A Higher Call

An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II By; Adam Makos I really enjoyed reading this excellent, well researched effort by a young author. He discovered this story while researching for WWII veteran’s stories while they were still with us. The interviews were done fifty-nine years after war’s end. He found the name Charlie Brown. While interviewing, Charlie told him to first talk to Stigler and then he would tell his story. He said “In this story, I’m just a character; Franz Stigler is the real hero”. In the process he discovered one of the greatest untold stories in military history. The two main persons in this story were Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, the pilot of a B-17, Flying Fortress with the 379th Bombardment Group; and Franz Stigler, a German Fighter pilot flying a Messerschmitt 109. They came together on a cold December day in 1943. It was Charlies first command flight, a bombing raid on Bremen by 475 bombers. As part of his formation he had dropped his bombs and was returning when hit by flak. He and another plane were forced to leave the protection of the formation and try to make it back on their own. They were attacked by a flight of Focke-Wulf 190’s. The other plane was shot down. His was severely damaged and limping back. His gunners were able to shoot down two of the pursuers. Half his crew was either dead or wounded. Only one gun was able to function. The plane was severely damaged. They flew right over a German Air Base and Stigler got into his plane to finish him off. What happened in the next few minutes is the reason this book was published. So incredible it is hard to believe it could have occurred. I will ask you to read so you learn in the reading. Most of the book is spent telling of their lives before, during and after the war. Charlie completed 29 missions and Franz 487 mostly in the I09 but near the end of the war in the Me-262, a jet fighter that was faster than any of our fighters and in my opinion had they been produced in quantity the bombing of Germany would have been impossible to achieve. Franz as a young man considered the priesthood but when the war began he enlisted. As a fighter pilot he scored many victories starting in N. Africa then Sicily, Italy and finally Germany. The bulk of this book is of his four year history of flying combat which only ended when the war was over. We also read about Brown’s tour of duty. Of all of the WWII books I have read this one stands alone in first place. I highly recommend reading. Jack B. Walters May 27, 2020