- 11 minutes ago
When a tiny L-4 Grasshopper spotted a German Fieseler Storch heading toward American tank columns near Dannenberg, two US Army pilots made a decision nobody expected: they attacked with M1911 pistols. This World War 2 story follows Merritt Dwayne Francies and William Martin as they chase, fire, and finally force down the enemy aircraft in one of the most unusual aerial engagements of the Western Front.
What begins as a routine artillery spotter mission turns into a desperate dogfight in fabric planes with no armor, no guns, and only 28 rounds between them. The story also shows what happened after the crash landing: a wounded German observer, a tense moment behind enemy lines, and an unexpected act of mercy before the Americans escape back to their own lines.
Later, the forgotten recommendation for the Distinguished Flying Cross resurfaces years after the war, turning this into a powerful military history and aviation history tale about courage, split-second choices, and how the last dogfight on the Western Front really unfolded.
Perfect for listeners searching for WW2 stories, military history, World War 2 aviation, historical storytelling, and narrated war stories about the Western Front. Also ideal for fans of combat history, aircraft stories, and real-life heroism in short-form documentary narration.
What begins as a routine artillery spotter mission turns into a desperate dogfight in fabric planes with no armor, no guns, and only 28 rounds between them. The story also shows what happened after the crash landing: a wounded German observer, a tense moment behind enemy lines, and an unexpected act of mercy before the Americans escape back to their own lines.
Later, the forgotten recommendation for the Distinguished Flying Cross resurfaces years after the war, turning this into a powerful military history and aviation history tale about courage, split-second choices, and how the last dogfight on the Western Front really unfolded.
Perfect for listeners searching for WW2 stories, military history, World War 2 aviation, historical storytelling, and narrated war stories about the Western Front. Also ideal for fans of combat history, aircraft stories, and real-life heroism in short-form documentary narration.
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LearningTranscript
00:00At 9.42 on the morning of April 11, 1945, 1st Lieutenant Merritt Dwayne Francis banked his Piper L4H Grasshopper
00:09over a muddy road near Dannenburg, Germany, watching a German motorcycle with sidecar racing east through the trees below.
00:1724 years old, 142 combat missions, zero air-to-air kills.
00:23The 5th Armored Division had pushed within 48 miles of Berlin. Behind Francis, somewhere in the low clouds, 500 American
00:31tanks and self-propelled guns rolled east at 12 miles per hour.
00:36The war was ending. Germany was collapsing. But Wehrmacht units still held pockets of territory, and some of them still
00:44had radios.
00:45Francis flew an artillery spotter plane. Fabric stretched over a welded steel tube frame. 65 horsepower. Maximum speed, 85 miles
00:55per hour. No armor. No guns. No radios capable of reaching friendly fighters.
01:02His job was simple. Fly ahead of the division. Find German positions. Radio coordinates back to the howitzers. Stay alive.
01:11His observer, 1st Lieutenant William Martin, sat in the rear seat with binoculars and a map board. They had been
01:18airborne since 0700, searching roads and tree lines for targets.
01:22The motorcycle had appeared 10 minutes earlier, moving fast on a secondary road parallel to the American advance.
01:29Francis dropped to 400 feet to get a better look. The motorcycle kept moving.
01:34The driver wore a Wehrmacht field gray uniform. The man in the sidecar held what looked like a radio pack.
01:41A messenger. Probably carrying reports about American positions back to a command post somewhere east.
01:48Then Martin tapped his shoulder and pointed up. 700 feet above them, a Fiesler FI-156 Storch moved through the
01:57clouds.
01:57France's recognized the silhouette immediately. High wing monoplane. Fixed landing gear. Single engine. The Luftwaffe's version of the L-4
02:07Grasshopper. An artillery spotter. A reconnaissance plane.
02:11Germans used them the same way Americans used the Grasshopper. To find targets. To adjust fire. To report enemy movements.
02:19The Storch was larger than the L-4. Faster. More powerful. And right now, it was flying directly toward the
02:275th Armored Division's lead elements.
02:30Francis pulled back on the stick and climbed. The little Continental engine strained. The Grasshopper gained altitude slowly. Fabric rippled
02:39against the slipstream.
02:40Martin kept his binoculars on the Storch. The German pilot had not seen them yet.
02:45He was flying straight and level. Heading west. Toward the American tanks.
02:50Francis understood the situation immediately. If that Storch reached German lines, its crew would radio exact coordinates for every Sherman,
02:59every M7 Priest, every supply truck in the column.
03:03German artillery would have perfect targeting data. The 5th Armored would drive into a prepared ambush. Men would die.
03:11Francis had seen it before.
03:13September 19th, 1944.
03:16Near Aricourt, France.
03:18German observers had spotted American armor movements.
03:2130 minutes later, 88mm shells rained down on B Company.
03:2611 tanks destroyed.
03:2827 men killed before the column could disperse.
03:31He thought about radioing for help.
03:33But American fighters operated at 10,000 feet or higher.
03:37By the time they descended, the Storch would be gone.
03:39By the time they found it again, German artillery officers would already have their coordinates.
03:45The Grasshopper had no weapons.
03:47The Army did not arm observation planes.
