On August 13, 1944, Joe Moser set off on a combat mission over occupied France. Narrowly escaping his plane before it crashed, Joe finds himself captured by German soldiers. Despite rules of war, Joe will find himself imprisoned at Buchenwald with hundreds of other Allied airmen as prisoners. Determined to survive the horrific conditions, Moser and his comrades must use all of their skills to live through the brutal treatment.

Lightning Down is described as the story of Joe Moser, a P-38 Lightning pilot whose fate ultimately ends up in the hands of the enemy. Unfortunately, the author is slow to get to Joe's story, focusing on that which happened in the war around him. With so much emphasis on the background information, the compelling nature of Joe's personal story gets lost. There is also some issues with grammar, with the author switching back and forth between first person and third person. As there has been many personal accounts of WWII written in the last few years, Lightning Down just does not stand out.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Lightning Down by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

I am a WWII history nut. I love to read, listen to or watch everything WWII. I was cheering them on the whole book and was also wondering if I was in that situation, would I be able to do what they did.

What a thoroughly detailed account of pilot Joe Moser during WW2! Although an amazing account of his background leading into becoming a pilot, then his time spent as a POW, I found this to be slow paced and very detail oriented…hard for me to stay focused. My history buff Dad would love this one, though!
Thanks to @netgalley for the early addition in exchange for an honest review!

# Lightning Down is a WWll story of survival. This is a true story of Joe Moser who set off on his forty-fourth combat mission over France.After bailing out of his damaged, burning plane he was captured immediately.This is a book hard to put down.💜💜🐾🐾
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Tom Calvin, and # St. Martins Press

This was a good book! I feel like I learned about what happened to some of our men when they were taken as POW's to one of the concentration camps. Joe was definitely a very very brave and inspirational person.

I voluntarily reviewed this book provided by NetGalley.

Are you interested in WWII aerial exploits? What about escaping pilots in the French countryside? Nasty Nazis? Survival by the skin of your teeth? Well, then join Tom Clavin as he lays out the tale of Joe Moser, Lightning pilot on his 44th mission that went very wrong and what happened after.

Joe Moser grew up in Washington state on a farm who dreamed of becoming a pilot of the P-38 Lightning. He got his dream job as a pilot with the 429 Squadron of the Ninth Air Force based in England. He flew bomber escort missions as well as ground attack missions. On his 44th combat mission, his plane was hit and he had to parachute out of his plane. Some French farmers tried to help, but he and two of the farmers were caught by the Germans. Joe ended up in Fresnes prison in the hand of the Gestapo. Shipped out on the last train before Paris fell to the Allies, Joe and many others ended up at Buchenwald Concentration Camp as one of 168 Allied fliers accused of being Terrorfliegers. Only due to a surprise visit by a Luftwaffe officer, did the Allied fliers escape being executed, instead they were transferred to a regular POW camp. But then with the Russians approaching, the POWs were marched out in January on a harrowing trek to another camp in Austria where barely survived until the US Army arrived. Joe returned back to the Bellingham, Washington area to marry and become the "local furnace guy." He did not talk much until late in life when he started reconnecting with fellow survivors and had his story make the newspaper rounds in 1982. In 2009, when he was almost 90, Joe collaborated with Gerald Baron to write A Fighter Pilot at Buchenwald. Joe Moser died December 2, 2015.

Tom Clavin provides a narrative with plenty of asides that brings to life one of the great survival stories of WWII in Lightning Down. Joe Moser rose from humble roots to become a fighter pilot, survive not just Buchenwald, but also an epic trek in the January 1945 winter that almost killed him. Yet he came back home, found a job and raised a family without fanfare. He is a true American hero that everyone should know!

This book started out a little slow for me; too many details about about fighter planes and specifics about missions that didn’t really add to the story. By the halfway mark, though, it had picked up.
This was a bit of a different perspective on the horrors committed by the Nazis, focusing on close to two hundred fighter pilots sent to a concentration camp in violation of the Geneva Convention. They were eventually rescued from the camp, of course, and not a day too early, which is a success story. But I couldn’t stop thinking about those poor souls left behind in Buchenwald after the pilots left. It never ceases to amaze me the evil that people will do when given the chance.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this ARC of #lightningdown in exchange for an honest review.

I read a ton of WWII fiction. In the last few years, I've been more drawn to biographical WWII fiction about real people (i.e. Code Name Helene). But I haven't read any WWII nonfiction. I remedied that during Nonfiction November by reading Tom Clavin's new book Lightning Down.

