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)

A Higher CallI

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The fact that it is nonfiction makes it all the more intriguing. The tracing of the two Words War II military pilots weaved back and forth, but I didn't find this disconcerting. If you like to read a book that deals with individuals from opposing sides of a world wide conflict, then you should find the book well worth reading for yourself.

Very moving story

I picked the book up curious about the main story but learned so much about the men of honor who were German pilots. One of the best books I’ve read!

A great read, an excellent listen!

After reading the original book years ago, I thought to listen to the audio version as a refresher, and thoroughly enjoyed it! A great listen during work hours.

A Tale of True Courage and Honor

This has without a doubt become my favorite biographical book of World War II book. It is truly an amazing tale of courage, honor, and the brotherhood forged in combat. Amazing!

Not what I expected

A insghtfull look at adversaries who share a code of honor and respect in the heat of battle over the sky’s of Germany.
Though they were enemies, in their depths they were good men.

Inspirational

Wonderful story with deep exploration of many Air Force individuals that surround the two main pilots from opposing countries during and after the Second World War.
Excellent research excellent writing excellent audio book.

Speechless

I don't even know where to begin. After a year of using audible, this by far is one of the best books I have ever listened to or read. I've read many great World War II books (D-Day, Band of Brothers, etc), but this told from a German fighter pilot perspective was such an eye-opener. Hearing the reunion of Charlie and Franz made me YouTube it as well. Such an amazing and well told story and narration was perfect.

inspiring and informative!

I enjoyed listening to this story of bravery, dedication, and humanity during an often inhumane time. My father was a WWII pilot and I come away with a renewed respect for what he and so many sacrificed for their countries.

A wonderful story

Excellent on all counts. Very moving. Makes one have hope for mankind and the future.

A story everyone needs to hear!

A view of WW2 from the point of a German (mostly) which makes you feel sympathy for those that had no choice. It makes you see the enemy as human too, with a family and loved ones just like you. A story everyone needs to hear.