Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission

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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 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.

What Customers Say About Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission:

This book gives you a well written account of the soldiers who fought the Battle of Bataan, were captured and were forced through some unimaginable horrors in transit to the camp and at the prison camp by the Japanese. Sides does a good job of recounting the story and keeping your interest throughout the entire book from capture to escape. I really enjoyed the movie The Great Raid when I saw it in the theaters. Mr. I reccomend this to anyone who is a fan of non fiction or of warfare histories. After the movie I wanted to know more about the true story of the Bataan Death March and the Cabantuan Prison camp raid. I went out and bought Ghost Soldiers and it did not disapoint.

Very human. Very readable historical novel from which a Hollywood Film Production was rendered. Gripping, realistic.

In a gripping, harrowing, page turner of a book follow the rescue attempt of American GI's from Cabanatuan death camp in the Philippines. I now finally know just how bad it was. Unforgettable. My father had a friend who he always identified as "that guy survived the Bataan Death March". I was too young to really understand what that was but the way my dad became so reverand about it I knew it must have been bad.

Also, the book does tend to slow down to a halt in a few places, but it does not kill the read. That said, it doesnt take away from the story, because while I started the book looking for a big battle, i later found myself interested in the life of the prison camp. Anyway, it truly is worth the read and i give it four good stars, pick it up. This is more of the story about the prison camp and the prisoners themselves, so if you are looking for a super dramatic battle story this is not it. The raid is not an easy or boring one by any means, but it is no huge conflict.

After all, they make less money than regular authors and have to teach students for a living on top of that. This is a fascinating, extremely well-written (an easy read) book about an interesting subject (though I hear the movie based on the book is not very good). I am giving it 4 1/2 stars rather arbitrarily, because the author does not appear to be a professional historian, does appear to make a few historical errors, and because I like to save 5 stars for professional historians.