*Faith in humanity restored* SABATON-No Bullets Fly (Animated Story Video) | Chicago Reacts 

Thank you for your reaction - kind words

The end bit is that Stigler's grandson happened to be a fan of Sabaton, so when Heroes came out, he was just enjoying the new album when he heard No Bullet's Fly and understood that it was about his grandfather. If you want another humane moment of WW2 by Sabaton, you should check out Hearts of Iron.

His daughter, Jovita Theren-Stigler still watches and comments on reactions of this song/story. She's a wonderful woman.

Now your talking my language. Sabaton are one of my all time favorite bands to listen to. The one reason Stigler made the decision is that his commanding officer had told him and the other pilots of his squadron that if he ever heard of any of them shooting at a parachuting pilot he would personally kill them himself. Franz Stigler saw the crippled plane unable to defend itself as being no different to a helpless person in a parachute so could not pull the trigger to shoot.

sorry to comment again, but this story they sing is based on real events. the german fighter really did escort the shot up bomber all the way to the coast of france. when interviewed about it later, the german pilot said he didnt feel right shooting down a torn up plane with no ammo left to defend itself

If I remember correctly, apparently Stiglers commanding officer has told his pilots that shooting down parachuting enemies was not allowed and Stigler viewed the stricken B17 as being akin to a parachuting foe. Edit: Sabatan also have a history channel "Sabaton History" where they go into the stories behind their songs.

If you want a heart warming story try out sabatons The Last Battle. It’s about the battle of Castle Itter where a German Wehrmacht captain and a handful of his men plus an American tank and it’s crew defend French politicians against a SS battalion in the final days of ww2

"I wonder why he would do that." Because after the war you have to go home with what's left of your soul and live with the things you've done.

The b-17 was so damaged that the German fighter was sure they wouldn't be able to cross the north sea back to England. At first he gestured them to land at a German airfield to get captured, when they refused, he gestured towards neutral Sweden which was closer. When they still refused, he escorted them as far as he could over the north sea until he saw that they were safe. To me, it's just basic humanity. Imagine you are on a battlefield at the end of a battle, you see a wounded and unarmed enemy, would you kill them or bring them to your medic tent? I personally hope I would do the more humane thing.

An elderly woman wishing a metal band "safe journey, gentlemen" is one of the classiest and most wholesome things I've ever seen. Regarding why exactly Stigler chose not to shoot the bomber down, he at one point related that his commander and mentor once said: "If I hear of one of you firing at a man in a parachute, I'll shoot you myself!" Stigler reasoned that attacking the Ye Old Pub, which was completely defenseless, would have been no different from shooting down a parachuting pilot. Basically, you don't execute enemies who can't defend themselves. (This is considered a war crime these days, but also hearkens back to much older ideals of chivalry.)

Franz Stigler was a damn good man, he could've easily just shot down the bomber and got his highest award for it but he actually saw through the damaged plane and saw a group of men who were terrified. He knew they deserved a chance and he gave them that chance and he was a great man for doing so.

Awesome, as a fan of the band everytime someone shows their songs and videos it makes me very happy that more people are learning! :)

I would imagine that on the day Charlie passed, the chilling shreik of a BF-109 could be heard circling in the distance. Franz had come to take his brother home. Horrido.

If you want some more heartwarming war stories from Sabaton, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Hearts of Iron, Christmas Truce and The Ballad of Bull. If you want to hear badass stories from them, I'd recommend Lady of the Dark, White Death, Soldier of 3 Armies and A Ghost in the Trenches (and many more). And finally - if you want something soul-crushing, I'd recommend The Final Solution, Purple Heart, A Lifetime of War, The Price of a Mile and To Hell and Back. All great stuff, and there's a lot more out there!

About the escorting part: Franz decided to spare the bomber crew, but knew they would be sitting ducks for the AA guns at the coast. So he flew very close, presuming correctly that the gun crews would not risk hitting one of their own fighters. Why did he do it? Might have gotten him the firing squad ... Franz started his flying career as an airline pilot before joining the Luftwaffe as a fighter pilot during the war. He learned to fly with the safety of his crew and passengers beeing his top priority. Might explain something. Greetings from Germany! [Edit. Fixed typos]

I'd recommend to hell and back as your next Sabaton video a tragic and beautiful look at the greatest US Marine to ever wear the uniform the song doesn't just focus on his incredible war record but his brutal fight against PTSD and resulting drug addiction. Showing not just the legend but the real courage and sacrifice of a remarkable man.

