Book Review: Lightning Sky: A U.S. Fighter Pilot Captured During WWII and His Father’s Quest to Find Him

I cannot even imagine. Lightning Sky: A U.S. Fighter Pilot Captured during WWII and His Father’s Quest to Find Him is the story of David MacArthur. MacArthur was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He piloted the P-38 Lightning, and the enemy forces brought him down while he carried out a strafing mission over Greece. His story as told by R.C. George is riveting.

From Fighter Pilot to Prisoner of War

Lightning Sky is 290 pages long. George has arranged the 27 chapters into three parts. The first part focused on MacArthur’s training as a fighter pilot. His captivity in the hands of the Germans was the focus of the second part. The last part told of his exploits in the Korean War.

While most of the book focused on MacArthur’s experiences as a POW, Lightning Sky began with MacArthur surrounded in Korea by invading Chinese forces . The end of the book returns to the story. I am happy to say that the story was a success. For his heroic actions, MacArthur received the Distinguished Service Cross. The United States Army awards the Distinguished Service Cross as the second-highest military honour for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.

George drafted the main narrative of Lightning Sky based on “interviews, journals, letters, photographs, books, articles, and other reliable records, governmental and otherwise” (George, 2019, p. xiii). I appreciated the narrative that was created. It really captured the event.

I will not go into the story because I believe you should read it firsthand. I will say that it is worth reading.

A Greater Appreciation for the P-38 Lightning

Beyond MacArthur’s personal story, the book gave me a greater appreciation for the P-38 Lightning and its role in World War II. The aircraft I am speaking about is the P-38, Lightning. The P-38 was a workhorse in terms of photo-reconnaissance and ground attack. It was also a superb fighter. Here is a wonderful set of videos about this aircraft.

The Lasting Impact of Lightning Sky

The other thing that I walked away with after reading this book is how cruel the Nazis really were. The more I read about the conduct of the Nazis, the more I am convinced that we cannot let this happen again. Unfortunately, it seems our nation, of all nations, is on a dangerous path. I will do my part to prevent this from taking shape. This level of cruelty is not something I want to see in my lifetime.

If you are interested in World War II history, I am confident that you will find Lightning Sky as fascinating as I did.

Additional Reading

• David Warren MacArthur

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File:Lockheed P-38 Lightning (USAAC).jpg. (2018, January 5). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 02:00, January 1, 2020 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Lockheed_P-38_Lightning_(USAAC).jpg&oldid=277152768.

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