Emotional story that will pull at your heart strings and will make you cry. The story shows and brings to life the characters its about , their strength, fears, the places they were at, and what they Experience.

This is a well-written book about the story of Dave and how he managed to survive as a POW during WWII. It might have been a bit rushed in the end, but in general this was an interesting read.

Lightning Sky is the true story McArthur family during World War 2. Author does an amazing job of being this story to life.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, R.C. George and Citadel Press.

R C George makes this story, supported by photos, memories, etc. come alive. It's a testimony to the power of the family bond. It reads like fiction but I am so amazed and delighted to say that this story is true!
Even though I knew the outcome I was riveted by the story and compelled to stay with it. I think this book would make a fantastic book discussion selection as there is so much material that I wanted to share and discuss after reading.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Lightning Sky is an excellent story, based on the true events of the McArthur family during the U.S. involvement of World War II. This is a deeply moving work, following the career and capture of 20-year-old P-38 pilot Second Lieutenant David "Mac" McArthur with the Army Air Corp, captured by the Germans following a bail-out over Greece on August 6, 1044, and his Army father, Lieutenant Colonel Vaughn MacArthur, Chaplain for the 8th Armored Division with Patton's army.

This is a story of faith and family that will warm your heart. David was moved many times to various Stalags as the German forces retreated in the final stages of WWII. Communication between David and his Mother in the states, and his Father traveling with Patton across Europe was impossible. Messages that actually got out of the war zone were undeliverable as the family moved in the US and the David and his father Vaughn were moving too fast for the post to catch up. Would David and Vaughn ever be in the same place, same time?

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, R.C. George and Citadel Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

This book seemed to be rushed towards the end. It was such a tense story but it would have been better told in first person. There was distance in having it told in their person. I appreciated getting to know a story about a hero that I had never heard if. This was a very moving book

Many thanks to #NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the cover and by the description that it would be about a fighter pilot captured in World War Two and his Father’s search to find him and bring him home. As a parent, who could not be moved at this thought? I know that personally I would be willing to move heaven and earth to find any child of mine in such a situation.

I am no expert on American Aviators and this book tells the story of one such man, Dave MacArthur. It also tells us about his father who was a chaplain in the military. R.C. George, the author of the book, has done a marvellous job in telling of their experiences. |He was blessed with wonderful primary sources of material including letters written by Dave MacArthur and by both his parents. The early letters are written with the voice of a relatively innocent youth and the reader has the privilege of seeing how he matures as the story progresses. Behind every dialogue, comment in italics or quotations in the book is a historical document . This is not a book of fiction and yet it is written in such as way that it flows and captures the attention the way good fiction should.

This book is an excellent book to start with for those who don’t have much background knowledge on what it was like to be an aviator during the war. George takes the reader through the training program, explains the different planes and even how the choice would be made as to whether recruits would be fighter pilots or bombers. Dave MacArthur was a fighter and the book takes its title from the name of the plane that he flew for a good part of his wartime career – a Lightning which is a one man plane.

The story begins not in the Second World War but in the Korean War where Dave MacArthur, still a pilot, finds himself on land and facing an enemy trying to surround the troops he is with. Due to lack of leadership among the group MacArthur realizes that someone needs to step up and make decisions or they will all be killed or captured. Despite having no infantry training, he successfully manages to lead a group of men determined that he will not face capture as he did during World War Two. This chapter was gripping, and although completely unexpected the excitement captivated me and I didn’t want to put the book down. I was glued to the book in whatever spare minutes I could find over the next day or so.

My uncle, although not an aviator, was captured in the Liri Valley in Italy and spent a year as a P.O.W. I had the privilege to interview him about his experiences and have also read a large number of books that detail the experiences of those captured in wartime. Having read this book, I have to wonder if my uncle vastly underplayed his experiences when we talked.

MacArthur was captured in Crete. He was flying a plane that he didn’t normally fly, on a day he wasn’t scheduled to be flying with an inexperienced squadron leader and without his lucky charm. He managed to bail out of his burning plane (almost too late) but was quickly captured and taken to the local concentration camp where other pilots were also imprisoned. The conditions he faced were horrific and this was merely the beginning of his time as a P.O.W. Each day he was forced to watch whole the enemy soldiers systematically killed local civilians including women and children in retaliation for each of there men who had been injured. His journey did not end there. Eventually he and others with him were transferred to Germany. Along the way he made may escape attempts but there were two British soldiers who continually betrayed any other soldier who tried to get away.

Ultimately, he found himself in Dulag Luft 3, the camp best known for the story of the Great Escape. He arrived some months after that had taken place, but it didn’t stop him from continually trying to find a way to escape himself. He never made it far and was still there when the camp was closed down, and the men were forced into what became known as the “Death March”.

While Dave MacArthur was marching and barely surviving, his father had arrived in Europe and was continually seeking out news of any camps that had been liberated in the hopes he could find his son. Eventually he got lucky, heard of one such camp, went there and actually found his son. The story does not end there, however, and the book is well worth reading to find out all the finer details of their experiences. Both the MacArthur men were very inspiring. This book should be of interest both to those who have read very little abut wartime situations and those who are highly knowledgeable. Stories like this need to be told and remembered. My thanks to the author for telling the story so well.