At first, I wasn't sure if this was nonfiction. Many parts of the book read much like what I find in the WWII fiction stories based on real people and events. Clavin largely follows the life of Joe Moser, a WWII fighter pilot who was captured in the waning days of the war. The plane he flew was called a Lightning.

Quickly it became obvious that this is not fiction as in other parts of the book it was like reading the author's notes I read at the end of a historical novel.

Both "parts" (they aren't really parts as the texts weaves between a close look at Moser's actions and a broader look at the events and people around him) were enjoyable to read. While it did take me longer to read this book, it was not because it was dull or dry. It was because I really wanted to absorb the information - much that I didn't know before or only knew a little about.

I have read, both in novels and in history classes, about D-Day, but most of the time it is more from the perspective of those making the beach landing. Because Moser is a fighter pilot, we learn about their efforts during the Normandy invasion.

I remember in my high school American History class being told that the German POW camps were not anything like what was portrayed in the television show Hogan's Heros. Yet, in Clavin's description of Stalag III, there were some similarities - like the recreation facilities (they had a theater where they put on plays). So I wonder if my teacher thought the POW camps were the same as the concentration camps. Moser and 167 other airmen did spend time in a concentration camp and it was nothing like the POW camps. The POW camps were under the authority of Luftwaffe (the German air defense service) and the concentration camp was under the authority of the SS (the Nazi state police).

I am so glad I read Lightning Down. I don't know about you, but when I'm reading WWII fiction I usually have Google nearby because I want to know more about the events or a side character is mentioned that I want to know more about. With Clavin's book, I didn't feel the need to do any Googling. While he stays pretty focused on Moser's experiences, he gives information about the people who crossed Moser's path. He also put what Moser was doing in perspective with the larger events taking place throughout the war.

If you write WWII fiction, you will want to add this book to your resource shelf. If you are like me and enjoy reading WWII fiction, then you should read this book was it will fill in many gaps in information that just doesn't make it into a novel. I think I will also enjoy my next WWII novel more because I will have more factual knowledge about the period.

One thing that kind of irked me is that there is a mention in the epilogue of the Japanese sending balloon bombs to the west coast of the U.S. I've never heard of this and now I want to know more. Maybe Clavin will write about it in his next book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 11:30 am ET - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/11/lightning-down-world-war-ii-story-of.html

I find stories of survival from World War II to be fascinating. The situations these people were put through and the pure urge to survive no matter what always inspires me to try and live a better life.

This story follows the life of a flyer in World War 2 that helped drop bombs on Nazi’s and then was caught and became a prisoner. Although it follows the story of Joe Moser, it also tells multiple different stories of people on both sides of the war and the things they did. I felt like I learned a lot about a wide range of people that I hadn’t read about in the past. My favorite is obviously the side of good and the things people sacrificed to help save others. It’s always heart warming to read books like this that make you feel really good about humanity even in the worst of times.

My biggest upset about this book was the formatting. It jumped around a lot from the beginning of the war to the end of the war and back and forth telling different side stories while telling the story of Joe Moser and his fellow flyers. Sometimes this got confusing on who we were talking about. Or they would be following the main storyline but jump forward to tell you how they ended up, but then jump back to give more details. I wished it had flowed a little more smoothly.

Otherwise the story itself was amazing. It’s terrible and heartbreaking, but the pure drive to survive and the way they helped each other get from one step to the next, sometimes literally, was the best. This story will tell you the worst of the war, but shines a light on the best of those who fought it for us. Definitely one to check out.

Lightening Down details the harrowing experiences of one downed American pilot during World War Two. Captured in France, Joseph Moser endures the unimaginable as a German POW. This remarkable tale reminds us how precious life is and how strong man’s will to live is.

An incredible survival story. It's hard to imagine the events of this story. A testament to the power of camaraderie and human spirit. Difficult to read because of graphic content, but I'm glad I did. Author Clavin does a great job of presenting the facts so that readers of fiction or nonfiction will appreciate this book. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity for the ARC.

Joe Moser an ordinary man was an extraordinary hero. His father emigrated from Switzerland, married and made a life fir his family in Ferndale, Washington. His father died when Joe was fifteen. He worked hard on the farm, went to school and loved airplanes. To be a pilot, he enlisted in 1942 and was able to pass the test after it was rescored to become a pilot. I found when author, Tom Clavin focused on Joe the book moved quickly and held my interest completely. There were times where the author focused on too much background about planes……..and other background about the war and it lost my interest. I yearned for the story to return to Joe. When I realized he always came back to Joe and his friends, I could not turn the pages fast enough. Joe’s P-38 plane crashed on a farm in France and two brothers saved him. He eventually was caught and sent to prison in France. Just before Paris was liberated,, Germany loaded him on one of the last cattle cars to Buchenwald along with many other pilots. . Breaking the Geneva convention, the Germans treated the pilots horribly including their participation in the death March.

