Ghost Soldiers
The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission
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On January 28, 1945, 121 hand-selected troops from the elite U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission: March thirty miles in an attempt to rescue 513 American and British POWs who had spent three years in a surreally hellish camp near the city of Cabanatuan. The prisoners included the last survivors of the Bataan Death March left in the camp, and their extraordinary will to live might soon count for nothing—elsewhere in the Philippines, the Japanese Army had already executed American prisoners as it retreated from the advancing U.S. Army. As the Rangers stealthily moved through enemy-occupied territory, they learned that Cabanatuan had become a major transshipment point for the Japanese retreat, and instead of facing the few dozen prison guards, they could possibly confront as many as 8,000 battle-hardened enemy troops.
Hampton Sides's vivid minute-by-minute narration of the raid and his chronicle of the prisoners' wrenching experiences are masterful. But Ghost Soldiers is far more than a thrilling battle saga. Hampton Sides explores the mystery of human behavior under extreme duress—the resilience of the prisoners, who defied the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation, tropical diseases, and unspeakable tortures; the violent cultural clashes with Japanese guards and soldiers steeped in the warrior ethic of Bushido; the remarkable heroism of the Rangers and Filipino guerrillas; the complex motivations of the U.S. high command, some of whom could justly be charged with abandoning the men of Bataan in 1942; and the nearly suicidal bravado of several spies, including priests and a cabaret owner, who risked their lives to help the prisoners during their long ordeal.
At once a gripping depiction of men at war and a compelling story of redemption, Ghost Soldiers joins such landmark books as Flags of Our Fathers, The Greatest Generation, The Rape of Nanking, and D-Day in preserving the legacy of World War II for future generations.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 19, 2008 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781415953327
- File size: 382624 KB
- Duration: 13:17:07
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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In January of 1945, during the struggle to retake the Philippines, the U.S. Army undertook a rescue operation behind enemy lines that has no parallel in American military history. Some 100 U.S. Rangers accompanied by a large number of Philippine guerrilla forces set out to rescue approximately 500 American and British POWs, some of whom were the last survivors of the Bataan Death March. Michael Pritchard tells this story in a straightforward manner that is effectively void of histrionics. His rendition nonetheless conveys the uncommon valor of the participants and the sometimes chilling events they experienced. A fascinating listening experience for any history or military buff. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine -
The "ghost soldiers" referred to in the title are the skeletonized, starved Allied prisoners in a Japanese WWII POW camp, and the story recounts their rescue by an elite U.S. Army battalion. Although the book is mostly description, Naughton makes good use of the dialogue to bring the characters to life with credibility and without flamboyance. The building excitement before the raid on the camp needs no help from the narrator, whose taciturn restraint allows us to keep our attention on their goal. The abridgment seems seamless, allowing a well-trained voice to flow effortlessly to a climax of killing and victory as emotional as any novelist could create. J.A.H. 2002 Audie Award Finalist. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine
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March 26, 2001
HPopular writer and Outside
columnist Sides (Stomping Grounds) interviewed participants in one of WWII's little-known exploits—the rescue of 500 American and Allied POWs from Cabanatuan prison camp on the Philippine island of Luzon. This gripping account intertwines the tale of these prisoners, who were survivors of the horrible Bataan Death March in 1942, and 121 officers and men of the army's Sixth Ranger Battalion. Led by Colonel Henry Mucci and Captain Robert Prince, these Rangers, who had yet to taste active combat, trekked 30 miles behind Japanese lines to effect the rescue, haunted all the while by the knowledge that if their secret mission was leaked, the POWs would probably be massacred by their captors. Sides includes the heroic efforts of Claire Phillips and other resistance fighters to keep the Americans supplied with accurate intelligence, and the scores of villagers who helped the POWs to safety. Some Alamo Scouts and two Filipino guerrilla groups provided no small assistance to Mucci and his men. The raid itself was almost anticlimactic as the Rangers burst into the POW compound, eliminating the garrison and bringing out the inmates in less than half an hour. It's a tale worthy of a Hollywood movie (and film rights have been optioned by Universal). The author's excellent grasp of human emotions and bravery makes this a compelling book hard to put down. (May 15)Forecast: This is for fans of
Flags of Our Fathers who have been waiting for another installment. First serial rights have been sold to
Esquire, and the author is booked on the
Today Show. With more exposure like that, and with blurbs coming from the likes of David Halberstam and Jon Krakauer, this should sell hugely.
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