03:50Too much weight.
03:51Not enough power.
03:53The L4 was built for one purpose.
03:55Fly low.
03:56Find targets.
03:58Get out.
03:59But Francis and Martin each carried a standard-issue M1911 .45 caliber pistol.
04:04Seven rounds per magazine.
04:06One spare magazine each.
04:0828 bullets total.
04:10If you want to see how Francis decided to attack a German military aircraft with nothing
04:14but sidearms, please hit that like button.
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04:23Back to Francis.
04:25The Storch was now 600 feet above them and slightly east.
04:28Still flying straight.
04:30Still unaware of the tiny American plane climbing through the clouds below.
04:34Francis looked at his pistol in its holster.
04:36Then at the Storch.
04:38Then at the road below where 500 American tanks were rolling into what could become a killing zone.
04:44He reached down and unlatched his door.
04:47The wind hammered into the cockpit.
04:49Martin did the same on his side.
04:51Both doors swung open against the slipstream.
04:54Francis drew his .45 and chambered around.
04:57Behind him, Martin did the same.
05:00The grasshopper climbed toward the Storch at 60 miles per hour.
05:04Two men in a fabric observation plane.
05:06Two pistols.
05:08One enemy aircraft.
05:09Francis pushed the throttle forward and aimed for a point just ahead of the Storch's flight path.
05:16Francis dove.
05:17The grasshopper dropped 300 feet in 12 seconds.
05:21The Storch grew larger in the windscreen.
05:24500 feet.
05:25400.
05:26300.
05:27The German crew still had not looked down.
05:30They flew straight and level.
05:32The pilot focused on the horizon ahead.
05:34The observer probably studying his map or writing coordinates.
05:38At 200 feet separation, Francis leveled out and came up behind the Storch.
05:4480 yards back.
05:4560.
05:4640.
05:47The German aircraft filled his vision.
05:50He could see the observer's head through the rear canopy glass.
05:53Could see the black Balkan croids' crosses on the wings.
05:56Could see scratches in the paint where tree branches had scraped the fabric during low-altitude missions.
06:0120 yards.
06:03Martin opened fire first.
06:06Three shots.
06:07The reports cracked over the engine noise.
06:10Francis could not tell if any rounds hit.
06:12The Storch kept flying straight.
06:14Francis squeezed the trigger.
06:16Once.
06:17Twice.
06:18Three times.
06:19The pistol kicked against his palm.
06:22Empty brass casings tumbled past his face into the slipstream.
06:26He fired again.
06:27The Storch was so close he could see rivets in the tail structure.
06:31Then the German pilot saw them.
06:33The Storch banked hard left.
06:35Francis yanked the stick and followed.
06:38The grasshopper turned inside the German aircraft's radius.
06:41The L4 was slower than the Storch, but it could turn tighter.
06:45It was built for spotting artillery in tight valleys and over treetops.
06:49Maximum maneuverability.
06:51Minimum speed.
06:52The Storch climbed.
06:54Francis climbed after it.
06:56Both aircraft spiraled upward through 500 feet.
06:59600.
07:01700.
07:02The German pilot was trying to gain altitude and speed.
07:05Trying to run.
07:06But the grasshopper stayed behind him.
07:09Francis fired his last two rounds.
07:12The slide locked back on an empty magazine.
07:14He had no idea if he had hit anything.
07:17The Storch showed no signs of damage.
07:19No smoke.
07:21No loss of control.
07:23Nothing.
07:23He needed to reload.
07:25The problem was simple.
07:27He needed both hands to drop the empty magazine, retrieve a fresh one from his belt, and slam it home.
07:33But he also needed both hands to fly the airplane.
07:37The grasshopper had no autopilot.
07:39No trim system sophisticated enough to hold altitude and heading in turbulent air.
07:45Francis jammed the control stick between his knees.
07:48His left hand dropped the empty magazine.
07:51It tumbled out through the open door and disappeared toward the German countryside 800 feet below.
07:57His right hand pulled the spare magazine from his belt.
08:01Seven fresh rounds.
08:03He slapped it into the pistol grip and released the slide.
08:07The weapon was ready.
08:09The stick slipped between his knees.
08:11The grasshopper's nose dropped.
08:14Francis grabbed the controls with his left hand and pulled back.
08:17The little plane leveled out.
08:19He had lost maybe 50 feet of altitude and the storage had gained some distance.
08:24But not much.
08:26Martin was also reloading.
08:28Francis could hear the metallic click of a fresh magazine seating home behind him.
08:33The storage was now circling.
08:35Not running.
08:36The German pilot had apparently decided he could not outrun the American plane.
08:41So he was trying to outmaneuver it instead.
08:44Turning.
08:45Diving.
08:46Climbing.
08:47Trying to shake the grasshopper off his tail.
08:50It did not work.
08:52Every turn the storage made, Francis matched it tighter.
08:55Every climb, he followed.
08:58The L4 stayed within 50 yards of the German aircraft.
09:01Sometimes closer.
09:03The two planes spiraled through the morning sky above Dannenberg like hawks fighting over territory.
09:09Francis closed to 30 feet.
09:12Close enough to see the German observer pointing at them through the canopy glass.