Like many other soldiers they buried their experiences in the war when they returned home. Joe married had a family. It was only decades later that Joe spoke about his time in the war. Make sure you read the Epilogue and the author’s comments. Clavin backs up his research and has produced an extraordinary book about Joe. It was an emotional read for me. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Lightning Down A World War II Nonfiction book of Survival by Tom Clavin. A memoir of a fighter pilot’s war and fight to live through unbelievable conditions. I don’t know how to adequately describe this book because it covers so much. It is a Historical war story with all the details of a pilot’s life and what he endured. Joe’s early life, ambitions, love of flying, World War II planes, pilots, prisoner of war, liberation, freedom and life after the war. This is a very emotional story, so be ready to shed tears.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars

A digital copy of this book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story of pilot Joe Moser, who during World War II was shot down over German occupied France. He was captured by the Germans, and thinking he was heading to a POW camp in accord with the Geneva convention, he was sent to Buchenwald.
Joe Moser's dream was to fly planes. Then Pearl harbor was attacked, and he was drafted. After years of training, he finally went off to Europe at the end of January, 1944. Once there, the pilots had to go through more training. Finally he was able to fly. On that fateful day, his 44th mission, he was tasked to bomb "anything that moves" - trains, tanks, cargo.
I have read a few books about the Jewish prisoners in the concentration camps, but I have never read about the Allied soldiers that were contained there. This book has some graphic sections explaining some of the tortures, the meals and the overall life in camps. Some of these sections are fast little snippets. This isn't just the story about Joe. There are in depth descriptions of other Allied soldiers that were at Buchenwald and how they were captured. This tends to break up the timeline a bit as it goes back to narrate when an individual was born and how they became part of the Allies or French Resistance fighters. This book was very well researched to bring to the readers all the events from August 1944 to April 1945.
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Tom Clavin.

There is nothing better than a true story that keeps you so intrigued you lose track of time. During World War II, American fighter pilot, Joe Moser, was shot down over German-occupied France. Even though members of the French resistance tried to save him, he was captured and sent to the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp.

Along with fighter pilots from the US and other allied countries, Joe tried to remain strong and not lose hope that he would be rescued. These captured pilots tried to keep some type of normalcy throughout their ordeal, helping keep each other encouraged and banding together to stay safe.

The story covers the life of Joe Moser, both before he enlisted and after he was rescued. I was shocked to read that when he returned home people did not believe his story. Thankfully as time passed and more people saw proof of what happened in Germany, Joe was believed and honored for his bravery.

I recommend this to all readers. It should be on every high school or college reading list as a reminder that we need to continue to guard our freedom.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

Lightning Down by Tom Clavin

During WWII, one hundred and sixty eight Allied airmen were imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp. Given the name the name "Terrorflieger" (terror flyers), these men had first survived the infamous Fresnes Prison outside Paris before they were shipped in cattle cars to Buchenwald. Rather than being treated as POWs, according the Geneva Convention, their existence was kept secret and they knew their only reason to be at this camp was to die.

This true story follows Joe Moser, an American pilot, who was shot down over occupied France, on August 13, 1944. After being captured and sent to Fresnes Prison, Joe and the other airmen were taken to Buchenwald. Thinking that at some point they would be treated as POWs and given food, water, and livable accommodations to sit out the war as prisoners, instead they are faced with the almost impossible trial of surviving the death camp.

Even though I've read a lot of historical fiction detailing the horrors of the concentration camps, this story further shocked me with some of the most gruesome accounts of the treatment of the occupants of the camps that I have ever read. It's impossible for the mind to wrap around what occurred to so many people, on a daily basis. For the airmen, this wasn't the end, there were more horrors in store for them, as the Nazis were determined to hide their existence from the world, while they tried to determine a way to exterminate the men without Germany suffering repercussions against German POW pilots.

We don't just follow Joe. The story details the heroic efforts of those who risked and gave their lives to save others throughout this war. It is thanks to the efforts of Pilot Officer Philip John Lamason, and other pilots, that this group of men held together as an organized single unit, despite the nightmare that had become their lives. For all but two of these men, Buchenwald was not their final destination, as the men were forced on brutal and deadly winter marches to other locations. Throughout all of this, Joe felt guilt for those who risked/lost their lives trying to help them but also thankfulness that he woke up each day, knowing that at anytime, he could be one of the thousands to not see another sunrise.

