2021 US Army paratrooper Vincent Speranza turned 96 years old. He said when the 101st Airborne Division liberated Dachau concentration camp he said they took no German POW concentration camp guards or SS soldiers
The shame of it all is because of the shameful actions of President Woodrow Wilson toward Germany at the end of WW 1 that drove the German people to such desperation that Hitler was their only choice, And once they realized they were duped it was too late. Germany is a great society that deserved better, Mr. Stingler was a truly honorable man that should be respected and admired by all. I tell you this as a retired US Army Green Beret so I've been blessed to know men of great honor. Too bad so many of these narcissistic sociopath politicians are so obsessed with power that in the end hurt their own people. Just think if Wilson didn't throw Germany to the wolves at the end of WW I with regards to war reparations the cold war would have probably never happened. Nothing happens in a vacuum, all the best to you Kai.
@@512bb thank you so much scott. There is so much more that combines us than separates us. My grandadad played cards with Russian solders after „cease of fire“ - they shared a bottle of vodka and only had one thing in mind: I want to go home and caress my girl!
Everytime I hear this story, my soul has a reaction. It lets me know deep down somewhere inside, we don't listen to our corrupt leaders, and do our thing.
I heard of the turkey shoot and a phenomenal dogfight over Pacific, a mosquito and a Japanese fighter found themselves against each other. After a while the Japanese took a deadly shot and plummeted, he looked starboard at his enemy and saluted him and nodded, knowing his forthcoming fate, he still acknowledged the victor. Brave people.
Our dad was there on a support ship. A diesel mechanic and LST driver he came back a wreck. It was all he could recount was the battle, changing out red hot 40mm AA barrels and he would weep for hours.
After he passed on I requested his Navy records. He earned two bronze stars.
Yeah war, what is it good for? making bankers rich.
I thank God he kept me from Nam the three times I volunteered. To ignorant to learn from dad and full of P and vinegar and gung-ho.....Also kept me from entering flight school, as much as I love to fly. Over 200 hours as an avionics and 'hey you' I need a crew chief on Huey's and Hooks...God spared me from my ignorant foolish self!
My father flew C-47s during WWII, flying transport, airlifting wounded, pulling gliders, and flying missions dropping paratroopers over European combat zones. He was stationed at RAF Spanhoe, but he went everywhere. At some point during this time he met Charlie Brown and learned the story of the BF-109 and Brown’s B-17. The chivalrous act of the German pilot stayed with him. Around 1990 he was writing his wartime memoirs and told me this story. It stuck with me. We never found his memoirs after his death and, as he rarely spoke of his war, I never learnt the details of the encounter and soon forgot about it. Until I heard Sabaton’s song, “No Bullets Fly” and realized this was the same story my dad had told me. Mr. Stigler was a great man. On this Memorial Day I’m paying homage to him, Mr. Brown, my father, and everyone who has served in wartime and in peace. Lest we forget.
RIP to both warriors. Sad that these new generations can't seem to live in reality as these men did.
This device i'm holding in my hand ( so called smart phone ) has become the scourge of the earth.
@@td3993 you obviously have no idea wtf you are talking about. Nobody chooses to go to war as a hobby or vacation. Your ignorance is thick enough it can't be dented with a jackhammer. Appreciation for these WARRIORS has nothing to do with being in love with war. It's everything to do with respecting the courage and dedication to their country. A country that would be under Nazi rule without them. But do go on with your ignorance. Smh
Thank you Chris !! A salute to you sir !!!!
@@donwoodard2204 Why do you think that modern generations don't appreciate that?
@@Chris_Bro_aka_MR_PLAT1NEM America would have never been under Nazi rule. Germany had no plans for world domination (and if they had, they would have had no means to do so). Germany definitely wanted control over most of Europe, but the whole "take over the world" trope was wartime propaganda. Himmler had a silly fantasy of "Aryan world domination", but it was all based on occult nonsense and Hitler thought Himmler was absurd for dreaming this up. The only government who had open plans for world domination was the Soviet Union. The only country that ended _actually_ dominating most of the world was America. (RIP Middle East)
My family fought on all sides of the war. Germany, England, Italy, and America. My American grandfather bombed my German grandmother in Berlin. I have a TON of respect for what that generation went through. I could NEVER climb into a B17 ball turret like my grandfather. ...or jump out of a plane like my German paratrooper uncle. The way I choose to honor their sacrifices and memories is by telling the truth about that war. It's well intentioned, but misguided to perpetuate this Hollywood myth of the pious Allies saving the world from pure evil. FDR was a traitor who passed unconstitutional laws, tricked Americans into supporting war, and allowed his administration to be overrun by Soviet infiltrators. Churchill was even more hungry for war than Hitler was. Stalin made Hitler's death count look modest.