09:16Close enough to see the pilot's leather flight helmet.
09:19Close enough to see their faces.
09:22He fired.
09:23Martin fired.
09:25Both pistols cracked in rapid succession.
09:28Francis saw his muzzle flashes reflecting off the storage's tail.
09:31Saw Martin's tracerless rounds disappearing toward the enemy fuselage.
09:36Then he saw something else.
09:38A spider web pattern appeared in the storage's windscreen.
09:41A bullet hole.
09:43Then another.
09:44The German aircraft's nose dipped slightly.
09:47The pilot jerked the controls.
09:48The storage pitched up, then rolled right.
09:51Francis stayed with him.
09:53He fired again.
09:54And again.
09:55The pistol's slide locked back.
09:57Empty.
09:58But Martin was still shooting.
10:00Francis watched his observer empty his magazine into the storage's right wing and engine cowling.
10:05The storage's propeller stuttered.
10:07Black smoke puffed from the engine.
10:09Not a lot.
10:10Just a thin trail.
10:11But enough.
10:12The German pilot pushed his nose down and dove toward the trees.
10:17The storage descended through 600 feet.
10:20500.
10:22400.
10:23The thin smoke trail thickened.
10:25The German pilot was heading for a clearing near the road.
10:28Trying to make an emergency landing.
10:30Trying to save his aircraft and his crew.
10:33Francis followed him down.
10:35The grasshopper stayed 30 feet behind the storage's tail.
10:39Martin kept his pistol aimed through the open door, but held fire.
10:43Both magazines were empty now.
10:45No ammunition left.
10:4728 rounds expended.
10:49The fight was over.
10:50At 100 feet, the storage leveled out over the clearing.
10:54The pilot was good.
10:55Even with a damaged engine, even with smoke trailing from the cowling, he brought the aircraft in steady.
11:01The fixed landing gear touched down.
11:04The wheels rolled across grass and mud.
11:07Then, the right wing tip caught the ground.
11:09The storage pivoted.
11:11The right wing crumpled.
11:13Metal shrieked.
11:14Fabric tore.
11:15The aircraft spun 90 degrees in a spray of mud and grass.
11:20The landing gear collapsed.
11:21The propeller struck dirt and shattered.
11:24Pieces of wood blade flew in different directions.
11:27The fuselage twisted and stopped.
11:29The engine quit.
11:31Silence replaced the sound of tearing metal.
11:34Smoke continued to drift from the cowling.
11:36But no fire.
11:37The storage sat in the clearing.
11:39Broken, but intact.
11:41The cabin appeared undamaged.
11:44Francie circled once.
11:45The clearing was maybe 200 yards long.
11:48Wide enough for the grasshopper.
11:50Soft ground, but not swampy.
11:52No visible obstacles.
11:54He dropped to 50 feet and lined up his approach.
11:57The problem was location.
11:59Francie's had no idea exactly where he was.
12:02He had been chasing the storage for maybe 4 minutes.
12:05Circling.
12:06Diving.
12:07Climbing.
12:08He had lost track of landmarks.
12:10Lost track of heading.
12:12The 5th Armored Division was somewhere west.
12:15Maybe 3 miles.
12:16Maybe 5.
12:17Maybe 10.
12:18And he was landing in Germany.
12:20Somewhere east of American lines.
12:22Somewhere inside territory that might still hold Wehrmacht units.
12:26Might hold Volkssturm Home Guard.
12:29Might hold nothing but retreating soldiers and abandoned equipment.
12:33He did not know.
12:34The grasshopper touched down 70 yards from the wrecked storage.
12:38Francie's cut the engine.
12:40The propeller windmilled to a stop.
12:42He and Martin climbed out.
12:44Both men drew their pistols.
12:46Both magazines were empty, but the Germans would not know that.
12:50They approached the storage on foot.
12:53Mud sucked at their boots.
12:55The morning air smelled like aviation fuel and burned oil.
12:59Francie's could see movement inside the cabin.
13:01The canopy was intact.
13:03Someone was alive in there.
13:05The German crew was trying to get out.
13:08The pilot pushed his door open.
13:10It stuck halfway.
13:12He shoved harder.
13:13The door swung free.
13:15He climbed out onto the wing, then dropped to the ground.
13:19Feldwebel rank insignia.
13:21Sergeant.
13:22Maybe 30 years old.
13:24No visible injuries.
13:25He stood beside the wreckage and raised his hands.
13:28The observer came out next.
13:31Younger.
13:31Maybe 22.
13:33He tried to step down from the wing, but his right leg buckled.
13:37He fell.
13:38Hit the ground hard.
13:40Did not get up.
13:41Just lay there in the mud next to the landing gear.
13:44Francie's and Martin moved closer.
13:4630 feet.
13:4820.
13:48The pilot kept his hands raised.
13:51He was not reaching for a weapon.
13:53Not moving toward the trees.
13:54Francie's, just standing there beside his wrecked aircraft with his hands up.
13:59But Francie's was watching the tree line.
14:01They were alone in a clearing somewhere in Germany.
14:04Two American officers.
14:06Two German aircrew.
14:08No backup.
