A Higher Call

by Adam Makos

Hitler and The Party took over Germany after 56 percent of the country had voted against them.

After the Versailles Treaty had outlawed their Air Force, the German government had secretly trained scores of new pilots like him and funded the national airline—Lufthansa—so that the nation would have seasoned pilots to one day rebuild the Air Force.

“The room has a man smell,” a navigator would write, “…leather from our jackets, tobacco, sweat, a little fear, which has its own distinctive sharpness.”

Franz smiled at the backhanded compliment, well aware that fighter pilots had gone from heroes to villains in the eyes of the German people due to Goering’s slander.

THE YEARS following their reunion, Franz and Charlie traveled across North America telling their story to any civic clubs, air museums, or military units that requested them. This was their last act of service to build a better world. Their message was simple: enemies are better off as friends.