The True Story of Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler — the German Ace Who Let the Bomber Go

On 20 December 1943, the B-17 "Ye Olde Pub" of the 379th Bomb Group came off the target at Bremen with its nose shot away, one engine dead, its tail gunner killed and four men wounded. A German ace, Franz Stigler of JG 27, took off to finish it. He came close enough to see the wounded men inside, and he did not fire. He flew beside the bomber until it was out over the North Sea, saluted its 21-year-old pilot, Charlie Brown, and turned away. Forty-six years later, the two pilots found each other. This film follows both men: the farm boy from West Virginia on his first mission in command, and the former airline pilot who had flown in North Africa under Gustav Rödel ("If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you myself"). It covers the raid on the Focke-Wulf plant at Bremen, the attack on the straggler, the escort, the landing at RAF Seething, both men's lives after the war, Brown's four-year search, Stigler's letter ("I was the one"), and the friendship that lasted until both died in 2008. In "The File Today" we separate what the record shows from what rests on memories decades later. This documentary is based on historical records. Some scenes are illustrated, and any dialogue not on record is clearly described as such. Archive photos are public domain (credits below). Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:24 Ye Olde Pub 5:23 Bremen 8:22 The Hunter 12:08 Wingtip to Wingtip 14:30 The North Sea 17:28 Forty-Six Years 19:57 The File Today Sources: Records of the 379th Bombardment Group (527th Bomb Squadron), B-17F 42-3167 "Ye Olde Pub" Interviews given by Charles L. Brown and Franz Stigler after 1990; American Air Museum in Britain John L. Frisbee, "Valor: A Higher Call", Air Force Magazine, 1997 Adam Makos with Larry Alexander, "A Higher Call" (Berkley Caliber, 2012) Wikipedia: Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident, Franz Stigler, Charlie Brown (pilot) Archive images (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia): Charlie Brown (USAAF); the crew of Ye Olde Pub (USAAF); Franz Stigler; B-17s of the 379th Bomb Group at Kimbolton (USAAF); RAF Kimbolton and RAF Seething from the air, 1945 (USAAF); B-17F "All American" in flight; B-17s over Schweinfurt, on a bomb run and in flak (USAAF); damaged B-17 after Cologne (USAF); B-17 "Hell's Angels" (USAAF); Bf 109 cockpits (NMUSAF, Smithsonian); Bf 109s of JG 27 over North Africa and a captured Me 109F at El Alamein; captured Fw 190s; Me 262 in flight and at the NMUSAF; P-51 Mustangs "Bottisham Four"; Lt. Gen. Ira Eaker; 8th Air Force raid on a Focke-Wulf plant; Eighth Air Force emblem and memorial; Silver Star and Air Force Cross; Maxwell Field postcard and Air University; Weston, West Virginia; old views of Bremen and Regensburg. Full list in photos/credits.txt. Music (YouTube Audio Library): "Keys To Unravel" and "Fact or Friction" by The Soundlings, "Monument" by TrackTribe, "Somnia" (Variations 1-10) by Reed Mathis. Sound effects: YouTube Audio Library. New files every week — subscribe to Sealed Orders for true missions of World War II, opened one file at a time. #WW2 #B17 #AHigherCall