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)

Gorgeous!!!! Best of the year! 5+Stars!

Thank you Adam Makos for writing this book! From a young age, I saw WWII Germans as the really bad guys. As I grow older, I still struggle with these feelings about the citizens of Nazi Germany, which causes a lack of empathy about their loss and suffering.

The author of this book felt the same way when he started his correspondence with a United States WWII pilot, Charlie Brown, the Captain of a B17 bomber. Charlie had an exceptional story from his time flying the B17 bomber over Germany. The caveat was that before Charlie would tell his story, he wanted the author to first speak with Franz Stigler, a Bavarian fighter pilot for Germany during WWII, now living in Canada.

The story that is told in this book is just breathtaking, heartbreaking, and utterly compelling. I was absorbed in every second of this book, finishing it in one sitting and wanting more!

The pilots fighting for Germany were not allowed to be affiliated with a political party. Though I'm sure many were National Socialists (Nazis), there were many who despised the changes brought by the Nazi Regime. The story of Franz Stigler is fascinating and important; it demonstrates the humanity of the "enemy". The strange relationship between Charlie and Franz is so touching and beautiful.

Best book of the year! Don't hesitate to buy this one!!

Unusual, could not put it down, fantastic!

WWII from an entirely different perspective. Enthralling read, perfect narration. The author's research is unbelievable. Makes one wonder if Makos has been contacted by Hollywood for a movie. I hope so on one hand, but on the other, screenplays quite often water down the content far too much and part of the joy of this book is the detail presented on a closely knit time-line. In any case, I acquired a much different perspective on German military sensibilities during that era as a result of this great history lesson.

Fantastic story!

Thank God for men who remain sensitive to His leading, despite horrors about them. Awesome!

"Incredible" doesn't even begin to cover it

This was such an incredible story, it's hard to know just what to say, but that adjective hardly begins to cover it. Makos' research and detail in recounting the events of the lives of the two pilots during the war was so in depth, you would think he had been there, watching over their shoulders the whole time. And it isn't just about the one fateful day when their paths crossed in the air over Germany... It was a full biography of both men and their careers as pilots, everything that lead to them being who they were that day, and their lives after.

It was a sad story in that they were at war and terrible things and death surrounded all of them, but it was uplifting too because they survived it and not only that, they did so with bravery and integrity, answering that "higher call" despite the horrors and hatred all around. And how incredible, that not only did they both survive, but that they found each other decades later...

Makos' words and storytelling were powerful and masterful, adding to the already intense emotions evoked by the story. I ran the gambit of emotions with them, from laughing at a pilot's glib remark, sharing terror in crisis and in suspense with the bomber crew as they fought to fly home, and cried at tragedies and the loss of good men, and also joined in the tears at the reunion of Franz and Charlie.

The narration by Dean was well matched to the tone of the book - he was documentary-like in his narration at times, but kept you feeling connected with the men and action, and adapted adequate character voices for dialogue. He took the authors words to the next level, putting you there in the scene, in the cockpit and the foxhole, praying and wondering when the war would finally end.

Certainly an unforgettable tale, and those images of the wounded Pub and other moments will not soon leave my mind.

A heartwarming tale from our greatest generqtion.

Being a veteran myself I was not sure how I was going to take this story but I am so glad I stuck with it. Mr. Makos tells a story of faith and war and how each weaves into the other. I am truly awed by the story and I am sure there are others now lost to time that were similar from this time period. Well worth the time investment to read.

This should be "Required Reading" for Politicians

I wonder what our future would look like if this true story were in our history books and in our government. I have very few regrets, but one is that I did not pay closer attention to the friends and family members who served in WW2. I was late to the table!

Amazing Story

such a great story . why is this not a major motion picture. so good.

the story shows compassion of your enemy .

I think this book was one of the best books I ever read on humanity. I just cannot believe but I was reading being born 1955 I was way too young to be part of the world war II. the stories of some of the books I read are just unbelievable. but this one is one of the top stories I ever read in this show both sides of this conflict was even more intriguing. I hope I can find more books like this. I love this book narration was phenomenal.

A story so exceptional it is almost unbelievable

Absolutely loved this book and the incredible story. This book does an excellent job showing both worlds colliding.

Phenomenol window into the German perspective

I encounter between the two pilots was incredible, but while that was what initially drew me in, it was not the part I loved the most. This book gives a heartbreaking account of what it means to be an officer in Nazi Germany. Franz Stigler's story gives a snapshot of numerous officers who hated the regime but loved their country. This book provides a perfect combination of honor, bravery, and tragic sacrifice that is only compounded because you know that they lose the war. It's a story about the journey Stigler goes through where he turns from a man seeking vengeance to someone who knows better. Every life lost is a punch to the gut. I would highly recommend this story to anyone interested in WW2