No Bullets Fly by Sabaton | A History Teacher Reacts

[@MrTerry]

Where do you think this story ranks in the history of compassion shown in warfare?

[@cookiespark6189]

S tier, also can you make a reaction to extra credits first crusade series, please?

[@Rhaegarion]

The Yarnhub channel has quite a few stories of compassion. One of their videos tells the story of a US fighter pilot in the pacific who risks his life to give a life jacket to a japanese pilot he shot down. Their channel is a treasure trove of content for you.

[@shinigamiwolfen]

Pretty high. And as a few have mentioned, he was an Ace and one bomber kill from receiving the Knights Cross, the highest honor possible. Stigler's commanding officer had told him in Africa that he would shoot any of them if he ever heard of them shooting at a parachute and he felt like shooting down this plane would be just as dishonorable.

[@robertpeel3771]

SSS+ because he knew what would happen if he was caught

[@Noname-ur4ct]

Just some more informations about Stigler: His officer Rödel said to him in Africa, 1942, if "I would ever hear that you shoot down an parachute I will shoot you.". Franz has 28 aerial victories when he met Ye old Pub, one more bomber and he would have passed the "magic 30" for the Knights Cross, after the incident he changed his view at the war. He kept fighting against bombers (he said it was his dutie to stop bombers destroying Germany), gifted most of his aerial victories to other pilots because he knew they would die soon and took part of the legendary JV-44, led by the more legendary Galland where he lost his friends one by one, flew with the Me-262 and became an bigger ace. He surrendered to the Americans in 1945. In the war he lost his dad, his brother, many of his friends and saw young pilots dying, hr also saw the ace Steinhoff being burnt alive (Steinhoff survived badly, and returned to his wife. He burnt after a failure at the start of an Me-262) Franz was also the man who teached the ace Barkhorn.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Yes! One of my favorite stories. My wife's grandfather was a ball turret gunner in the same Bomb Group (379th) as Charlie Brown. Franz Stigler came to a few of their reunions and was even made an honorary member. Good man.

[@mamavswild]

That’s awesome to know, that he was accepted like that; but then again that happened often with pilots and sailors...they often met up after the war and discussed their mutual histories...both pilots and sailors have a common enemy other than the nation that they’ve been told to go to war with, the ground, and the sea respectively. There’s a lot of empathy there and chivalry as they both have that ‘third element’ in their warfare. It’s a little harder for ground forces, where it’s much more personal, but even there, there has been efforts to meet and respect each others’ dead, but it wasn’t as natural as it was for the air crews and sailors.

[@johncenashi5117]

Hey, its you. The voice that comes trough my speakers when i sleep and the one i binge from time to time. Nice to see reactors...reacting to eachother :D

[@mrjj2819]

Hey look it’s a channel that does really good reactions watching a video from another really good history reaction channel

[@marxel4444]

When you get your own german escort fighter in ww2!

[@tinachandler3091]

That was pawsome. The Stigler and Brown families have been close ever since 1990..

[@TheKodiakalpha]

Early in his career, Franz Stigler had a commander that said, "If I ever see you shoot a man in a parachute, I will shoot you myself." Stigler viewed the badly damaged bomber as the crew's parachute.

[@Happymali10]

It's also why he tried to get them to land or to divert to neutral sweden, he feared they would have to ditch in the north sea and drown.

[@DGARedRaven]

"If I ever see or hear of you shooting at a man in a parachute, I will shoot you down myself. You follow the rules of war for you - not for your enemy. You fight by rules to keep your humanity.” Stiglers Commanding Officer while in training. Stigler later commented “To me, it was just like they were in a parachute. I saw them and I couldn’t shoot them down. “

[@jansandman6983]

and that commander learned from the Nazi Goring himself as his commander during WW1

[@markmeier2781]

The name of this commander was Gustav Rödler.

[@beefkilla]

You'd think he'd be right in assuming the B17 had at least 1 functional gun aimed in his direction, generally don't wait to be fired upon when taking out the enemy, How close would you need to get to see just how dire a state the plane was in before deciding to hold off?

[@vibe8097]

Just a little bit of background info that might interest some of you Franz had 27 aerial victories to his name during the events of this encounter, had he shot down the Pub (a 4 engined aircraft being worth 3 points) he would've received the Knights cross. However, not only did he hold the B-17 with the same preciousness as he did his brother, to quote his commander who said "If I ever hear of one of you shooting a man in a parachute, I'll shoot you myself" and so in a way he compared the B-17 to that of a parachute due to its damage On another unrelated note, if anyone's interested in just how durable some B-17s were and how much damage they could sustain while still remaining airborne, check out the story of the "All American," it's certainly an interesting one

[@IdontKnow-nm8bz]

Damn, his commander was one of the good ones in that war, respecting that law

[@spenkerdetanker9067]

@@IdontKnow-nm8bz this story shows the huge disconnect between governments and their armies. These guys were just fighting for the guy next to them and their homeland. They had nothing to do with the decisions of the top brass or the country leaders.