If you're curious why he spared them, in an interview, Franz said as he was lining up the shot, he saw the tail gunner bleeding profusely and couldn't shoot them down. He had tried to get them to land and surrender or head to neutral airspace, and when that didn't work, he made sure they didn't go down in the water. He had also flown close enough to them that ground weapons couldn't fire, for fear of hitting him, too. An amazing guy. When the secret was out, people from all over, not involved in the situation in any way, started calling him a traitor and worse. His Canadian neighbors shunned him and called him awful things, too. But Franz was able to find Charlie again. Not only him, but everyone else in the bomber that Franz spared.

If I recall correctly, the fighter pilot tried to direct them to Switzerland at first because it was closer, but was unable to communicate properly. He had served under a commander previously who had said he would personally shoot any pilot he saw firing on a man with a parachute deployed. He saw the heavily damaged bomber as their parachute. He was also just 1 kill away from being an Ace basically.

Most people not necessarily familiar with military context will actually miss the greater meaning behind "Said goodbye to the cross he deserved". Justifiably, they'll interpret 'cross' as being a grave or death that was deserved, and it's wholly ambiguous to whom it's referring to in that way. In actual fact, the Cross being referred to is the Knight's Cross, the highest honor which one can bestow to a German fighting "ace" or pilot. Beyond the titular prestige of it, it also practically meant that the only person who could command you as a pilot for missions moving forward is the Fuhrer himself-and nobody else. Getting the Knight's Cross meant you were the cream of the military for your meritorious service. In this case, the Knight's Cross being a German military honor refers specifically to Franz Stigler. He said goodbye to the highest honor by saving that B-17, when he was just one confirmed kill away from receiving it

This was the story where in the end they where living like, a couple of house apart or they lived in the same neighborhood or something like that, cuz they got to know each other very fast after Stigler reached out, as far as I know this is part of this story, and after that they spend the rest of their calm life fishing like brothers.

I've seen this video at least 10 times and I still cry. It's such a heart warming story

I believe Stiglers captain when he was learning to fly told him that if both parties are fighting all is fair, but shooting at people on parachutes when they can't defend themselves is murder, and he would shoot anybody caught doing that. So Stigler was also following his training, when the B17 can't fight back and they are essentially all just hanging on their parachute, it's dishonorable to shoot them down.

The history video at the sabton history channel explains more.

As others have said, if you want more stories about unexpected heroes, Hearts of Iron is an awesome song that needs more recognition.

the thing about soldiers, as i understand it, especially after listening to sabaton, is ideaologies and orders come from above. but every soldier is a human. and sometimes the goodness of humans shine through adversity, through the mud. compassion shines through unsung actions till someone else rediscovers it and honours those who have been forgotten. this is one of those cases where the good heart of a good soldier spares the life of another, knowing not that it's the right thing to do, the humane thing to do, but the thing he feels he needs to do. war is when politics decides it's time for men to go to war. and these stories are the songs when good men at war decided to show their compassion despite it being a war. from one human for another. not every soldier will feel this and not ever soldier will want to even think about doing this, but there are some.

Her: alright,. I'm fine. Me: totally broke down to my core

story of hope, in a a story of war, it's that simple

damn 18 minutes ago, yall upload early af lol. its 6 am and im only like 50 miles away from chicago lol

If you liked the story, maybe consider reacting to "the seminial tragedy" by extra history. I cried at the end and i also always cry at no bullets fly, thats my thought process

Oberleutnant Ludwig Franz Stigler was, at one point in his military career, serving in the North Africa theatre. While there, his commanding officer and mentor, Oberst Gustav Rodel of Jagdgeschwader 27, once remarked, "If I hear of one of you shooting a man in a parachute, I'll shoot you myself." Later, Franz was quoted as saying, "And for me, it would have been the same as shooting a parachute." For additional context, attacking pilots, crew, or passengers while they are bailing out of their disabled aircraft is defined as a war crime under the Protocal I additions to the Geneva Conventions, however, attacking airborne troops who are parachuting as part of their combat duties in war time (such as paratroopers like the 82nd or 101st Airborne Divisions) is not a war crime. This is because the combat duties of pilots, crew, and passengers of aircraft require said aircraft to be functional. Without their aircraft, they are considered to be incapable of their combat duties, and are thus considered hors de combat along with wounded, sick, detained, or otherwise disabled, while parachuting is an integral part of paratroopers' combat duties.

