A higher call : an incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the war-torn skies of World War II / Adam Makos with Larry Alexander.
Five days before Christmas 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a twenty-one-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead and it was their first mission. Suddenly, a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber's tail - a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called "the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II " this is the true s tory of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day: Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17 - and the German - Second Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II. Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at each other. The American 8th Air Force would later classify what happened between them as "top secret." For forty years they would search for each; a last as old men,a last mission that could change their lives forever.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780425252864
- ISBN: 0425252868
- Physical Description: viii, 392 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Edition: 1st edition
- Publisher: New York : Berkley Books, 2013.
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliography.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- A stranger in my own land -- Follow the eagles -- A feather in the wind -- Fire free -- The desert amusement park -- The stars of Africa -- The homecoming -- Welcome to Olympus -- The unseen hand -- The Berlin bear -- The farm boy -- The quiet ones -- The lives of nine -- The boxer -- A higher call -- The third pilot -- Pride -- Stick close to me -- The downfall -- The flying sanatorium -- We are the air force -- The squadron of experts -- The last of the German fighter pilots -- Where bombs had fallen -- Was it worth it?
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Brown, Charlie, 1922-2008.
Stigler, Franz, 1916-2008.
World War, 1939-1945 > Aerial operations, American.
World War, 1939-1945 > Aerial operations, German.
Bombing, Aerial > Germany > History > 20th century.
Bomber pilots > United States > Biography.
Fighter pilots > Germany > Biography. - Genre:
- Biographies.
Available copies
- 35 of 36 copies available at NC Cardinal.
- 1 of 1 copy available at McDowell County Public Library. (Show)
Holds
- 0 current holds with 36 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Library | 940.544 MAK (Text) | 37810435043707 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Albemarle Main Library | 940.544 Mak (Text) | 31010000417099 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Canton Library | 940.54 Makos (Text) | 33115007260877 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Cleveland County Main Library | 940.544 MAK (Text) | 22281500086826 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Cliffdale Library | 940.5444 M (Text) | 31781060801261 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Cumberland Headquarters | 940.5444 M (Text) | 31781060801253 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Denton Public Library | 940.54 M (Text) | 25908006484104 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Edneyville Branch | 940.54 M (Text) | 33258006970987 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Elkin Public Library | 940.54 MAK (Text) | 30499100462389 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
| Fletcher Branch | 940.54 M (Text) | 33258006975523 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Accessibility Features
Summary:
Five days before Christmas 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a twenty-one-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead and it was their first mission. Suddenly, a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber's tail - a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called "the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II " this is the true s tory of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day: Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17 - and the German - Second Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II. Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at each other. The American 8th Air Force would later classify what happened between them as "top secret." For forty years they would search for each; a last as old men,a last mission that could change their lives forever.