[@wilmagregg3131]

@@spenkerdetanker9067 quite literally for most of the wermacht the regular german army it was the SS and there private armies that commited the vast majority like 90 percent of the atrocitys of the reich rather then the wemacht who mitler didnt trust as he knew if they knew the full extent of his actions they might rebel

[@FrogmanAnime]

Yarn hub has a video on the all American and I’ll definitely say it was a fun one to watch. Completely hair raising but fun and informative

[@Seygem]

@@wilmagregg3131 That is just incredibly wrong. Tons of Wehrmacht ground troops willingly participated in numerous warcrimes. From raping and pillaging to executing PoWs and civilians, burning down villages as "repercussions" during anti partisan actions. It's not just the SS.

[@siliarba]

This got me legitimately teary eyed, to see this level of compassion in a time where you would expect none.

[@MrTerry]

Facts

[@themysticaldrone4517]

Honor shines through even the densest fog of war

[@ryancornthwaite6197]

This is one of very very very few songs that hits me in the feels.

[@DGARedRaven]

@@MrTerry facts, indeed. *sheds a tear, as a present-day German fighter pilot*

[@Kostenloser]

Then you also have to watch Christmas Truce

[@TheArrowedKnee]

"You are fighter pilots first, last, always. If I ever hear of any of you shooting at an enemy in a parachute, I'll shoot you down myself! It is not for your enemy that you do this! You do this for yourself, for your soul, so that one day if you survive this war, you can live with yourself." ⁠- Luftwaffe fighter Ace Gustav Rödel to rookie fighter pilot Franz Stigler before his first combat mission.

[@rosiehawtrey]

Word for word what Adolf Galland told Rodel.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

I think we can safely say Stigler had no trouble living with himself after the war.

[@Professional_Dirtbag_Hippie]

This is one of the most noble stories I’ve ever heard. Beyond the war, everyone involved is still human

[@SolidAvenger1290]

Should look up the HMS Glowworm Victoria Cross story. A German admiral sent a letter to the Red Cross to award a deceased British officer during an intense battle that saw the German ship saving the British crew after the British rammed his cruiser.

[@littlegreenhelmetboi4148]

The cross part is in reference to if Franz shot down this b-17 he would’ve been rewarded the knights cross as he gained enough aerial kill points A touching story I’ve heard is that Stigler met with members of ye old pub and their descendants and they accepted him and thanked him.

[@Alex-pe4xh]

i mean yeah thats literally in the video

[@Tucnak2o0]

@@Alex-pe4xh They don't actually mention that he only needed to take down one b17 to get it though, think it's in the description but not in the video

[@koencagurangan3256]

It was the Knight's cross actually, not the Iron Cross

[@koencagurangan3256]

@@Tucnak2o0 Nah they mentioned it, they said something along the lines of "Stigler was one bomber victory away from earning the Knight's Cross, and he wasn't gonna let anything stop him"

[@OperatorFritz]

@@koencagurangan3256 That was in Yarn hubs video

[@Naugur]

The significance of the fighter moving from the right-wing to the left-wing is that the standard escort formation is to fly on the left side of the aircraft you're escorting. So he signalled going from an observer to an escort by doing that move.

[@mayalackman7581]

Thanks for the info!

[@socraticmethod-man9808]

The man that trained Stigler and commanded the air groups beat it into his pilots that if they were caught shooting pilots that had bailed out of their planes and were riding their parachute to the ground that he would put his pistol to the head and kill them. He thought killing pilots that were no longer a threat was dishonorable and that the other side would in turn do it to them when they get shot down. My grandfather who flew in the European theater in WWII told me that it was known to pilots were these "safe" areas where that the German aviators would not try to kill you after your plane was destroyed.

[@thebladeofchaos]

it's........not quite. the idea is that War Crimes don't exist to protect your enemy, they are to protect you. Your humanity. Stigler himself was an honourable man, and he didn't see the plane as a plane, but a parachute.

[@LordChristoff]

Great video, hit right in the feels towards the end. It annoys me that people sometimes think Sabaton songs glorify war, it's quite the opposite they're there to remember the people and keep their tales alive.

[@mamavswild]

If anyone ever thinks that sabaton glorifies war, I always point them in the direction of Gallipoli and The Price of a Mile.

[@mohamadjaouhar1574]

I personally think a few of Sabaton's songs (the ones set in more recent conflicts) are a little bit in poor taste, but for the most part even in these songs they do a good job of not really glorifying any atrocities or the wanton bloodshed. A couple of em miss the mark for me, since they're near and dear to my heart, but still. To say that Sabaton glorifies war is fucking stupid.