A story that started out seeming dry had me fighting back tears by the end. Even once these survivors were rescued, most of them didn't speak out about their ordeals because they found they weren't believed. It was only decades later that all the facts came out and the surviving men could finally speak about the horrors and heroics that befell them.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Joe Moser followed his dream to become a pilot, eventually piloting a P-38 Lightning, a powerful and effective weapon against the German Luftwaffe. But when he had to bail out of his burning plane, he was captured and taken to Buchenwald, one of the most deadly Nazi concentration camps, along with other Allied airmen. When orders to execute them came from Hitler himself, they realized that escape was their only option.

Last year, I read Tombstone, my first Tom Clavin book, and liked it enough that I vowed to read more of his work. When Lightning Down popped up on my book radar, I jumped at the chance to read it, and I'm glad I did. My husband is a huge WW2 history nut, and I've absorbed a lot of information from him and from the historical fiction books I've read set in that time period. I liked learning even more about the events of that era, although some parts were very hard to read. I will strongly recommend this book to my husband, and will look for more of this author's books for myself as well.

I thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with the complementary ebook in exchange for honest review.

Lightning Down is a biography which describes in vivid details the life and horrors faced by military people in the hands of the Nazis. If you have an interest in history, WII and military, then this book is for you.

As a reader of historical fiction of WWII, I have read plenty books based on true incidents and very few biographies and non fiction in the same genre. This is my first book by Tom Clavin. This felt more like a docuserie which brings infront of you the events faced by Joe Moser and the others. The historical events, personal details, life before, during and after prison is described in detail. The stories, horrors faced during one of the darkest periods of history is unending, where we read about tragedies from survivors and this book is among them which describes accurately.

We should use these books to remember periods of history, heroism, human will to survive in adverse conditions which otherwise would be lost in time.

Surviving the Crash

Joe Mosier, a farm boy from Washington, had a great desire to fly airplanes. When he joined the Army Air Corps his dream was realized. He was flying the new P-38 Lightning one of the most effective weapons in the air corps.

The book tells of missions to protect ships, other larger bombers, and to blow up bridges and such. It tells of the feelings the pilots had, that they had no joy in shooting down enemy aircraft as the pilots were humans just like themselves. They did feel great when a mission was complete and all the aircraft returned safely, and they were sad when one didn't return.

I did not understand a lot of the talk about the airplanes themselves and all the technical stuff, but I did enjoy the story of the lives and feelings of the soldiers so far from home in a strange country.
One mission turned out not so well for Joe. He was hit and had to bail out over farmland in occupied France. Although some French farmers tried to help him he was captured by the Nazi's. He was not sent directly to a POW camp. First they put him in a prison in Paris, then he was sent to a concentration camp called Buchenwald instead of a POW camp.

The struggle for survival in this camp was real and hard. The unit of flyers did stay together and help each other. The threat of being sent to the crematorium which spewed ash on them every day from the murder and burning of the dead from the camp was almost unbearable. Then the unit commander got word that the order had come for them to be executed and it was only by incredible luck and means that they were saved from execution.

They were sent to another camp and after a few months toward the end of the war undertook a death march in the winter in temperatures of below zero weather in a snowstorm. They walked hundreds of miles in the weather and many perished and were left lying on the ground along the way. The remaining members of Joe's camp comrades stuck together and he once again escaped death by the help of his friends fighting to stay alive.

The book is the story of a will to survive, a quest for freedom and the story of one Washington farm boy that survived the Nazi's.

Anyone that is interested in history, the war and the Nazi's reign of terror should read this book. It is at times emotional, it is historical and a wonderful book of the human spirit.
I am glad I read this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Tom Clavin, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

I'm a history junkie and a big Tom Clavin fan. I loved his previous books on Wild Bill, Tombstone and Dodge City. So when I saw this WW II book pop up for review, I knew I needed to read this as well. What a story! I couldn't stop reading!

Lightning Down tells the story of Joe Moser. Moser was 22-years old when he bailed out of his airplane over France in WW II. He was captured by the Germans and sent to a concentration camp. Buchenwald....a notorious death camp. He was one of 170 airman imprisoned there. It was a fight for survival as conditions were incredibly horrific.

OMG -- this book is so good! Once I got sucked into the story of everything this man went through, I couldn't stop reading! I can't even imagine what he and the others at Buchenwald went through. And how so many did not make it out again.

Another awesome book from Tom Clavin! I can tell his books are just going to be must-reads for me from here on out! I read early ARCs for review and then buy the audio book afterwards for every single one. Keep 'em comin, Tom!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St Martins Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**