𝔸 ℍ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕒𝕝𝕝 

I am a soldier in the Polish army and I will say this; the moral of this is that despite following orders, there is a human being in each of us, not a mindless animal. Military service is a hard "piece of bread" and not an idyll, as most people think. Service is a time of sacrifices, stress, suppression of one's problems and lack of understanding on the part of "civilians". Respect to all who face it despite everything.

I heard in a documentary: Him saving those men meant he also made it possible for their 25+ descendants to be born/have their dads/grandpas. An overwhelming moment when you think about that.

The fact that these two pilots met each other decades after the war ended is amazing. The B17 pilot was in Seattle and was searching for the german pilot and the Bf109 pilot was living in Vancouver, BC.

“No matter how much conflict there is, remember, your enemy is still Human.” -A Legend.

As a vet, this makes my eyes weep every time I see it. Humanity costs us nothing.

if you look up the story of the red baron this story becomes even clearer as most german pilots followed the barons code which was there was no honor in killing or downing a defenseless opponent

Ruhe in Frieden wahrer Deutscher Pilot

A higher call is a great book to read . An incredible insight into Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown , before and after should be a Hollywood blockbuster.

We really need a full movie of this, and it should be mostly from the perspective of Franz. Knowing his past, and the losses he faced in the war makes this story that much more powerful.

" No man hath greater love than he who layeth down his life for his enemy "

I had heard of this story nearly 40 years ago and it touched me deeply. I tried to find more about it. Who they were and what happened next. This event was listed as top secret during the war and many years after because the German pilot would be held for treason. Over the last several years more information could be found. Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler met each other and were the best of friends until their deaths It has been my understanding that a reunion was put together for the pilots, Stigler and Brown, the surviving crew and the sons, daughters and the 53 grandchildren that were born and living because of one true hero who followed his beliefs instead of the orders.

I can only ever hope to be 1/10th as honorable and deserving of respect. Hero’s, both of them. Even if they were fighting on different sides.

Not going to lie... this made me cry like a little girl

You can just feel what the two B-17 pilots felt, I respect that BF-109 pilot a ton.

I can't get enough of watching the clip...the action of the pilot Stigler shows us that nothing is lost...looking for each other and meeting again many years later was the face of friendship!! Don Franz and Don Charlie always in my heart. DE from Argentina.

The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And if he was really evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home. If he would not rather have stayed there in peace. War will make corpses of us all.” - J.R.R Tolkien

I love stories like this. Even through hell, people can still be people.

Franz's commander once told him "if you dare shoot a man in a parachute i will kill you with my bare hands" To franz, shooting down the old pub was like shooting several men in parachutes as they were defenseless. Within any nation taking down a defenseless enemy is not honorable by any means.

The fact that this actually happend in the war is crazy, it made me cry bro.

I read the book! A phenomenal story! Will bring anyone with a heart and soul to tears!

That is with out a doubt the FINEST most detailed animated rendering I have ever seen in my entire life!!! Please continue finding these little stories of triumph of the human spirit during war.

Just imagining how scary that would be, and the relief of watching the fighter fly off, damn. Respect to the German for being honorable and the British airmen for sharing this story.

hier siegt nur die Menschlichkeit.....nicht alle Deutsche waren dem Wahnsinn verfallen. Es ist schön solche Geschichten in der heutigen Zeit zu sehen.....DANKE

after the war Franz met his mentor and friend Adolf Galland and confess that he let a B-17 Escape, Galland's response is "it would be you". Sometimes some semblance of chivalry and humanity make history more beautiful

Actually a video with superb choice of music. Brings a tear to the eye every time I see it.

This reminds me of an incident with my late FiL. He drove trains for the Germans, and was in Rostock railyard when RAF Lancasters bombers raided the place. Couple months after our wedding they visited us in Halifax. At Citadel Hill we met a British chap, who we found out was in one of those Lancs. It was an interesting, friendly encounter. The 2 men shook hands, the Brit said he was glad he missed FiL, and FiL saying he was glad of it, too.

Knowing this story is such a privilege and an honor. It puts in perspective the fact that there’s still humanity even in the face of your enemy during war. One of the most evil wars in history, yet an entire American bomber crew’s lives were laid in the hands of a German pilot and he felt empathy and pity for them. He had the moral understanding of integrity and honor, which allowed 9 fathers, husbands, and brothers to return home. Many families were saved because of that German pilots actions. Nothing but respect for all war heroes of WW2, no matter what flag they salute. Ich hoffe, dass das Leben dich gut behandelt hat, Oberleutnant Franz Stigler.