[@Lazarultos]

@@mamavswild Point them to "Lifetime of War" as well

[@plskill1451]

They unintentionally glorify war

[@LordChristoff]

@@plskill1451 So in that case, war museum's also glorify war? I went to a WW2 war museum in Jersey in 2016, didn't realize they were glorifying war.

[@Ivnnih2774]

A little context behind the "say goodbye to the cross he deserved" Franz have three points away from getting iron cross the highest honor for german that time and shooting down a bomber plane will give him three points but he chooses not to The animator of this video yarnhub have video about this event in detail

[@TheArrowedKnee]

Small correction, but it was actually the Knight's Cross(granted the full name is Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross)

[@Ivnnih2774]

@@TheArrowedKnee well... more details doesn't hurt thanks anyway for correcting

[@ohauss]

@@TheArrowedKnee Indeed. The difference matters because to get the Knight's Cross, you had to earn the Iron Cross Second and First Class first.

[@Happymali10]

7:03 Stiegler originally signaled the crew of the stricken Bomber to land. He expected that it wouldn't make it across the north sea, so landing and capture would be better than a crash, especially in the icy waters. This didn't work, neither did trying to get the pilots to head north for neutral Sweden to land safely (without capture). Instead, he followed the plane out to sea as far as he could. Flying over the German AA-defenses on the coast he stuck close to the Bomber, so there were two options for crews on the ground. They either thought it was a captured aircraft being escorted, or they would see the bomber as hostile but cannot shoot because their own "hunter" was too close to the hostile aircraft. They couldn't fly high up out of range as the Bomber's crew was dependent on the oxygen at low altitutes. Plus, with the state of the plane it's unclear if it even could have climbed higher.

[@rosiehawtrey]

Not quite. He tried to get them to divert to Switzerland or another neutral country.

[@lemondelbosque7702]

@@rosiehawtrey Sweden, Franz confirmed it himself

[@anna-flora999]

I think they would have still be captured and detained by Sweden, but being detained in neutral Sweden would have been a lot better than in Germany

[@anna-flora999]

@@rosiehawtrey Switzerland would have been a death sentence. The Swiss did not tolerate any foreign military aircraft in their airspace, be it allied or axis

[@tacticallemon7518]

@@anna-flora999Switzerland was aggressively neutral during the war To the point where, to this day, every road out of Switzerland has some sort of military protection from invasion (mainly bunkers)

[@tigeriussvarne177]

By far, my favorite Sabaton song, and the one I can most relate to. I live near Bremen (the place they bombed) and Oldenburg (where they almost crashed), and one of my Opas (Grandpa) was a AA-guner at the Atlantikwall, in the Netherlands. I wonder if he saw a BF-109 escorting a B-17? Great reaction.

[@mikaelabreu7772]

And the answer of your grandpa?

[@tigeriussvarne177]

@@mikaelabreu7772 Can't ask him any more. :(

[@mamavswild]

@@tigeriussvarne177 😇 RIP to your Opa! 😇. 🇺🇸❤️🇩🇪 My grandpa also fought and is now gone...he never had any bad feelings towards the regular German soldiers, he said that they ‘were scared kids, just like us’. So happy to be friends and allies with Germany! They fought alongside us in Afghanistan and were so competent, hard working and most importantly, truly funny, with a dark sense of humor. They had us in stitches. Take care, currently serving US Soldier

[@tigeriussvarne177]

@@mamavswild Thank you for your kind words. Stay safe buddy! ^^

[@wjr6744]

@Kabuki Kitsune Smart man :)

[@SplendidFactor]

I think if Stigler had downed this aircraft.... he would have gotten enough confirmed hits as an Ace to get the Knight's Cross. That's what the lyrics refer to.

[@TheCrimsonIdol987]

He had 27 points in his career at the time, and bombers like B17's were worth 3 points. That's how close to getting the award he was, but, as Stigler himself said, he didn't get the cross, he got something greater.

[@winghungyuen2726]

Thanks for covering this story. I read "A Higher Call" which detailed the story between Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown a few years before I heard this song. Their story really shows that even in war, foes can still show mercy to their enemies. It's incredible that the those that survived this incident all went on to survive and meet up after the war. It's the type of war stories that is a feel good one and makes me smile. Franz's family members heard this song being played and were Sabaton fans and getting to meet the band in person is just icing on the cake. Another WWII Sabaton song you should cover is "The Last Battle" detailing how at the end of the war, US and German soldiers fought together against the SS to defend a castle holding French VIPs. I thing that Sabaton song is one of the most underrated and deserves more attention.

[@dandybus1582]

I cannot watch this without tearing up. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

[@ShadowkingSk]

Same I watched this like 30ish times and still get teary eyed

[@jamesknighton4489]

This song and this animation make me tear up

[@spenkerdetanker9067]

This song always gives me goosebumps. Especially the full video with the context.

