This book covers a lot more than the one incident the cover illustrates. It is about the kind of men who formed the American bomber crews and and flew the German fighters in World War II. The two officers pictured on the cover serve as the thread all the other stories branch from.

I found this book engrossing. The highlights were the description of the central incident and the last chapters dealing with the attempts of the two men, after forty years, trying to find out what happened to the other.

As a veteran myself, I found my eyes misting up as the two men finally contacted each other.

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What an incredible story-for those who are drawn to the courage & bravery of the greatest generation & WWII stories, this is one that pulls you in and leaves you amazed at the many miracles God did for some very lucky Americans & a German fighter pilot who followed A Higher Call.
Author Adam Makos presents alternating stories of the Air Forces of the Allies & the Germans, and the humanity of both bands of brothers, as they tried to do the right thing in an impossible time of war with its' conflicting ideas of what was 'right' and true in that horrible time. Makos admits from the jump that he never expected to tell this story, but that it unfolded as he learned the story, and challenged his beliefs about the 'enemy'-that not all German soldiers were Nazis. You'll want to learn more -

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This true story is told only after WWII ends when two pilots who would normally be enemies meet to recall and relive an incident that saved the American's life. The year was 1943 when a lone German bomber encounters a badly damaged American plane heading for home. As he observes the pilot's skill in sheparding his wounded plane homeward he cannot help but admire the man. Rather than end the pilot's journey he follows him, never unleashing his guns.

The American pilot finds it hard to believe that a German would not shoot and he stares at the German whose face he will always remember. The American is Charlie Brown and the German is Franz Stigler from Bavaria who "sought to avoid fighting" in the war. Surprisingly, the wounded B-17 manages to fly home with most of the crew injured or dead and the empathy of a German who admiringly watches the difficulties of a twenty-one year old manipulating the struggling aircraft.

This is their story and it's one that touches the heart and reminds us that there are those on each side of a war who respect and admire those against whom they are pitted. It's one of the best reads of the year for this reader.

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