A Higher Call by Makos and Alexander

    Just yesterday I finished A Higher Call by Adam Makos and Larry Alexander. Much like Knights of the Sea by David Hanna, the book follows two combatants on opposing sides of a war who eventually share a common and special experience together. But unlike Hanna’s book, which follows officers in the war of 1812, A Higher Call follows pilots during the Second World War. Specifically Franz Stigler, a fighter pilot in the German Luftwaffe, and the amusingly named Charlie Brown, a bomber pilot in the USAF. What transpired between them on the 20th of December, 1943 is truly a remarkable tale of luck, courage, and above all chivalry. I do not want to spoil anything about this story for any random readers, so suffice it to say that my eyes got a little watery.

 

    I have been intrigued by the air war over Europe for some time now, mainly due to Scott Fisher’s excellent miniatures game Check Your Six. However, the air war is also historically intriguing in its own right. This intensity of this campaign is indicated by the statistical fact that one had a better chance of surviving as an infantry man than a bomber crewman in Europe. But the casualties of the USAF were remarkable not just in their rate. By war’s end, more American airmen had died over Europe than Marines had died in the entirety of the Pacific. But their sacrifices were not in vain. By the middle of 1944, the German Luftwaffe had been thoroughly suppressed, paving the way for the trans-channel invasion that followed.

    So what did A Higher Call teach me about the air war? In the way of overarching trends and operational history very little, for the book does not concern itself with such large topics. Instead I gained a much more experiential impression from the book. I now know how austere the conditions were for Jagdgeschwader 27, which followed Erwin Rommel’s DAK across North Africa like some sort of hi-tech gypsy band. I also gained certain knowledge of rifts inside of the German community that I was hitherto unaware of. I had always known that part of the Luftwaffe’s rapid demise was in part due to its severe mismanagement by its chief, Reichmarschall Albert Göring. His failure to sufficiently spur plane development and cycle experienced pilots back to training schools left the Luftwaffe high and dry by 1944, short of both capable planes and pilots. However, I did not know that in order to account for the Luftwaffe’s failures, he threw the pilots under the bus by claiming the defeats were due to their lack of proper fighting spirit. The German public largely accepted these libelous claims, leading to acute persecution of pilots from 1945 on. The more one learns about Göring, the easier it is to dislike him.

    As someone who is due to receive a commission into the US Army in two years, I also found the book surprisingly prescriptive. Franz Stigler clearly goes through a significant development arc throughout the book. While he begins as a rookie looking for vengeance in Africa, Franz gradually transforms to become a leader of men by the end of the book. Much of this seems to be due to the tutelage of Gustav Roedel, his first squadron commander. Even before Franz’s first flight, Roedel reminded Franz to never even consider shooting an enemy pilot in his parachute for “Honor is everything here.” Through Roedel and other exemplary superiors, Franz came to take a very admirable understanding of his role as a fighter pilot. Franz eschewed painting kill counts on his planes’ tails, and considered the competition for such kills as a distraction from their real task: promoting German national interests, and more importantly, protecting German cities and citizens. By 1944, when the Luftwaffe was on the verge of collapse, Franz was no longer the vengeance-seeking rookie that had come to Africa. He was now the commander of a squadron in Jagdgeschwader 27. Despite the terrible odds, he exuded confidence for the sake of his own rookie pilots, who needed all the help they could above the embattled skies of Festung Europa. Although the battle would ultimately be lost, his pilots certainly fought better and survived more often due to his mentorship. In this respect, Franz’s leadership has a timeless quality about it.

    One aspect of A Higher Call made me raise my eyebrow just a bit. During chapter four, Franz claims that very few Luftwaffe pilots were Nazis or aligned with the party due to the Überparteilichkeit laws (the separation of politics and military). The conception goes against my previously held, and generally accepted, understanding of the Luftwaffe as one of the most nazified services of the Wehrmacht due to its invigoration by the party in the 30s. However, I do give Franz’s account the benefit of the doubt because such laws might seem like a reasonable concession the General Staff would demand from Hitler in return for their loyalty. I am always skeptical of German memoirs concerning WWII because of the strong and understandable urge many authors have to distance themselves from the regime. Except Stuka ace Hans-Ulrich Rüdel, who remains a devout nazi to this day. Hey, at least he is honest!

   Next up on my reading list is The Wages of Destruction by Adam Tooze. I have not read too much economic history of the Second World War, simply because I have not come across that much (I am always open to suggestions in this area). However I have heard great things about Tooze’s book and look forward to crawling through it.

The Purpose of Panzer General

I have always passionately read military history books. However, I also value more than just reading. As an aspiring historian, I recognize the vital importance of also writing oneself. And with that in mind I have decided to establish this blog, which will serve as an output for my thoughts on books, historiography in general, and certain wargames. The name, Panzer General, is meant to embody the main focus of my readings: WWII as seen operationally from the German perspective. Of course, fully understanding that experience will require the understanding of many peripheral subjects. The end goal is that these writings will help make my reading more meaningful and contribute to my understanding of the subject. And if a few random people from the internet happen to find my ramblings interesting, all the better then.