6:00 To answer your question their was an unwritten rule among pilots not to stoot at people who had bailed out the planes and were on parachutes (In fact their were a few stories of pilots actually saluteing pilots on parachutes as a mark of respect), Stigler saw shooting down the B-17 as shooting men in a parachute. A good pilot story to look up is Hans Joachim Marseille he was a very good German fighter pilot who served in North Africa, but he hated killing people, in fact he would go to the sites of crashed allied pilots recover their belongings make a note of their crash location and then fly over allied air bases and drop the location and belongings off.

History with a beat 😊

"Said goodbye to the cross, he deserved." Franz Stigler lost his iron cross but he got something greater than his iron cross.

He didn’t shoot basically because the b-17 was basically a man in a parachute jumping from a plane and his commander said to stigler or his troops honor is everything. I think.

"Can he quit after that?"... That was their virgin flight. 24 more to go.

Such a good reaction! 😊

Hey. I just wanted to give some clarification on some things from the lyrics: 1. "Said goodbye to the Cross he deserved." This is in reference to the fact that Franz Stigler, the Luftwaffe fighter pilot, because of his actions that December day to save the Pub, didn't get the German service commendation Knight's Cross, which was usually given to German ace pilots. Ace pilots are pilots who shoot down 5 or more enemy planes. However, an interesting twist is that by December 1943, American bombers were worth 3 kills instead of 1. 2. The two main fighter planes of the German Luftwaffe were the FW-190 and the BF-109. The "FW" stands for "Focker-Wulfe," and ironically the plant the Pub dropped it's payload on was a Focker-Wulfe fighter assembly plant near Bremen, Germany. The BF-109 was a fighter plane made by Messerschmidt, a German industrial and aviation company. 3. As for Franz Stigler getting in trouble, had anyone known it was him and reported him to Luftwaffe High Command, Franz Stigler could have been court-martialed and executed for treason.

That B17 never flew another mission.

one of the other youtubers who reacted to this video said it close to home to him as his great granduncle or great grandfather was a ball gunner in a b-17 of the bomber group that the Ye Old Pub belonged to. No they would not have repaired a bomber or fighter that damaged. They would have scrapped it for parts, they would have taken the 1 good engine and stripped the other 3 engines for parts, refurbished/rebuilt what they could and used them for another plane. Stripped out of the plane what they could. Would have been easier to build a new bomber than trying to rebuild a flying parachute.

Humanity can't be seen at their best in any other light then in the midst of their worst. Leaders fight wars for ideas, men fight wars for their brothers.

There is a memorial at RAF Duxford, called "Counting the cost". 52 plexiglass panels each representing one month of the war, and on them are the silhouettes of American Air craft listed as "Missing in action", totaling 7,031 planes and crews that never came home. Each bomber carried 10 men, and in the months of the heaviest bombing in the summer of 1943 the entire 9 foot panel was covered in B-17's and B24's. It's very humbling to stand before it.

Sabaton: About that Christmas Truce thing... We did something! 😁

So many layers to this story, i love it

Franz said that his commanding officer told them that if he heard of any of them killing a pilot who'd "hit the silk"... he'd shoot them himself. Franz said he thought this was the same thing. They were helpless.

A report from a young female surviver of the bombernights over bremen(a town that Brown had attacked befor Stigler escorted him out of german air, but in another year) in 08/1944: The all-clear at 1:45 a.m. did not help everyone to get out alive. Helga B., a student at the time: "The bunker door had to be welded open because of the heat from phosphorus bombs. There was an inferno outside. Mothers ran barefoot through burning rows of houses with their children, whose summer dresses were on fire." An apprentice, 16 years old at the time: "I was able to get out after three hours. There were 200 corpses at the Panzenberg crossroads. They had suffocated in another bunker." THIS is bomberwar against civilians in WW2. the same scene, could be in London too. Charles Brown attacked german citys till end of the war, so he could be part of the attack above.... This is the other side of the medal...... Stigler is quoted as saying, "And for me it would have been the same as if I had shot at a parachute," alluding to a statement by his commander and mentor Gustav Rödel: "If I ever see or hear you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you myself!" Stigler urged Brown to land his plane in neutral Sweden because of the major damage. However, Brown did not understand and decided to continue flying towards England. Stigler escorted the B-17 and its crew to the North Sea coast, protecting them from the German anti-aircraft gunners, who recognized the silhouette of his Bf 109 and ceased fire.

Franz Stigler was taught that "Honor is everything". His CO told him that if he ever shoots a man in a parachute, he would shoot Stigler himself. Stigler viewed that plane as he would a parachute. Many Germans had honor, as they were jut like the allies; boys drafted to fight for their country. Most thought they were just fighting for Germany, and had no idea of the atrocities that were committed.

