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)

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.

Superb, well-balanced, true WW2 story

This is an exceptional story of courage and valor in the skies during World War 2. It is impeccably narrated by Robertson Dean which adds to the listening experience.

Not a holocaust story like most of the WW2 books I listen to, this one tells a true story of the men (and women) who were fighting for their countries in the skies above Europe. It focuses on a particular incident, which in reality, is a very small part of the book, yet the rest of the book was equally as fascinating and engrossing.

However, the incident that inspired this book is an example of a person doing the unexpected, acting outside the box, being brave enough to do the right thing, despite what it could have cost him. A few times during the listen, I had tears in my eyes. This book, nevertheless, is a very uplifting story, very inspirational and affirming. It is a book that I can imagine listening to again very soon.

Highly recommended!

Unbelievable

An incredible Story. If you love stories about WW2 then this book is a must have for your Library.
A different perspective of the War that you would almost think is Fiction.
After listening to this book I realize that I know only a fraction of what these Soldiers went through.

Beautiful

What an amazing story this was. And beautifully written. Well worth the read and time.

So Good, For So Many Reasons

What did you love best about A Higher Call?

An incredibly poignant story. Brought me to tears at times. Yet I learned a lot, too. Very interesting and well researched piece.

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

Well, there are more than just one! When Ye Olde a Pub was leaving Germany and going across the Channel. The pilots meeting up several years later. Those are two of the best.

What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?

E V E R Y T H I N G! I think he's my favorite narrator right now.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I cried a couple times, but also smiled at some of the touching moments or moments of triumph.

Any additional comments?

Just Wow! You won't regret using your credit on this. I also highly recommend "For Crew and Country" also narrated by Robertson Dean.

Incredible Book, Incredible Story!

What did you love best about A Higher Call?

My father and I have read several books about World War II and this is my favorite so far, giving some insight to the German point of view. This book shows that courage is sometimes doing the right thing no matter the cost. Incredible story and very well done!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Franz - because he did what was right even though it could have cost him his life and the fact that he embraced Charlie later in life as a "brother".

Have you listened to any of Robertson Dean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

n/a

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I cried my eyes out at the end (not normal for me) and ended up looking up the authors info on the web and watched the videos of the two pilots first meeting after the war and cried again... very moving.

Any additional comments?

My father and I have read several World War II books and have our own little book club conversations about the books we read. This book touched both of us in a very deep way and the conversations about it were very intense. We both loved it and look forward to reading another book by Adam Makos Voices of the Pacific.

amazing story

Very inspirational and inspiring especially learning what the German pilots went through against impossible odds and the propaganda of the Nazi party against them.

Franz Stigler is my hero. Great book!

Great book! Good insight into life on the inside for a high level Luftwaffe pilot. Also a very touching story. Highly recommended.

Interesting

Interesting story, but gets sometimes gets bogged down with lots of details about airplanes. If you like lots of details about planes, you probably would give this five stars.