14:09No radio contact with the 5th Armored.
14:12No way to call for help.
14:14And somewhere in those trees, there might be more Wehrmacht soldiers.
14:18Might be a German patrol.
14:21Might be a command post that had heard the aircraft circling and diving and shooting.
14:26The wounded observer was bleeding.
14:28Francie's could see it now.
14:30The man's right boot was dark with blood.
14:32A bullet had hit him.
14:34Probably during the final pass, when Martin emptied his magazine into the Storch's cabin.
14:39The round had gone through the aircraft's thin fabric skin and struck the observer somewhere in the foot or ankle.
14:45The German pilot shouted something, pointing at his observer, pointing at the blood.
14:51His voice was urgent, but Francie's could not understand the words.
14:55Martin kept his empty pistol aimed at the pilot.
14:59Francie's moved toward the wounded man.
15:03Francie's knelt beside the wounded observer.
15:05The German was maybe 22 years old.
15:08Pale.
15:09Sweating despite the cold morning air.
15:11His right boot had a hole just above the ankle.
15:14Blood soaked through the leather and into the mud beneath him.
15:18Francie's had taken pre-med courses at college.
15:21Enough to understand basic field medicine.
15:23Enough that his battalion called him Doc.
15:26He pulled out his first aid kit.
15:28Sulfa powder.
15:29Bandages.
15:30Morphine Syrette.
15:32Standard army issue.
15:34The observer stared at him.
15:36Terrified.
15:37Probably expecting to be shot.
15:38Probably expecting this American pilot to leave him bleeding in the mud while they took his aircraft commander prisoner.
15:45That was what happened to downed aircrews sometimes.
15:48Not always.
15:49But sometimes.
15:51Francie's cut the boot away with his pocket knife.
15:53The bullet had entered just above the ankle bone and exited through the sole of the foot.
15:58Clean through.
15:59No bones shattered.
16:01No major arteries severed.
16:02But it was bleeding heavily and the man could not walk.
16:06He poured sulfa powder into both wounds.
16:09The observer flinched but made no sound.
16:12Francie's wrapped the foot with gauze from the kit.
16:14Tight enough to slow the bleeding.
16:16Not tight enough to cut circulation.
16:18He tied it off and sat back.
16:20The German pilot was still standing with his hands raised.
16:24Martin stood ten feet away with his empty pistol aimed at the pilot's chest.
16:29The situation was stable.
16:30For now.
16:32But only for now.
16:34Francie's looked at his watch.
16:359.58.
16:37They had been on the ground for six minutes.
16:39The 5th Armored Division was somewhere west.
16:42Probably three to five miles based on how far they had chased the Storch.
16:46But Francie's had no map coordinates.
16:48No landmarks he recognized.
16:50No radio contact.
16:51And they were behind German lines.
16:54Maybe not deep behind lines.
16:56The Wehrmacht was collapsing.
16:57Units were retreating east or surrendering.
17:00But pockets of resistance still existed.
17:03Francie's had seen it all weeks.
17:05American columns driving through abandoned villages,
17:07then suddenly taking fire from a cellar or a church tower.
17:11Diehard officers.
17:13Fanatic SS troops.
17:15Volksturm civilians with panzerfausts.
17:17A sound came from the trees.
17:20Francie's froze.
17:21Martin heard it too.
17:23Both men turned toward the tree line 70 yards east.
17:26The sound came again.
17:28Voices.
17:29German voices.
17:31Multiple speakers.
17:32Getting closer.
17:33The pilot heard them too.
17:35His eyes widened.
17:37He said something in German.
17:38Fast.
17:39Urgent.
17:40Pointing at the trees.
17:41Pointing at Francie's and Martin.
17:43Then pointing west toward American lines.
17:46Francie's understood without knowing the words.
17:49There were German soldiers in those trees.
17:51Francie's and they were coming to investigate the crashed aircraft.
17:54The pilot was warning them to run.
17:56But Francie's could not run.
17:58The wounded observer could not walk.
18:00Could not even stand.
18:02If Francie's and Martin left now,
18:04they could reach the grasshopper in 30 seconds.
18:07Start the engine in another 20.
18:09Take off in 45 seconds total.
18:11Be airborne and heading west before whoever was in those trees reached the clearing.
18:15But the wounded German would be left behind.
18:18Bleeding.
18:19Unable to move.
18:20With American bullets in his foot.
18:22And American bandages on his wounds.
18:25When his own troops found him,
18:27they would know he had been treated by Americans.
18:29Would know the Americans had been here.
18:31Had landed.
18:32Had taken the pilot prisoner maybe.
18:34The voices in the trees were getting closer.
18:37Francie's could hear branches snapping.
18:39Boots on dead leaves.
18:41Multiple men.
18:42At least four or five.
18:44Maybe more.
18:45Martin grabbed his arm and pointed toward the grasshopper.
18:48Time to go.
18:49Time to leave.
18:51Get airborne.
18:51Get back to American lines.
18:53Report the Storch destroyed.
18:55Mission accomplished.
18:56But Francie's looked at the wounded observer.
18:59At the bandages he had just applied.
19:01At the terrified kid lying in the mud.
