![]() Stigler, a Catholic who once studied to be a priest, placed his hand on his jacket pocket and felt the rosary beads that were inside. The holes in the fuselage were so large that he could even see the Pub’s crew caring for the wounded. Stigler could clearly see the dead tail gunner and his blood stained jacket. He was not only just one more air victory from qualifying for the prestigious Knight’s Cross, but Stigler also sought vengeance for his older brother August, who had been killed earlier in the war.īut as he closed on the stricken bomber and surveyed the damage, he couldn’t believe that it was still flying. When Stigler initially encountered the B-17, he was prepared to fire. The co-pilot of the B-17, Spencer ”Pinky” Luke, said, “My God, this is a nightmare.” Brown responded, “He’s going to destroy us.” The fighter plane was so close that Brown could clearly see Stigler’s face. It was a German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter plane, piloted by Luftwaffe ace Franz Stigler. ![]() He looked through the cockpit window and was terrified by what he saw. Brown knew that their chances of making it back were slim, but he still had hope.Īs the bomber limped towards the North Sea, a dark shape just off the right wing of the B-17 caught Brown’s attention. They all decided to stay with their commander. His dripping blood formed icicles in the freezing air that now rushed in through the shattered turret’s Plexiglas.Īt one point, Brown told his crew that he was going to try to fly the damaged bomber back to England, but he gave them the option to bail out while they were still flying over land. The ball turret gunner, Hugh “Ecky” Eckenrode, was dead, his body slumped over the machine gun. ![]() Nearly half the members of the Pub’s crew were wounded, their blood splattered throughout the interior of the bomber. When Brown asked for a damage report, one of the crew replied, “We’re chewed to pieces.” Half of its rudder was missing, and one of its engines was out. The bomber’s nose, wings, and fuselage were riddled with gaping holes, and it was leaking oil and hydraulic fluid. The crew fought back as best they could, and even shot down one of the German fighters, but they clearly absorbed the worst of the fight. It was December 20, 1943, just five days before Christmas, and the 21 year-old pilot of American B-17F bomber Ye Olde Pub, First Lieutenant Charles “Charlie” Brown, was desperately trying to keep his heavily damaged plane aloft in the skies over Germany.Īs recently chronicled in the 2012 award winning book, “A Higher Call” by Adam Makos (with Larry Alexander), the Pub had just completed its bombing run of a Focke-Wulf airplane manufacturing plant in the German city of Bremen, but it was attacked by a swarm of Messerschmitt fighter planes, as well as ground based anti-aircraft guns. Spann, Jr on Standing Up For What’s Right by Chris Gibbons on The Roman Catholic High School Alum Who Beat The Champ.Tom Dooley on The Roman Catholic High School Alum Who Beat The Champ.Tom Kearney on When the Bulge Almost Broke by Chris Gibbons.My “Twilight Zone” Top 15 episodes by Chris Gibbons.No Better Place to Die: Lost Among The Many Legends of D-Day – The Battle for the Bridge at La Fiere – by Chris Gibbons.
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