Has the final chapter been written in one of the great aviation mysteries? A former Luftwaffe pilot says he shot down Antoine de Saint Exupery as the French writer, considered by some to be the greatest aviation author, flew his P-38 off the coast of France in 1944. But Horst Rippert, now 88, who claimed 28 victories during the Second World War, says he never would have opened fire if hed known his favorite author was at the controls. "If I had known it was Saint-Exupery, I would never have shot him down, Rippert told the London Daily Telegraph. "He knew admirably how to describe the sky, the thoughts and feelings of pilots. His work inspired many of us to take up our vocation."
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/saint-exupery-mystery-solved