Notable Lewis Countians
Charles L. ‘Charlie’ Brown
1922–2008
A Weston-raised B-17 pilot whose crippled Ye Olde Pub was spared by German fighter pilot Franz Stigler during a 1943 mission. Brown was raised in Weston before military service and a long Air Force career.
Lewis County connection
Brown was raised in Weston before military service and a long Air Force career.
United States Army Air Forces pilot Charles L. ‘Charlie’ Brown.
Lewis County connection
Brown was raised in Weston before military service and a long Air Force career.
Career and public significance
A Weston-raised B-17 pilot whose crippled Ye Olde Pub was spared by German fighter pilot Franz Stigler during a 1943 mission.
Brown and Stigler found one another decades after the war and became friends, turning a wartime encounter into a documented story of restraint and reconciliation.
Reading the record carefully
The page follows military records and Brown's documented account rather than romantic embellishments added in later popular retellings.
Life and legacy
Timeline
1922
Born in West Virginia and later raised in Weston.
December 20, 1943
Pilots the badly damaged Ye Olde Pub after a bombing mission over Germany.
1980s
Reconnects with Franz Stigler after a long search.
2008
Dies in Florida.
Sources and further reading
How this profile was documented
- Charlie Brown
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
- The Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident
National Museum of the United States Air Force
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
Share this biography
Pass it along to neighbors, group chats, or whoever still reads the whole article.
