Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides
(out of 5 stars)
Ghost Soldiers is an outstanding and fast-paced account of the Raid at Cabanatuan, Philippines during WWII. This raid, conducted by 6th Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and local Philippine guerilla forces attempted to rescue hundreds of American and other Allied soldiers held in the prison camp. Many of the prisoners were survivors of the Bataan Death March and had been held there for 30 months at the time of the raid. Fearing a massacre at the hands of Japanese guards as the American advance moved toward Manilla, especially following similar massacres in previous weeks, the US Army determined to rescue the prisoners before they could be slaughtered. Using stealth, guts, and incredibly timely local help and resources, the Rangers and company took part in an amazing rescue combat action.
The book does great justice to the events and the men involved , and is fantastically written for any level of military history reader. Sides' narrative is well developed, with just enough personal touches of the men to bring their stories to life, and his descriptions of conditions and activities at the camp are harrowing and very well constructed. I could not put this book down. Sides interweaves the stories of the rescuing Rangers with the desperate, hellish, nightmarish existence of the prisoners in the months leading up to the raid. Excellent book, amazing mission, my only complaint is that the author did not include a full sourcing of his research. Highly recommended, four and one-half stars.