POV: This is how it feels to play War Thunder Air Realistic Battles

CHECK OUT THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE! that is in my opinion one of the most powerful songs ever. not just in Sabaton but in history

I think "the Knights cross" has interesting history behind it. Despite the rise of the Nazis in Germany at the time, there where units of the military that still held to older ideas of chivalry and a code of honor that hailed back to the medieval code of honor among Germania knights. Part of that code/mentality was alive and well in the command/leadership of the German airforce at the time. They despised the idea of shooting an unarmed/helpless enemy.

History with a beat

SABATON the real storytellers ! since disney robin hood i knew somebody had the duty to be a storyteller, so story could be pass on next gens thank you sabaton ! good reaction ^^ everybody, everybody are emotional about this song ^^

at the time there were 2 antlatic walls when in comes to air , AA guns everywhere, him being next to the B-17 saved the b-17 no doubt.

The only thing I would add, because I have heard people ask y this is so heroic the part in the video that's a blind and you will miss it is, franz stigler wend above and beyond is because he didn't just spare the bomber crew from his guns but also the guns of the Atlantic Wall the fortified coastline with the best AAguners at the time who would have made easily work of the b-17 but because stigler flew in formation and escorted them over the guns at the risk of death or execution for helping the "Enemy"... that's y is heroic.

This was time when there was still honor among warrior's. Wstch Christmas Truce and Bismarck

He escorted them back in close formation because that was the only way they would cross the coastal flack. The Germans would not open fire when they saw the fighter under German banner next to it.

Historically speaking, pilots have usually been very cordial and honorable towards one another. The man who shot down the Red Baron in world War 1 wept after he did so. Britain had a pilot with two wooden legs. When the Germans captured him, they specifically sent for one of the legs that they couldn't recover to be sent by the British. Even more recently, one of our drones was near Iranian airspace. The Iranians sent out two jets. Two of our own F-22s intercepted and, after sneaking up on them, said 'You oughta go home now', and they did. Pilots have a history of being generally good human beings towards one another. Whether it's sparing each other or forgiving each other.

Somebody said: 120 of people living today because he didnt pull his trigger that day.

Franz said it would feel like shooting down a parachute. And it is a war crime to shoot on evacuating pilots.

On the western front, both German and American/British pilots could bail out, "hit the silk", safely. On the Eastern front, and in the Pacific, allied pilots who bailed out were often murdered by the Soviets and Japanese as they floated helplessly.

12:47 well sabaton did the Christmas truce as well and it’s fantastic. You should listen to it as well if you haven’t already

From down below an enemy spotted So hurry up, rearm and refuel But through the bomber’s damaged airframe See wounded men, scared to their bone Look to the right and then look again And see the enemy in the eye No bullets fly, spared by his mercy Escorted out, out of harms way Fly, fighting fair, it’s the code of the air Brothers, heroes, foes Killing machine Honour in the skies B17 Flying home Killing machine Said goodbye to the cross he deserved He risked his life two times that day To save an unknown enemy Escort to safety, out of the killzone A short salute, then departed Fly, fighting fair, it’s the code of the air Brothers, heroes, foes Killing machine Honour in the skies B17 Flying home Killing machine Said goodbye to the cross he deserved Fly, fighting fair, it’s the code of the air Brothers, heroes, foes Killing machine Honour in the skies B17 Flying home Killing machine Said goodbye to the cross he deserved

So it was explained why Stigler didn't shoot Charley's B-17 down but the reason he escorted them out over the water was because he knew the German AAA gunners lining the coast wouldn't shoot at one of their own pilots.

Then Sabatons Christmas Truce will rip your heart open.......

German pilot was a true warrior. Warrior who showed mercy

Stiglers captain who taught him, said if I ever see anyone on you, shoot on parachuters, I will personaly get on the plane and shoot you down. And Stigler said, that tha B17 was like a parachute with noway to protect itself.

If you want the total back story read A Higher Call. It is a very good book.

The German pilot said it would of been the same as shooting a man parachuting

sabaton my fav band lady of the dark animated story video

Had I been Charlie Brown... after that I would have requested a transfer to the Pacific theater. To me, that was the equivalent of a PoW being granted a pardon and released upon oath never to make war against them again.

A Christmas truce is another great song by Sabaton

If you want to know why he did it I would recommend to watch the episode of Sabaton History channel. There you can a bit more about the backstory ofthe song. Greetings from Germany.

Hi I am german and once my dad said noone was happy to attack UK not the threat but they felt a little close

Ye old pub, never flew another mission! She was to badly damaged to fly!