[@werecatpodguski]

It's a story of mercy and brotherhood Franz showed Charlie mercy remembering what his old squadron leader taught him to never shoot a defenseless soldier

[@Happymali10]

4:18 They are flying relatively low (comes back into playing a major role later) so the plane doesn't burst when the fuselage is pierced. Also, these planes were incredibly overbuilt, they could take a beating. The turret gunner at the bottom was called a "suicide position" because landings with the gear up were extremely common, which would crush the turret but barely faze the rest of the plane. Later they are even lower, so they can survive aboard without oxygen. The video only notes "tail gunner dead", but in real life the whole crew suffered various injuries.

[@VerchielxKanda]

Not only did he escort the B17 out of firing range, but he also flew so close that ground weapons couldn't fire, for fear of hitting him, too. What a guy!!

[@wesleywilkinson6629]

the sabaton history video on this song actually covers the story background of this song really well and in a fair amount of depth

[@Mattebubben]

For anybody that is interested in the story i can strongly recommend the book "A Higher Call" by Adam Makos. The book is about Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler (with a Focus on Franz.) And it covers not only their encounter but also their experiences before,during and after the war. And i would say that it's a must read for anybody that is interested in ww2 stories. And especially for anybody interested in ww2 aviation.

[@nik0392]

Read it, and honestly its Great cried a Lot

[@lmc4964]

was he an pilot for the rest of the war? lucky guy to still be alive at the end

[@voidlessazasin1572]

@@lmc4964 Stigler actually even was a member of the aces squad of the Reich on the last years of the war, but eventually received a hit on this head that forced him to remain on earth.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@@voidlessazasin1572 I was wondering why he couldn’t get the points for one more kill. All Wikipedia told me was that he later flew Me-262s, but nothing that would have grounded him as I suspected.

[@rithvikmuthyalapati9754]

Still can't get over the fact that his name is Charlie Brown

[@TheGelatinousSnake]

“Code of the air” Airmen of many nations shocked their high commands by refusing to shoot parachutes of men bailing out of destroyed planes. It was understood by every pilot that “they don’t shoot our parachutes.. we wont shoot theirs” Many similar ideas among airmen of many nations were not policy / orders / official doctrine... just ideas, codes of the air that were honored.. mostly against orders

[@hotwill100]

He was 3 downs away from 30 for the knights cross but bombers counted as 3 so if he took down the pub the cross would have been his but seeing how damaged the bird was made his curious and thus had a chance to let them live

[@VegetaLF7]

It is said that there are 80-some-odd people who are alive today because of this one act of compassion and bravery, 80+ people who would never have been born had Stigler gone for the kill.

[@anzaca1]

3:02 The B-17 was noted early on for being very rugged. Some B-17's lost big sections of wing or vertical tail, and made it back.

[@mamavswild]

You would absolutely LOVE Sabaton’s Cliffs of Gallipoli...it’s one of the hardest-hitting songs they’ve made. Anyone that thinks Sabaton glorifies war needs to listen to Gallipoli and the Price of a Mile.

[@C0ldD1rective]

There's quite a few songs that make anyone who think they glorify war stop in their tracks, those being a few. A Lifetime of War, Purple Heart, The Final Solution are other good ones.

[@themysticaldrone4517]

Sabaton has this weird but awesome ability to unite generations in a way never thought of before.

[@Ch33seandWh1ne]

There was also a concert this year in Denver, and at that concert was a former crewmember of Charlie Brown. I would have never have known any of these amazing stories of heroism without Sabaton.

[@StormsparkPegasus]

If it was 2 years ago, it couldn't have been a Pub crewmember. Lloyd Jennings (the waist gunner) was the last surviving crewmember and died in 2016. It could maybe have been a crewmember from one of Brown's later missions?

[@Nebraska214]

Not every German Soldier was a Nazi.... he never got the Knights Cross, but as a Knight he showed mercy to his Enemy, that was much more as somebody could give.

[@Alva_Lombax]

If anyone hasnt done so already, I highly advise the book named A Higher Calling

[@pontiacfan76]

Excellent book.

[@MeleeTiger]

When I first watched/listened the music video for this, I f**king cried by the end. Edit: Aaaaand again watching this...

[@NetherTaker]

I knew you would like this story! It seems like it gets crazier with every bit of information. Not only did a German pilot risk his life to save Ye Olde Pub, but the pilots met years later, a miracle that neither had died in the other two years of the war, but also that the grandson of Stigler just so happened to be a fan of Sabaton and was able to show his mom the song. I'm sure you've heard of it already and I think you mentioned it in the video, but Sabaton has a channel called "Sabaton History" where they do videos for all of their songs giving the historical context and story in more detail, so if there's ever a Sabaton song you find you want to react to but it doesn't have a video like this one, Sabaton History has probably covered it.

