"A Higher Call" book - Amazing WWII story about a US and German pilot

[DrunkenSano]

German military and Nazis were not the same thing. Just FYI.

 

[Yreka]

I don't believe this story one bit. Germans were fanatical and the pilot would have been shot for treason.

That's quite the generalization.

Remembering the words of one of his commanding officers from the Jagdgeschwader 27, Gustav Rödel, during his time fighting in north Africa – “You are fighter pilots first, last, always. If I ever hear of any of you shooting at someone in a parachute, I'll shoot you myself." Stigler later commented, "To me, it was just like they were in a parachute. I saw them and I couldn't shoot them down."

 

[Hugo Drax]

I don't believe this story one bit. Germans were fanatical and the pilot would have been shot for treason. Perhaps he didn't have any more bullets, met the other guy and decided to say that he spared him. Either way I smell bs.

You need to see if the University you attended can give you a refund.

 

[JTsyo]

I don't believe this story one bit. Germans were fanatical and the pilot would have been shot for treason. Perhaps he didn't have any more bullets, met the other guy and decided to say that he spared him. Either way I smell bs.

This is very wrong. The Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht were professional soldiers not radicals like the SS. They were much more likely to follow the rules or war than discard them.

 

[microAmp]

I suppose you think the Christmas truce during WWII was fake too?


you are a idiot. not all that fought for Germany were bloodthirsty. in fact very few were. the atrocity's that Germany did were mainly the SS and that was small number the German military.

Don't you mean WWI?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

 

[BUTCH1]

I don't believe this story one bit. Germans were fanatical and the pilot would have been shot for treason. Perhaps he didn't have any more bullets, met the other guy and decided to say that he spared him. Either way I smell bs.

Out of bullets?, he spotted the limping bomber at low altitude from his base then jumped in his plane to pursue, when he realized the plane's guns were all out of commission and there were many wounded on board it would have been like shooting at a hospital ward at that point, that's why he did what he did, I'm sure he just told his commander a story about losing track of the B-17 or his own plane malfunctioning to avoid what would have been a death sentence for letting a helpless enemy get away.

 

[unokitty]

"Franz squinted and aimed through his gun sight. He lowered his finger onto the trigger, ... When the bomber's thin wings spread past the ring of his gun sight, Franz narrowed his eyes on the tail gun position, looking for the blink of his opponent's guns. But nothing happened.

Something's wrong, Franz thought when he saw the tail guns pointing lifelessly to earth. His eyes fixed on the bomber's left stabilizer. He realized it had been shot away...

From a hundred yards away, Franz saw the tail gunner's position and knew why the nearly four foot long guns had never been raised. Shell fragments had obliterated the compartment. The glass was missing from its windows. ... He saw fist sized holes on one side of the tail gunner's position where 20mm shells had entered. On the other side, he saw where they had burst, peeling the bomber's skin outward.

Then Franz spotted him, the tail gunner. With the rudder's frayed fabric silently flapping overhead, Franz saw the gunner's fleece collar red with blood. Inching closer to a plane's length from the bomber, Franz saw the gunner's blood frozen in icicles where it had streamed down the barrels, Franz lifted his finger from the trigger...

Franz had seen planes come back from battle shot to pieces. But he had never seen anything like this. Every foot of the bombers metal had silver holes where the bullets had entered and flaked away the paint...

He saw that the waist gun was missing, blasted from its mount... and that the radio room had been blown apart. ... Then, alongside the bomber, Franz saw something troubling. Exploding shells had stripped away its skin in the waist. Through the plane's exposed ribs he saw its crew, huddled over one another, caring for their wounded. Moving forward, Franz, could see that the bomber's nose was blown away...

... over ancient Sicily, the last of Europe's Knights had taught Franz Stigler a new code. Their code said to fight with fearlessness and restraint, to celebrate victories not death, and to know when it was time to answer a higher call.

Franz gazed at the men in the waist tending one another's wounds. He looked into the ashen face of the ball turret gunner. He thought about what his brother August would have done...

A gear clicked in Franz's soul. He laid a hand over the pocket of his jacket and felt his rosary beads within. This will be no victory for me. Franz decided. I will not have this on my conscience for the rest of my life."

--Page 200 A Higher Call

Of 28,000 German fighter pilots to see WWII combat, 1,200 survived. Franz Stigler was one.

Uno

 

[disappoint]

You need to see if the University you attended can give you a refund.

You think he learned that in Uni? More like Hollywood who like to depict all Germans in WWII as bloodthirsty Nazis, oh except the one famiry that hid Anne Frank in their attic. Hollywood is like the news, they sensationalize and exaggerate everything to grab peoples attention, the facts be damned. They want money, and they give fuck all about the truth. Kind of like bankers, and hedge fund managers. You know what I always say, first a country goes morally bankrupt, then they go financially bankrupt.

Is it me or am I starting to sound as cynical as the late, great George Carlin?

 

[BUTCH1]

"Franz squinted and aimed through his gun sight. He lowered his finger onto the trigger, ... When the bomber's thin wings spread past the ring of his gun sight, Franz narrowed his eyes on the tail gun position, looking for the blink of his opponent's guns. But nothing happened.

Something's wrong, Franz thought when he saw the tail guns pointing lifelessly to earth. His eyes fixed on the bomber's left stabilizer. He realized it had been shot away...

From a hundred yards away, Franz saw the tail gunner's position and knew why the nearly four foot long guns had never been raised. Shell fragments had obliterated the compartment. The glass was missing from its windows. ... He saw fist sized holes on one side of the tail gunner's position where 20mm shells had entered. On the other side, he saw where they had burst, peeling the bomber's skin outward.

Then Franz spotted him, the tail gunner. With the rudder's frayed fabric silently flapping overhead, Franz saw the gunner's fleece collar red with blood. Inching closer to a plane's length from the bomber, Franz saw the gunner's blood frozen in icicles where it had streamed down the barrels, Franz lifted his finger from the trigger...

Franz had seen planes come back from battle shot to pieces. But he had never seen anything like this. Every foot of the bombers metal had silver holes where the bullets had entered and flaked away the paint...

He saw that the waist gun was missing, blasted from its mount... and that the radio room had been blown apart. ... Then, alongside the bomber, Franz saw something troubling. Exploding shells had stripped away its skin in the waist. Through the plane's exposed ribs he saw its crew, huddled over one another, caring for their wounded. Moving forward, Franz, could see that the bomber's nose was blown away...

... over ancient Sicily, the last of Europe's Knights had taught Franz Stigler a new code. Their code said to fight with fearlessness and restraint, to celebrate victories not death, and to know when it was time to answer a higher call.

Franz gazed at the men in the waist tending one another's wounds. He looked into the ashen face of the ball turret gunner. He thought about what his brother August would have done...

A gear clicked in Franz's soul. He laid a hand over the pocket of his jacket and felt his rosary beads within. This will be no victory for me. Franz decided. I will not have this on my conscience for the rest of my life."

--Page 200 A Higher Call

Of 28,000 German fighter pilots to see WWII combat, 1,200 survived. Franz Stigler was one.

Uno

In a way though he let his countrymen down, yes, the plane was a flying wreck and completely defenseless BUT... it was returning from dropping 10,000lbs of ordinance on a German city, once the Luftwaffe became overwhelmed and ineffective the 8th air core reduced every major German city to ruin, even Dresden, well known for doll and toy making was leveled, if you were a German civilian who was lucky enough to survive that or the "firestorm" raids on hamburg you would want that bomber blasted out of the sky..