A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II

Charlie Brown was an American B-17 pilot whose crew’s harrowing experience is the second half of A Higher Call’s narrative. Raised in rural West Virginia, Brown’s background as a farm boy and National Guardsman shapes his sense of duty and perseverance. The book introduces him as an earnest but green leader—earning the respect of his crew, nicknamed “The Quiet Ones,” through patience and calm authority.

Brown’s first independent combat mission on December 20, 1943, is a trial by fire. Assigned a vulnerable corner position in the formation, his B-17 is shredded by flak and fighter attacks, losing crew members and control systems while sustaining catastrophic structural damage. Brown’s leadership under unimaginable stress—keeping the plane aloft, tending to wounded, and refusing to bail out over Germany—demonstrates both personal bravery and deep responsibility to his men.

The moment Stigler chooses not to finish them off becomes a haunting memory for Brown. Decades after the war, plagued by nightmares and unanswered questions, he begins to search for the German pilot who spared them. Their eventual reunion is not merely a personal closure but an emblematic gesture of reconciliation, showing how acts of mercy can transcend decades of animosity and reshape lives.

Gustav Roedel was a decorated Luftwaffe ace and leader who deeply influenced Franz Stigler’s professional and moral development. As commander of 4./JG 27 in North Africa, Roedel embodies a form of principled, professional soldiering that explicitly rejected Nazi ideology in favor of personal honor and responsibility. Early in Stigler’s deployment, Roedel intervenes after Stigler panicked in combat, mentoring him in both tactics and character by stressing survival over kill counts.

Roedel’s command style shapes the Desert Wing’s distinctive ethos. Though he celebrates victories, he reminds his pilots that they shot down machines—not men. His approach stands in sharp contrast to the propaganda-driven, ruthless competition for the Knight’s Cross. This moral nuance frames the culture in which Stigler matures as a pilot, seeding the values that later lead him to spare a helpless enemy bomber.

Roedel’s return from injury to a deteriorating war also symbolizes the erosion of those ideals. As the Luftwaffe faces impossible odds and internal scandals over falsified victory claims, Roedel’s leadership is both a stabilizing force and a poignant reminder of what is lost. Through Roedel, A Higher Call shows how leadership can inspire ethical conduct even in an environment designed to crush it.

Hans-Joachim Marseille was one of the Luftwaffe’s most celebrated aces, renowned for his astonishing kill tally in North Africa. Known as “The Star of Africa,” Marseille’s flamboyant flying style, magnetic personality, and lethal skill made him both a legend and a controversial figure within JG 27. A Higher Call introduces Marseille as a charismatic but polarizing presence, who fascinates and provokes his fellow pilots, including Stigler.

Marseille’s informal mentorship of Stigler during a late-night bar encounter reflects the code of the Desert Wing. He and Werner Schroer offer Stigler pragmatic combat tips and philosophical reflections on mercy, suggesting that true mastery includes knowing when not to kill. This complex attitude contributes to the unit’s distinctive honor code, even as Marseille’s high victory count raises suspicions among peers like Voegl.

Marseille’s sudden death in a bailout accident looms large in the narrative, symbolizing both the fragility of wartime glory and the personal toll of combat. For Stigler and others, Marseille’s passing marked the end of an era in North Africa, reinforcing the themes of lost innocence and the bitter cost of fame that pervade Makos’s account.

Adolf Galland was one of Nazi Germany’s most prominent fighter aces and Luftwaffe generals, embodying the contradictions of professionalism within a criminal regime. In A Higher Call, Galland appears first as the inspector of fighters demanding new tactics to counter Allied bombers, pushing Stigler and his comrades to adopt deadly head-on attacks.

Later, Galland becomes a central figure in the Luftwaffe’s internal crisis. Disillusioned by Göring’s catastrophic leadership, Galland and fellow commanders staged the so-called “mutiny,” confronting the Reichsmarschall with demands to release Me 262 jets for air defense. His subsequent removal and forced “health leave” dramatize the Nazi high command’s paranoia and the tragic collapse of any meaningful resistance within the Luftwaffe’s leadership.

Galland’s role expands in the final chapters as the founder of Jagdverband 44 (JV-44), the “Squadron of Experts” flying Me 262 jets. Recruiting men like Stigler, Galland leads this last-ditch effort to defend southern Germany despite overwhelming odds and dwindling resources. His ability to maintain unit cohesion, even aristocratic traditions of formality, highlights both the persistence of martial honor and the futility of fighting for a lost cause.

Johannes Steinhoff was a highly respected Luftwaffe ace and leader whose career intersected with Stigler’s during the Luftwaffe’s decline. Known for his ice-cold professionalism and integrity, Steinhoff appears in A Higher Call as part of the inner circle resisting Göring’s mismanagement. His participation in the “mutiny” meetings underscores the desperate efforts of senior commanders to salvage Germany’s air defenses while preserving their honor.

After being sidelined by Göring, Steinhoff resurfaces as Operations Officer in JV-44, the elite Me 262 jet unit that included Stigler. His technical expertise and leadership helped the squadron achieve rare successes despite mechanical failures, fuel shortages, and Allied attacks. Steinhoff’s mentoring under fire reinforces the camaraderie and fatalism that binds these veteran pilots together.

His dramatic survival of a fiery crash at Munich-Riem symbolizes both the personal cost of unyielding duty and the Luftwaffe’s ultimate destruction. Steinhoff’s later role in rebuilding the postwar West German Air Force reflects the possibility of personal and national redemption, mirroring the broader themes about finding peace and dignity after catastrophe.

Willi Kientsch was Franz Stigler’s close friend, wingman, and emotional anchor throughout some of the most harrowing phases of the war. Introduced during the Sicilian campaign, Kientsch’s easygoing manner and loyalty offered Stigler respite from the stresses of constant combat and mechanical failures. Their shared experiences, including frantic takeoffs under bombing raids and nightmarish missions over Italy, cemented a deep bond between the two men.

In A Higher Call, Kientsch serves as both confidant and a reminder of the war’s psychological toll. His death during a desperate rescue mission near Pantelleria leaves Stigler bereft and disillusioned, highlighting the emotional devastation inflicted by seemingly senseless losses. Stigler’s reaction to this loss contributes to his growing alienation from Nazi goals and his focus on protecting younger pilots in the war’s final stages.

Kientsch’s friendship humanizes Stigler for readers, demonstrating the importance of personal loyalty in an otherwise dehumanizing conflict. His memory continues to haunt Stigler’s choices, reinforcing the book’s broader meditation on grief, survivor’s guilt, and the search for meaning amid destruction.