[@patrickstar5136]

One of my favorite sabaton songs is called "hearts of iron" it has a similar vibe to no bullets fly. I could not find a video on the sabaton channel but there is a lyric video of it on KZbin.

[@mamavswild]

That’s one of my favorite! What a terrible time to be alive...a lot of the more experienced soldiers stayed fighting to keep the corridor open for the younger (child) soldiers to get through to the West Bank. Not only the story, but the song is just bangin’

[@VikingIwan]

I've read so many articles, stories, and books about personal stories from ww2. I originally found out about this particular story while browsing amazon for new books and found "A Higher Call". It seemed half-interesting so I added it to my cart and got it a few days later. I read it in one sitting. I just could not put it down. Some time after that I discovered this song (not this cool animated version but the song itself) and instantly knew what it was about. To this day everytime I hear this song it brings at least one tear down my cheek. I don't think this is a story i'll ever forget. Fly high, Franz, we won't forget you. o7

[@BLOODEsplate2]

There’s a reason why the B-17s have the nickname “Flying Fortress” since they’re incredibly durable and can take massive damage while still having flight capabilities

[@anzaca1]

6:35 No. The German pilot had remembered the words of his former commander, telling him not to shoot down a parachuting enemy. He viewed the B-17 crew as effectively being in parachutes themselves, and so he didn't shoot.

[@earendilthemariner5546]

I read somewhere that Franz had 27 of 30 victories needed for the iron cross. Bombers were worth 3 air victories, so he wouldve gotten the cross if he shot down Ye Olde Pub

[@jarlathquinn2628]

I think it was the knight’s cross not iron cross

[@travisnoffsinger1703]

I watched a documentary about this story and they showed pictures of 25 of Charlie Brown’s descendants that would have never lived if Franz Stigler had shot him down that day. Three additional generations of his family. THAT was sobering. Really made me think. Amazing. So many precious stories and lives owed to this brave gesture by Mr. Stigler.

[@eken81]

This made me have to listen to more Sabbaton. And made me think of an incident in 1987, when a US SR71 got engine problems over the island of Gotland, where I live. Sweden dispatched 2 Viggen to escort the SR71 to international waters. Two Soviet planes who had orders to force the SR71 to land or shoot it down backed off.

[@sweetpotato3590]

When the plane started falling, the German planes peeled off because they thought they had shot it down. When the plane got back up it was spotted by a nearby airbase. Stigler scrambled to his plane to shoot it down, but when he saw the condition it was in, decided to spare it.

[@postal105]

the story behind this song always chokes me up. It makes me think of all those brave men on both side who risked their lives and thanks to some compassion 10 men lived when they could have easily died.

[@notsureyou]

The original fighters that were shooting at the B17 broke off the attack when they say the plane inverted in a flat spin. Believing the plane to be going down (they lost sight of it when it entered the clouds), they flew away.

[@goranhajduk1992]

Franz and Charlie - one of the most beautiful history stories.

[@AnikaJarlsdottr]

just the imagery of Stiegler saluting and then banking away has me in tears :'3

[@FinnishUncleSam]

I physically cannot watch this video/listen this song without shedding a tear.

[@valkyrie1328]

An interesting historical tidbit based on you mentioning how damaged the bomber was while still in the air, during WWII the US military noticed a pattern in damage to the air frames of returning planes so they brought in an expert to see about buffing the armor to those sections. The expert then told them that they had it backwards, if planes with damage to those sections were making it back then those sections weren't vital to keeping the plane in the air. Rather they should look at buffing the UNDAMAGED sections of the planes as that meant damage to those areas would bring the plane down.

[@rosiehawtrey]

Nope. In this case it was a Boeing 299 or B17F series. These planes were notorious for dropping a wing and spinning without pilot control. What Sabatons video gets wrong is Brown doesn't pull the plane out, it does it itself when he's still unconscious. This should not be possible and wouldn't be in normal condition. I'm guessing that the airflow through the shattered nose plexi and out to one side, countermanded the usual inclination of the design to drop a wing as the air density increased and got it out of the dive. In addition those air cooled engines were tough - that's why they were used. With a remote oil tank, the undamaged cylinders would still provide power until the supply failed and they seized (thankfully the 299 has featherable props). In addition the 299 would not have received type acceptance if it couldn't fly with two engines out - and it'd be able to glide at approx 1 mile per 1000ft completely dead stick. It looks like she had just enough power to maintain level flight at low altitude - although I'd not want to try a go around in that state.

[@samuelcarnahan4360]

If you want a better look at the lives of franz stigler and Charlie Brown up until and after this I’d recommend reading “A Higher Call” by Adam Makos. It tells the stories of Stigler and Brown before the war, during the war, and how they got together after the war. It does an amazing job of getting their background and telling about this amazing event

[@ConkerVonZap]

when he puts the turtle's shell on his head you know the video is going to be good.

