Ghost Soldiers

On January 28, 1945, 121 hand-selected U.S. troops slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission: March thirty rugged miles to rescue 513 POWs languishing in a hellish camp, among them the last survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March. A recent prison massacre by Japanese soldiers elsewhere in the Philippines made the stakes impossibly high and left little time to plan the complex operation.

In Ghost Soldiers, Hampton Sides vividly re-creates this daring raid, offering a minute-by-minute narration that unfolds alongside intimate portraits of the prisoners and their lives in the camp. Sides shows how the POWs banded together to survive, defying the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation, tropical diseases, and torture. Harrowing, poignant, and inspiring, Ghost Soldiers is the mesmerizing story of a remarkable mission. It is also a testament to the human spirit, an account of enormous bravery and self-sacrifice amid the most trying conditions.

Defeat had come slowly, steadily, over a period of four months. As in all great sieges, the fall of Bataan was not so much an emphatic decision of arms as it was an epic drawdown marked by increments of physical, spiritual, and material depletion. As John Hersey wrote at the time, the truth had come to the men of Bataan ‘in mean little doses.’

Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission is an engaging and meticulously researched account of the daring rescue mission known as the Raid at Cabanatuan during World War II. While the book succeeds in bringing attention to a lesser-known chapter of history, it falls short in some aspects.

One of the book’s strengths is its vivid portrayal of the conditions endured by American prisoners of war in the Philippines and the horrors they faced under Japanese captivity. Sides skillfully captures the emotions and struggles of the soldiers, creating a sense of empathy and admiration for their resilience.

However, the narrative occasionally becomes overwhelmed with excessive detail and tangential anecdotes, making it difficult to follow the central story. The frequent shifts in focus and perspective can be confusing, disrupting the flow of the narrative and diluting the impact of the rescue mission itself.

Furthermore, Ghost Soldiers lacks a cohesive and in-depth analysis of the historical context and significance of the Cabanatuan raid. While the author provides some background information, a deeper exploration of the mission’s broader implications would have enriched the book’s overall narrative and given readers a greater understanding of its historical importance.

In conclusion, Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission offers a compelling account of a remarkable rescue mission, but its disjointed structure and lack of historical analysis prevent it from reaching its full potential. Despite these flaws, the book remains an engaging read for those interested in World War II history and stories of courage and survival.