A Higher Call

by Adam Makos
Category: "U.S. History - Military"
Pages:378
Year of Publication:2012
Date Added:07/25/2021
Date Read:02/14/2023
Notes:Subtitle: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II

Franz Stigler was a German fighter pilot. He was Catholic and not a Nazi. He saw action in Africa, Sicily, and Europe. At the end of the war, he flew German jets. In December, 1943, he was sent up to defend Bremen from American bombers. He came upon a B-17 that was badly damaged and appeared ready to crash. Instead of finishing it off, he flew alongside and made eye-contact with the pilot. He flew in formation with the bomber, escorting it through the German flak zone to prevent it from being shot down, then turned and flew back to Germany, fully expecting the plane to crash into the North Sea.

The pilot of the bomber was 20-year-old Charlie Brown. He somehow managed to fly the plane back to England and only lost one crewman, the tail gunner killed in the initial attack.

Forty years after the war, Charlie set out to find out more. Franz was still living, and the two men met and became friends.

The book focuses mostly on Franz, telling his story from the start of the war to the end. The encounter with Charlie only takes a few pages. There are a few chapters on Charlie and his crew leading up to the encounter.
My Rating: 8

Reviews for A Higher Call

Review - A Higher Call

It could have been quite a bit shorter and still have been as good. It went into details of Franz's service, including things that happened to other German pilots. At times it strayed very far from the central story. But the ending, when the two men met, was very powerful.

Franz claims he never knew about the Holocaust or the death camps until the very end. He came across as very anti-Hitler, and he may have been. Or maybe that's just the story he's told himself. Hard to know. Is it possible for fight for your country and be right when the country you're fighting for is so very wrong?

Reviewed by Roger on 2023-02-14 10:06:02

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