R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 1/6/2020 + 1438 more book reviews

This true story is told only after WWII ends when two pilots who would normally be enemies meet to recall and relive an incident that saved the American's life. The year was 1943 when a lone German bomber encounters a badly damaged American plane heading for home. As he observes the pilot's skill in sheparding his wounded plane homeward he cannot help but admire the man. Rather than end the pilot's journey he follows him, never unleashing his guns.

The American pilot finds it hard to believe that a German would not shoot and he stares at the German whose face he will always remember. The American is Charlie Brown and the German is Franz Stigler from Bavaria who "sought to avoid fighting" in the war. Surprisingly, the wounded B-17 manages to fly home with most of the crew injured or dead and the empathy of a German who admiringly watches the difficulties of a twenty-one year old manipulating the struggling aircraft.

This is their story and it's one that touches the heart and reminds us that there are those on each side of a war who respect and admire those against whom they are pitted. It's one of the best reads of the year for this reader.

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