Ghost Soldiers

The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission

By: Hampton Sides

Narrated by: James Naughton

Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

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 US 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 US 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' 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 US 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.

©2001 Hampton Sides (P)2001 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Divison of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[It] took me on a queasy journey deep into the realm of pure evil - then rescued me in a blaze of heroics and righteous vengeance. There's grief, despair, and terror here, but there's also adventure, courage, and joy. (Erik Larson, author Isaac's Storm)

Good Story

Brings together the soldiers and their care for their countryman. And when America cared for Americans. A great example of the Army Rangers at their beginning on what they can do.

the first mission of Rangers to save UD Pow,'s

This is tough book to listen to at times because of the atrocities the Japanese committed on US POWs but just n the end the rangers rangers saved our prisoners.

Far too apologetic for the Japanese barbarity.

There's a lot of excuse making for Japanese brutality on the Bataan Death March and I think it was far too over-stated. Otherwise, it was a good story.

Great story of great warriors.

Well written and performed. Amazing story of America Rangers and Philippine guerrillas rescuing US & Allied POWs of the Bataan Death March from a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines.

Audio book

Book was really good but audio book skipped a lot of pages and paragraphs making it’s hard to keep along with the book

Gallant Rescue of Battan Death March POWs

The unknown to me story of one of the first Ranger Battalions and their courageous rescue on Battan of the survivors of the Death March of WW2.

great story

My boys and I read the book and then listen to the audio automotive very good.

Condensed Isn't the Best Option

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would certainly recommend this audiobook but would encourage an outright purchase of the book. The audio version was condensed and missed some of the drama and suspense that the full version gives.

What did you like best about this story?

It truly captured the pain, anguish, drama and risk of the mission and the personalities of those that lived it. You can feel the oppressiveness of the jungle, the haunting hopelessness of the prisoners and the elation of the rescue.

What about James Naughton???s performance did you like?

Mr. Naughton gave a superb rendition of the story. His emotional inflections made the story come alive and allowed the listener to actually experience the drama.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The brutality that the prisoners endured, the mindless, senseless treatment by the capturing forces and the despair that they must have felt made the story that much more inspiring. War is hell.

Ghost Soldiers

A must for anyone , like me, who knew of the other rescues, never heard of this one. The soldiers, who give their all for all of us, must always be remembered. Thank-you for writing this book. I'm giving the book to a friend who also loves history.

Thank you men!!

Amazing!! God blessed America in those hard times. Every young American should have to listen to this.