A Higher Call
A German ace escorts a crippled American bomber to safety over the North Sea — and the two pilots meet again fifty years later.
The Verdict
The most famous act of mercy in the air war, reconstructed from both cockpits. In December 1943 a German ace, Franz Stigler, found a crippled American B-17 limping toward the North Sea and, instead of finishing it off, escorted it to safety — an act that could have had him shot. Adam Makos tells the story of both pilots, the German and the American, and of the friendship they formed when they found each other decades later. It is a story about honour inside a campaign that allowed little of it, and it is genuinely affecting.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- A true story of chivalry in the air war
- Humanity amid the bombing
- Both the German and American pilots' lives
- An uplifting, well-told narrative
Look elsewhere if you want
- A broad history of the air campaign
- An account without a feel-good frame
- Operational or technical depth
Why We Rated It 4.5
Historical Context
In December 1943, German fighter ace Franz Stigler encountered a badly damaged American B-17 bomber over Germany and escorted it to relative safety rather than shooting it down. The two pilots, Stigler and the American Charlie Brown, met again decades after the war. Published in 2012, the book reconstructs both men's lives and the encounter.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0425255735
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the encounter in A Higher Call true?
- Yes — Franz Stigler really escorted Charlie Brown's crippled B-17 to safety, and the two later met and became friends.
- Whose perspective does the book take?
- Both pilots' — it follows the German ace and the American bomber pilot, and the bond they formed after the war.