January 9, 1903 Dive bomb pilot Melitta Schiller Von Stauffenberg was born. Although she wanted to work for the Red Cross, Stauffenberg was ordered to serve in WWII as a Luftwaffe test pilot. By flying over 2,500 sorties she saved her family, of Jewish descent, from being deported to prison camps. In 1944, Stauffenberg’s brothers-in-law were executed for their attempt on Hitler’s life. She was arrested for the plot but released and ordered to continue flying.