19:04He had learned something in pre-med courses at Seattle Pacific College.
19:07Before the war.
19:08Before the army.
19:09Before 142 combat missions over France and Belgium and Germany,
19:14he had learned that doctors helped people.
19:17All people.
19:18Even enemies.
19:20The voices were maybe 50 yards away now.
19:23Still in the trees.
19:24Still invisible.
19:25But close.
19:26Very close.
19:28Francie's made his decision.
19:30He grabbed the wounded observer under the arms and lifted.
19:33Martin understood immediately.
19:35He holstered his pistol and grabbed the Germans' legs.
19:39Together, they carried him toward the grasshopper.
19:42The pilot followed.
19:43Hands still raised.
19:45Not running.
19:45Not fighting.
19:46Just following two American officers who were carrying his wounded crewmen toward their aircraft
19:51instead of leaving him behind.
19:55They reached the grasshopper in 40 seconds.
19:58The wounded observer weighed maybe 160 pounds.
20:02Dead weight.
20:03His injured foot dragged in the mud.
20:06He was conscious, but not helping.
20:08Probably in shock.
20:10Probably terrified that these Americans were going to throw him in their aircraft
20:14and then shoot him somewhere over the trees.
20:17Martin climbed into the rear seat.
20:20Francie's and the German pilot lifted the wounded observer up.
20:24Martin grabbed him under the arms and pulled him into the cramped cabin.
20:28There was barely enough room.
20:30The L-4 was designed for two men with maps and binoculars.
20:35Not three men, including a casualty with a bandaged foot.
20:39The voices from the trees were closer now.
20:42Maybe 40 yards.
20:44Francie's could hear German words clearly.
20:47Commands.
20:48Questions.
20:50Someone was calling out.
20:51Probably asking if anyone was alive in the crashed storch.
20:55The pilot stood beside the grasshopper's wing, looking at Francie's, looking at the trees,
21:02looking at his wounded observer now crammed into the rear seat of an American spotter plane.
21:08He could run.
21:09Could disappear into the trees.
21:11Could rejoin his own troops.
21:13Could tell them two American officers were trying to take off from the clearing.
21:19Francie's pointed at the open front seat.
21:21The pilot hesitated for three seconds, then climbed in.
21:26Francie's pushed in after him.
21:28Two men in a seat designed for one.
21:31The pilot sat on Francie's lap.
21:33Arms pinned.
21:34No room to move.
21:36No room to move.
21:37No way to fight.
21:38The cabin smelled like aviation fuel and blood and fear.
21:43Francie's reached around the pilot and grabbed the stick.
21:46His right hand found the throttle.
21:49He pushed it forward.
21:51The little Continental engine coughed once.
21:54Twice.
21:55Then caught.
21:56The propeller spun up.
21:58The grasshopper vibrated.
22:00Figures emerged from the tree line.
22:03Five soldiers.
22:04Wehrmacht uniforms.
22:06Rifles.
22:07One had a panzerfaust.
22:09They saw the grasshopper.
22:11Saw its engine running.
22:13Saw Americans in the cockpit.
22:15They started shouting.
22:17Started running across the clearing.
22:19Francie's released the brake.
22:21The grasshopper rolled forward.
22:23Slow at first.
22:24The tail came up.
22:25Speed increased.
22:2730 miles per hour.
22:2840.
22:29The German soldiers were 100 yards away.
22:32Running hard.
22:33One dropped to a knee and raised his rifle.
22:3650 miles per hour.
22:37Francie's pulled back on the stick.
22:39The grasshopper lifted off.
22:41The wheels left the mud.
22:43The aircraft climbed through 20 feet.
22:4530.
22:46A rifle shot cracked somewhere behind them.
22:49Francie's did not know if it hit.
22:51Did not look back.
22:53Just kept climbing.
22:5460 feet.
22:5580.
22:56100.
22:57The clearing disappeared below.
23:00Trees passed underneath.
23:01The German soldiers grew smaller.
23:04Another shot.
23:05Then nothing.
23:06The grasshopper climbed west at 500 feet per minute.
23:10Francie's checked his watch.
23:1210.07.
23:13They had been on the ground for 15 minutes.
23:16The pilot sat rigid on his lap.
23:18Arms trapped.
23:19Staring through the windscreen at nothing.
23:22Behind them, Martin held the wounded observer upright.
23:25The German's head lolled against Martin's shoulder.
23:28Still breathing.
23:29Still alive.
23:31Francie spotted American tanks 12 minutes later.
23:34A column of Sherman's moving east on a road below.
23:37He circled once.
23:39Waggled his wings.
23:41Descended to 200 feet and looked for a place to land.
23:44Found a field north of the road.
23:46Soft ground but flat.
23:48Good enough.
23:50The grasshopper touched down at 10.21.
23:53Francie's cut the engine.
23:55Tank crews were already running toward them across the field.
23:58Sergeant with a Thompson submachine gun.
24:01Three privates with M1 rifles.
24:03They surrounded the aircraft.
24:05Weapons raised.
24:06Ready to shoot if the Germans tried anything.
24:09Francie's climbed out with the pilot still in front of him.
24:12Hands up.
24:13Showing he was American.
