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 story

Well read and written a view of World War II that is a bit different.

Didn’t want to stop

Fantastic insight into both sides of a terrible war. It was enlightening to see how much the ordinary German disliked “the party”.

After 100’s of books my first review because...

This is an awesome book. My grandfather was in WW2 and when him and my great uncles would talk about the war and the battles they were in I was young and ignorant and missed out on the first hand stories. Now that’s all I want to read about. I love our history our American history that left wing politicians and activists want us to be ashamed of. Just like with family there is good bad and ugly but you still love them no matter what and that’s how I feel about our country and this book is just another page of our great history.

Amazing story from a rare perspective

Learning the perspective of a German fighter pilot was so interesting and horrifying. Loved the real life story of the hero's.

A higher call

The unbelievably true story of a heroic gentlemen fighter pilot and the courageous never surrender bomber.

Fascinating and Inspiring!

I read Unbreakable by Laura Hillenbrand and thought it was a great book. I was looking for something else that might be similar and I stumbled upon this and was not disappointed. This book is incredible and I use that word because had it been a novel, it would not have been believable. The story's focal point is the encounter between a German fighter ace and a young B-17 pilot on his first bombing mission over Germany. The author does eight years of research on the pilots involved and weaves a tale that is not only informative, but exciting and inspiring as well. In order for the reader to appreciate the full story of the one time encounter, ten minutes long, the author creates a context that gives the pilots' background and aviation experience. I loved the story and am very appreciative of the author keeping this event alive. In a world of violence and criminal evil, it is nice to read of decent men with ethics and morality that transcend their own time and place. I gave the performance only four stars. The narrator did a good job with the material and interpreted the voices of the characters nicely. There were times that his breathing was distracting. This surprised me as most of the narrators Audible or the publishers use somehow take out that distracting inhaling. It's not there the entire time, which is why I was even more surprised as to how the director let this slip through. But don't let that keep you from purchasing this book, the story more than makes up for a careless narrator.

Great story of WWII fliers

Any additional comments?

This was a very enjoyable book. The majority of the book is about the German ace and all of his experiences in WWII. Excellent writing and narrating kept me thoroughly engaged. If you're a military history buff, this is a must read.

loved the history lesson

loved this book and the humanity of the true story told from an unlikely source. I highly recommend this book.

History Remembered

Would you listen to A Higher Call again? Why?

Yes, definitely. This book details historical events that we are rapidly losing 1st hand accounts of. When I think of WW II, I think of all the atrocities that occurred, all the warfare. It's really easy to only focus on the enemy and targeting them, but this story shows both sides and helps preserve the truth--that we are only human and the enemy, too, is human. These men remind me of my grandfathers and everything they went through during WW II.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really liked Franz. He says some really funny things despite the somber theme.

Which scene was your favorite?

"Remember that we're here to shoot the machine, not the person in it." In the first half of the book, there's this great scene about how the German fighters are told not to shoot parachuters--that's not their mission. I was really moved by this part. Also, of course, the end when Franz and Charlie finally get to meet.

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

Definitely the part about remembering not to shoot the person but the machine. I also really enjoyed the initial phone conversation between Charlie and Franz when Charlie was finally able to locate Franz.

Any additional comments?

Such a great book! Everyone really should read this, even if you're not a history buff (which I don't consider myself to be). It's a great, brief reminder that good can and does exist in war.

Brought me to tears at 75 years old

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

Only if he or she could relate

Which scene was your favorite?

When they found each other.

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

With the help of God

Any additional comments?

At my age not many things move me, this book did. Thank you