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

A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II (2012) is a work of narrative nonfiction by Adam Makos with Larry Alexander. Makos, a military historian and founder of Valor magazine, is known for capturing veterans’ stories with immersive research and human empathy. Alexander is a journalist specializing in military biographies. Together, they combine exhaustive interviews, archival research, and first-person perspectives to recount a remarkable 1943 encounter between an American bomber crew and a German Luftwaffe ace. Blending personal biography with military history, the book explores themes such as Chivalry and Compassion Amidst Total War, The Psychological Toll of Combat and Moral Dilemmas, and The Power of Reconciliation and Shared Humanity in the context of WWII’s brutal aerial campaigns.

This study guide references the 2012 Dutton Caliber eBook edition.

Content Warning: A Higher Call includes descriptions of aerial combat, wartime injuries and death, civilian bombing raids, and references to Nazi ideology and military hierarchy.

Summary

A Higher Call tells the intertwined true stories of Franz Stigler, a German Luftwaffe fighter ace, and Charlie Brown, a young American B-17 pilot, whose lives converge in an extraordinary act of mercy during World War II. The book opens by framing the 20 December 1943 incident: Stigler intercepts Brown’s heavily damaged bomber over Germany but refuses to shoot it down, instead escorting it away from danger and saluting before turning back. This moment, hailed as one of the most remarkable in wartime aviation history, becomes the mystery that author Adam Makos seeks to understand by reconstructing both men’s lives.

The narrative first immerses readers in Franz Stigler’s background. Growing up in interwar Bavaria, Franz is shaped by a father, who teaches discipline and a love of flying, and by mentors who fought in WWI. Early flying club experiences instill painstaking craftsmanship and responsibility while the loss of his older brother August—killed during Luftwaffe operations—haunts him and hardens his disillusionment with Nazi leadership. As Germany descends into war, Stigler becomes an ace instructor, eventually volunteering for frontline duty in North Africa. There, in the harsh desert theater, he joins Jagdgeschwader 27 under Gustav Roedel, who teaches pilots to see themselves as professionals with an honor code—even amid the propaganda demands for ruthless efficiency. Stigler’s North African service reveals the camaraderie, brutal losses, and moral compromises of Luftwaffe operations. He witnesses inflation of victory claims, the erosion of discipline, and the death of close friends, leaving him questioning the values for which he fights.

As the war shifts to Europe, Stigler’s story darkens further. Posted to Sicily and later to Germany itself, he faces relentless Allied bombing raids and mounting losses. The Luftwaffe’s desperate defense becomes increasingly chaotic, with dwindling resources, fuel shortages, and incompetent high command under Hermann Göring. Stigler survives multiple crashes and a ditching at sea. He loses his friend Willi Kientsch, and the collapse of any sense of strategic purpose takes a personal toll. By late 1944, he’s exhausted, drinking heavily, writing condolence letters for the dead, and watching untrained teenagers sent to certain death. His participation in the elite jet squadron JV-44 in 1945, under Adolf Galland and Johannes Steinhoff, becomes a final act of defiance—a futile but professional attempt to defend a collapsing Reich. Even as Germany burns and leadership descends into paranoia, Stigler remains determined to mentor and protect young pilots, measuring success by their survival rather than personal glory.

Parallel to Stigler’s descent into war’s moral quagmire, the book traces Charlie Brown’s journey from farm boy in West Virginia to U.S. Army Air Forces pilot. Brown’s background includes chores on a family farm, small-town National Guard service, and a love of flying that takes him to bomber training in Texas. He earns the loyalty of “The Quiet Ones,” his disciplined but inexperienced B-17 crew. They bond over training flights, rescue one another from trouble, and share the black humor and fears typical of young men preparing for lethal missions. Deployed to England, they are assigned the vulnerable “Purple Heart Corner” for their first independent mission: a daylight raid on Bremen in December 1943.

During that mission, their aircraft—nicknamed Ye Olde Pub—suffers catastrophic damage. Flak destroys part of the stabilizer, kills the tail-gunner, wounds others, and leaves the bomber limping with failing engines and inoperative guns. Fighter attacks kill and injure more crew, blasting the plane to pieces and sending it into a flat spin that Brown barely recovers from. As he tries to guide the ruined Fortress home, they cross paths with Franz Stigler over Germany. Instead of finishing them off—a kill that would have secured his Knight’s Cross—Stigler empathizes with the wounded men. Defying orders, he refuses to fire. Flying beside Brown, he steers the plane toward neutral Sweden and then escorts them through German flak before saluting and leaving them to fly back to England.

Once safe, Brown’s crew manages a barely controlled landing, but their story is buried. Commanders fear revealing that a German ace showed mercy might undermine Allied resolve. Brown is denied medals, left with haunting questions about the encounter, and traumatized by the mission’s losses. Stigler, meanwhile, continues to fight but grows more disillusioned as Germany collapses. After the war, he faces poverty, scorn, and is alienated by his fellow soldiers. Stigler emigrates to Canada, working menial jobs, and slowly rebuilding a new life.

In the 1980s, Brown begins searching for the German pilot who spared his crew. Through veteran networks and with Galland’s help, he eventually finds Stigler in Canada. During their reunion in 1990, the two men share memories and acknowledge the extraordinary contradictions of that moment.

Makos concludes with their joint speaking tours, where Stigler and Brown share their story as a lesson in honor, mercy, and shared humanity—proving that even amid the horrors of war, individuals can choose compassion.