24:15Showing the German was a prisoner.
24:17Martin climbed out next.
24:19Then helped the wounded observer down from the rear seat.
24:22The kid nearly collapsed.
24:24Martin caught him.
24:25Lowered him to the grass.
24:27The sergeant stared at them.
24:29At the tiny observation plane.
24:31At the two German aircrew.
24:33At the blood-soaked bandages.
24:35He said something Francie's did not quite hear over the sound of tank engines on the road.
24:39Francie's explained in 30 seconds.
24:41Chased a torch.
24:43Shot it down with pistols.
24:44Landed.
24:45Bandaged the wounded German.
24:47Got jumped by Wehrmacht troops.
24:49Took off with both Germans.
24:51Flew west.
24:52Landed here.
24:53The whole story.
24:54Start to finish.
24:55The sergeant just nodded.
24:57He had probably seen stranger things in the past 11 months.
25:00He detailed two men to take the prisoners back to the division intelligence section.
25:05Another man offered Francie's and Martin canteens.
25:07Water.
25:08They drank.
25:09The wounded observer looked back at Francie's as the tank crews led him away.
25:14The Germans said something.
25:16Francie's did not understand the words, but understood the meaning.
25:20For the bandages.
25:21For not leaving him to bleed out in the mud.
25:24For saving his life, even though they were enemies.
25:28Francie's never learned his name.
25:30Never learned the pilot's name either.
25:32Never found out if they were important.
25:34Never found out what happened to them after that morning.
25:37They disappeared into the prisoner system.
25:39Two more Germans among millions.
25:42Two more enemies who became statistics.
25:44But for 15 minutes in a clearing near Dannenburg, they had been something else.
25:49They had been wounded men who needed help.
25:51And Francie's had helped them.
25:55Francie's and Martin flew back to the 71st Armored Field Artillery Battalion at 11.15.
26:00The grasshopper landed at the battalion's forward airstrip.
26:04A dirt road widened into a makeshift runway.
26:07Three other L-4s sat parked under camouflage netting.
26:11Mechanics were working on one.
26:13Changing spark plugs.
26:14Replacing fabric torn by ground fire.
26:17The battalion operations officer met them at the flight line.
26:21Major.
26:21Combat infantry badge.
26:23He listened to Francie's report.
26:25Listened to the whole story.
26:27Storch spotted.
26:29Chase.
26:29Pistol fight.
26:31Crash landing.
26:32German troops.
26:33Escape with prisoners.
26:34The Major wrote it down.
26:36Every detail.
26:38Then told Francie's to write an after-action report.
26:41Full account.
26:42Submitted by 1700 hours.
26:44Francie spent two hours writing.
26:47He used simple language.
26:49Factual statements.
26:50Times and locations.
26:52What happened and when it happened.
26:54No speculation.
26:56No drama.
26:57Just the events as they occurred.
26:59He finished at 1330.
27:01Submitted the report to battalion headquarters.
27:04Then went to find food.
27:06The 5th Armored Division pushed deeper into Germany over the next three days.
27:10American forces reached the Elbe River on April 12th.
27:1345 miles from Berlin.
27:16Close enough that Francie's could see smoke from the city during high-altitude reconnaissance missions.
27:20Close enough that rumors started spreading.
27:23Would they push to Berlin?
27:25Would they race the Soviets?
27:26Would the war end in a week or a month?
27:29It ended in less than a month.
27:31Hitler killed himself on April 30th.
27:34Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 7th.
27:38Victory in Europe Day came on May 8th.
27:40Church bells rang across liberated France and Belgium.
27:44Soldiers fired weapons into the air.
27:46Tank crews painted victory slogans on their Shermans.
27:49The European war was over.
27:52Three years.
27:53Eleven months.
27:54Thirteen days since D-Day.
27:57Finished.
27:58Francie's had flown 149 combat missions.
28:01Seven more after shooting down the Storch.
28:03Seven more days of searching roads and tree lines for targets that became less common each day.
28:09By May 1st, most German units had stopped fighting.
28:12By May 5th, most had surrendered.
28:15By May 8th, it was over.
28:17On April 24th, his battalion commander recommended him for the Distinguished Flying Cross.
28:22The recommendation cited the engagement with the Storch.
28:25Cited the decision to attack an enemy aircraft with only sidearms.
28:30Cited the successful forced landing of an enemy plane.
28:33Cited the capture of two enemy aircrew.
28:36Cited extraordinary achievement in aerial flight.
28:39The recommendation went up through channels.
28:42Division headquarters.
28:43Corps headquarters.
28:44Army headquarters.
28:46Then it disappeared.
28:47Not officially.
28:48Not permanently.
28:50But it vanished into the military bureaucracy that was processing 10 million soldiers and airmen and sailors at the end
28:56of the largest war in human history.
28:59The recommendation existed.
29:01Someone had filed it.
29:02Someone had stamped it.
29:03Someone had forwarded it to someone else.
29:06But somewhere in that chain, it stopped moving.
29:09Franci's waited.
29:11Weeks passed.
29:12The division moved to occupation duty.
29:14Franci's flew administrative missions.
29:16Mail runs.
29:17Supply checks.
29:18Liaison flights.
