Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident

The Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident occurred when, on 20 December 1943, after a successful bomb run on Bremen, 2nd Lt. Charles "Charlie" Brown's B-17F Flying Fortress Ye Olde Pub of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was severely damaged by German fighters, and had fallen out of formation, left behind by other bombers with only a few engines running. Luftwaffe pilot Franz Stigler was on the ground when Brown's aircraft flew low nearby his airfield. Stigler saw this as an opportunity to score the last kill of a bomber kill award. When Stigler intercepted the bomber, he had the opportunity to shoot down the crippled bomber but did not do so, and instead escorted it over and past German-occupied territory so as to protect it. The American bomber aimed the roof mounted turret at Stigler under Brown's request, but did not open fire as Stigler descended. When they left occupied coasts, Stigler saluted Brown from the left side of the aircraft and flew back home. After an extensive search by Brown, the two pilots met each other 50 years later and developed a friendship that lasted until Stigler's death in March 2008. Brown died 8 months later, in November of the same year.