[@lyre6820]

Ceboligor é a maior aberração que eu podia ter visto na vida

[@Questknight12]

Mr. Terry, the reason why the B-17 and others of her make were able to sustain such MASSIVE damage was because of the internal designs of the aircraft. It used the strength of the geometric shapes that were incorporated into the shell of the craft itself in order to increase the overall strength of the craft. The Pratt and Whitney engines were rugged as hell as well, the overall design was built with several levels of redundancy to allow the engine to provide some power even when operating at levels less than 25 percent over all power. Another feature that was a design requirement for US multiengine craft was the ability to sustain flight on 25% total power, basically, a single fully intact engine. This being said 'Ye Olde Pub' was a wreck when she landed from everything i have ever read and found.

[@mamavswild]

You did it....you reacted to my favorite song!!!! It was this song that got me into Sabaton, being a history buff esp with the world wars.

[@apenguininthemist855]

Knights of the "Great Wars" rode on the backs of different horses. But Knights they were no less. A shame we've lost that humanity.

[@Irongarrison.5764]

B-17s are my favorite plains. They could fly even heavily damaged. They legitimately earned the name the flying fortresses. And they just look freaking awesome. One even landed it's without a crew.

[@doomslayer4046]

Would love to see you react on the Carolus Rex album of Sabaton.

[@mortummappy]

HERMAT, FRANDER

[@unqualifiedprofessortanuki1757]

Didn't know anything about Sweden pretty much entirely before that album

[@seanaries4323]

Loved this. This I think is my favorite. Thanks for doing this. Love the channel

[@ManUEightythree]

I'm from Germany. This Video makes me cry every time I watch it. I want to believe that even, maybe especially in the darkest days there are lights that are shining brighter and fight the darkness. The story of brown and stigler is one example for this. Be safe and healthy. Greetings

[@warhog258]

You should check The B-17 tail that carried on Fighting by FlakAlley. The tail gunner survived and lived his life to the fullest. There is also a similar incident involving a British lancaster.[ video also on FlakAlley]

[@Djuren5291]

I can thoroughly recommend the book A higher call that showcases the backstories of both pilots. It’s a great read.

[@p3chv0gel22]

They didn't show it in the video, but if i remember correctly, the plane flew so close to the ground, when they dropped, that they nearly hit the rooftops of the city of Oldenburg and even ripped some of the roofs by the wind, they produced Also i highly recommend the book "a higher call" about this story. It's just really fascinating what happend to brown and especially stigler

[@daswuerti3669]

Sabaton has a channel called Sabaton History, where they explain the History behind their Songs. What really happend and how they came to make their Song.. But their weirdest song/Story is "the last battle".

[@vegvisir9276]

Franz Stigler definitely deserves to be remembered as a hero, he could well have just shot down one more plane. turned around and been rewarded for it. But no, he could actually see the men in that plane, scared and helpless, he saw and knew that they both had and deserved a chance, he gave them that chance. Stigler was a damn fine man and a damn honourable airman, i think it should be considered criminal that more people don't know about this event.

[@mikemaxwell3005]

I like how Sabaton asks for stories and it gets people to look into their own history.

[@MrTerry]

Agreed!

[@ShinKyuubi]

Gotta admit..the animation REALLY adds to the story and everything else in the video..ngl, I teared up.

[@thebiolizzard3669]

Franz stigler was one areal victory away from being awarded the knights cross by sparring the ye olde pub he was un able to achieve that victory and said goodbye to the cross he deserved in order to save his unknown enemy.

[@pomamoba]

Waited for it for half a year. Lets go!

[@mklashnikov1947]

Charles Brown, Franz Stiegler December 20 1943. In a raid on Bremen Charles Brown’s B-17, Ye Olde Pub, is badly damaged by AA. Unable to maintain formation he falls behind, alone they are set upon by up to 15 German fighters. The tail turret is virtually blown away, the gunner killed. The nose is blown off . The electrics, hydraulics and oxygen are U/S. All of the crew are wounded. They are defenceless. Charles passes out and loses control but comes to in time to recover the aircraft. Unable to climb higher than 1000 feet home is a long way away. Still flying they pass near a German airfield. Franz Stiegler is on the ground refuelling and takes off in pursuit. He pulls alongside and is staggered by the damage he sees. He indicates to them they should land. Charles shakes his head. Franz drops back and pulls in behind. The end cannot be far away. Seeing the body of the rear gunner he does not shoot, these guys are out of the fight. For the next 30 minutes Franz flies escort on Ye Olde Pub and when they are clear of the coast bids them a final farewell and returns to his base. Ye Olde Pub made it back to England and all but the rear gunner survived. It was their first raid. Charles and at least two others aboard that day survived the war. Between them they have 25 descendants. 25 people who not be alive but for the compassion and chivalry of Franz Stiegler. Franz Stiegler also survived the war. Charles was able to indentify the pilot who spared his life that day and finally tracked Franz Stiegler down in 1990. They both died, within months of one another, in 2008.