There were no "good guys" in WW2 - except for all the poor young men and women who were sent to die by their respective governments. The politicians and military brass have the blood of 65 million on their hands. I have ZERO respect for ANY of them.
PS: Yes, people _do_ go to war for hobby or vacation. I've heard veterans from every war talk about how they signed up "for the adventure". I've met vets who signed up just so they could kill someone. There are all kinds of reasons to go to war. ..and not all of them are heroic.
The highest calls were heeded in both human hearts: gratitude and mercy! Thanks for this demonstration.
I have listened to this tale many times !! I never tire of hearing of the nobility!
This is one of my favorite videos you’ve done so far. If you haven’t already, do a video of the bomber crewmen that gave his only parachute to a wounded crew member
I've studied WWII for the last 20 years, believing that if you want to know the truth of history, you must learn it yourself. This has always been one of my favorite stories, showing that even in war, chivalrous acts do occur.
I’m so thankful for this channel. I don’t feel as intellectually stimulated by anything else. Warfare and history need to be preserved by academia rather than edited and erased as it often is.
Then the Swedish metal band is probably something you’d like, all their songs are about historical events (mostly war stories), one of their songs are about this act of kindness, it’s called “No Bullets Fly”
your narration is like me standing up in class for the first time to give my first essay.
I am over 50 years old and from the Netherlands, I was military at the Dutch airforce from 1986 till 1989 stationed at the East German border in Blomberg squadron 3GGW as a radar specialist to keep communism at a distance. A few years later from 1993 till the year 2000 I had 3 flower shops, 1 in Gevelberg near Wuppertall and 2 in Essen Germany. And in that time I spoke with a few real German ex-soldiers who really fought in WW2 and I remember 1 old guy in Gevelberg who was in WW2 a SS soldier. He told me his crimes against the Russians, he shot over 30 Russians to their grave he told me after me asking and asking about his time. He was in prison till 1954 in Russia.
My Grandfather lived in WW2 in IJmuiden Netherlands a heavenly fortressed city left to Amsterdam during WW2 and worked on the Atlantic Wall and was later transported to Germany to work in the Junker factories. I am so happy I know the story's from both sides. I never blamed the Germans because I know the history of who had to sign the treatment of Versaille after WW1 that's lead the German country into a very very difficult time. So WW2 was in that time the only answer the Germans could give. Thank you for this great upload to show that not all Germans were wrong and bad. In my time in Germany, I started to love the people of Germany. Really! Germany is now my favorite second country and I always found nice and great people in this country. So seeing this video it all came back into my memory. THX and respect all countries who liberated Europe and also my respect to the Germans who did so great after the WW2 and did a great job to love them again. I really do love the German now and only learned from all my conversations with both sides..Of course, I am now a subscriber of this channel, keep up showing these great story's because this kind of story we never may forget.
What a freakin story man!!!! I tried so hard, and failed to not shed a tear!!! May these men RIP. Stigler is a true HERO and seemed to have been fighting on the side of a horrendous government for personal reasons of the pain he saw inflicted upon the population which is extremely noble in my book!!! This story NEEDS a movie if one already doesn’t exist. Truly amazing show of humanity. Amazing.🤯 almost surreal to see how human and human can actually be.
Probably one of the best stories out there.
What a great story and thank Franz Stigler for your his compassion. Both my Grandfather and my Father fought Germany in WW1 and WW2 and my dad said about the Germans he fought that they were good soldiers.
It is beyond compression that ONE THOUSAND people could dislike this video!
AND THIS IS HOW IT WAS TOTAL RESPECT FROM THE OLD GENERATION 👏.
Bro, they were NAZIS!