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Pilot Claims He Shot Down ‘Little Prince’ Author
March 19, 2008 10:38 AM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The mystery surrounding the death of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French aviator and author, may have been solved by the man who unwittingly killed him.
30-Second Summary
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, whose children’s story “The Little Prince” is beloved by readers around the world, disappeared during an aerial reconnaissance mission in 1944.
Now, a former German pilot named Horst Rippert says in an upcoming book that he pursued and shot down Saint-Exupery’s plane during World War II.
Rippert told the Associated Press that he was a fan of Saint-Exupéry’s work.
“In our youth, at school, we had all read him. We loved his books,” Rippert said. “If I had known, I would not have opened fire. Not on him!”
Rippert suspected early on that he had shot down Saint-Exupéry’s plane, but kept it a secret fearing his career might be damaged.
The pilot’s confession is the final piece in a puzzle that has confounded historians for years.
A silver bracelet believed to have belonged to Saint-Exupéry was first discovered back in 1998. And the remains of Saint-Exupéry’s Lockheed Lightning P38 plane were found in 2000 and identified in 2004.
According to PBS, “The Little Prince” was inspired by Saint-Exupéry’s experience flying over the Sahara desert.
Now, a former German pilot named Horst Rippert says in an upcoming book that he pursued and shot down Saint-Exupery’s plane during World War II.
Rippert told the Associated Press that he was a fan of Saint-Exupéry’s work.
“In our youth, at school, we had all read him. We loved his books,” Rippert said. “If I had known, I would not have opened fire. Not on him!”
Rippert suspected early on that he had shot down Saint-Exupéry’s plane, but kept it a secret fearing his career might be damaged.
The pilot’s confession is the final piece in a puzzle that has confounded historians for years.
A silver bracelet believed to have belonged to Saint-Exupéry was first discovered back in 1998. And the remains of Saint-Exupéry’s Lockheed Lightning P38 plane were found in 2000 and identified in 2004.
According to PBS, “The Little Prince” was inspired by Saint-Exupéry’s experience flying over the Sahara desert.
Headline Links: Wartime author mystery solved
A former Luftwaffe pilot says that he shot down the beloved French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry during World War II, reports the BBC. In extracts from his upcoming book, 88-year-old Horst Rippert describes seeing Saint-Exupéry’s twin-tailed Lightning P-38 plane flying below him, then pursuing and shooting him down.
Source: The BBC
Rippert was a fan of Saint-Exupéry’s work, and says he would not have shot him down had he known the plane was piloted by the famed writer, reports the Associated Press. He said that he could not see the pilot and that it would have been impossible for him to know it was Saint-Exupéry. “In our youth, at school, we had all read him. We loved his books,” Rippert said. “If I had known, I would not have opened fire. Not on him!”
Source: The Boston Globe
Rippert said that he suspected within days that he had shot down Saint-Exupéry, according to Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail. But he kept his secret for more than 60 years out of fear for his career. He said that Saint-Exupéry was an inspiration for many pilots like him. “He could deftly describe the sky, the thoughts and feelings of pilots. His work inspired our vocation for many of us. I liked the man,” Rippert said.
Source: Globe and Mail
Background Links: Following the clues to the death of ‘Little Prince’ author
In 1998, a French fisherman’s discovery of a silver bracelet inscribed with the names of Saint-Exupéry and his wife Consuela first shed light on the location of the remains of Saint-Exupéry’s plane.
Source: The BBC
The location of the wreckage of Saint-Exupéry’s plane caused some to surmise that he had committed suicide by deliberately crashing his plane into the Mediterranean Sea. “I think he was suffering from depression, and hounded by politicians," Luc Vanrell, the diver who found the wreckage, told the Cyber Divers News Network. "If he did decide to end it all by plunging into the sea, I think it was a courageous and even noble end."
Source: Cyber Divers News Network
After 60 years of mystery, the remains of Saint-Exupéry’s plane were identified in 2004. The Lockheed Lightning P38 was found on the Mediterranean seabed in 2000. “This was our holy grail,” said Philippe Castellano, president of an aviation association that helped authorities identify the debris. “We never even imagined this.”
Source: CBS News
The Wall Street Journal examined the lasting appeal of Saint-Exupéry and his children’s tale “The Little Prince,” which is said to be one of the best-selling books in the world, surpassed only by the Bible and "Das Kapital."
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Reference: Chasing the Sun
PBS provides a short biography of Saint-Exupéry, along with profiles of other notable pilots such as Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes. Saint-Exupéry’s love of aviation inspired many of his stories. In fact, “The Little Prince” was inspired by his experiences flying over the Sahara desert.
Source: PBS
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