their country needed them in the summer of 1942, lorna washbourne must say goodbye to her beloved home in the peaceful east anglian countryside, which is about to be demolished to make way for the us eighth army air force and its new airfield. war brings with it great change and lorna and her friends find themselves called up to serve. violetta is in the army while megan and bunty are sent to london: megan, in the american red cross; bunty, a clippie on the london buses. lorna, with the most reason to want to leave behind the memories of her lost home, is conscripted to work there. before long, she is drawn into the life of the airfield and its crews who fly their perilous bombing missions in preparation for d-day . . . set against the dark days of world war ii, thunder in the sky is a vivid portrayal of four women and their war-torn lives and loves.