MIRACLE IN THE AIR
General Pettygree
TRUE STORY
"I learned about this most singular and extraordinary story from an American pilot. The remarkable facts he described aroused my curiosity and if true would serve as the most remarkable story I have yet had the honour to reveal to you. A long passage aboard a Douglas C-47 Dakota transport plane eventually brought me to...."
"One of the American 15th Air Force bases north of the heel in the boot of Italy at the town of Bari on The Adriatic Sea."
"As we circled the field, I noted formidable Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers awaiting a next mission which will feature prominently in the story."
"After presenting myself at headquarters I sought and was granted permission to speak with Captain James, one of the B-17 pilots who knew about the event about which I had travelled thousands of miles to hear about firsthand."
"After pleasantries the easy-going manner of Captain James concisely related what had happened."
"Well, yah see, Sir, our squadron was ordered by General Twining...he's the commander of the 15th Air Force. He ordered us to bomb a town north of here named...."
San Giovanni Rotundo
"He was convinced the Germans were storing munitions and supplies in the town. There were two bombing missions. I was in the second."
"What happened Captain?"
"It isn't easy to explain since I was not present on the first mission. However, as the 17s approached the town the first time, the strangest thing happened. Before the planes reached the village...."
"All bomb bay doors opened followed by dropping every egg harmlessly in fields below. The bombardiers didn't do this. There were no detonations! This happened to every 17. And...."
Interrupting, I said, "That was indeed strange. What did General Twining say about it?"
"He thought we were all nuts or something so, he ordered a second mission and this time he would fly in one of the bombers to investigate, you know, to see for himself. That's where I come into the story. I flew in that mission."
"What happened, Captain?"
The exact same thing, Sir. Everyone on the mission saw what happened. So, I'm not crazy. As we approached San Giovanni Rotundo, every bomb bay door opened by themselves and the cache of bombs all fell harmlessly below again. The bombardiers didn't do this. Mine didn't."
"Incredible! Is that all?
"No. There's more, Sir. Harder to explain, too! The 17s turned for home by themselves. I know because mine did and there was nothing, I could do about it."
"This is hard to believe, Captain."
"Yes, Sir. But here's the rest. Flying along in front of us was a huge apparition of a Roman Catholic Monk apparently turning us away from the village. We all saw him."
"I can still see him in my memory Sir, as real and as plain as you and I standing here."
"Thank you, Captain. My readers will surely - hopefully - be transfixed by our adaptation of events."
"Next dear readers, Bill will present quotes and sources for this real event so you can do your own investigation. I invite you to do so suspending bias and disbelief - pursuing truth."
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ITALIAN TRIBUNE QUOTES AND LINK
1. "As the historical account goes, the bombers...were stopped midair by a monk who was flying right in front of their planes with his arms extended out and his hands out facing them. The allied pilots who were from many nationalities and faiths, kept returning to base with the news that they did not complete their mission because a 'flying monk' in the air kept preventing them from bombing the city. There were often mysterious malfunctions, causing the bombs to drop harmlessly in the fields or mechanical failures that caused the planes to veer off course."
2. "Stationed at the base was General Nathan F. Twining and upon hearing these bizarre reports...decided to lead the bombing [squadron] himself to see what was going on. He decided to launch another bombing raid.... He reported that as they neared the monastery in San Giovanni Rotundo, a monk appeared in the clouds right in front of his plane and that he was flying at the same speed.... He reported that the monk had his hands extended and immediately, all the...bomb bay doors were opened, the bombs fell harmlessly into the open fields below and their planes turned around by themselves."
3. "After the war, General Twining went to San Giovanni Rotundo. As he walked up the steps to the monastery, he found himself standing right in front of Padre Pio, who humorously quipped, 'So you are the one who wanted to destroy everything.' He became good friends with Padre Pio."
BOOK: PADRE PIO AND YOU
Author Mary O'Reagan tells the same story in her 2025 book about Padre Pio adding:
4. "The flabbergasted Twining got back to his army base and recounted the story to the others. An Italian officer volunteered that the monk was probably Padre Pio. Curiosity led the officer to make a trip to San Giovanni, where he saw Pio in the flesh and knew beyond doubt that he was the Franciscan [monk] who had halted him in the sky.... Twining [a Protestant] converted to Catholicism, but he waited until later in life to be more open about having seen Padre Pio flying that day." Page 221.
5. O'Reagan relates similar stories with Padre Pio's apparition preventing bombing missions from Italian pilots Pascal Cataneo and Gaetano Povone, plus Mexican pilot Alfonso D'Artega on pages 222-224.
6. According to Wikipedia, Twining rose to be Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force and later as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
7. One of my favorite quotes about intellectual integrity was written by the late Charles Krauthammer. "I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking."
8. Your comments and sentiments are welcome.
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