29:19Nothing dangerous.
29:21Nothing requiring pistol fights at 700 feet.
29:23Just routine peacetime flying over defeated Germany.
29:27The Distinguished Flying Cross never came.
29:29He received other awards.
29:31The Bronze Star for rescuing a wounded forward observer in September 1944.
29:36The Air Medal for sustained operational flights against the enemy.
29:40Both were legitimate.
29:41Both were deserved.
29:43But neither was for shooting down an enemy aircraft with a pistol.
29:46In October 1945, the 5th Armored Division sailed home.
29:51Franci's arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on October 2nd.
29:54The division was inactivated on October 11th.
29:57Soldiers scattered.
29:59Some stayed in the army.
30:00Most went home.
30:02Franci's went home.
30:03Back to Wenatchee, Washington.
30:05Back to civilian life.
30:06Back to a world without combat missions and German fighters and pistol duels at 700 feet.
30:12He married Joanne Hulson in March 1947.
30:16Got a job.
30:17Built a life.
30:18The war became something that happened years ago.
30:21The Storch became a story he told sometimes.
30:23At veteran gatherings.
30:25At reunions.
30:26When people asked what he did in the war.
30:28He told them about the pistol fight.
30:30About shooting down a German observation plane with a .45.
30:34About landing and bandaging the wounded crewmen.
30:37People usually did not believe him.
30:39It sounded too much like something from a movie.
30:41Too dramatic.
30:43Too impossible.
30:44But it had happened.
30:45And somewhere in army records, there was a recommendation for a distinguished flying cross.
30:50Filed.
30:51Forgotten.
30:52Lost in the paperwork of a war that had ended 22 years earlier.
30:57Then in 1966, someone found it.
31:02Cornelius Ryan was writing a book about the final days of World War II in Europe.
31:06The last battle.
31:07A massive research project.
31:10Ryan interviewed hundreds of veterans.
31:12American.
31:13British.
31:13German.
31:14Russian.
31:15He combed through military archives.
31:17Unit histories.
31:18After action reports.
31:19Personal accounts.
31:20He was looking for stories that showed what the end of the war looked like on the ground.
31:25What soldiers experienced in those final chaotic weeks when Germany collapsed.
31:30Someone mentioned Francie's.
31:31A veteran from the 5th Armored Division.
31:33Said he had shot down a German plane with a pistol.
31:37Ryan investigated.
31:39Found the after action report from April 11th, 1945.
31:42Found witness statements.
31:44Found the recommendation for the distinguished flying cross.
31:47Found that the recommendation had never been processed.
31:50Never approved.
31:51Never denied.
31:52Just filed and forgotten.
31:54Ryan included the story in his book.
31:56Not a long section.
31:57Maybe two pages.
31:58But he included all the key details.
32:01The storch.
32:02The pistol fight.
32:03The crash landing.
32:04The wounded German.
32:05The escape.
32:06And he included a footnote.
32:08The footnote stated that Lieutenant Francie's had been recommended for the distinguished flying cross,
32:13but had never received it.
32:14That despite performing what might be the most unusual aerial victory in the European theater,
32:19the army had never officially recognized the achievement.
32:22The last battle was published in 1966.
32:26It became a bestseller.
32:28Hundreds of thousands of copies sold.
32:30People across America read about the final assault on Berlin.
32:33About Soviet armies crushing into the city from the east.
32:36About American forces stopping at the Elbe.
32:39About Hitler's suicide in his bunker.
32:41About the Reich's final collapse.
32:43And some people read the footnote about a lieutenant from Washington state
32:46who shot down a German plane with a .45 caliber pistol and never got his medal.
32:51One of those people was Senator Henry Jackson, Democrat from Washington, known as Scoop.
32:57He represented Francie's home state.
32:59He had served in Congress since 1941.
33:02He understood military bureaucracy.
33:04He understood how paperwork disappeared.
33:07How recommendations got lost.
33:09How soldiers who deserved recognition sometimes fell through the cracks.
33:13Jackson's office contacted Francie's in early 1967.
33:17Asked if the story in Ryan's book was accurate.
33:20Asked if he had really never received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
33:24Asked if he wanted the Senator to investigate.
33:26Francie's confirmed everything.
33:29Yes, the story was accurate.
33:31Yes, he had never received the medal.
33:33Yes, he would appreciate any help getting the record corrected.
33:36Jackson went to work.
33:38His staff pulled files from the National Archives.
33:40Found the original recommendation dated April 24th, 1945.
33:45Found supporting statements from Major William Martin.
33:48Found the battalion commander's endorsement.
33:50Found that the recommendation had moved through 5th Armored Division Headquarters.
33:55Had been approved at division level.
33:57Had been forwarded to 9th Army Headquarters in May 1945.
34:00And there it had stopped.
34:03Not rejected.
34:04Not disapproved.
34:06Just stopped.
34:08The 9th Army had been dissolving.
34:10Units were going home.
34:11Staff officers were processing discharge papers and closing bases and shipping equipment back
34:17to the United States.
34:18Someone had probably put the recommendation in a file intending to process it later.
34:30Jackson pushed the case through the Department of Defense.
