Most Popular Books by Adam Makos

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • From America’s “forgotten war” in Korea comes an unforgettable tale of courage by the author of A Higher Call. “In the spirit of Unbroken and The Boys in the Boat comes Devotion.”—Associated Press • “Aerial drama at its best—fast, powerful, and moving.”—Erik Larson Devotion tells the inspirational story of the U.S. Navy’s most famous aviation duo, Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, and the Marines they fought to defend. A white New Englander from the country-club scene, Tom passed up Harvard to fly fighters for his country. An African American sharecropper’s son from Mississippi, Jesse became the navy’s first Black carrier pilot, defending a nation that wouldn’t even serve him in a bar. While much of America remained divided by segregation, Jesse and Tom joined forces as wingmen in Fighter Squadron 32. Adam Makos takes us into the cockpit as these bold young aviators cut their teeth at the world’s most dangerous job—landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier—a line of work that Jesse’s young wife, Daisy, struggles to accept. Deployed to the Mediterranean, Tom and Jesse meet the Fleet Marines, boys like PFC “Red” Parkinson, a farm kid from the Catskills. In between war games in the sun, the young men revel on the Riviera, partying with millionaires and even befriending the Hollywood starlet Elizabeth Taylor. Then comes the conflict that no one expected: the Korean War. Devotion takes us soaring overhead with Tom and Jesse, and into the foxholes with Red and the Marines as they battle a North Korean invasion. As the fury of the fighting escalates and the Marines are cornered at the Chosin Reservoir, Tom and Jesse fly, guns blazing, to try and save them. When one of the duo is shot down behind enemy lines and pinned in his burning plane, the other faces an unthinkable choice: watch his friend die or attempt history’s most audacious one-man rescue mission. A tug-at-the-heartstrings tale of bravery and selflessness, Devotion asks: How far would you go to save a friend?

THE NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, LOS ANGELES TIMES, AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER “A band of brothers in an American tank . . . Makos drops the reader back into the Pershing’s turret and dials up a battle scene to rival the peak moments of Fury.” —The Wall Street Journal From the author of the international bestseller A Higher Call comes the riveting World War II story of an American tank gunner’s journey into the heart of the Third Reich, where he will meet destiny in an iconic armor duel—and forge an enduring bond with his enemy. When Clarence Smoyer is assigned to the gunner’s seat of his Sherman tank, his crewmates discover that the gentle giant from Pennsylvania has a hidden talent: He’s a natural-born shooter. At first, Clarence and his fellow crews in the legendary 3rd Armored Division—“Spearhead”—thought their tanks were invincible. Then they met the German Panther, with a gun so murderous it could shoot through one Sherman and into the next. Soon a pattern emerged: The lead tank always gets hit. After Clarence sees his friends cut down breaching the West Wall and holding the line in the Battle of the Bulge, he and his crew are given a weapon with the power to avenge their fallen brothers: the Pershing, a state-of-the-art “super tank,” one of twenty in the European theater. But with it comes a harrowing new responsibility: Now they will spearhead every attack. That’s how Clarence, the corporal from coal country, finds himself leading the U.S. Army into its largest urban battle of the European war, the fight for Cologne, the “Fortress City” of Germany. Battling through the ruins, Clarence will engage the fearsome Panther in a duel immortalized by an army cameraman. And he will square off with Gustav Schaefer, a teenager behind the trigger in a Panzer IV tank, whose crew has been sent on a suicide mission to stop the Americans. As Clarence and Gustav trade fire down a long boulevard, they are taken by surprise by a tragic mistake of war. What happens next will haunt Clarence to the modern day, drawing him back to Cologne to do the unthinkable: to face his enemy, one last time. Praise for Spearhead “A detailed, gripping account . . . the remarkable story of two tank crewmen, from opposite sides of the conflict, who endure the grisly nature of tank warfare.” —USA Today (four out of four stars) “Strong and dramatic . . . Makos established himself as a meticulous researcher who’s equally adept at spinning a good old-fashioned yarn. . . . For a World War II aficionado, it will read like a dream.” —Associated Press

