Charlie Brown was a US Army Air Force pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress bombing Nazi targets in Europe when a most unusual occurrence took place. His B-17 was named 'Ye Olde Pub' and was in terrible condition after being hit by German anti-aircraft shells and numerous attacks by German fighter aircraft. Included in the heavy damage to the big bomber, the compass had been shattered and they were unknowingly flying deeper into enemy territory instead of heading toward their airfield in England.

As Brown's shattered bomber limped along they passed over a German fighter base and on that field a German fighter pilot named Franz Stigler was ordered to go up in his fighter and shoot down the damaged B-17. When he had climbed high enough to get a good look at the battered bomber he could hardly believe what he was seeing! In his own words, he "had never seen an aircraft in such terrible shape yet still limping along barely maintaining enough air speed to stay aloft." The tail and rear section of the B-17 was severely damaged and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was splattered all over the upper fuselage and the nose of the aircraft was smashed in and there were small, medium and very large holes all over the B-17.

Despite having plenty of ammo Franz did not fire at the American bomber.  Instead he flew up very close to the left side of the B-17 and slowed to keep his air speed the same as the bomber. With hand signals Franz indicated to Brown that he (Brown) was flying in the wrong direction and to make a 180-degree turn to get on the path back to England.

Franz then escorted and guided the stricken B-17 to the coast and slightly over the North Sea. He then gave Brown and his crew a salute and turned to head back to his base. When Franz returned to his base, he told his CO that the B-17 had been shot down over the sea. Franz never told the truth to anyone. Charlie Brown and his crew told the entire story at their debriefing upon their return, but were ordered never to talk about it.

More than 40 years after this incident Brown wanted to locate the German pilot who was so kind to Brown and his crew. After searching diligently for a number of years Brown finally found Stigler in 1989! Stigler, now 80 years old, had emigrated to Canada and after exchanges of letters Brown flew there for a reunion. The two men have visited each other numerous times and been to many veteran gatherings since then.

In one of his first letters to Brown Stigler had written, "All these many years since our aerial encounter I have wondered if that B-17 had made it back safely."  Stigler praised Brown and his crew for their struggling against heavy odds and said, "I could not finish off those brave men. I could not have shot at them in those circumstances. It would have been the same as shooting at a man in a parachute!" 

(According to Snopes.com this tale about a memorable act of gallantry in wartime is true. The incident occurred in December 1943.)
 
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Now jump forward to 1964 and a crew of US Air Force fliers in a B-52H jet bomber with Chuck Fisher at the controls. The 3-man Boeing crew was flying a low-level profile to obtain structural data.

Over Colorado, cruising just 500 feet above the mountainous terrain, the Stratofortress encountered some turbulence. Fisher began a climb to an altitude free of the turbulence. At 14,300 feet the typical day ended abruptly and forcefully! The bomber suddenly encountered clear air turbulence. It suddenly felt as if the plane had been placed in a giant high-speed elevator, shoved rapidly up and down, and hit by an enormous blow from the right side!

Fisher then ordered the crew to prepare to abandon the plane. He slowed the aircraft and dropped to about 5,000 feet to make it easier to bail out. But then he regained some control and began a slow climb to about 10,000 feet to put some more distance between them and the ground. Control was difficult but Fisher felt he could get the aircraft back on the ground safely.

Response to their situation was immediate. Key Boeing engineers and other specialists gathered to offer whatever assistance was needed by the crew of the stricken B-52.

As Fisher got closer to Wichita a Boeing chase plane flew up to meet him and give him a visual report of damage. Dale Felix was the pilot of the chase plane and when he came alongside the B-52 he couldn't believe what he saw! The B-52's vertical tail was gone!!!

Felix broke the news to Fisher and those in the control tower. There was no panic. All on the plane and in the control center knew they could be called upon at any time for just such a situation. Engineers began making calculations and suggesting the best way to get the plane down safely.  The Air Force was also lending assistance. A B-52, just taking off on a routine flight, was used to test the various flight configurations suggested by the specialists before Fisher had to try them.

As high gusty winds rolled into Wichita, a decision was made to divert the B-52 to Blytheville AFB in Arkansas. Boeing specialists accompanied  Fisher to Blytheville, serving as an airborne control center.

Six hours after the incident first occurred, Fisher and his crew brought the damaged B-52 in for a safe landing. The B-52, Fisher said, "Is the finest airplane I have ever flown!"

(What do these two stories have in common? It proves that there is a good chance an aircraft, missing its vertical stabilizer or at least most of it, can still, under certain circumstances, continue flying and even land safely!)