War is Hell, I lost some small community friends on discord. Between the 3 Russians and 5+ Ukrainians, as far as I know, the three Russians are actually active in the service, and 2 Ukrainians are also active. The first week of the invasion we lost one of our friends from Russia. After several months of war in southern Ukraine, I never heard from our Chechen friends again. And I don't know when our Ukrainian friends have been gone. Pesan terakhir dari seorang pemuda Chechnya "assalamualaikum, Forgive me if anything wrong" (Last online March 2022) "Glory to my Ukrainian brothers" (Said one of the Russians.) "The alarm keeps ringing here" (said one of the Ukrainians) "I will greet you with uzvar" 🇺🇦 "I'll be there with my BTR and a bottle of Vodka for you" 🇷🇺 If I'm not mistaken that was the last great conversation before our servers were deleted for no reason at the end of October 2022

A fantastic and heroic event! True courage lies in knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.

I can highly recommend anyone to read A Higher Call by Adam Makos. It tells the story seen in this clip, but also how it was as a drafted luftwaffe pilot, starting in Africa en ending up in 262's. The pilot seen in this clip ended the war as one of the German Aces and flew in the Top squadron 262's.

Человечность. Победила. Смерть!!! С уважением к героям этой истории! С уважением к авторам этого фильма! Николай Нестеров.

I love this story it makes me cry when I hear it Edit: I just saw this video again and it popped up holy shit I 7 months ago that was awhile but thanks for the likes too.

not all germans were bad, remember it

Not only remember those who lived to tell the tale, but those that lost theirs and were never heard from.

My grandfather lutenant Thomas Gregory Langan was stationed at the airbase this plane returned to and said it was very bashed up. He heard first hand account of what happened. A true act of humanity.

People with hearts, families and feelings! Being a righteous human being

- Escorts a crippled enemy bomber - Does not warn neither friendlies nor enemies - Leaves without further elaboration

" I love you Charlie". -Franz Stigler

So glad I read this book. Reading it gives a really good perspective into what they went through. Not just Franz and Charlie, but all of their comrades that flew with them. Throughout the story on both sides are beautiful examples of humanity despite the terror of war. 10/10 excellent video as well

Thank you very much for sharing such incredible stories in the form of animation. They help form a more holistic picture of the world of that time.

That moment when Franz said and gestured to "land!" and Charlie just kept going with fear of Franz ending him and his crew. Franz is the hero, escorting them. If Germans saw a Messerschmitt flying with a allied plane they would hesitate. It was not uncommon in WWI for pilots to capture planes in that way.

I served 28 years in the U.S. Army, including in a combat zone. As a young soldier I met a German working on our base who was a prisoner of war held in my home state. He was a great guy, and we had many enlightening conversations. Soldiers understand each other no matter what country they serve.

The fact that this is a real story and an incredibly important lesson in humanity, makes me love it even more.

In the end, we are all humans with heart. Great video my friend. ❤

Ese hombre franz stigler tiene mucho corazon,incluso se le nota cuando estrecha la mano a charlie en el video su semblante lo dice todo.

"The heroes are the ones who have lived the most battles, fought the hardest, destroyed the most targets, killed the most enemies" or so they say... In my view heroes can come from anywhere, even from the opposing side, heroes are the ones who put humanity first, fight a fair fight, follow the red baron code. Stigler had every chance, every right, every capability of downing the already heavily damaged b-17 that day but despite everything, despite what he was told, despite what others had influenced him to do, to fight for, he went against it all that day. He risked his life to save the lives of his enemies, he knew that if he was caught he was as good as dead, he knew that if he was caught he would be punished, he knew that if he was caught unspeakable things would happen to him... But on that day he fought against everything, he fought what he had been told, the thoughts that came after, Stigler saved that b-17 and in doing so saved multiple wounded American Airmen. THAT is honour. THAT is being human. THAT is being, a true hero

A moment of compassion brings a lifetime of living without the guilt that moment could have had.

"A Higher Call" is one hell of a good book. Lots of information about the Luftwaffe I never knew. Nice video.

3 джентльмена!!! два пилота и зенитчик... красивая история жизни

In war people think soldiers are monster but deep down in every soldier is a being who thinks they are fighting for the right thing

This story has stayed with me since I first learned of it many years ago. Warriors have feelings. Deep feelings.

These stories just reinforce my belief that we aren't here to kill each other. We're here to lift the ones who come after onto our shoulders.

I can only imagine seeing your fellow crew fight for their lives as you were limping home on a plane that only had Gods miracle holding it together and then seeing a bf109 show up on your side. Even as Charlie had said he wasn’t trying to fire back or do anything to provoke Franz because he knew he’d be dead in minutes had franz wanted to shoot him down. Charlie had to just known that it was over and he was going to be killed but then watch Franz just fly off and leave him alone. I can’t even begin to imagine the horror going through that crews mind at that moment.

i guess it has been at least 4 years since i had tears in my eyes. thank you.

