Franz stigler and charlie brown
Franz Stigler
German fighter pilot in World War II (–)
Franz Stigler | |
|---|---|
Oblt. Franz Stigler (css) | |
| Birth name | Ludwig Franz Stigler |
| Nickname(s) | 'Franz' |
| Born | ()21 August Amberg, Bavaria |
| Died | 22 March () (aged&#;92) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Allegiance | Germany (to ) |
| Service / branch | Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht) |
| Years&#;of service | – |
| Rank | Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) |
| Unit | JG 27, and JV 44 |
| Commands | /JG 27, 8./JG 27, /JG 27, III./JG 27 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | German Cross in Gold, Iron Cross 1st Class, Iron Cross 2nd Class |
| Spouse(s) | Hiya Stigler |
OberleutnantLudwig Franz Stigler (21 August – 22 March ) was a German fighter pilot and fighter ace in World War II.
He is best known for his role in a December incident in which he spared the crew of a severely damaged B bomber. He escorted the plane to safety over enemy lines.
The story was kept secret for many years, but in the two pilots finally reunited and were close friends until their deaths in Stigler died in Canada, where he moved after the war.
Early life
Stigler was born on 21 August in Amberg, Bavaria. His father was a World War I pilot/observer.
Stigler began flying gliders when he was 12, and in , he piloted a biplane.[1] He flew for Deutsche Luft Hansa (the predecessor of Lufthansa) before joining the Luftwaffe in [1]
Military service
In the Luftwaffe, Stigler became an instructor pilot.[1] One of his students was Gerhard Barkhorn, who went on to down over planes in combat.[1] Stigler himself flew combat missions, downing 28 planes while himself being shot down 17 times (he bailed out six times and landed in a damaged plane 11 times).[1] His brother, August, who was also a pilot, was killed in the crash of a Junkers Ju 88 in August [2]
As a member of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG&#;27) in North Africa as well as Europe, and of the Jagdverband (JV) 44 jet fighter squadron, the aircraft Stigler flew in combat were the Messerschmitt Bf and Messerschmitt Me
In North Africa, Stigler flew in the Schwarm made up of Oberleutnant Ferdinand Vögl, the commander of 4.
Staffel, OberfeldwebelKarl-Heinz Bendert, Oberfeldwebel Erwin Sawallisch and Stigler. At the time, most of the aerial victories claimed by II. Gruppe were allegedly achieved by pilots of 4.
Franz stigler biography book
He was born August 21, in Regensburg, Bavaria. Franz started flying in at the age of In the s he flew for Lufthansa and was an instructor pilot. One of his most famous students was Gerhard Barkhorn. Of Barkhorn's lessons Stigler has said "he could barely fly the plane and I almost failed him".Staffel, of which 63 out 66 claims were attributed to these four pilots alone. In comparison, the claims filed by Vögl, Bendert, Sawallisch and Stigler far exceeded the number of aerial victories claimed by other units of JG&#;27 and raised significant doubt within the Luftwaffe. This Schwarm of JG&#;27 was prevented from flying together after kill ace Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt reported that he saw them shooting into the dunes of the desert during a mission in which they claimed 12 aerial victories.
On 15 May , Stigler was injured when his Bf&#;&#;G-6 (Werknummer —factory number) suffered engine failure and he was forced to bail out near the Milo Airfield, Sicily.
On 13 January , Stigler was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of Staffel of JG&#; He succeeded Oberleutnant Werner Küffner who had been killed in action the day before.
The Staffel was subordinated to IV. Gruppe of JG&#;27 under the command of Hauptmann Otto Meyer. On 13 May, Stigler was transferred and command of Staffel was then given to OberleutnantErnst-Wilhelm Reinert. Stigler was then appointed Staffelkapitän of 8. Staffel of JG&#; He succeeded Oberleutnant Kurt Hammel who was transferred.
Franz stigler print: Oberleutnant Ludwig Franz Stigler (21 August – 22 March ) was a German fighter pilot and fighter ace in World War II. He is best known for his role in a December incident in which he spared the crew of a severely damaged B bomber. He escorted the plane to safety over enemy lines.
On 15 August, 8. Staffel was renamed to Staffel. When on 1 October, the Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of JG&#;27, MajorErnst Düllberg, was transferred, Stigler temporarily assumed command of the Gruppe. On 27 October, Stigler was transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 1.
Command of Staffel was then passed to Oberleutnant Karl Kohl while command of the Gruppe went to OberleutnantPeter Werfft.
B incident
Main article: Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident
On 20 December , Stigler met a B bomber nicknamed Ye Olde Pub and its American pilot Charles "Charlie" Brown for the first time.
Stigler had shot down two Bs earlier that day and he soon caught up to a wounded B flown by Brown. Lining up to finish the bomber and shoot it down, he noticed the tail gunner never moved the guns. Upon further inspection of the airplane, he saw through large holes in the fuselage a frantic crew trying to save the lives of their fellow airmen, and decided not to fire.
