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

Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

I cannot find the words...

I cannot find the words to describe how much I loved this story. Just finished it yesterday and still in awe of the men and their actions. I happened upon this story after reading a CNN article describing the basis of the book, then decided to check it out in Audible. Although not my typical read, I gave it a try and am so very thankful I did!

Going into the story, you know the high points and premise, but you do not know the back story and all that transpired prior to that fateful day. You get to live in each man's life as they first began their careers in the military, seeing and feeling what they experienced. As the days and months go by you learn about the core of each man and a basis for honor and duty that transcends simple words on a page. All leads up to the moment when they first met, completely unaware of the destiny awaiting them.

I cannot recommend this book more! The story is well researched and put together, with consideration and respect for all that lived it. The narrator was exceptional and brought the book to life. As I said in the beginning - I'm in awe of these gentlemen. After the book, please also look up the additional content on the author's site but I recommend you do this after finishing the book. Get to know Franz and Charlie as they were as young men, then watch videos of them after meeting for the first as old men (technically their second meeting). You will cry and the tears are out of respect, joy, and honor.

Riveting. Incredible. Heroic.

This is one of the last great un-heard stories of WWII. The author does an impressive job introducing us to the two main characters early on in the story and then proceeds to intertwine other characters and side stories while still maintaining the focus on the two pilots. I also liked to prespective from Germans against the Nazi party as WWII was ramping up.

This is a must listen to anyone who enjoyed Unbroken.

As always Robertson Dean's narration was spot on!

Highest recommendation.

This book and the story it tells are just amazing. While it is a book about WW2 and it doesn't doesn't pull punches about the horrors, it is not so much a good guys vs. bad guys story as it is a story about two men whose lives intersected in the sky over Germany, how they survived the war, and how they found each other much later. It is a book for anyone interested in the war or in flying, but even more, it is a powerful study of human spirit.

Wow, what an incredible read!!

What did you love best about A Higher Call?

Great story of integrity doing the right thing in the face of danger and hardship. Amazing story that is History!

Heart Warming True Story About Warriors from Different Sides

This is an EXCELLENT tale of two Warriors from World War II from opposing sides. It took COURAGE and a STRENGTH OF CHARACTER for the circumstances to happen and the World is a little bit better because it happened!

I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to either get the book and read it or get the audiobook and listen to it. Do both and give one to a Friend. Then, after you know the story, tell others about it!!! This is the kind of story that everyone should hear about!

This is a must read/listen !

Would you listen to A Higher Call again? Why?

Yes, One of the best written and told stories of the war.

What other book might you compare A Higher Call to and why?

Nothing comes close

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

All the German fighter pilots

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Absolutely fantastic true story and it could not have be narrated any better than by Robertson Dean

An amazing tale

A recount of great courage and rare compassion in todays world. A story of humanity

Untold Story

What made the experience of listening to A Higher Call the most enjoyable?

What an interesting book about an untold event in WW II. I gained further insight into what went on in the skies over Britain and Germany and the unwritten code of Honor that many pilots followed during that war. A very good read that was a pleasure to listen to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Higher Call?

German respect for other fliers.

What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?

He did a good job of telling the story.

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

No not really. It is a book about a real event and one that you want to plause and think about.

Worth Your Time

I had to invest some time in this book, but the payoff was worth it. Loved learning the stories of Franz Stiegler and of his daring efforts during World War II.

Amazing Reminder of the Goodness in People

What made the experience of listening to A Higher Call the most enjoyable?

In our current era where it is too easy to hate and assume the worst of people with whom our country is at odds, this is a reminder of choices we can make.