Synopses & Reviews
THE NEW YORK TIMES AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
Four days before Christmas 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a 21-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly, a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomberand#8217;s tailand#151;a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber in 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. and#160; This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that dayand#151;the Americanand#151;2nd Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17and#151;and the Germanand#151;2nd Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II. and#160; A Higher Call follows both Charlie and Franzand#8217;s harrowing missions. Charlie would face takeoffs in English fog over the flaming wreckage of his buddiesand#8217; planes, flak bursts so close they would light his cockpit, and packs of enemy fighters that would circle his plane like sharks. Franz would face sandstorms in the desert, a crash alone at sea, and the spectacle of 1,000 bombers each with eleven guns, waiting for his attack. and#160; Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at one another. What happened between them, the American 8th Air Force would later classify as and#147;top secret.and#8221; It was an act that Franz could never mention or else face a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would search for one another, a last mission that could change their lives forever. and#160;
Review
“Excellent.…Anyone who has read
Band of Brothers will want to read this.”
—ARMY Magazine
“A great job…extremely readable.”—The Topeka Capital-Journal
“[A] straightforward study of the best sort of small-unit leader.”—Publishers Weekly
Review
"A top-notch narrative of the unlikely encounter between one of Germanyand#8217;s leading fighter aces, Franz Stigler, and the rookie crew of an American bomber in the frigid skies of Germany in December 1943...Based on thousands of hours of interviews and an evident knowledge of his subject, Makos details the frantic life of the German fighter pilots living on the edge, and the American bomber crews, far from home, fighting to survive...A riveting story of humanity and mercy set against the ghastly backdrop of war."and#8212;
Publishers Weekly
and#8220;This book grips you like a movie.and#160;It's part Topand#160;Gun, part Valkyrie, and more!and#8221;and#8212;Marcus Brotherton, author of the New Yorkand#160;Times bestseller, We Who Are Alive and Remain
and#8220;It is often said that and#8216;war is helland#8217;and#8212;and it isand#8212;however, this story reveals how the human spirit can shine in the darkest hours. A Higher Call is an eye-opener.and#8221;and#8212;Colonel Charles McGee, Tuskegee Airman, WWII and#160; and#8220;and#8216;Can good men be found on both sides of a bad war?and#8217; The author asks the question and delivers the answer. A powerful,and#160;haunting read.and#8221;and#8212;Chuck Tatum, author of Red Blood, Black Sand and#160; and#8220;A Higher Call exemplifies beautifully the brotherhood of warriors, and will forever change how you look at World War II.and#8221;and#8212;Eric Blehm, author of the New York Times bestseller, Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown and#160; and#8220;From the horrors of the most savage war in history emerges this beautiful story of a brotherhood between enemies. Simply told, splendid, and well worth the read.and#8221;and#8212;Joe Galloway, coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller, We Were Soldiers, Onceand#8230;and Young
Review
and#8220;From the horrors of the most savage war in history emerges this beautiful story of a brotherhood between enemies. Simply told, splendid and well worth the read.and#8221;and#8212;Joe Galloway, coauthor of the #1
New York Times bestseller
We Were Soldiers Once...and Young
and#8220;This book grips you like a movie. Itand#8217;s part Top Gun, part Valkyrie, and more!and#8221;and#8212;Marcus Brotherton, author of the New York Times bestseller We Who Are Alive and Remain
and#8220;It is often said that and#8216;war is helland#8217;and#8212;and it isand#8212;however, this story reveals how the human spirit can shine in the darkest hours. A Higher Call is an eye-opener.and#8221;and#8212;Colonel Charles McGee, Tuskegee Airman, WWII
and#8220;Can good men be found on both sides of a bad war?and#8217; The author asks the question and delivers the answer. A powerful, haunting read.and#8221;and#8212;Chuck Tatum, author of Red Blood, Black Sand
Review
Praise for Single-Handed: and#8220;Tibor Rubinand#8217;s story is unbelievable, fantasticand#8230;and all true. This is the most exciting and riveting war memoir you will ever read.and#8221; and#8212;Jack Jacobs, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)
and#8220;Daniel Cohen has captured the essence of unblemished character and raw courage during the Holocaust and the Korean War, demonstrating that heroism outlasts prejudice.and#160; We are in Tibor and#8216;Teddyand#8217; Rubinand#8217;s debt for his distinguished service under the most challenging conditions.and#160; We are in Cohenand#8217;s debt for making Rubinand#8217;s story accessible to the American public.and#8221; and#8212;Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, coauthor of Beyond Band of Brothers and author of Conversations with Major Dick Winters
and#8220;Captivating from page one, Single-Handed is an epic survival story layered with meaning and told with ferocity and honesty. Author Daniel M. Cohen details the life of Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Tibor Rubin, an unlikely hero who embodied faith, charity, and valor in the most horrific of conditions. Rubinand#8217;s life story offers a narrative of the truly extraordinary. It is vastly important in its telling, finally uncovered like a long-lost gemstone.and#8221;and#8212;Marcus Brotherton, bestselling author of Shiftyand#8217;s War
and#8220;All American heroes are not homegrown. Meet Tibor Rubin, a Hungarian Jew who survives the hell of a Nazi death camp, emigrates to America, joins the U.S. Army where, despite virulent anti-Semitism, he serves in the Korean War, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor for his selfless valor in defense of his comrades and his adopted nation. A real page-turner.and#8221;and#8212;Larry Alexander, national bestselling author of Biggest Brother and coauthor of A Higher Call
Synopsis
A "beautiful story of a brotherhood between enemies"* emerges from the horrors of World War II in this New York Times and international bestseller.
