A Higher Call
Popular History Accessible Primary Sources
🇺🇸 American🇩🇪 German🌍 Multi-Perspective
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
- Readers who want 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
- Readers wary of 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
Berkley (2012)First edition.
PaperbackThe standard reading edition.
Read It Alongside
Masters of the Air Donald L. Miller · 2006 · ★ 4.5
Popular History 
Bomber Command Max Hastings · 1979 · ★ 4.6
Popular History 
Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand · 2010 · ★ 4.7
Collector's Corner
A recent title; inexpensive and easy to find. Check current listings. → Check listings on AbeBooks.
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.
Bomber Command Max Hastings · 1979 · British
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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.