From the New York Times bestselling author of Spearhead and A Higher Call comes an unflinching, brutal, and relentless firsthand chronicle of United States Marine Corps’ actions in the Pacific during World War II. Following fifteen Marines from the Pearl Harbor attack, through battles with the Japanese, to their return home after V-J Day, Adam Makos and Marcus Brotherton have compiled an oral history of the Pacific War in the words of the men who fought on the front lines. With unflinching honesty, these Marines reveal harrowing accounts of combat with an implacable enemy, the friendships and camaraderie they found—and lost—and the aftermath of the war’s impact on their lives. With unprecedented access to the veterans, rare photographs, and unpublished memoirs, Voices of the Pacific presents true stories of heroism as told by such World War II veterans as Sid Phillips, R. V. Burgin, and Chuck Tatum—whose exploits were featured in the HBO® miniseries, The Pacific—and their Marine buddies from the legendary 1st Marine Division. Includes rare photos!

A young adult adaptation of the national bestseller that details the true story of two Navy pilots from divergent racial and economic backgrounds who forge a deep friendship during the Korean War as they face extraordinary circumstances. Soon to be major motion picture starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, with a supporting cast including Joe Jonas! Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, both Navy pilots during the Korean War in 1950, come from different backgrounds: Hudner is a white New Englander, a son of privilege; Brown is an African American son of a sharecropper from Mississippi. When the two men join forces in Fighter Squadron 32, they forge a deep friendship at a time when racial inequality was prevalent in America. An unwavering commitment binds Tom and Jesse to each other as well as to their comrades. The two fly to save a division of US Marines cornered during the battle at Chosin Reservoir, but catastrophe strikes when one of them is shot down behind enemy lines and trapped in the wreckage of his plane. The other will face an unthinkable choice: watch their friend die, or attempt one of history’s most audacious one-man rescue missions. What transpires is harrowing and heartbreaking, an inspirational story for all time.

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.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • From America’s “forgotten war” in Korea comes an unforgettable tale of courage by the author of A Higher Call. “In the spirit of Unbroken and The Boys in the Boat comes Devotion.”—Associated Press • “Aerial drama at its best—fast, powerful, and moving.”—Erik Larson Devotion tells the inspirational story of the U.S. Navy’s most famous aviation duo, Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, and the Marines they fought to defend. A white New Englander from the country-club scene, Tom passed up Harvard to fly fighters for his country. An African American sharecropper’s son from Mississippi, Jesse became the navy’s first Black carrier pilot, defending a nation that wouldn’t even serve him in a bar. While much of America remained divided by segregation, Jesse and Tom joined forces as wingmen in Fighter Squadron 32. Adam Makos takes us into the cockpit as these bold young aviators cut their teeth at the world’s most dangerous job—landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier—a line of work that Jesse’s young wife, Daisy, struggles to accept. Deployed to the Mediterranean, Tom and Jesse meet the Fleet Marines, boys like PFC “Red” Parkinson, a farm kid from the Catskills. In between war games in the sun, the young men revel on the Riviera, partying with millionaires and even befriending the Hollywood starlet Elizabeth Taylor. Then comes the conflict that no one expected: the Korean War. Devotion takes us soaring overhead with Tom and Jesse, and into the foxholes with Red and the Marines as they battle a North Korean invasion. As the fury of the fighting escalates and the Marines are cornered at the Chosin Reservoir, Tom and Jesse fly, guns blazing, to try and save them. When one of the duo is shot down behind enemy lines and pinned in his burning plane, the other faces an unthinkable choice: watch his friend die or attempt history’s most audacious one-man rescue mission. A tug-at-the-heartstrings tale of bravery and selflessness, Devotion asks: How far would you go to save a friend?

