A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story Of Combat And Chivalry In The War-Torn Skies Of World War II Quotes
"Their enemies were the black knights, the Germans and the Japanese. They were universally evil and beyond redemption."
"Flight 800 taught me that life is precious because it is fragile."
"Their plane exploded, midair, off the coast of Long Island."
"Fire Free. It meant the men could smoke now and that the mealtime was over."
"It's a little sloppy, don't you think?" Franz’s father observed.
"Can good men be found on both sides of a bad war?"
"You didn’t decide when you became Air Force, they decided for you."
"Roedel fired first. Flames spit from the nose of his fighter."
"Franz felt sick. His shoulder straps, the 109’s cramped cockpit, his heavy leather jacket, and the sun’s blazing rays all seemed to squeeze him."
"The sun cooked him through the cockpit glass."
"Franz opened the flap to his tent. A blast of heat hit his face."
"Franz was only a few clean bites into his meal when Roedel stood and announced, "Fire Free!""
""Today is therefore declared a day of merriment," Neumann shouted."
"Franz lay on his cot trying to read the only book he had brought to the desert besides his Bible."
""Time would come for roll call, Time for us to part,""
""There’s no reason to apologize for never having killed a man," Marseille said."
""The squadron’s going to the party," Voegl said. "You’re coming with us.""
""Would that be right, sir?" Franz asked. "I haven’t been here long.""
""You aren’t the first one that’s happened to!" Roedel laughed."
""Today was a success," Roedel said. "You survived.""
""Shoot from as close as possible, seventy-five yards or less," they told him."
""Strengthen your legs and abdominal muscles so you can take more Gs.""
"The room has a man smell…leather from our jackets, tobacco, sweat, a little fear, which has its own distinctive sharpness."
"If I die in a crash, my fellow WASPs will have to pass the hat to pay for my funeral."
"The best part about flying them are the looks I get from my copilots when they discover they have to fly with a woman!"
"If you have power to get to Sweden, you have power to try to get to England."
"I knew then and there that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Flying fits my personality far better than fighting."
"Keep the formation tight, I’ll meet you on the taxiway."
"It’s a big honor for the Group and you earned it."
"We must never allow the record of this war to convict us of throwing the strategic bomber at the man in the street."
"That day, Charlie had been so full of nervous energy he’d forgotten the veteran’s advice."
"Charlie had a crew he trusted, a bulletproof commander named Mighty Mo."
"Satisfied that The Pub was secure, Charlie placed his life preserver over his head."
"Charlie’s hair was matted and his eyes were glassy."
"Will he make it?" Charlie asked a medic who hunched over the gunner.
"Son, your men are okay, you did your job. What can we do for you?"
"Sir, I’d just like to use the bathroom," Charlie said.
"If you’re hit, bail out away from the bombers."
"I saw bombers fall," Franz said. "They were yours."
"You did it, now head for home!" Franz ordered Mellman and Sonntag.
"He looked away, knowing he could never explain what he had seen."
"Walking the streets of Berlin, Franz saw that they were dotted with piles of black rubble."
"The people on the ground held their hands over their eyes, fixated at the sight of the five jets climbing toward the sun."
"As the war wound down, American fighter pilots knew that any German pilot still flying had to be an expert."
"They would strafe a stray dog if they could."
"With his gloves, pants, and feet on fire, he flung his straps from his shoulders."
"Steinhoff could no longer see his plane’s wingtips through the flames."
"Galland wept, because he knew he was watching his friend die."
"Franz stopped just yards from Steinhoff and pulled his hair in horror."
"Franz screamed for the men to bring cold water and dump it on Steinhoff."
"Franz thought it might be more merciful to shoot his friend."
"Luetzow whispered something to Steinhoff that no one else could hear."
"Franz knew that he still had a duty as long as four-engine bombers were over Germany."
"Franz had the others put Steinhoff on the ground. They poured bucket after bucket on him, and each time he moaned."
"Franz showed the mechanics his jet’s problematic engine, the one that had taken him from the fight where Luetzow had been lost."
"Franz turned to Pirchan waiting for him. 'One flight,' Franz shouted at Pirchan’s back."
"Franz found it torturous to look across at his comrades."
"Franz had become the fourth in command of the world’s most elite flying squadron."
"Franz knew that if the SS caught wind of Galland’s plan, they would execute every man in the unit as a collaborator."
"Franz felt uncomfortably alone as he drove the kettenkrad west along the narrow, winding road deep within the Alps."
"Anything I’ve learned about writing I owe to you."
"To the composers whose scores were the rousing soundtrack to my typing."
"Your work may go unnoticed. But few people, if anyone, could have done the job you did."
"The word 'brilliant' does not adequately describe the job you did."
"I can work harder and sleep better knowing that you’re in my life and always pushing me forward."
"Thanks for using your masterful brushstrokes to spread this story."
"Who would have thought it would lead to this?"
"In May 1945, American interrogators seized Franz’s logbook and it was never seen again."
"Combining these accounts with wartime records, I’ve reconstructed the timeline, events, and anecdotes."