Summary of Tom Clavin’s Lightning Down

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview:A lot has been written about World War II: the triumphs, the

tribulations, and the horrors. Tom Clavin’s Lightning Down

(2021) includes all three, as he covers the incredible story of

Joseph “Joe” Moser, an American pilot who survived his stay

at the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Buchenwald is one of the most infamous German

concentration camps, not for its sheer size, but the

absolutely horrifying conditions its occupants had to endure.

Joe was one of 170 Allied airmen who were illegally sent

there. Only through sheer acts of will and unity were many

of those men spared the camp’s most common fate of death.

Even after he made it out of Buchenwald, Joe’s story was

initially not believed, with many thinking he was over-

exaggerating the horrors he experienced and witnessed. Of

course, that is not the case, and Clavin spares no detail in

retelling it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669345152

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Summary of Tom Clavin’s Lightning Down

Overview

A lot has been written about World War II: the triumphs, the tribulations, and the horrors. Tom Clavin’s Lightning Down  (2021) includes all three, as he covers the incredible story of Joseph Joe Moser, an American pilot who survived his stay at the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Buchenwald is one of the most infamous German concentration camps, not for its sheer size, but the absolutely horrifying conditions its occupants had to endure. Joe was one of 170 Allied airmen who were illegally sent there. Only through sheer acts of will and unity were many of those men spared the camp’s most common fate of death.

Even after he made it out of Buchenwald, Joe’s story was initially not believed, with many thinking he was over-exaggerating the horrors he experienced and witnessed. Of course, that is not the case, and Clavin spares no detail in retelling it.

Growing Up

Joe Moser was born in Ferndale, Washington, in 1921. He spent his childhood working on his family farm, playing football, and learning about airplanes. His dream of flying airplanes seemed impossible until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Around that time, Joe’s mother sold the family farm. His father had died several years prior. He was free to pursue his dreams of becoming a fighter pilot, and when he passed the necessary test requirements, he was off to 21 months of pilot training.

Becoming a Pilot

Joe’s training to become an Army Air Corps pilot took him to Arizona and California, where he was eventually assigned to the 429th Fighter Squadron, based in Southern California. He continued to train, as war overseas was decimating fighter pilots. The 429th needed to be ready.

Squadron commander Burl Glass Jr. and flight leader Merle Larson would go on to become key figures in Joe’s life. By February 1944 , Joe and his squadron were ready. He had experienced several deaths of comrades during dangerous training exercises, but it would do nothing to prepare him for war.

By 1944, the Allies