In 1943, a German fighter had a US bomber in his sights, finger on trigger button but what happened left everyone stunned 50 years later

On December 20, 1943, American B-17 bomber Ye Old Pub was returning from a bombing mission over Germany when its badly damaged condition left it vulnerable to enemy fighters. With only two functioning engines, a damaged rudder, wounded crew members and most of its defensive guns disabled, the aircraft appeared unlikely to survive the journey back to England. A German fighter pilot, Franz Stigler, had the opportunity to destroy it. Instead, he made a decision that would remain secret for decades.

German flak leaves the bomber badly damaged

Ye Old Pub was flying about 20,000 feet above the North Sea as part of an eight-mile-long bomber formation heading towards northern Germany. Its target was a Focke-Wulf aircraft factory in Bremen.

For pilot Charlie Brown, it was his first mission flying a Flying Fortress. He was responsible for the lives of 10 young men from the 379th Bombardment Group. The crew carried twelve 500-pound bombs and crossed into German territory shortly after 11am, knowing that German forces could detect the bomber formation and estimate its altitude, speed and destination.


At about 11:30am, German 88mm anti-aircraft guns opened fire. Shell explosions shook the B-17, and visibility inside the aircraft deteriorated. One blast destroyed the plexiglass nose, exposing the crew to freezing air. Another shell knocked out the second engine, while further damage struck the left wing and fourth engine.

Brown struggled to keep the bomber under control as another shell tore through the roof. Despite the damage, the crew received the order to release its bombs. Ye Old Pub dropped its payload over the city and turned back towards the North Sea.

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Isolated and exposed over enemy territory

The return journey was still through enemy territory. The crew searched the sky for German fighters while the damaged bomber and another B-17 fell far behind the main formation.

The other bomber attempted to deal with a fire before disappearing behind clouds. Soon afterward, Ye Old Pub faced another threat. A formation of Focke-Wulf 190s approached, followed by Messerschmitt 109s.

The German fighters attacked the crippled B-17. Brown turned towards the Focke-Wulfs, presenting them with a smaller target. Gunfire struck the bomber, but its surviving gunners managed to hit two attackers.

The situation rapidly deteriorated when the Messerschmitts attacked from behind. The tail gun stopped working after freezing in the bitter air. Bullets and 20mm shells tore through the aircraft, killing the tail gunner and seriously injuring several crew members. The radio was also damaged, leaving the crew unable to call for help.

Another attack punctured Brown's oxygen tank. The bomber lost control and began spiralling towards the ground.

Brown eventually regained consciousness at a lower altitude, where the increased oxygen helped him recover. Fighting the damaged aircraft, he pulled it out of its dive at about 3,000 feet, narrowly clearing the houses below. Most of the crew was wounded or unconscious, and the bomber was barely capable of continuing.

The flight back becomes a fight for survival

Ye Old Pub could manage only about 135mph as it attempted to reach England. Brown knew the crew would have to cross the German coastal defences again. He gave his men the option of abandoning the aircraft and becoming prisoners of war rather than risking death, but none chose to leave.

As the bomber headed north, it passed near Jever airfield. There, German fighter ace Franz Stigler was preparing to take off.

Stigler had already shot down two B-17s the previous day. Another confirmed victory would put him closer to receiving the Knight's Cross. For Stigler, however, the award represented more than a military distinction. He regarded his missions as part of his duty to his countrymen.

He had seen the destruction caused by Allied bombing in cities including Hamburg and Bremen. Yet his motivation, according to the account of his wartime experience, was not simply hatred or revenge. His own wartime history had already brought personal loss, including the death of his brother, and he had fought in several major campaigns.

When Stigler spotted Ye Old Pub, he began an attack run.

Then he stopped.

A German pilot decides not to fire

Stigler had the American bomber directly in his sights, but he did not fire. Instead, he noticed the extent of the damage to the aircraft.

The B-17 was barely capable of defending itself. Most of its guns had been destroyed or disabled, while the crew had suffered heavy casualties. Stigler knew that only a few rounds could bring the bomber down.

He also recognised that there was little honour in shooting down an aircraft carrying men who were effectively helpless. Although the bomber's mission had almost certainly contributed to the destruction of German cities and the deaths of German civilians, Stigler chose not to attack.

He moved closer to the cockpit. Brown was still focused on getting his aircraft towards England when he suddenly saw a German Messerschmitt flying alongside him.

Stigler signalled to Brown that he should land. He knew the damaged bomber had little chance of surviving the German coastal defences ahead. Brown refused.

Stigler then made a decision that went beyond simply withholding fire. He stayed alongside the B-17 and accompanied it towards the Atlantic Wall.

The German anti-aircraft positions below posed another deadly threat. Stigler knew that the damaged American aircraft could easily be recognised as an enemy bomber. Yet as he escorted Ye Old Pub across the defended coastline, the anti-aircraft guns did not open fire.

Brown initially could not understand what was happening. He was concentrating on the danger ahead and did not realise that the German fighter beside him was protecting his aircraft.

Stigler eventually saluted, turned away and disappeared.

Only then did Brown understand what the German pilot had done.

The wartime encounter remains hidden

Ye Old Pub eventually reached England and made a difficult landing. The crew's survival was remarkable given the condition of the aircraft.

According to the account, their commanding officer was prepared to recognise the crew for their service, but senior command learned about the encounter and reacted angrily. The incident was treated as something that could not be made public.

No one could know that a German fighter pilot had deliberately spared an American bomber and then helped it escape.

Stigler also returned safely and told no one what he had done. Such an action could have resulted in serious consequences, including a court-martial.

The encounter consequently disappeared from public view for decades.

According to the book A Higher Call, the story resurfaced in 1985 when Boeing invited former fighter pilots to an event marking the 50th anniversary of the B-17. By then, Stigler was living in Vancouver, Canada. He attended the event as the only German pilot present and later told a local television station about the encounter.

That same year, Brown began searching for the German pilot who had spared his crew. He wrote to German flying ace Adolf Galland and to the German magazine Jagerblatt in an effort to identify the pilot.

The search continued for several years.

In 1990, Brown and Stigler finally found each other. Their first meeting followed years of letters and telephone conversations, and the extraordinary wartime encounter subsequently attracted international attention.

Even after the two men were reunited and their story became known, Stigler faced hostility from some people. He received calls from Germany accusing him of being a traitor, while some of his Canadian neighbours treated him with suspicion because of his German wartime service.

His response remained simple: they would never understand.

The encounter that began above Germany in December 1943 had survived for nearly half a century as a secret between two pilots on opposite sides of a war. What happened in those few minutes was not known publicly at the time, and for decades the full story remained buried.