This true story was a testament to humanity. Charlie Brown and Hans schtigler became best friends many years after the war when Brown found schtigler living in Canada. Amazing story.

This situation happened to my great uncle. They were limping back after a raid. They were shot up, out of ammunition, had casualties. They tilted the guns down to show they were out of ammo. It was first time his crew saw a fighter plane with no prop. The fighter pilot maneuvered around their 17, looking in and seeing there was no fight to be had. The pilot of the ME-262 matched speed with the B17 cockpit, gave the bomber pilot a salute and went vertical.

Me sorprende como logra conmover sus rostros animados, un gran trabajo sin lugar a dudas.

Thanks to all of you guys for one million views, still can't believe it and never would have expected it. I wish the best to all of you.

This is a real heartwarming story, it shows that people still had a heart and didn't blindly just kill people, and despite the fact that the german pilot only needed one more kill before a rank up makes it even better.

Pure Humanity. Thanks for the video and for the song.

The Book, "A Higher calling," Is really great.

The animator of this video did SUCH a great job of capturing the soldiers emotion with no words, no text, no speech, just eyes and gestures. It truly showed their humanity in their eyes.

As a combat vet I Just love this story. We're all human. War changes people of that there is zero doubt but every now & then, stories like this one surface & it does restore one's faith in humanity. To my brothers in arms all around the world please never lose your humanity. As a great man once said. Jaw jaw is better than war war.

This gives me goosebumps. There really were awesome people in this world ❤

A Soldier... Who never dies 😢😢😢😢,🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

Even an enemy can be compassionate

This was a powerful clip. The book was awesome and my hats off to this German pilot who saw that the right thing to do was much more difficult than the easy thing.

A short story about humanity above anything else.

MEN OF HONOR

After the war Franz said in TV that he could not shot him down because the B-17 was not fireing at all and he also said he never saw a plane flying that was so badly hit and in the in the same interview he also said maybe i lost an Enemy and also my medal, but i got something much more worthy that day. I got a not only a friend, i got an brother that day. these both Pilots are true legends may they now be together and relife that special day in heaven.

a moment to remember, in bad is always good. mad respect for the creator of this vid.

AMO ESTA BELA HISTORIA, VERDADEROS CABALLEROS DEL AIRE, Y HERMANOS ESPECIALES POSTERIORMENTE, HASTA SU MUERTE

German lost the war but they don't want lose they people hearts 😢

Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown remained best of friends until there deaths in 2008 just eight months apart. Franz always wondered about the the B17 he spared until one day he read a German news letter and there was a story about B17 pilot searching for the German BF109 pilot who sparred their lives. Everything in this video was what Charlie Brown wrote about but left key parts blank, Franz filled in the blanks correctly and at the bottom he wrote it was me.

Learned of this event from the song "No Bullets Fly" By Sabaton. They base their music off of historical wars and such. Great metal band.

Esses são os verdadeiros heróis!!👏👏👏

To jest piękny przykład, gdy jesteśmy "ludźmi" to świat jest piękny, a przekonania nie sa warte więcej niż życie i człowieczeństwo..., ❤

Brilliant work, thankyou.

This story inspires me deeply. I meet both men briefly. This is a powerful story.

Esos son los verdaderos hombres que tienen valores

Beautiful

You have chosen... Mercy.... It will not be forgotten.

They don't hate eachother. It's their leaders.

this made me cry inside

Love and respect. No more wars.

The fighter pilot's older brother, also a pilot, was KIA before this happened. I highly recommend this book!!

Fue un acto d heroe d caballeroso que Dios los tenga n su gloria 🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦🇺🇲🇩🇪

I wasn't supposed to feel sad today At first I was sad but then I started to feel happy :] Happy tears

I had a friend named Guy Dority. He was the radio man in the first B-17 to land in England. His plane was the Jarring Jenny. He flew 50 combat missions and was shot down 3 times. He was a volunteer at the War Eagles Air Museum in New Mexico. A true hero and gentlemen.❤

Great video guys ,I've watched it over and over,

Beautiful story

He choose humanity than a medal

What is the real reason why the German pilot in the Luftwaffe, Hein Franz Stigler, did not shoot at an Allied plane even though it was an enemy target? If it is a matter of humanity, then this is a good work from a pilot. I have never seen in my entire life a humanitarian position in a war like this.

Honor and humanity exist even in the darkest hour. Greetings from Germany 🫡🇩🇪

man , its so deep , i want cry bro

A story of honor, mercy and true courage. I am sure the german pilot could have ended in front of a firing squad.

Every time i Watch this Video i‘ve to cry. The Story takes me with everything.

I cried 😢 so much emotions

Well done, did not know that, thx

Humanity wins even in the darkest of times, thanks goes to those making the right decisions.