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Summary: Best non-fiction I've ever read
Review: This book reads like fiction. Probably the best book I have ever read. Really makes one appreciate what our young warriors did for us and our liberty. I felt as though I was at the prison camp myself as I read this awesome book!
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Summary: No longer a forgotten WWII story
Review: One of the most incredible events of WWII has also been one of the least known or reported. With "Ghost Soldiers" Hampton Sides has introduced us to the brave men of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion who marched thiry miles through the jungles of the Phillipines to rescue 513 men (the survivors of the Bataan Death March) held prisoner by the Japanese.Combining eyewitness accounts with detailed research, "Ghost Soldiers" tells us the story of all those involved; the brave rescuers, the resilient prisoners, and the villagers who risked everything to help. Full of unspeakable atrocities and acts of bravery that will make you nearly stand up and cheer, "Ghost Soldiers" ranks near the top in World War II literature. Highly Recommended
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Summary: "Ghost Soldiers" is Excellent!
Review: My congratulations to Hampton Sides on his work bringing to light the incredible story of the Bataan soldiers/POW's and the 6th Rangers. Mr. Sides did an excellent job working the entire story and moving through the various vignettes that brought it all to a triumphant, victorious climax. Mr. Sides, thank you for telling this most wonderful story of the American spirit manifested in the lives of these valiant WWII heroes. As a 38 year old American citizen I am eternally grateful to these men for their sacrifices and service to our country. Excellent Work!!!!
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Summary: Great book - should make it into a movie!
Review: Well written and captivating true story. I especially like the very uplifting ending.
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Summary: An excellent historical review!
Review: This is a great review of a fascinating WWII exploit about the secret recovery of American prisoners in the Phillipines. As an added bonus, it also gives an excellent and realistic review of the Bataan Death March. I had never heard of this secret mission before, so this story was extremely interesting. This is a wonderful read for people interested in wartime history. Hampton Sides did some marvelous research, and writes with the skill of an accomplished novelist.
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Summary: Edge of Your Seat Kind of Book...
Review: I don't normally read war books but a friend of mine sold me on this one and I'm glad she did. This book took you into a WW2 POW camp and forced you to take a very hard look at how these poor souls were treated. After I finished this book I could not stop thinking about it. I don't think I will ever forget it. This book will make you thank God for putting men on this planet like the soldiers that rescued the POWs from their living hell. Great book!!!
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Summary: A Detailed and Horrifying look at World War Two.
Review: Ghost Soldiers is a good name for those POWs. They were treated very brutally and horribly.
Ghost Soldiers details the accounts of the soldiers that survived the Baatan Death March. Many Americans don't knwo much about it. It was one of the few times that we let our men down. After the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Philipenes were also attacked, as were many US bases in the pacific. The men on the philipenes endured a long seige before surrendering. After they were caputered, they were marched on what is now known as the Baatan Death March, where thousands of Americans and Philipeno troops died.
They then spent the next three years in consentration camps, being worked, starved, beaten and shot to death by their Japanese captors.
Ghost Soldiers also tells about their rescue, which is nothing short of amazing. After three years, as the US began re-taking the islands, a group of Army Rangers, a new division, were sent fifty miles on foot to one camp, where they rescued all five hundred of the prisoners, losing only five men to the japanese, who were consentrated in the area.
Hampton Sides wrote this book beautifuly, showing what it was like for those poor soldiers, physically and mentally. The book is clear, detailed, and well written.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of World War II.
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Summary: Great story, great storyteller
Review: Considering that this the author's first foray into historical writing (that I'm aware of), I think this is a terrific book. The book consists of two main stories, told in tandem: that of the Cabanatuan prisoners and that of the mission to rescue them. Each chapter brings the two stories closer until they eventually merge as one. Contrary to the previous reveiwer's comments, I don't think every historical author should mold themselves after the great Steven Ambrose. If you want Stephen Ambrose, read Stephen Ambrose (who, as yet, has not done a Pacific Campaign book). If you're interested in a fascinating story, written by a very good author, check this book out.
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Summary: Splendid Account Of A Forgotten World War II Episode
Review: "Ghost Soldiers" is a spellbinding account written by Hampton Sides of an impossible rescue mission behind enemy lines in Japanese-occupied Phillipines during the final months of World War II. He writes a commendable tale of the survivors of the Bataan Death March, comparing and contrasting their fates during the surrender and towards the end of the war. Much to my amazement, Sides paints a sympathetic portrayal of Japanese general Masaharu Homma, who was unaware of the savage brutality committed by his troops against American and Filipino POW's almost immediately after Bataan's surrender to the Japanese. He also gives vivid portrayals of US Army Ranger officers Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci and Captain Robert Prince, the leaders of the successful raid which freed 500 American and Allied POWs at the Cabanatuan prison camp. I was also quite intrigued by his depiction of daily life in the prison camp; those of Japanese heritage who question Japan's heinous crimes against humanity during World War II should be dismayed by the harrowing accounts given throughout "Ghost Soldiers". Admittedly, this isn't a perfect work of non-fiction. Sides notes that MacArthur fled the Phillipines on a PT boat; the general and his family traveled to Australia aboard an American submarine which met the PT boat outside of Manilla Bay. He also refers to the Japanese secret military police as the Kempei Tai; if I'm not mistaken, Japan's version of the Gestapo was known as the Kempeitai. However, these are minor errors. Anyone interested in World War II, the heroism of American fighting men, or both, will surely want to read this splendid tome.
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Summary: Heartbreaking -
Review: This book depicts one of the most heartbreaking episodes of WWII in the Pacific. What is notable about this book is the author's attempt to get the Japanese side of the tragedy and think about why many of the U.S. soliders captured in the Philippines were mistreated. Great book -
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