Public Republic

Many people all over the world admire the great French writer Antoine de Saint Exupery but few of his keen readers know the truth about his death. The “father” of “the little prince” has been an aviator for a long time, going on mission trips in numerous countries, and his passion for piloting has influenced some of his popular books like Night Flight and Wind, Sand and Stars.

And then comes the World War II. On Monday, 31 July 1944, Antoine de Saint Exupery’s airplane takes off from Bastia-Borgo and never lands. Did he commit a suicide? Was his plane damaged?

More than 50 years were necessary to find the ruins of his Lightning P-38 aircraft. In 1998 a fisherman finds near Marseille the silver bracelet of Antoine de Saint Exupery. Later, a team of enthusiasts examine the surrounding area and finally unravel the mystery: the world-famous writer and aviator died in a fight for France. The German pilot Horst Rippert shot him down.

The research of Exupery’s disappearence is described in the documentary of Roger Moench, starring Daniel Brühl, André Hennicke and Herbert Knaup.