Adapted for young adults from the New York Times bestseller, a riveting and true WWII story of a young man--an American tank gunner--who meets his destiny in an iconic armor duel and forges an enduring bond with his enemy. Shut the hatches. It''s time to roll out. You''ll find yourself behind enemy lines with Clarence Smoyer and the 3rd Armored Division, the workhorse unit known as "Spearhead," the best in the tank armor ranks. You''ll feel as if you are right beside Clarence and his fellow crew members--all formerly strangers from across America who have now become family to each other. You will be jarred by enemy fire, and then explore the other side, stepping into the boots of German tanker soldier, Gustav Schaefer and his crew. You''ll witness the heartbreaking tragedy, when an innocent young woman is caught in the crossfire. You''ll see what happens when all of these lives collide, and realize how the aftershock still affects the survivors more than a half a century later. A riveting and true account of the perils of war as well as the prospect of forgiveness.

From the bestselling author of Devotion, now a Major Motion Picture, comes an unflinching firsthand chronicle of the heroic US Marines who fought on Guadalcanal, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and in other pivotal battles during the Pacific War, a classic book now expanded with new stories from the flyboys overhead and the home front at war. Look for The Pacific miniseries, now available to stream on Netflix! Following fifteen Marines from Pearl Harbor, through their battles with the Japanese, to their return home after V-J Day, Adam Makos and Marcus Brotherton have compiled an oral history of the Pacific War in the words of the men who fought on the front lines. With vivid, unforgettable detail, these Marines reveal harrowing accounts of combat with an implacable enemy, the camaraderie they found, the friends they lost, and the aftermath of the war''s impact on their lives. With unprecedented access to the veterans, rare photographs, and unpublished memoirs, Voices of the Pacific presents true stories of heroism as told by such World War II veterans as Sid Phillips, R.V. Burgin, and Chuck Tatum—whose exploits were featured in the classic HBO miniseries The Pacific—and their Marine buddies from the legendary 1st Marine Division.

A nemzetközi bestseller Felettünk a csillagos ég szerzőjétől érkezik egy újabb felejthetetlen történet egy amerikai tanktüzér útjáról a Harmadik Birodalom szívéig, ahol egy ikonikus páncélcsata dönti el a sorsát – mely alatt különös kötelék szövődik közte és ellensége között. Amikor Clarence Smoyer új megbízást kap - egy Sherman tank tüzéri posztját -, a csapattárai felfedezik, hogy a szelíd pennsylvaniai óriásnak rejtett tehetsége van: született célzó és lövő. Clarence és csapattársai eleinte azt hiszik, hogy a legendás 3. felfegyverzett hadosztály - a "Lándzsahegy" - tankjai legyőzhetetlenek. De aztán találkoznak a Német Párduccal, mely fegyvere olyan erős, hogy könnyedén áthatol egy Shermanon, és beletalál a következőbe. Hamarosan tiszta a kép: azt a tankot, ami elöl halad, mindig eltalálják. Miután Clarence végignézi csapattársai lekaszabolását a második védelmi vonal áttörésekor, valamint miközben próbálták tartani a sort az ardenneki offenzíva során, ő és a csapata olyan fegyvert kapnak, mellyel bosszút állhatnak minden elesett társukért: ez a fegyver a csúcstechnológiás, Pershing nevű szupertank. Nem kell sok, és áthatja őket a rémisztő és elborzasztó érzés, miszerint most ők lesznek azok, akik kilövik az első vonalban állókat minden támadáskor - most ők fognak letarolni mindent és mindenkit. Így alakul hát úgy, hogy Clarence azon kapja magát, hogy tizedesből az egész amerikai hadsereg vezetőjévé válik, aki az európai háború legnagyobbika során irányítja hatalmas csapatát a harcban Kölnért, "Németország erődjéért". A romokon harcolva Clarence újra szembekerül a Párduccal, és halálos párbajba kezdenek, melyet egy hadseregi operatőr felvétele tett halhatatlanná. A Párduc tüzére nem más volt, mint a tinédzser Gustav Schaefer, aki a csapatával öngyilkos hadjáratára lett küldve, hogy megállítsák az amerikaiakat. Ahogyan Clarence és Gustav tűzharcba bonyolódnak, a háború tragikus hibája meglepetésként csap le rájuk. Ami pedig ezután következik, az a modern napokig kísérteni fogja Clarence-t, vissza-visszahúzva őt Kölnbe, hogy megtegye az elképzelhetetlent, és még egyszer, utoljára szembenézzen az ellenségével.