For me as a German, im so thankfull for People like Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown, because our Goverment will Teach us Germans that every German in the Years betweet 1930 and 1945 was a Nazi. Im thankfull that German Soldiers like Franz Stigler who sayd to his fellow Pilots in his Squadron, "If i see someone of you shooting an Enemy Pilot on a Parachute, unable to fight back, killing them, i swear you i will shot you down!" , show the Enemy that not all People in Germany are or were Bastards and only have to fight for the wrong Side.

People like to conflate all German military with the SS. There was a particular code of pilots and the Luftwaffe was particularly fond of it. The German Pilot Franz Stiggler said that the B-17 was so badly damaged it was akin to a parachute, unable to fight back. His commander, upon taking control of the unit told all his men, "If I find that any of you shooting at a parachuting enemy, I'll drag you out of the plane and kill you myself." He later told his commander who had mixed feelings about it.

More Sabaton! 😊

0:38 neither of these guys were horrible people, just enemies in a war, with one deciding killing the other would be unfair

stigler tried to get them at least 3 times to land at agerman held airfield...but flew with them over the coastal flak belt so the aa gunners wouldnt shoot....when he left them he thought they wouldnt make it..the plane was knackered on 1 engine..and yes he was put on alist so he never got the knights cross.but was protected by his boss adolf galland

you should definitely react to the Last Battle by sabaton and the sabaton history video for the song.

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You almost cried!

I'm pretty sure Franz Stigler had never read "Sun Tsu". Too many modern people have.

SABATON!

Stigler saw that the plane was horribly damaged, the crew was injured and that they were completely defenseless. At first, he was trying to direct Brown to land and surrender, but they continued to flee towards the coast. He made the decision to instead protect the bomber by flying in close proximity to it, so that German anti aircraft guns on the ground wouldn't shoot and risk hitting one of their own planes, even though he could have potentially been imprisoned or even executed for aiding the enemy in escape. A true act of humanity in such an inhumane war.

"Code of the air". That B-17 bomber was already so damaged, that it was not a threat anymore. And it's not honorable to shoot down a "helpless victim". I think that the same code is followed even in modern warfare between pilots. They are all pilots, no matter what side they are on. You don't shoot down a parachuting pilot, or a plane that is so badly damaged that it's not a threat anymore. Some German commander even said, that if he sees his pilots shooting to a parachuting enemy, he will kill the guys himself. His own pilots. It's kind of mentality that "you don't hit a man on the ground".

One of the reasons why Franz didn't shoot the B-17 is because while he was training his instructor would say "if I see anyone shoot at a parachute I will shoot you myself" and through Franz eyes the torn apart bomber was just like a man in a parachute

If you're willing - would you consider doing Sabaton's "Night Witches"? It's about female Russian pilots in WWII - the story version done with Yarnhub (the folks who did the animations for this one).

I swear you look exactly like my vriend who passed away from breast cancer more than a year ago.....so double emotional reaction

Franz Stigler was taught by one of the best, so he seen it like shooting at a parachute, thats why he would not do it. Adolf Galland taught him well

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That story always hits me in the feels. I come from a military family and that kind of honor isn't uncommon. Being able to execute someone takes a person who has seen so much that they see it as preservation - or someone who is lacking empathy. If you look at WW2 there were massacres of POWs on both sides. The russians were famous for it, as were the japanese and the germans on the ost front.

You need to read the Book A Call.

THX Loreen for a good reaction on SABATONs "No bullet's flye" Check out Sabaton Animated story "Lady of the dark" ❤️🇸🇪❤️🇺🇲❤️🇸🇪❤️

War is as beautiful as it is ugly.

There are other videos that tell more of the backstory.

Try my dying bride the dreadful hours live version 🤘🙂

"I'm okay" no you're not. none of us are....

Lauren, if ye are on radar, you should definetly, as a woman, take a reaction to Sabatons "Girl / Woman Power" -songs, and definetly their animeted versions: Lady Of The Dark & The Night Witches. Specialy considering the fact that The Night Witches - 588 Night Bommers, were all female squadron, (in 2nd WW) flying completely outdated, slow, lifetreahtningly rickety ride aicrafts, made out of plywood and canvas, The Polykarpov - Cropduster or Sawing Machine, but enabling one the most enemy vexing, annoying, irritating and bone chilling, harrasment night bombardement barrages in whole warfare history!

Try,to hell and back,ballad to bull

"I wonder why he would do that..." It breaks my heart that you have to ask that question. That you have such a break from your western cultural heritage that you don't understand.