[VtwinVince]

Sorry to announce the passing of former Staffelkapitaen of 12. JG 27, Oberleutnant Franz Stigler, credited with 28 victories and holder of the DKiG, on March 22, 2008 in a suburb of Vancouver, Canada. Franz had been a family friend since 1942, when he flew with my uncle in North Africa, and was always a friendly, unassuming person. His bravery was attested to by the fact that he had a depression in his forehead from a .50 shell, a souvenir of a head-on attack on a B-17. Franz was shot down 17 times himself, and was a real survivor. In the 1970's he flew a Messerschmitt 108 locally, which he had painted in Luftwaffe colours, complete with his "scoreboard". He is survived by his wife, Hija, and a daughter.