Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Murdr on October 04, 2013, 04:57:30 PM

Title: Good story
Post by: Murdr on October 04, 2013, 04:57:30 PM

German pilot in WWII spared an American B-17 pilot over Germany only to reunite 40 years later and become fishing buddies
http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/german-pilot-in-wwii-spared-an-american-b-17-pilot-over-germany-only-to-reunite-40-years-later-and-become-fishing-buddies.html

Title: Re: Good story
Post by: Devil 505 on October 04, 2013, 06:16:45 PM

Great story.
I even skinned Stigler's 109g-6 http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,335979.0.html

Title: Re: Good story
Post by: RedBull1 on October 04, 2013, 08:32:43 PM

Been posted more times than I can count but still a good story


 :salute

Title: Re: Good story
Post by: GScholz on October 04, 2013, 08:38:50 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8EkmyoG83Q

Interview with the two of them.

Title: Re: Good story
Post by: shotgunneeley on October 04, 2013, 09:48:53 PM

I bought and read the book A Higher Call over the summer. Good book and very thought provoking.

I don't know what I would've done in a situation like that. I thought it was a very decent thing for Stigler to give the Americans (clearly out of the fight) a fair chance to surrender. However, I don't think I could've just let them go knowing that is the enemy attacking my home and countrymen. This is touchy because I'm only stating what I would've done based on the advantage of being a spectator, but when the bomber crew refused to land, I would've put a shot across the nose to emphasize my point. Had they still refused to comply, I would've forced them down one way or another. At that moment, he was very reluctant to send the helpless crew to their deaths (what he felt was murder, not war) even though that was part of his duty. I don't think he thought the bomber was capable of reaching England when he broke off, deciding to leave them to their fates. I wonder if things would have turned out differently if the bomber was less damaged and he felt it was likely able to make it back home (and thus return later to bomb Germany again).

Had I been going through what he had, I could very well see myself making the same call; I hope I never have to find out. I was saddened but not exactly surprised that he received a lot of hateful criticism from his own people after the story went public.