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)

Great listen. One of the great books of WWII.

I've listened to many books about flyers in World War II this is one of the best. Give it a listen.

Incredible story made even better for being true

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

Well written and expertly read

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed learning about the day to day lives of the characters as well as their combat experiences. It was the manner in which the story unfolded, bit by bit that kept me on the edge of my seat, always wanting to hear what is next.

The absolute best though was the reunion, how it came about, how they each felt that was the high point in the story for me.

One final thought, my thoughts are also on Franz Steigler's parents, they are the reason he became the man he did!

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I don't know that listening to Robertson Dean was better than reading it myself. I can say he did a masterful job and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him!

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

I must admit to choking up listening to their reunion

Any additional comments?

WONDERFUL read, particularly for WWII buffs, but also for anyone who enjoys a good human interest story!

Brave patriots at war

Would you listen to A Higher Call again? Why?

Yes an amazing story by Adam Makos told with passion.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All the hero's

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dean brings color and love of story.

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

My wife and both cried in the end.

Any additional comments?

My second book read by Mister Dean going for another.

Couldn't Stop Listening

If you could sum up A Higher Call in three words, what would they be?

Enlightening masterful engaging

What did you like best about this story?

History of the German air war through the eyes of an ace. Never realized that the Nazi's were really a minority party and you didn't have to be a Nazi to be a warrior.

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

He's just awesome. Such emotion and perfect timing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end - vey emotional.

Any additional comments?

I can't get this out of my head! Spectacular.

Fantastic

Where does A Higher Call rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Listened to the book in 4 days. Hated having to turn it off. Fantastic listen,

An amazing story!

It was wonderful to read this true story of courage and bravery. It was interesting to read the story from the perspective of the "enemy".

Outstanding!!!

I’ve never been so captured by a story, it had me almost in tears towards the end!!!

Great book

Highly recommend. Great story. We’ll written and we’ll performed. Not just for war buffs. Everyone can enjoy the human story.

excellent in every way of both facts and story

I'm glad and amazed that this book was at no cost. I highly recommend it to anybody you get a better understanding of the air war between Germany and the United States. it's rewarding to learn about the characters and personalities and circumstances of those involved

Great book! Great story of some incredible men!

Incredible story of humanity in an inhumane war. Franz Stigler was a class act. RIP Franz and Charlie.