A Higher Call

An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II

By: Adam Makos

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: “Beautifully told.”—CNN • “A remarkable story…worth retelling and celebrating.”—USA Today • “Oh, it’s a good one!”—Fox News

A beautiful story of a brotherhood between enemies emerges from the horrors of World War II in this New York Times bestseller by the author of Devotion, now a Major Motion Picture.

Four days before Christmas in 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a twenty-one-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber’s tail—a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II.

This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day—the American—Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17—and the German—Second Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II.

A Higher Call follows both Charlie and Franz’s harrowing missions. Charlie would face takeoffs in English fog over the flaming wreckage of his buddies’ planes, flak bursts so close they would light his cockpit, and packs of enemy fighters that would circle his plane like sharks. Franz would face sandstorms in the desert, a crash alone at sea, and the spectacle of one thousand bombers, each with eleven guns, waiting for his attack.

Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at one another. What happened between them, the American Eighth Air Force would later classify as top secret. It was an act that Franz could never mention without facing a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would search for one another, a last mission that could change their lives forever.

©2012 Adam Makos (P)2013 Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Critic reviews

“This book grips you like a movie. It’s part Top Gun, part Valkyrie, and more!”(Marcus Brotherton, New York Times best-selling author

“It is often said that ‘war is hell’ - and it is - however, this story reveals how the human spirit can shine in the darkest hours. A Higher Call is an eye-opener.” (Col. Charles McGee, Tuskegee Airman, WWII)

“‘Can good men be found on both sides of a bad war?’ The author asks the question and delivers the answer. A powerful, haunting read.” (Chuck Tatum, author of Red Blood, Black Sand)

Incredible story of grace and honor in WWII

If you are a history buff, you owe it to yourself to listen to or read this amazing story. The author did an outstanding job in relaying this story and making you feel a part of both men’s lives leading up to and after this heroic deed of mid-air chivalry. Two thumbs way up!!

Excellent story full of depth and detail

Would you consider the audio edition of A Higher Call to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

The in-depth background given most of the characters and the timeline of the air battles related to the ground war and political feeling in each country.

Which character – as performed by Robertson Dean – was your favorite?

The German jet fighter.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I drove around town and took the long way to finish a chapter. I listened with earbuds while I was hand sewing.

Any additional comments?

Everyone would enjoy this story but especially relatives of B-17 pilots and crew.

A great story

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read.....an inspiring story of greatness in trying times....

Greatest Generation!

I am so amazed at how many stories you can find about those who served and lived and died during World War II. This is an incredible story of men who were supposed to be enemies (according to their governments) but who ended up saving each other’s lives on so many levels! So inspiring! Loved it!

A heroic saga!

A riveting tale of Chivalry, sacrifice, and redemption in the skies over Europe during WWII!

Compassion in battle

This was an amazing story. Although both the American's and the Germans fought gallantly for their countries, many had the utmost respect for their enemies and displayed compassion and mercy during a time that was horrific for both. This book clearly reflects the honor, courage and empathy that those that have never fought in a war can't begin to imagine.

Amazing

No words can describe this tale of how God stood in the gap between two enemies on 12/20/1943

Read it twice

Because of this beautiful story, I wanted to learn more about WW2 and have since read many other amazing books about WW2.

Incredible Indeed!

Well told, well read, and fascinating on so many levels, a "Higher Call" relates in page turning fashion the men behind the oxygen masks in combat aircraft during WWII. My husband, a naval aviator during VN, was captivated by the details of the flying as well as the human side of the men piloting the aircraft. After listening to this in its entirety, it's hard not to believe in miracles, purpose, and guidance in our lives. Informative, inspiring, entertaining---what else could we want in an audio book?

Left me in tears of goodness.

Wonderful story, made all the better because it's true. It really brought to life what it was like to be a fighter pilot in WWII. Certainly not as romantic as novels would have us believe. Solid narrator, too. All around well worth the listen. Left me moved and in tears.