Would you pull the Trigger...?
David Holland MBA Your Business Co-Pilot
I help Business Owners & Executives build the Business and Lifestyle they always dreamed of?? Author, Speaker, Digger of Holes, Renovator of Cottages, Drummer, Husband to The Blonde One, Dad and Dog Person.
In business and in life, we face choices about doing things right or doing the right thing...
What defines as being successful is when we choose NOT to do something as much as when we choose TO do something...
On the 20th December 1943, a 21-year-old pilot called Charlie Brown was ordered to fly, along with his crew, a B-17F Bomber with the 8th US Airforce on a bombing raid over Germany...
The plane named "Ye Olde Pub" was part of a formation of Bombers sent to destroy the heavily defended Focke-Wulf 190 factory in Bremen. Furthermore, Charlie was assigned the "Purple Heart Corner" of the formation - a highly vulnerable position, liable to attack by the defending fighters...
At the beginning of the bomb run, the B17 was hit by flak, shattering the plexiglass nose, took out engines 2 and 4, meaning he had to slow down, leave formation, and immediately become an easy target for the defending fighters.
Over the next few minutes, Ye Olde Pub was attacked by around a dozen German fighters. Engine 3, was damaged the tail gunner, Hugh Eckenrode, had been killed by a direct hit, the oxygen, hydraulic and electrical systems were all damaged.
Most of the crew had sustained injuries and of the 11 guns, only 3 remained operational. The Morphine had frozen and although bailing out was an option, with one of the crew badly injured and unlikely o survive the jump, the crew decided to ride it out...
Limping back towards England the B17 was spotted by Franz Stigler, a German Fighter ace with 27 victories to his name. Stigler took off in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 and easily caught the struggling bomber.
Seeing the damage caused to the bomber, and the condition of the crew left inside, Stigler was reminded of his training in Jagdgeschwader 27, from Gutsav Rodel...
领英推荐
If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you myself...
Initially, Stigler attempted to encourage the B17 to land, but as Charlie Brown refused, he took the decision to escort the bomber to the coast and let them go, knowing the Flak guns wouldn't fire if a German fighter was in the line of sight...
Ye Olde Pub made it back across the North Sea and landed at RAF Seething - home of the 448th Bomber Group.
At his debrief, Charlie Brown described the events, and how a German fighter escorted them to safety - and he was promptly told not to tell anyone about it to ensure there was no positive sentiment awarded to the enemy, commenting only...
Someone decided you can't be human and be flying in a German cockpit
Following the war, Charlie Brown returned to the USA, and Stigler emigrated to Canada. In 1990 the two finally reconnected and became close friends...
Epilogue
Out of interest, the Swedish Rock band Sabaton recorded a song for their album Heroes, called "No Bullets Fly..." with the lyrics telling the story of Charlie and Franz. Franz's Daugther and Grandson heard the song and met with the band to thank them...
So the lesson is clear, sometimes we have to do the Right Thing - even if it goes against our mission, orders, and rules of engagement...
Director at Baloise Distribution
3 年This story has been thrilling me for years : what would I have done at Franz's place ? The chivalry side is obvious, on another hand he let go aviators who would come back to bomb cities, schools and children.... Things are not always just black or white...