Franz Steiger meets Charlie Brown 379th

[VtwinVince]

This incident has come up before. The Luftwaffe pilot was Oberleutnant Franz Stigler of JG 27, a family friend since he flew with my uncle in Africa in 1942. I have had dinner with Franz and Charlie Brown in the past, and there is some controversy in certain circles as to the veracity of this whole story. Keep in mind that Stigler was a member of the schwarm which included Erwin Sawallisch and which was accused of faking claims in Africa. I believe this led to the unexplained death of Sawallisch. Also, considering that shooting down viermots at this stage of the war was considered a duty and honor in light of the death toll of German civilians, it doesn't seem likely that a Jagdwaffe pilot would willingly let his victim go, especially since consequences for doing so could be negative. I'm not saying that chivalrous acts did not occur, but the participants in this alleged incident have gotten alot of "mileage" out of it.