Ghost Soldiers

Hampton Sides presents a gripping well-researched
WWII work about the POWs of Cabanatuan and their rescue by the 6th Rangers in Feb '45. Survivors of the
Bataan Death March in '42 the POWs were exposed to
unspeakable treatment by their Japanese captors. Sides
forgoes a chronological approach. Instead, he alternates
back and forth from a description of the March and
life in Cabanatuan to the preparation of the Rangers raid on the prison camp.

Dozens of exPOWs and/or their families were interviewed as were several of members of the liberating force. Sides
did his homework, and well. The only area that I might
have a slight problem with is his mild treatment of General
Homma, the Japanese officer who commanded forces
on Luzon. During his research Sides spent some time with
Homma's family in Japan and became friends. He
explains that Homma was out of touch, not aware of
the extremely harsh treatment of prisoners by his forces.
This does not square with other information I have
encountered. All in all, however, Ghost Soldiers is a
fantastic read. I highly recommend it.