P-51 pilot refuses orders and Spares the Enemy

This is the incredible story of a P-51 Mustang pilot who risked everything, breaking orders in the heat of battle to take down an enemy aircraft.

On August 24, 1944, First Lt. William R. Preddy, part of the 503rd fighter squadron, was in his P-51D Mustang nicknamed Rusty. His plane was called Rusty for a particular reason- it was made out of several scrapped Mustangs, and his old engine always had issues.

However, with a new engine being fitted, he wanted to test out its reliability and performance before his scheduled mission. So, he took off in Cambridge and started his steep climb at high throttle to break in the engine. He quickly climbed to 10,000 ft. and was very pleased with the upgrade. Then suddenly, he is informed over the radio that the base has just picked up an incoming aircraft. It’s very early in the day and quite unusual to see German aircraft attacking at this time. Unsure of what it could be, Preddy informs the base that he would recon to identify the threat.

Preddy climbs to 15,000 ft to search for any upcoming aircraft. But after a few moments, he doesn’t see anything, so radios the ground again, asking to confirm. As he was doing so, just off the coast, he saw something approaching. It had a very thick smoke trail and repeated a very wide circle pattern.

He places his Mustang into a shallow dive to investigate. As he neared the aircraft, it was very clear that this was the Heinkel 111 bomber, which was never known for its defensive capabilities. It was as poorly armed as a British Wellington bomber. They were never designed to fly alone due to their very limited defensive capabilities.

To spot a lone Heinkel 111 I the morning, especially one that was on fire, was very odd. Preddy approaches from above and notices the entire tail section is on fire. Over the radio, he informs ground that it was just a lone Heinkel 111. He is ordered to shoot it down immediately.

Preddy knew deep down that the German bomber was in no condition to fight. He lines up his gun reticle behind the bomber. One short burst to the tail would already bring down the already weakened Heinkel. After a few tense moments, he lets go of the trigger. Being a pilot who values chivalry in the air above anything else, he couldn’t bring himself to open fire at a defenseless crew. He also knew that defying orders by refusing to shoot down an enemy would lead to a court-martial.

Cautiously, whilst remaining out of the gunner’s firing range, he flies above the canopy to warn them of his presence. He turns left towards Germany, signaling the Heinkel to turn around immediately. The bomber fails to respond. He approaches the aircraft, hand-signaling to the pilot to turn left, and he sees a young pilot fighting through the controls in sheer panic. The pilot switches off the left engine as a last-ditch attempt to make a turn. This told Preddy that he had very little control over the aircraft, but he was willing to follow his instructions to turn away from England. With much struggle, the pilot gets the bomber partially turned around, now heading towards France.

As he approached the cockpit of the bomber, both pilots exchanged a salute of respect. William Preddy brings his Mustang in front, giving a slipstream of air to help them get as far away as they could from the coast of  England. Just as the Heinkel clears halfway to Germany, the fire-ridden airframe gives in, crashing in the North Sea. He then flies by the crash site, throwing his emergency rations and lifejacket overboard. Over the radio, he informs control that he has successfully shot down the bomber over the North Sea and returns to base.

This story would only be discovered a year later when Preddy embarked on his final mission that led to his tragic death on April 17, 1945. His aircraft was taken down during an engagement, and while he managed to crash land Rusty in a small village known as Zaluzi, where he was rescued by Jan, a young Czech woman who took him 5 km in a horse-drawn cart to a German emergency treatment center.

Being an American airman, German doctors refused to take him in. She then took him to another hospital 10 km away, where he would die. Jan discovered Preddy’s diary by the crash site. William Preddy was buried next to his Brother, George, who was the commander of the 328th Fighter Squadron.

In his diary, Jan would discover the incredible story behind what actually happened on August 24, 1944, when the man she rescued came across a crippled Heinkel bomber but refused to follow orders to shoot it down out of gallantry and chivalry for the young defenseless pilot. Where Preddy’s P-51 crashed, Jan built a marker to remember his actions, and it exists to this day.