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)

Inspirational

I liked everything about this book, the story, the narrator and the message behind it. Well done.

A Must Read ... All about honor during a war!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! Not only my friends, but everyone should listen to this book. We often forget that Hitler came to power with only 44% of the vote. Not every German was a member of the party and not all were part of the "Final Solution." Many Germans fought for country -- not for the Nazi party or ideology.

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

"Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery" by Metaxas

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

Hard to say: both the American pilot Charlie and the German pilot Fritz were convincing characters.

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

When the two pilots finally meet 40+ years later.

Greatest Book on Heroism in Decades

What an amazing and engaging narrative! This book compares to Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels in that it is not only a well written story, but the reader will not look either the Germans or the Americans as the enemy. We have individuals rhat as the story unfolds we vegin to care very much about refardless of which iniform they wear.

Excellent story. Very gripping.

The audio presentation was excellent. The subject matter is intriguing. The story fantastic. Especially since it's true. It's a fantastic tale. I loved it.

In the same class as Unbroken

What did you love best about A Higher Call?

Great stories about real people and the decisions they made, that in, turn made them

What did you like best about this story?

The realness of the writing, these are real people.

Any additional comments?

It's a solid read if you like WWII history. It reminded me in parts of Unbroken, not as dramatic, but gut-wrenching real life people doing things during war time. Franz shows there is a human side, and that honor existed among the Third Reich.

inspiring

this was such a wonderful heartfelt story. it really gives you a deeper look into what went on in Germany during World War II and truly explains the difference between a Nazi and a German

WWII, courage and kindness

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it's a fascinating story from history. It gives two perspectives and gives a glimpse of the life of the pilots on each side.

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

When the american bomber is helpless & meets the German up close and personal.

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

No, I've never listened to this narrator before, but really enjoyed his performance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Unexpected deliverance made possible by an enemy.

Wonderfully heartwarming!

This an amazing true story from WWII both well written and read. Loved every minute.

Exceptional and touching story!

Any additional comments?

Phenomenal story and well written. A must-listen. A true, touching human interest story. A movie should be made of this immediately!

An Amazing True Story

This is a great story of how an accomplished German ace, Franz Stigler, chose not to shoot down a crippled B-17 being flown on a crew's first mission by a U.S. pilot named Charlie Brown. It chronicles the stories of the two men leading up to the encounter, their war experience before and after, and their improbable reunion decades later.

Adam Makos is an accomplished writer. His descriptions of combat bring the details and horrors of the air war to life. He provides an excellent and vivid description of the travails, discomfort and bravery of both protagonists and their fellow pilots and crews. It really is a riveting story.

In my view, the book ultimately focused on Franz Stigler. In fact, it might be subtitled "The Franz Stigler Story." That is fine, because Stigler, mostly forgotten before this book, was a very accomplished German ace. He flew with many of the more storied German fighter pilots, including many profiled in "The German Aces Speak" (also available on Audible). He flew in the squadron of aces at the end of the war who flew the Me 262 jet. Only the best were in that squadron.

I'm also surprised that a little more ink was not devoted to the reunion story of the two men, who became good friends and appeared together quite often near the end of their lives. There is some good video of both men available on the net.

When Franz started flying for the Luftwaffe, one of his mentors told him never to shoot at a defenseless man in a parachute. When Franz encountered the B-17, which was literally shot to pieces with a dead tail gunner and severely wounded men on board, he determined, I think, that shooting it down would be morally the same as shooting a man in a parachute.

The encounter seems to have had a rather profound effect on Franz. He was just short of a Knight's Cross (awarded only to high ranking aces) before the encounter. Afterwards, he did his duty and did shoot down other planes. But it seems he stopped counting. I think he just wanted the war to be over.

Really good book.