Stigler is quoted as saying "and for me it would have been the same as shooting at a parachute", in reference to a statement by his commander and mentor Gustav Rödel; "If I hear of one of you shooting a man in a parachute, I'll shoot you myself!".
Franz stigler biography wikipedia Their aircraft, BF Ye Olde Pub , had been hit twice by flak as it approached its target, the Focke-Wulf plant in the German city of Bremen, forcing the crew to shut down one of the engines and throttle back on another. This had left it lagging behind the main formation of aircraft from the th Bombardment Group and groups of German fighters had closed in like sharks sensing blood in the water. Up to fifteen fighters had attacked the bomber and the whole tail section was shot to pieces, the nosecone was missing, the electrical, hydraulic and oxygen systems were damaged, the radio was out and the entrails of the crippled bomber flapped in the slipstream through gaping rents in the fuselage. But Bs are tough old birds and this one somehow kept on flying despite the damage. Brown blacked out for a short time due to pain, loss of blood and a lack of oxygen and the bomber spiraled towards the ground.Stigler motioned to Brown to land his airplane in neutral Sweden because of the extensive damage. However, Brown didn't understand and decided to keep flying towards England. Stigler escorted the B and its crew to the North Sea coast, protecting it from German anti-aircraft gunners (who recognized the silhouette of his Bf and held fire).
Once they were over water, Stigler saluted Brown, then left to return to base.
Aftermath
Stigler never spoke of the incident as he could have been court-martialed and executed. Stigler moved to Canada in and became a successful businessman. Brown told his commanding officers, who chose to keep the incident secret.
Years later, in , Brown searched for the German pilot who let them live that day, and eventually the two pilots, along with the Pub crew, met face to face, half a century later.[8]
Between and , Brown and Stigler became close friends and remained so until their deaths within several months of each other in [Note 1]
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 26 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim.
All of his aerial victories were claimed over the Western Allies on the Western Front or in North Africa and include five four-engined heavy bombers. It is likely that this list is short as following his encounter with Ye Olde Pub, Stigler claimed he lost his appetite for pursuing the Knight's Cross and stopped claiming individual victories.
Further, upon surrendering to the Allies his log book was confiscated and never returned, making it difficult to track his previous victories.
Awards
Notes
- ^Charles L. Brown’s obituary discusses the incident with Stigler and describes their friendship. [1]
- ^According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at
- ^According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at
- ^According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is confirmed.
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John ().
Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN&#;.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (). Das Deutsche Kreuz – Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross – History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall.
ISBN&#;.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. (). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN&#;.
- Prien, Jochen; Rodeike, Peter; Stemmer, Gerhard ().
Messerschmitt Bf im Einsatz bei der III. und IV./Jagdgeschwader 27, – [Messerschmitt Bf in Action with the III. and IV./Jagdgeschwader 27, – ] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN&#;.
- Prien, Jochen; Rodeike, Peter; Stemmer, Gerhard (). Messerschmitt Bf im Einsatz bei II./Jagdgeschwader 27, – [Messerschmitt Bf in Action with II./Jagdgeschwader 27, – ] (in German).Franz stigler biography He is best known for his role in a December incident in which he spared the crew of a severely damaged B bomber. He escorted the plane to safety over enemy lines. The story was kept secret for many years, but in the two pilots finally reunited and were close friends until their deaths in Stigler died in Canada, where he moved after the war. Stigler was born on 21 August in Amberg , Bavaria.
Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN&#;.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe bis —Teil 8/I—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—November bis December [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force to —Part 8/I—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—November to December ] (in German).
Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN&#;.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried ().Franz stigler charlie brown Luftwaffe pilot Franz Stigler had the opportunity to shoot down the crippled bomber but did not do so, and instead escorted it over and past German-occupied territory so as to protect it. After an extensive search by Brown, the two pilots met each other 50 years later and developed a friendship that lasted until Stigler's death in March Brown died only a few months later, in November of the same year. Franz Stigler 21 August — 22 March was a veteran Luftwaffe fighter pilot attached to Jagdgeschwader The mission of 20 December was the Ye Olde Pub crew's first and targeted the Focke-Wulf aircraft production facility in Bremen.
Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe bis —Teil 10/III—Reichsverteidigung— bis [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force to —Part 10/III—Defense of the Reich—1 January to 31 December ] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN&#;.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried ().
Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe bis —Teil 11/I—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum— bis [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force to —Part 11/I—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—1 January to 31 December ] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN&#;.
- Prien, Jochen; Balke, Ulf; Stemmer, Gerhard; Bock, Winfried ().
Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe bis —Teil 13/V—Einsatz im Reichsverteidigung und im Westen— bis [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force to —Part 13/V—Action in the Defense of the Reich and in the West—1 January to 31 December ] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck.
ISBN&#;.
- Ring, Hans; Shores, Christopher (). Fighters over the desert: the air battles in the Western Desert, June to December . London, UK: Neville Spearman. ISBN&#;.