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We are releasing an extraordinary piece of A Higher Call history: 1st printing hardbacks with bookplates hand-signed by Franz Stigler—the ace whose act of mercy in sparring Charlie Brown became one of the most celebrated moments of WWII.
We were able to secure the last 120 of these ultra-rare bookplates created in 1992 for a Luftwaffe historian and signed by Franz and Edu Neumann, Stigler’s CO in JG 27, who reinforced his code of chivalry.
Two legendary signatures. One defining moment in aviation history. Together, they form what many collectors will recognize as the Holy Grail for any fan of A Higher Call.
We will release only 20 of these books with bookplates, this year, for the 82nd Anniversary of the encounter.
OUR 2025 DROP HAS SOLD OUT. EMAIL US TO BE ON THE WAITLIST FOR WHEN WE RELEASE THE NEXT BATCH IN 2026!
Includes a COA // shipping added in checkout // ships bubble wrapped & boxed
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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. 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.
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FRANZ STIGLER (BOOKPLATE)
Franz Stigler was a German fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, remembered for an act of humanity that rose above combat. A veteran of the North African campaign, Stigler was an accomplished pilot with numerous victories and was close to earning the Knight’s Cross. On December 20, 1943, while flying with Jagdgeschwader 27, he intercepted a badly damaged American B-17, Ye Olde Pub. Seeing the crew wounded and defenseless, Stigler chose not to fire, instead escorting the bomber out of German airspace—an act that risked severe punishment. Later in the war, Stigler flew with Jagdverband 44, Adolf Galland’s elite “Squadron of Experts,” operating the Me 262 jet fighter in the final defense of Germany. Though unrecognized at the time, his decision to spare the B-17 "Ye Olde Pub" endures as one of the most powerful examples of mercy in aerial warfare.
EDU NEUMANN (BOOKPLATE)
Eduard “Edu” Neumann was a distinguished German fighter pilot and commander in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. A veteran of the Spanish Civil War, Neumann brought combat experience and steady leadership to Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27), which he commanded during its hard-fought campaigns in North Africa. As Geschwaderkommodore, he was known less for personal victory tallies than for discipline, tactical soundness, and an uncommon concern for his pilots. Neumann is perhaps best remembered for recognizing and nurturing the extraordinary talent of Hans-Joachim Marseille, granting him the freedom and support that allowed the “Star of Africa” to flourish. Wounded in combat and later forced to relinquish command, Neumann’s legacy endures as that of a calm, professional leader who shaped one of the Luftwaffe’s most famous fighter wings at the height of the desert war.
