Product Description

"[A] finely wrought saga of honor and family in an era long gone--but not at all forgotten."--People

In the early days of World War II, fate pits two brothers--both ace fighter pilots--against each other: Max Kelso with the German Luftwaffe, and Harry in Britain's RAF. Now, the machinery of war has set in motion an intrigue so devious, so filled with peril, that it will require them to question everything they hold most dear: their lives, their families, their loyalties. Against impossible odds, it is their courage alone that will decide the course of the war...

"A grand tale...full of heroes."--Florida Times-Union

"Flight of Eagles might be his best ever."--Rocky Mountain News

"Higgins returns to World War II intrigue and, happy to note, the top of his game."--Lexington Herald-Leader

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #416676 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From School Library Journal
YA-An international thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The unusual beginning, the story of Tarquin, a stuffed bear that has acted as mascot in various aircraft since World War I, hooks readers and offers a smooth transition into the main plot. Identical twins Max and Harry were born in the U.S. to a German mother and an American father but were separated when the mother took Max, the future Baron von Halder, to Germany. As World War II explodes, he has become a feared pilot with the Luftwaffe, and Harry is a Yank ace in the RAF. Each is aware of the other and knows his position. Extraordinary circumstances propel both their lives and the lives of those they love on a perilous collision course. Intrigue and deceit abound in this easy-to-read, action-packed novel. Initially the plot seems obvious, but unexpected twists and turns will keep YAs' interest right up until the surprise ending.
Anita Short, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Another crowd-pleasing, if somewhat wooden, tale of steely heroism and stiff-upper-lip bravado from the prolific Higgins. Returning to the WWII settings that he knows so well, Higgins (The President's Daughter, 1997, etc.) puts a pair of identical twin flyboys, one American, one German, on opposite sides of the war. The story begins in 1997 in Cold Harbour, a lonely Cornish villageand once a secret spy basewhere the real Higgins and his real wife Denise find themselves after surviving a crash-landing in the English Channel. There, Zee Aeland, a crusty innkeeper, turns emotional when he glimpses Higgins's teddy bear Tarquin, which the author purchased in an antique shop. Aeland tells him that Tarquin's original owner was dashing Jack Kelso, a wealthy, thrill-seeking American vet who fought for the British before the US entered the war. Recovering from a crash- landing of his own in France, Kelso met and married his hospital nurse, the impoverished German baroness Elsa von Halder, who laterafter her husband insisted on returning to the Statesgave birth to twin sons Max and Harry. Because he was ten minutes older, Max also became the new Baron von Halder. Then, in 1930, Jack died, and took Max to his ancestral homeland, while Harry stayed in Boston with his rich grandfather, brooding, and finally taking Tarquin with him to fight for Finland against invading Russians. By page 60, Harry has joined the RAF (as a Finn!), and Max, a.k.a. ``The Black Baron,'' is clicking his boots among the Nazis. Using the two boys to show that ineffable daring, chivalric nonchalance, and the ability to execute a flawless Immelmann turn can transcend political borders and ideologies (both Max and Elsa rapidly develop sour opinions about Hitler). Women, spies, tyrants and combat buddies come and go, but teddy bears, brotherly love, and a tearjerker conclusion win out. An old-fashioned, sentimental ode to chivalric virtue and family values: Not as suspenseful as Higgins's best, but well grounded in historical detail, lightened by amusing encounters with Hitler, Himmler, and other factual fiends. (Book-of-the-Month Club main selection) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

Flight of Eagles Review , by Nick Gatz cass pd.4
I found the Flight of Eagles by Jack Higgins to be very interesting and intriguing. The book had a strong plot in which Higgins caught the reader's attention by pulling in historical figures with fictional ones leaving you with suspense and thoughts of always wanting to find out what happens next. The books main Characters Harry Kelso and Max Von Halder are described with such realistic traits, thoughts, and actions by Higgins you would believe that they were real fighter pilots. The characters are described with great detail but often it is hard to keep track of them all until the end when Higgins ties them all together. I found it very interesting as to how Higgins used the bear Tarquin as a symbol in the book to tell the story of two separated brothers brought together by war. The realistic details of war, the planes the brothers flew, and the whiskey they drank made it seem as though you could be sitting right there with them. The book is full of suspenseful action that leaves you with a feeling that you just can't stop reading because you are eager to find out what happens next. The books ending is surprising but well organized in bringing all the events to a whole.

anachronisms galore in "flight of eagles"
Higgins's Flight of Eagles left me wishing he had done his homework. There are multiple clankers that litter this story. First, the W.W. I German air force was not called the Luftwaffe. Second, I seriously doubt a German baroness would be working in an Allied military hospital in 1917; she would be behind barbed wire in an internment camp. Third, the Finnish Air Force of 1940 was not equipped with the Focke Wulf 190. That aircraft did not appear in combat until considerably later. All of this distracted my attention from the plot, such as it is. I find Higgins's attempts to sanitize those who served the Gestapo and other Nazi units, such as the SS, distasteful and egregious. In short, I did not like this work on several levels.

A book of Intriguing WWII action!
I have read most of Jack Higgin's books and it is my opinion that this is one of his finest works. Harry and Max Kelso are twins with an English father and a German mother who is the heir to a German Baroness. This makes Max, the elder by 2 minutes, the Baron van Halder. After the twin's father dies, the Baroness takes Max with her to Germany. Each of the brothers has a knack for flying and when the war starts up the both join their respected sides.

This wonderfully portrayed novel tells te story of their exploits during the war and is capped off by a very surprising and great ending.