34:33His office sent letters.
34:34Made phone calls.
34:36Followed up weekly.
34:37The bureaucracy moved slowly.
34:39But it moved.
34:40By February 1967, the Distinguished Flying Cross had been officially approved.
34:46By March, arrangements were being made for a presentation ceremony.
34:50On March 13, 1967, Captain Merritt Dwayne Francis stood at Holman Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
34:57He was 45 years old now.
34:59A commercial pilot.
35:01A father.
35:02A civilian who had not worn a military uniform in 22 years.
35:06But today, he wore his old army uniform.
35:10Ribbons on the chest.
35:12Captain's bars on the shoulders.
35:14He had stayed in the army reserve after the war.
35:17Had been promoted twice.
35:19Had never stopped being a soldier even after he went home.
35:23Major General Lucius D. Clay stood in front of him.
35:26The general who had commanded the Berlin Airlift.
35:29The general who understood what it meant to fly dangerous missions in tiny aircraft.
35:34He held the Distinguished Flying Cross.
35:37Blue ribbon with red and white stripes.
35:40Bronze cross with propeller blades in the angles.
35:43Simple.
35:44Elegant.
35:4522 years late.
35:47Clay pinned the medal on Francie's chest.
35:50Shook his hand.
35:51Said something about extraordinary achievement.
35:54About heroism.
35:55About an action that exemplified the American spirit.
35:59Francie stood at attention.
36:01Said thank you.
36:03Said it was an honor.
36:04Said he was just doing his job.
36:0722 years.
36:09From a clearing near Dannenburg to an airfield in Minnesota.
36:13From combat to recognition.
36:16From war to peace.
36:18The medal felt light on his chest.
36:20But it felt right.
36:23The story of the pistol fight at 700 feet became known after 1967.
36:29Not famous.
36:30Not legendary.
36:31But known.
36:32Aviation historians wrote about it.
36:34Military journals published articles.
36:36The Distinguished Flying Cross Society added Francie's to their records as one of the most unusual aerial victories in American
36:43history.
36:43But what made it unusual was not just the pistols.
36:47Not just the tiny fabric observation planes fighting like fighters.
36:51Not just the crash landing.
36:52Or the wounded German.
36:54Or the escape from Wehrmacht troops in the trees.
36:57What made it unusual was the decision.
37:00Francie's had options on the morning of April 11th, 1945.
37:04When he saw that Storch heading toward American lines, he could have radioed for fighters.
37:09Could have flown back to report its location.
37:11Could have followed it from a distance and marked its position for artillery.
37:15Those were all reasonable choices.
37:18Safe choices.
37:19Choices that would not require him to attack a military aircraft with nothing but a sidearm.
37:25But those choices would have taken time.
37:27And time meant the Storch would reach German lines.
37:30Would radio coordinates.
37:32Would give German artillery the exact locations of 500 American tanks.
37:37Men would die.
37:38The same way 27 men had died at Aero Corps when German observers spotted their positions.
37:44So Francie's chose differently.
37:46He opened his door.
37:48Drew his pistol.
37:50Flew at an enemy aircraft.
37:51Because waiting was not an option.
37:54Because calling for help was too slow.
37:56Because sometimes the only way to save lives was to risk your own.
38:00That decision defined the kind of soldier he had been.
38:04The kind of man he became.
38:06Francie's continued flying after the war.
38:08Commercial aviation.
38:10Cargo routes.
38:11Passenger flights.
38:12He logged thousands of hours in aircraft much larger and more powerful than the L-4 Grasshopper.
38:18But he never forgot April 11th.
38:21Never forgot the Storch circling above Dannenberg.
38:24Never forgot the feel of the pistol in his hand.
38:26Or the sound of bullets hitting fabric.
38:29Or the face of the wounded German observer lying in the mud.
38:33He died on May 5th, 2004, at his home in Chelan, Washington.
38:3882 years old.
38:4059 years after the end of the war in Europe.
38:43He left behind a wife, children, grandchildren, a career of civilian flying, a drawer full of medals, including the distinguished
38:53flying cross he had waited 22 years to receive.
38:56And he left behind a story.
38:59A story about two men in a tiny observation plane who decided to fight back.
39:04About pistols and fabric and courage at 700 feet.
39:10About landing behind enemy lines to help a wounded enemy.
39:14About doing what needed to be done, even when the odds said it was impossible.
39:19The last dogfight on the Western Front was not fought by P-51 Mustangs, or Spitfires, or Thunderbolts.
39:27It was fought by an L-4 Grasshopper with 65 horsepower and two .45 caliber pistols.
39:34It was fought by men who understood that wars are not won only by the biggest weapons or the fastest
39:41aircraft.
39:42They are won by soldiers who see what needs to be done and do it.
39:46No matter how small their plane, no matter how inadequate their weapons, no matter how impossible the mission.
39:53Francis proved that on April 11th, 1945.
39:57Proved it again when he bandaged his enemy's wounds instead of leaving him to die.
40:02Proved it one final time when he waited 22 years for recognition and never complained, never demanded, never gave up.
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40:28Stories about pilots who saved lives with pistols and courage.
40:32Real people.
40:34Real heroism.
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