Humanity amid the battle

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain’s climax. On Sept. 15, 1940, German aircraft launched a massive attack on London. The aim was to cause sufficient devastation that a cross-Channel invasion could follow.

But Royal Air Force pilots shot down 60 enemy planes at a cost of only 29, and shortly after, the invasion was called off.

The war wasn’t won that day, and wouldn’t be for many years. But critically, neither was it lost.

We look back on those events across a growing gulf of time. Almost all who fought the battle are gone.

But courage never dies, and courage there was in plenty throughout the air war. Since the deeds of “The Few” are now a part of history, however, perhaps we can also honour an act of humanity by a German pilot.

In 1943, an American flyer was ferrying his bomber back from Bremen when the plane was heavily strafed. Most of the crew were either killed or injured, and chunks of the fuselage were shot off.

At that point, a German pilot flew alongside and after surveying the damage, pointed toward neutral Sweden — the only safe haven he thought the plane could reach.

But the American misunderstood the gesture and struggled on toward England, at which the German pilot saluted and returned to his base. “To me it was just like they were in a parachute,” he said. “I couldn’t shoot them down.”

The American flyer, Charlie Brown, made his home in Vancouver after the war. Many years later, he and his surviving crew were reunited with Franz Stigler, the Luftwaffe pilot who spared their lives.

War is, by its nature, inhuman. And yet, there are occasionally reminders like this, that even at the worst of times, compassion is still possible.