Sie sind erbitterte Feinde, als sie am 20. Dezember 1943 in über acht Kilometern Höhe aufeinandertreffen: der Amerikaner Charlie Brown in seinem vom Flakfeuer schwer beschädigten B-17-Bomber und der deutsche Jagdflieger Franz Stigler, der den gegnerischen Piloten einfach nur vom Himmel holen müsste, – doch er tut es nicht. Stattdessen gibt Stigler dem Bomber Geleit über die deutsche Flugabwehr hinweg bis auf die Nordsee hinaus und rettet Brown und seiner gesamten Besatzung das Leben. Die Geschichte der beiden Fliegerasse ist Legende. Und sie ist wahr. Der Historiker und Journalist Adam Makos hat sich, unterstützt von Starautor Larry Alexander, jahrelang bis ins kleinste Detail mit den Ereignissen beschäftigt und die Beteiligten getroffen. Eine höhere Pflicht ist kein Buch über einen kurzen Augenblick des Mitleids, sondern ein Buch darüber, was es bedeutet, in einem Krieg Pilot zu sein, und was für einer Pflichtverletzung es gleichkam, so zu handeln, wie es Franz Stigler richtig erschien. Es ist ein Buch auch über die Freundschaft, die Charlie Brown und Franz Stigler seit ihrem Wiedersehen 1990 verband – bis zu ihrem Tod 2008. Die wunderbare Geschichte eines deutschen Helden.

A young adult adaptation of the national bestseller that details the true story of two Navy pilots from divergent racial and economic backgrounds who forge a deep friendship during the Korean War as they face extraordinary circumstances. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, with supporting cast including Joe Jonas. Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, Navy pilots during the Korean War in 1950, come from different backgrounds: Hudner is a white New Englander, a son of privilege; Brown is an African American son of a sharecropper from Mississippi. When the two men join forces in Fighter Squadron 32, they forge a deep friendship at a time when racial inequality is prevalent in America. An unwavering commitment binds Tom and Jesse to each other as well as to their comrades. The two fly to save a division of US Marines cornered during the battle at Chosin Reservoir, but catastrophe strikes when one of them is shot down behind enemy lines and trapped in the wreckage of his plane. The other will face an unthinkable choice: watch his friend die, or attempt one of history’s most audacious one-man rescue missions. What transpires is harrowing and heartbreaking, an inspirational story for all time.

Dezembro de 1943. Um bombardeiro americano seriamente danificado se esforça para sobrevoar a zona de guerra alemã. No controle está um jovem de 21 anos, o segundo-tenente Charlie Brown. A maior parte da tripulação está morta ou gravemente ferida. Um caça inimigo se aproxima. A suástica na cauda do avião não deixa dúvidas. Seu piloto é o experiente alemão Franz Stigler. Predador e presa. Só um tiro e o abate será mais uma vitória no currículo de Franz, para deleite de seu superior Hermann Goering, braço direito de Hitler. Mas o que aconteceu ali desafiou a lógica da guerra. Posteriormente, o episódio seria chamado de "O mais incrível encontro entre inimigos na Segunda Guerra Mundial". A Força Aérea dos Estados Unidos arquivaria por anos o ocorrido, classificando-o como ultrassecreto. Foi um ato que aquele piloto alemão jamais poderia ter revelado, pois, se o fizesse, seu destino seria o pelotão de fuzilamento. Quase cinquenta anos depois, essa história real e impressionante veio à tona, arrebatando a crítica e galgando a lista dos mais vendidos do The New York Times.