[@jamesrose1460]

One of the reason I love Sabaton....these sorts of videos. Night Witches was an awesome song about a HUGE contribution of these amazing ladies.

[@keinsatzohnetippfehler]

I like that you mentioned the bombing. These guys were enemies and the bombers took out many innocent lives because bombs are not precise. So showing compassion to them is a big thing. I imagine a pilot knows the huge responsibility of brining the crew home. Seeing the defenseless plane with the struggling crew, deciding that there is no point in taking out those lives is honorable.

[@maviba]

There's a small documentary about the incident here on YT as well. There you learn that this bomber would have been the last plane he had to shoot down in order to get the knight's cross. That's the cross they're talking about.

[@flameendcyborgguy883]

As one told me: True solider is not fighting to kill, but to save the life. And thus, we need to not feer saving the enemie, but feer to kill them, becose maybe one day, you'll meet again, on the same side this time...

[@mr.sugarcubes2280]

Fun fact: stigler's flight instructor once said. "If I see or hear of any of you shoot at a man with a white parachute, I'll put a bullet in you myself. There's no honor and shooting down a defenseless man that can't fight back" when he saw that place he remember those words and didn't shoot, fore it was as tho they where already defenses, unable to do anything, like a man in a white parachute. (I remember that from an interview from stigler, tho it might not be word for word, the general premise is the same)

[@thebladeofchaos]

so the B-17 was able to take so much damage because of how it was built. it's airframe is made in a way called 'Geodetic' (or Geodesic), it's originally British but it was made so dang famous because of the B-17. they are made to take a pounding and keep the plane together. Look at the Lancaster and it has the same thing.

[@oliversherman2414]

I love stories like these in particular. It's good to know that there are genuinely nice people out there who don't fall for their leader's propaganda. Rest in peace everyone who died in this tragic conflict

[@p3chv0gel22]

So, here are some fun facts for you: Stiglers reasoning for his flying alongside them was, that germany had some of the best AA Guners ever on the atlantic wall. So they would be able to easily shoot the bomber down. But if he flew next to them, he thought they wouldn't shoot, because it would look like some espionage mission with a captured bomber. When Stigler pointed out of his plane, he pointed north, trying to make them land in neutral sweden, because he didn't think, they would make it to England. But Browns Commander told them, he would put everyone, who Landed in sweden on a military trial for treason The Crew of the B17 even had an argument, if they should jump out because chuting down over enemy territory was better than dropping in the ocean, but they all sticked together, because Brown tried to bring the wounded back to England. The story was not only kept secret by Stigler, but also by the RAF out of fear, that their crews would hope for german merci in future missions, too. The crew was supposed to get medals for their bravery, but because of the secrecy, only the dead tail gunner got one and their whole involvement in this bombing run was getting denied. They had at least 3 (it might have been more, i'm not sure) bombing runs to go until the end of the war, but only got back up once more, because of technical issues and bad wheather. Stigler became later Part of the Jagdverband 44 (JV 44) under Adolf Galland, together with Johannes Steinhoff, who Sabaton Fans might know for his quote "We couldn't grasp, that the soviet airmen, who caused us the most trouble, were in fact women" about the night witches. This was his last time flying in the war, but this time using the Me 262, the first ever mass produced (war) plane with a jet engine. And given this Stigler was part of nearly every important airial Theater of WWII, except for the eastern front So especially the story of Franz Stigler is really interesting

[@ctslapshot2887]

This was the first Sabaton song I ever listened to and still is one of my Favorites.

[@SwordlordRoy]

Since most of what can be said of the Franz Stigler incident has been said already (Barring Charlie reporting it, and being told to keep it under his hat to avoid humanizing the enemy and Franz, naturally, remaining silent about his involvement), all I will say is in regards to your earlier questions about how "Ye Olde Pub" Remained flying... They didn't call the B-17 the Flying Fortress for show, they were very sturdy Strategic Bombers!

[@letheas6175]

Love your reaction! you should really react to their song called Gallipoli, you might like that one since it's WW1, it's also such an emotional song. I'd rank it among my top 3 songs by them.

[@leecallaghan7942]

I started watching this channel through the ERB reactions, as most i assume, but he seems like a dope dude and would be a dope teacher to have just from his reactions and knowledge from his videos i have watched.

[@Make573]

In the song they are refffering The Knights Cross, awarded for Natzi pilots to shoot down 30 enemies. This particular pilot was down to 27, B-17 -bommer of that size was classied worth as 3 enemies. So, by saving Ye Old Pub he gave up for the oportunity to earn The Knights Cross.

