The Higher Call: Not as a Soldier, but as a Human Being

Photo Credits: Wiki

On 20 December 1943, two young men met in the skies over Europe. One was Charlie Brown, a 21-year-old American pilot flying his first mission in a B-17 bomber. The other was Franz Stigler, a veteran German fighter ace with 487 combat missions and 28 victories to his name. They were enemies by definition, yet what happened between them defied everything the war had taught them. 

Charlie’s aircraft, Ye Olde Pub, had been torn apart during a bombing run over Bremen. Flak ripped through the fuselage, engines were failing, and the crew was badly wounded. One man had already died. The bomber was barely holding together. Despite the damage and the danger, Charlie chose to stay with his crew and attempt the flight back to England. 

Franz was sent to intercept. From a tactical point of view, it was an easy kill. But when he pulled up alongside the B-17, he saw something that stopped him. Through the holes in the aircraft, he could see the faces of the crew. They were injured, frightened, and no longer a threat. Franz later said that shooting them down would have felt like killing a man in a parachute. 

So, he made a choice. Not as a soldier, but as a human being. 

Franz did not fire. He flew beside the bomber, shielding it from German anti-aircraft guns on the ground. He even risked his own position by signalling to Charlie to divert to neutral Sweden for safety, though the message never got through. Finally, Franz escorted the B-17 as far as the North Sea, then saluted and turned for home. Charlie, still in disbelief, brought the damaged aircraft back to England. All but one of the crew survived. 

For years, Charlie wondered who the mysterious German pilot was. In 1986 he began searching. Four years later a letter arrived from Canada. Franz had read the account and recognised himself. Their reunion was emotional, and the friendship that followed lasted until they both passed away in 2008, only months apart. 

At Brookfield Aviation, we see this story as far more than a wartime anecdote. It is a reminder that aviation has always been about more than machines and missions. It is about people. Pilots and aviation professionals are defined not only by skill and training but also by integrity, judgement and resilience. 

Franz Stigler made a decision that could have cost him everything. He chose compassion when every order demanded destruction. That higher call speaks to the values that remain at the heart of aviation today. In the harshest of conditions, there is still room for humanity. And sometimes, the most powerful act is simply choosing to do what is right.