During WW1, a German naval officer led his landing party on a 11000 km escape back to Germany after watching his ship sink in the Indian Ocean.

During WW1, a German naval officer led his landing party on a 11000 km escape back to Germany after watching his ship sink in the Indian Ocean.

Von Mucke was the Executive Officer and First Lieutenant of the German Light Cruiser SMS Emden of the Imperial German Navy. The ship was very successfully as a commerce raider in the Indian Ocean on the autumn of 1914. 

On November, the ship’s captain dispatched Mucke to lead a 53 man landing party onto Direction Island to destroy wireless stations and the shore facilities. British wireless operators however, spotted the ship’s smoke on the horizon and responded by dispatching a wireless message stating that an unknown ship was approaching. 

The alert was heard, and the ship was encountered and defeated. Mucke and his landing party witnessed the demise from just 17 miles away and felt their hope sink along with their beloved ship. 

Over the next 6 monthes, Mucke led his command on one of the longest escapes ever recorded, over 11 000 km by land and sea, and lost only a total of 4 men; which seems tragic but was quite an accomplishment at the time. 

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A German fighter pilot saved an Allied military pilot.

A German fighter pilot saved an Allied military pilot.

A year later, they were friends. Charles Brown was an American military pilot with the United States Army Air Corps who was stationed in Great Britain to bomb targets in Nazi Germany while Franz Stigler was a veteran fighter pilot with a record of 28 kills. 

Upon dropping bombs one day in 1943, Brown’s plane was ambushed by 8 German planes and an anti-aircraft fire. His plane and crew both sustained heavy damages, and soon enough Brown just blacked out. 

He awoke to the news that when Brown’s crippled plane was found by Franz Stigler, he could have pulverized it in a matter of seconds. But upon seeing the crew members trying to help their wounds, Stigler refused to fire and escorted the bomber to safety. 

They parted ways after the next year, and then reunited again, becoming fast friends and making television appearance together. It’s nice to know that even a war can’t always tear apart the basic goodness of people. 

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