My goosebumps have goosebumps. Check this out.

[WilliamPitt]

This Man Chased A Nazi Fighter Plane Under The Eiffel Tower
By Patrick George
Jalopnik

Today, people on two continents mourn the death of 92-year-old William Overstreet Jr. He was a resident of Roanoke, Virginia, a retired accountant, and like many men from his generation, a veteran of World War II. And in the spring of 1944, Overstreet did something people in France and the U.S. still talk about.

Overstreet, who died Sunday at a Roanoke hospital, is remembered for being the U.S. Army Air Corps pilot who flew underneath the Eiffel Tower's arches in his P-51 Mustang during an aerial battle while in hot pursuit of a German fighter plane, which he ultimately shot down.

Even back in war-torn, Nazi-occupied Paris, that wasn't something you saw every day. Or ever. And it was an act that is said to have reignited the spirits of the French resistance fighters who witnessed it from the ground. The Richmond Times-Dispatch quoted the son of one fighter, who had this to say:

"My father began shouting at me — 'I have to meet this man,' " Marie said. Members of the French Resistance had seen his flight and it inspired them, including Marie's father, he said. "This guy has done even more than what people are thinking," Marie said. "He lifted the spirit of the French."

The rest: http://jalopnik.com/this-man-chased-a-nazi-fighter-plane-under-the-eiffel-t-1494007692

[KitSileya]

1. Talk about threading the needle!

Wow, that must have taken some flying! And I can absolutely understand how it must have affected the morale of Parisians at the time. My hat off to Mr. Overstreet.

[Shrike47]

2. Wow, an amazing guy!

It sounds like after the war, he went on to be a 'regular' guy, a quiet life. I wonder if people realized where he'd been and what he'd done.

[ananda]

3. And that was just one of several incredible feats!

That one about flying blind, and the one about flying for 90 minutes
blacked out from lack of oxygen, were amazing!

[MuseRider]

7. I agree

those are some amazing reflexes!

RIP

[Brother Buzz]

18. Amazing reflexes and Herculean sphincter muscles

The B-17 "All American", its tail section almost severed by a collision with an enemy fighter, flew 90 minutes back to its home base, landed safely and broke in two after landing.

[malthaussen]

23. Always love that story...

... but it doesn't beat the one about the B-17 that landed itself.

-- Mal

[rurallib]

4. reading that full story gave me goosebumps also

wow - either really brave or totally crazy.

[Demo_Chris]

5. Witnesses reported his massive balls were actually scraping the ground. nt

[WilliamPitt]

6. It should be mentioned, I supposed, that the Nazi pilot flew under it first.

I can only imagine his thought sequence: "Oh shit the tower oh shit I'm under it oh shit I just did that oh shit I'm hit oh shit I'm dead."



Too soon?

[malthaussen]

12. "I'll foil this damned Ami pilot, I'll fly under the Eiffel Tower!"... oops.

Too bad they didn't go under the Arch de Triumph and make it a two-fer.

-- Mal

[WilliamPitt]

15. Pretty sure that didn't exist yet.

They needed to nail down the Triumph part first.

[panader0]

16. Yeah it existed then.

[RadleyJ]

19. Someone forgot to tell the Germans that

[WilliamPitt]

20. U history bro?

I clearly don't.

#PittFail

[malthaussen]

22. That's not history, it's tourism.:) n/t

[progressoid]

8. I didn't know about this event.

Forwarding this to my Dad!

[FSogol]

9. K&R.

The comments are pretty funny too.

One guy writes, pics or it didn't happen and another says, "I checked to see if he put any of this stuff on Twitter or Instagram, but came up empty."

[progressoid]

10. From the award French Legion of Honor ceremony...

Moments after the Invocation from Chaplain Captain Jeffrey Clemons, a group of five J-3 aircraft, symbolic of the P-51C Mustangs that Bill Overstreet flew on 102 missions in Europe (including one in which he pursued a German fighter pilot under the Eiffel Tower) passed overhead, one veering off in the “missing man” formation.

Overstreet has continually stated that, should he live long enough to receive the Legion of Honor, which cannot be awarded posthumously, he would be accepting it in memory of his fallen brothers in arms, particularly his dear friend Eddy Simpson, who died fighting back the Nazis on the ground with the Free French so his comrades, including Bill, could escape. Many tears were shed as the planes disappeared out of sight and their sound died away, and the Soprano Rebecca Ravenshaw began to sing “America the Beautiful.”

Ambassador Vimont was lavish with his praise of Captain Overstreet, stating that his valorous deeds helped liberate France from the Nazi Occupation. He also alluded to Eddie Simpson and all of the many brave Americans who never made it home from Europe after WWII. Once Vimont had pinned the beautiful Legion of Honor medal to Overstreet’s coat and given him the traditional two-cheek embrace, Captain Overstreet, standing straight, sans walker, made his way to the podium and issued a strong “Thank You” several times.

...

Later, at a private lunch hosted by AREVA at the Mill Stone Tearoom, located in the middle of a farm not far from the Memorial, generals, colonels, an ambassador, various friends and family, and a very jubilant captain, now a modest retired CPA named William B. Overstreet Jr., laughed and talked and ate French food and made several moving toasts. Congratulatory letters from Governor Kaine, Senator Warner, and Congressmen Perriello and Goodlatte were read aloud to and cheered by the assembly of 50. Congressman Bob Goodlatte was originally responsible for introducing Bill Overstreet and Pierre Vimont, when he invited His Excellency to come to Roanoke for the United Way event where they first met last year.

As the Ambassador prepared to take his leave of the company to return to the Capitol for an early evening engagement, Bill Overstreet stood to present him with a signed print of four P-51C Mustangs in flight – it was of him and his team in those long ago dark yet courageous days. Eddy Simpson’s plane, he pointed out to His Excellency, was that one, right there, the one in the missing man position.

http://theroanokestar.com/2009/12/10/wwii-pilot-receives-%E2%80%9Clegion-of-honor%E2%80%9D/

[sarge43]

11. Fire in the blood

CAVU sir and thank you.

[Zorra]

13. Courage and bravery are often infectious.

RIP, Ace.

"It is easier for a Mustang to go through the eye of a needle than for a Nazi to enter the kingdom of heaven"

[Rozlee]

14. Meh, Luke Skywalker used to do that shit with his eyes closed.

Seriously, that guy must have been the inspiration for Luke Skywalker. Amazing.

[panader0]

17. My oldest buddy's dad flew a P-51 and was a West Pointer and a fighter pilot ace in WWII

He saw a fellow pilot shot down and tried to land to pick him up. The P-51 flipped over in the soft ground.
He spent the rest of the war in a Stalag camp. He retired as a two star general.
My own dad did 50 bombing raids in the war. Those guys were really something.

[catbyte]

21. WOW