A Piece Of Brilliant History-Franz Stigler (By Jefferson Sheng)

Context and Reflection

I have chosen to showcase this reading reflection on my favorite book characters. I chose this to reflect my knowledge of historic events and book characters. This also shows the passion I have about history, specifically World War II. Most people now detest anyone who involved with Nazis, though many of them are innocent. Everyone had their own reason to support the Nazi’s, even If it was  just for the sake of serving their own country. Franz Stigler is one of the many exceptions to the Nazi stereotype. I improved this piece by adding a bit more detail and getting multiple opinions in which to revise my piece.

The Piece

One of my favorite characters is in fact a really inspiring guy. He is Franz Stigler, from the non-fiction book "A Higher Call". He was a WWII ace who served from beginning of the WWII until its end. From beginning of the war, all he wanted was a revenge for his brother. He (referring to his brother) was a bombardier in a JU88 bomber/dive bomber. But later, the situation turned to a defensive mission for Germany. Franz Stigler know by then that his purpose was bigger than the Nazi ideals, or the petty conflict he had been involved in before. He was one of the few aces alone with Adolf Galland, Steinhoff (many more) who later who joined JV44., the last standing Luftwaffe squad of Germany in 1945. This was a squad full of aces that survived the war that wanted to protect German civilians instead of  ignorantly fighting for the Reich following Goering's (Luftwaffe commander) orders. He fought all the way from the battle of Britain to battle of Sicily and eventually to defend Germany.

Franz Stigler has become one of my favorite characters (pilot) after reading the book, because that he's a calm and an intelligent pilot. He doesn't panic during combats like other pilots in this book. He knows when to react and what to do in certain situation. He faced many dangers but he faced them with no fear. Instead he used what he learned to encounter it and get over it. Even though he was fighting and shooting down planes, he knew his own purpose for fighting. In fact almost all the aces who fought in WWII for Germany didn't fight for the Reich, nor Hitler, nor the Nazi party. Instead, a revenge of the lost family members because of the war fuelled them. What he did was a big contribution to Luftwaffe. He fought to the last second protecting Germany from being completely obliterated. The overwhelming allied attack annoyed him for awhile, but he still decided to do whatever he could possibly do to contribute to the German war effort. He was a brilliant thinker and also a brilliant pilot.

Also, I like his way of enjoying life. He learned instruments that he could play in bars when other pilots were chatting and having few drinks. He moved to Canada after the war to pursue a better life in a peaceful nation, and succeeded at this goal.

Lastly, I wish I could meet this legendary man. I really got inspired by him. But unfortunately he died in 2008 because of disease. This pilot should be remembered in History books for his valiancy and never be forgotten.

About the Author

Hello lads and lasses! I’m Jefferson Sheng. I love to build models and gunplas (Model Mobile Suit Armor Inspired by Japanese Anime (sort of)) . I also have a cat. Mononoke, named after a Wolf from a Japanese movie (lol). However, I studied in China until 4th grade’s summer. This is my 3rd year as a english learner. Even though that’s the case, I consider myself to be a way better english student compared to last year (I was a total noob ). Now, I am able to add in my opinions into my writing instead of just listing boring facts. I can dig in and think about things instead of just paraphrasing what’s already on the table.