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.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
Synopsis
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 Devotion, now a Major Motion Picture.
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.
Synopsis
A new account of World War II heroism from the national bestselling author of Biggest Brother. Determined to retake the Philippines ever since his ignominious flight from the islands in 1942, General Douglas MacArthur organized a first- rate intelligence-gathering unit. They were called the Alamo Scouts.
Larry Alexander follows the men who made up the elite recon unit that served as General MacArthur's eyes and ears in the Pacific War. Drawing from personal interviews and testimonies from Scout veterans, Alexander weaves together the tales of the individual Scouts, who often spent weeks behind enemy lines to complete their missions. Now, more than sixty years after the war, the story of the Alamo Scouts will finally be told.
Synopsis
In every band of brothers, there is always one who looks out for the others.…
They were Easy Company, 101st Army Airborne—the World War II fighting unit legendary for their bravery against nearly insurmountable odds and their loyalty to one another in the face of death. Every soldier in this band of brothers looked to one man for leadership, devotion to duty, and the embodiment of courage: Major Dick Winters.
This is the riveting story of an ordinary man who became an extraordinary hero. After he enlisted in the army’s arduous new Airborne division, Winters’s natural combat leadership helped him rise through the ranks, but he was never far from his men. Decades later, Stephen E. Ambrose’s Band of Brothers made him famous around the world.
Full of never-before-published photographs, interviews, and Winters’s candid insights, Biggest Brother is the fascinating, inspirational story of a man who became a soldier, a leader, and a living testament to the valor of the human spirit—and of America.
Synopsis
A tribute to World War II heroism from the national bestselling author of Biggest Brother. The paratroopers of Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, have come to symbolize the incredible bravery and heroism shown by the greatest generation in World War II. on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the Allies' victory in Europe, author Larry Alexander crosses an ocean and a continent to discover just what made the Band of Brothers special. Accompanied by his friend Forrest Guth, an easy Company veteran on his final tour in Europe, Alexander explores the living history of the places where American soldiers went into action, and reveals what makes this story so meaningful for us today. Part travelogue, part historical perspective, In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers is an unforgettable memorial to the men who fell in action, and a tribute to the veterans who are still with us.
Synopsis
An inspiring walk through World War II history from the national bestselling author of Biggest Brother. On the eve of the 65th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, Larry Alexander returns to the very battlefields that made Easy Company a legend. Accompanied by Easy veteran Sgt. Forrest Guth on his final tour, Alexander crosses an ocean and a continent to follow the path to victory taken by the famed Band of Brothers, exploring the living history of the places where they went into action, and revealing what makes their story so meaningful for us to this day.
Part travelogue, part historical perspective, In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers is an unforgettable memorial to those who shined in our country's finest hour.
Synopsis
An inspiring walk through World War II history from the national bestselling author of Biggest Brother. On the eve of the 65th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe, Larry Alexander returns to the very battlefields that made Easy Company a legend. Accompanied by Easy veteran Sgt. Forrest Guth on his final tour, Alexander crosses an ocean and a continent to follow the path to victory taken by the famed Band of Brothers, exploring the living history of the places where they went into action, and revealing what makes their story so meaningful for us to this day.
Part travelogue, part historical perspective, In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers is an unforgettable memorial to those who shined in our country's finest hour.
