THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: “Beautifully told.”—CNN • “A remarkable story…worth retelling and celebrating.”—USA Today • “Oh, it’s a good one!”—Fox News A “beautiful story of a brotherhood between enemies” emerges from the horrors of World War II in this New York Times bestseller by the author of Spearhead. December, 1943: A badly damaged American bomber struggles to fly over wartime Germany. … Spearhead.
December, 1943: A badly damaged American bomber struggles to fly over wartime Germany. At the controls is twenty-one-year-old Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown. Half his crew lay wounded or dead on this, their first mission. Suddenly, a Messerschmitt fighter pulls up on the bomber’s tail. The pilot is German ace Franz Stigler—and he can destroy the young American crew 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.”
The U.S. 8th Air Force would later classify what happened between them as “top secret.” It was an act that Franz could never mention for fear of facing a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would search the world for each other, a last mission that could change their lives forever.
more
I’m a WWII junkie, so I was already aware of this story behind the book. I struggled with the extent to which the basic story was augmented by what almost has to be informed fiction. To be honest, I stopped reading after I got to the end of the German side of the story. At some point, I may pick this up again.
I had heard a bit of this story but this book provided a thorough analysis and explanation of the events. I was especially fascinated with the background information on the Luftwaffe pilot. I have read many books on the Allied air power and their pilots and crews but this was the most thorough coverage of the Luftwaffe side of the war, on a personal/individual level, that I have encountered.
I HIGHLY recommend this book!
Wonderful story of heroic men on both sides of the war.
The book really told us the best display of the human with the biggest heart to another human beings. It’s such a touchy real storyline .
A true portrayal of two warriors who allow their humanity to guide their actions
Terrific book with lots of inrmative detail about WWII airplanes.
excellent historical account
An American bomber pilot and a German ace pilot’s incredible encounter in the skies over Germany in December 1943. Each pilot’s life story is told up to and including that momentous time. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it at three o’clock in the morning!
I think it is wonderful to see another side of perspective about the tragic and respect during the war.
An Absolutely Amazing Read!
It is almost impossible to describe the range of emotional responses reading this story invoked within me. As a patriotic American and the great-grandson of German immigrants to America, this story touched me on many levels.
This is the story of two men, pilots in their respective country’s air forces, meeting in a chance encounter in the skies over Germany. This meeting would eventually go down in history as one of the most amazing tales of World War II.
I stayed on the edge of my seat reading this story. It was very hard to put down even when I needed to. It was like I became Lieutenant Charlie Brown and the fate of ‘Ye Olde Pub” and the B-17’s crew was in my hands. I also became the pilot of the ME-109, torn between my humanity and the orders of the Nazis government that I secretly despised. We do not hear the words combat and chivalry used in the same sentence these days.
I became totally engrossed in the characters on both sides! This book made me wince. At times it made me chuckle. In addition, this story tugged at my heart and there were several times it even brought a tear to my eye.
Loved this book!
Excellent read. I don’t usually read about World War II; however, Book kept your attention on the characters and history.
This is one of the best books I have ever read and believe me I have read a lot. It shows there is good in this world even when u think all is lost.
True stories are better than fiction. Incredible story, well researched and written.
A good account of the some very dangerous bombing raids in WW II.
This book is WONDERFUL. Very honorable people. Definitely recommend this book.
An amazing true story delivered by an amazing author. One of my favorite books in WWII History. I highly recommend this book, and another book by Makos, “Devotion”
The humanity exhibited by a member of the enemy gives a totally different insight into the mind of this “enemy” pilot. It’s not the usual Nazi encounter.
One of the rare action happened in WWII.
This was a wonderful book of a true WWII story.