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Franz Stigler (21 August 1915 - 22 March 2008) was a German Luftwaffe ace. He was given credit to 28 kills, with more unconfirmed, while flying for Nazi Germany during World War II, participating in the North African Campaign, the Italian Campaign and in the Defense of the Reich. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1942, and served in Jagdgeschwader 27. After Field Marshal Erwin Rommel began his retreat out of Africa, Stigler and his fighter wing evacuated and went to fight in Sicily to defend the supplies of bullets, fuel, and food for the remaining soldiers left in Africa. He would be moved back into Nazi Germany to serve in the Defense of the Reich.

He flew a total of 492 combat missions, and shot down 22 aircraft, with the addition of the extra 6 points credited to him from shooting down bombers, including B-24 Liberator aircraft and B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. He shot down 11 bombers in total while in the Defense of the Reich.

Early Life and Career
Franz was born near the Danube River city of Regensburg to his parents on August 21, 1915. Franz fostered a love for flying when he was a child, and that continued onto his early adult years, where he studied at the University of Würzburg, but dropped out due to his want to start flying. He flew for Lufthansa, the largest airline at that time and the national airline of Germany. He was conscripted into the Luftwaffe at the age of 22 in 1937. He served as an instructor at a training school in Dresden, training pilots such as Gerhard Barkhorn, the second most successful fighter ace of all time. Franz's brother, August, was also in the Luftwaffe, but was serving in the bomber divisions. August would die off the coast of France, and Franz would join the Luftwaffe as a fighter pilot after his brother's death.

Early War
Franz's first missions would be in Africa, serving in JG 27 with well-known aces such as Hans-Joachim Marseille, Gustav Roedel, and Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt. He flew a Messerschmitt Bf 109 during his career, and was given credit to 15 aircraft shot down in combat during his time in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. His aircraft during that time was White 12, painted in desert colors along the fuselage. Category:1915 births Category:2008 deaths