[@AeneasGemini]

It's not musically the best song, but it is the best story. Unexpected and wonderful history from Sabaton

[@notoriously_sly3073]

True, I still think it's freaking solid as a song tho

[@Saiaxs]

The musicality issue is because it’s pre Tommy Johansson Sabaton, the guitar work got substantially better when he joined between Heroes(this album) and Last Stand(right after the album dropped). The guitars before that were just serviceable.

[@AkerokSauren]

Franz Stigler is a man that deserves the utmost respect. To do what he did is nothing short of what real humanity is.

[@Voldine2]

I honestly think the 'killing machine' just refers to the fact that the B-17 was a flying weapon that dropped the standard 'dumb' bombs of the era on vast swathes of land and the carpet bombing of the era had little precision to it. It's not a statement about the pilots as trained soldiers at all.

[@ISAFMobius18]

Dont forget Sabaton puts out a History video going in Depth on this song and its backstory.

[@SkunkleNFoxy]

You should look into a song called The Last Stand. The story of the Swiss Guard saving the Pope during the Crusades. One of my favorite songs and highlights why the Swiss Guard will traditionally always have a regiment of soldiers protecting the Vatican.

[@mortummappy]

Sabaton released 2 new songs Livgardet and The royal guard you should react to them

[@Professional_Dirtbag_Hippie]

They’re the just the Swedish and English versions of the same song

[@mortummappy]

@@Professional_Dirtbag_Hippie Infact, The English version has different lyrics to the swedish e.g Arät Livgarset står (Honoured the Lifeguard stands) turns into still for the crown they stand

[@deanhall3345]

@@mortummappy just like the Carolus Rex album, same titles, same story, different lyrics, language, and point of view. A Lifetime Of War/En Livstid I Krig are a great example, both about the 30 years war, but the english version is about the war as a whole and its horrors while the swedish version is a more personal soldiers pov version of the war

[@kornaros96]

@@mortummappy and also different music videos. The Swedish version has them bloodstained, feasting and playing wargaming, and the English version has them absolutely destroying some ottomans.

[@mortummappy]

@@kornaros96 You share good examples.

[@FAT_CHICKEN.]

By "said goodbye to the cross he deserved" what they meant was that he was one plane away from getting the Knights cross. He gave up his Knights cross to escort the bomber.

[@hallowedbeyourdays]

B-17s are some damn durable machines, even though they were outdated before the war began. I'm not certain if they were specially reinforced, or whether it was just American high quality metallurgy involved, but a bomber can take some serious damage. Barring an engine exploding or the tail being shot off, everything checks out here.

[@BenderDigital]

Commenting again, but I love this story so much, I just feel the need to give a little more context! When Sabaton says Stigler risked his life two times that day, they're not just referencing that he could have been shot for sparing Brown & his crew, but also because when he took off to pursue the crippled Ye Olde Pub, his BF-109 had a .50 Caliber bullet embedded in its engine at the time. If anyone wants to know more details about the incident, you have *got* to check out "A Higher Call" by Adam Makos, a biography of Stigler & Brown and how they both ended up in the skies of Germany on that fateful day!

[@lorddeath4bs689]

The Knight's Cross is a German metal that he would have got for a single Fokker taking down a B17💀💀💀

[@MarkSeven]

What a great story and a badass song. The best parts of human nature come out even in such a horrendous war. Honor in the skies indeed

[@bhight100]

When the enemy pilots saw the pub falling, they pulled off calling it a kill. Stiggler saw the Pub limp by when he was refueling and went after it, the cross was the Manerheim Cross, he missed out on it because he didn't have enough confirmed kills, though in my opinion, Germany should have given it to him, even if postumousely. One part that I feel should have been put in this video is that Stiggler's commander said that if he found out that any of his men shot at a parachuting enemy that he would rip them out of their plane and kill them himself.

[@anzaca1]

7:54 Shooting down that B-17 would've earned Stigler the Knight's Cross.

[@NetAndyCz]

It is the flying fortress for a reason... those planes were really built to sustain a lot of damage, but this one went to the extreme.

[@_boney]

The german pilot riskt his live once by helping wath could have meant his death trou firing squad and then when he escortet him over german aa guns witch could have opend fire on the b 17 and hit him too if he would have shoot this plane down he would have gotten the knights cross but he chose humanity and honor over some medal

[@SpartanOli]

So basically, Franz was the only one that spared their lives. He had 27 points/30 to get a knight's cross (killing a fighter is 1point, and bomber 3 points)

[@gearhooves5996]

it's stories like this that gives me hope in humanity

[@hertzeid]

The bomber has a lot of extra lift that is freed up once the payload is dropped. That is why it is able to stay in the air despite having only 1,5 out of 4 engines.

[@Bloodbound89]

the craziest thing about it is he searched for this guy for a long time ... and he was living not that far away from him there is a whole documentary about hit i think on sabatons history channel