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)

What an absolute gem of a story

How had I never heard this story before this book? An amazing story and well written. A sobering reminder that in war even the "enemies" are compassionate people, thrust into a bad situation they have not control over.

Wow

I am a history nut and love the topic of ww2 and was aware of the story of the bf109 saving a b17 but wow, so in depth and entertaining. It really did change the way I think of war and the opposing sides.

Amazing story

Great book great story amazing just amazing. Cried about five times over the story. I’m buying the paper version for a gift to my dad, and wouldn’t be surprised if I hear this book again. I think its just amazing.

Great book couldn’t stop listening

Great details and vivid descriptions kept me hooked, the story line was really fascinating and loved it.

Inspiring!!!

It's inspiring to hear of so much good even amid the horrors of War.

One of the best books I have ever read

I don’t leave reviews. However, I had to leave a review for this one. This book is so important. I wish every person in America and Germany would listen to it. Thank you to the author and everyone involved. I was in the Air Force and the highest rating you can get is Outstanding. Well this book is Outstanding.

One of my top 3 favorite books of all time

Incredible and inspirational true story about fighter pilots and bomber crews in North Africa and Germany.

Simply amazing.

I will not soon forget this story. A fantastic listen for anyone, history buff or not.

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

This was a beautifully written story and the story itself was one of the greatest I’ve ever heard.

Loved this story!

Splitting the book into two parts, allowed the reader time to learn the main characters in depth. The first part of the book let's us get to know one for the American bomber pilot and his crew and the second part focuses on the life and the war experiences of the German Ace Fighter Pilot.
It is an enjoyable read and definitely held my interest. I loved this book even more because it is a true story!
Kterry