“A Higher Call” by Adam Makos

In the skies over Germany on December 20, 1943, an unlikely alliance was formed. 2nd Lieutenant Charlie Brown, then twenty-one was flying his B-17 that was miraculously still in the air despite massive damage and a crew that was either gravely wounded or dead when out his window Charlie spotted a German fighter plane. What happened next was swept under the rug for decades but bonded the two pilots who never spoke a word to one another. The two men go on to survive the war through dangerous ordeals, always curious what happened to the other after that life altering decision between an enemy and an adversary. Forty years later Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown decide to take on one last mission, to find out what happened to the pilot who saved the other’s life and the other to find out if the decision he made that day was worth it. As a history buff, I couldn’t recommend “A Higher Call” more. Franz & Charlie’s stories were so incredibly interesting and so unique to hear first hand from a German officer’s perspective. I listened to the audiobook version which was very entertaining and well done. This might be my favorite non-fiction read of the year so far. Be sure to add “A Higher Call” to your TBR list if you are interested in this time period. You won’t regret it.

Purchase a copy of “A Higher Call” here.