**Unearth a Lost WWII Epic: Hampton Sides’ *Ghost Soldiers*** Experience a breathtaking rescue mission against impossible odds in Hampton Sides’ gripping narrative, *Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II’s Most Dramatic Mission*. This meticulously researched account plunges you into the heart of the Philippines in January 1945, where 121 U.S. Army Rangers undertook a desperate operation to liberate over 500 Allied POWs from the brutal Cabanatuan prison camp. Cabanatuan held the remnants of the Bataan Death March, men starved, ravaged by disease, and facing imminent execution as the Japanese retreated. Sides vividly portrays their harrowing existence, juxtaposing it with the Rangers’ perilous journey through enemy territory. The Rangers uncovered that Cabanatuan had become a critical hub for Japanese troop movements, they were facing the daunting task of facing potentially thousands of enemy troops, not just a few prison guards. But *Ghost Soldiers* is more than just a war story, Hampton Sides dives into the moral ambiguities and cultural clashes of the conflict. It showcases the invaluable aid of Filipino guerrillas, the agonizing choices made by U.S. commanders, and the incredible courage of spies operating under constant threat. Sides, known for his masterful storytelling and historical accuracy, delivers a powerful tribute to resilience, sacrifice, and the enduring human spirit. A must-read for fans of WWII history and tales of extraordinary bravery.
Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II’s Most Dramatic Mission
15,73 $
In stock
A tense, powerful, grand account of one of the most daring exploits of World War II.
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 nothingelsewhere 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 duressthe 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.
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Binding | |
| Condition | |
| ISBN-10 | 0385495641 |
| ISBN-13 | 9780385495646 |
| Language | |
| Pages | 342 |
| Publisher | |
| Year published | |
| Weight | 658 |
| Edition | First Edition |
| Dewey decimal | 940.54/25 |
Related products
Silent Honour
13,79 $-
Hornet Flight
16,79 $ -
Eleven Eleven
14,12 $
