Did you know? During WWII, a German fighter ace risked execution to save a heavily damaged American bomber? On Dec 20, 1943, Franz Stigler intercepted a defenseless B-17 piloted by 21-year-old Charlie Brown. Instead of shooting it down for a military medal, Stigler saw the wounded crew and refused to fire, later saying it would be like shooting a man in a parachute. He flew alongside the crippled plane, using his own fighter to shield it from German antiaircraft guns until they reached safe open waters. Decades later, the two pilots reunited and became lifelong best friends. Keeping the Secret: Both men had to keep the incident completely secret. If the Nazi military found out Stigler spared an enemy, he would have been court-martialed and executed. The U.S. military also classified the incident so American troops wouldn't develop sympathy for German pilots. More Attaceched below: 👇