Synopsis
THE NEW YORK TIMES AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 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 bomberand#8217;s tail. The pilot is German ace Franz Stiglerand#151;and he can destroy the young American crew with the squeeze of a trigger...and#160;
What happened next would defy imagination and later be called and#147;the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II.and#8221;
The U.S. 8th Air Force would later classify what happened between them as and#147;top secret.and#8221; 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.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
Synopsis
In 1944, hundreds of Allied soldiers were trapped in POW camps in occupied France. The odds of their survival were long. The odds of escaping, even longer. But one-man had the courage to fight the oddsand#160;.and#160;.and#160;. and#160;
An elite British S.A.S. operative on an assassination mission gone wrong. A Jewish New Yorker injured in a Nazi ambush. An eighteen-year-old Gary Cooper lookalike from Mobile, Alabama. These men and hundreds of other soldiers found themselves in the prisoner-of-war camps off the Atlantic coast of occupied France, fighting brutal conditions and unsympathetic captors. But, miraculously, local villagers were able to smuggle out a message from the camp, one that reached the Allies and sparked a remarkable quest by an unlikelyand#151;and truly inspiringand#151;hero.
and#160;
Andy Hodges had been excluded from military service due to a lingering shoulder injury from his college-football days. Devastated but determined, Andy refused to sit at home while his fellow Americans risked their lives, so he joined the Red Cross, volunteering for the toughest assignments on the most dangerous battlefields. In the fall of 1944, Andy was tapped for what sounded like a suicide mission: a desperate attempt to aid the Allied POWs in occupied Franceand#151;alone and unarmed, matching his wits against the Nazi war machine.
and#160;
Despite the likelihood of failure, Andy did far more than deliver much-needed supplies. By the end of the year, he had negotiated the release of an unprecedented 149 prisonersand#151;leaving no one behind. This is the true story of one manand#8217;s selflessness, ingenuity, and victory in the face of impossible adversity.
Synopsis
From a World War II concentration camp to the Korean War to the White House, this is the incredible story of Tibor and#147;Teddyand#8221; Rubin, the only Holocaust survivor ever to receive a Medal of Honor...
In 1944, a thirteen-year-old Hungarian boy named Tibor Rubin was captured by the Nazis and sent to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp. The teenager endured its horrors for more than a year. After surviving the Holocaust, he arrived penniless in America, barely speaking English.
In 1950, Tibor volunteered for service in the Korean War. After acts of heroism that included single-handedly defending a hill against an onslaught of enemy soldiers, braving sniper fire to rescue a wounded comrade, and commandeering a machine gun after its crew was killed, he was captured. As a POW, Tibor called on his experience in Mauthausen to help fellow GIs survive two and half years of captivity.
Tibor returned from Korea in 1953, but it wasnand#8217;t until 2005and#151;at age 76and#151;that he was invited to the White House, where he received the Medal of Honor from President George W. Bush. It had taken over half a century for Tiborand#8217;s adopted homeland to recognize this Jewish immigrant for acts of valor that went and#147;beyond the call of duty.and#8221; But when it did, the former Hungarian refugee became the only survivor of the Holocaust to have earned Americaand#8217;s highest military distinction.
Drawing on eyewitness accounts and extensive interviews, author Daniel M. Cohen presents the inspiring story of Tibor and#147;Teddyand#8221; Rubin for the first time in its entirety and gives us a stirring portrait of a true hero.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
About the Author
Adam Makos is a journalist, historian, and editor of the military magazine,
Valor. In his fifteen years of work in the military field, Makos has interviewed countless veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and present-day wars. He has flown a B-17 bomber, a T-38 fighter with the Air Force, and was one of the few journalists privileged to examine Air Force One with its pilots. In pursuit of a story, Makos met Presidents, had tea with Prince Charles, and toured the DMZ border inand#160;Korea with American troops.and#160;The high point of his work occurred in 2008, when Makos traveled to Iraq to accompany the 101st Airborne and Army Special Forces on their hunt for Aland#160;Qaeda terrorists.
and#160;Larry Alexander is the author of the New York Times bestselling biography Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers. He is also the author of Shadows In the Jungle: The Alamo Scouts Behind Japanese Lines in World War II and In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers: A Return to Easy Companyandrsquo;s Battlefields With Sgt. Forrest Guth. Alexander has been a journalist/columnist for the Intelligencer Journal newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for more than thirteen years and has won numerous state-level awards for excellence in journalism.