Egy felejthetetlen történet az USA haditengerészetének leghíresebb repülős duójáról, Tom Hudner hadnagyról és Jesse Brown zászlósról, és azokról a tengerészgyalogosokról, akikért a két pilóta harcolt. Jesse afroamerikai, egy földműves fia Mississippi államból, ő volt az első színes bőrű pilóta, aki repülőgép-hordozón szolgált. Tom fehér bőrű New England-i fiatalember, aki countryklubokba járt, és a harvardi tanulmányairól mondott le azért, hogy vadászrepülőt vezessen hazája hadseregében. A pilóták veszélyes feladatot vállaltak: repülőgép-hordozó anyahajó fedélzetén landoltak, és a szárazföldi csapatokat fedezték ellenséges harcvonalak mögött. A Földközi-tengernél állomásozó Tom és Jesse a békeidős katonák mindennapjait élik: gyakorlatoznak, a Riviérán szórakoznak, milliomosokkal partiznak, és összebarátkoznak az akkor kezdő hollywoodi színésznővel, Elizabeth Taylorral. Aztán jön egy háború a távoli Koreában, amire senki nem számított. A harcok egyre inkább kiterjednek, a tengerészgyalogosokat pedig körbekerítik a Chosin-víztározónál. Tom és Jesse folyamatosan repülnek, és egyik támadást a másik után hajtják végre, hogy megmentsék társaikat. Amikor egyiküket az ellenséges vonalak mögött találat éri, és bennragad az égő gépben, a másik hirtelen elképzelhetetlen választás elé kerül: nézze végig, hogy barátja meghal, vagy kísérelje meg végrehajtani a történelem egyik legvakmerőbb egyszemélyes mentőakcióját? Mit tesz meg az ember, hogy megmentse a bajtársát?

"The book presents accounts of heroism and honor as told by World War II veterans Sid Phillips, R.V. Burgin, and Chuck Tatum--whose exploits were featured in the HBO mini-series The Pacific--and their Marine buddies from the legendary 1st Marine Division. These Marines trace the action from the Pearl Harbor attack and intense boot camp training through battles with the Japanese on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa, to their return home after V-J Day. With unflinching honesty, these men reveal harrowing accounts of combat with an implacable enemy, the friendships and camaraderie they found--and lost--and the aftermath of the war''s impact on their lives. With unprecedented access to the veterans, never-before-seen photographs, and unpublished memoirs, Makos and Brotherton have forged Voices of the Pacific into an incredible historic record of American bravery and sacrifice"-- amazon.com description of English language edition.

Quatre jours avant Noël, dans le ciel d''Allemagne, un bombardier américain gravement endommagé tente de regagner sa base. Son pilote a 21 ans. Soudain une forme lisse et sombre s''approche, c''est un Messerschmitt. Son pilote est un as Allemand. Ce qui arrive alors défie l''imagination : c''est la plus incroyable rencontre entre deux ennemis de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Voici l''histoire authentique des deux pilotes dont les vies vont se croiser ce jour-là : un Américain, le sous-lieutenant Charlie Brown, un garçon de la campagne qui deviendra commandant à bord d''un B-17 et un Allemand, le sous-lieutenant Franz Stigler, un ancien pilote de ligne bavarois qui ne voulait pas faire la guerre. A Higher Call décrit les missions des deux hommes : Charlie décolle régulièrement dans le brouillard anglais au-dessus des épaves en flammes de ses amis. Il doit passer si près de batteries de DCA que les obus illuminent son cockpit. Il doit éviter des hordes d''appareils ennemis tournant autour de lui comme des requins. Pour sa part, Franz affronte des tempêtes de sable dans le désert et perd son chasseur en mer... Un jour Charlie et Franz se retrouvent face à face... La 8e Air Force américaine classera "top secret" ce qui s''est alors passé. Franz n''évoquera jamais cet événement de peur d''être fusillé. Pourtant, leur rencontre va les hanter pendant des années jusqu''à ce que Charlie et Franz se retrouvent pour une ultime mission qui bouleversera leur existence.