The Cabanatuan Prison Raid: The Philippines 1945

(Paperback)

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Description

On 27 January 1945 the 6th Ranger Battalion and the 6th Army Special Reconnaissance Unit (the Alamo Scouts) began the most dangerous and important mission of their careers to rescue 500 American, British and Dutch prisoners-of-war held at a camp near Cabanatuan. This daring plan was fraught with difficulties the rangers had to struggle with harsh jungle terrain, 30 miles behind enemy lines against a far larger force, knowing that if their secret mission was leaked, the POWs would be massacred by their captors. Yet, with the help of a Filipino guerilla force, they managed to liberate 513 prisoners and kill 225 Japanese in 15 minutes, while only suffering two losses themselves. Relive the dramatic rescue in this action-packed account, complete with bird's eye view and battlescene artwork. Gordon Rottman details the build-up to and execution of the operation, analyzing the difficulties faced and the contribution made by the guerrillas. This is a story not only of extraordinary military success but a compelling tale of courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

Reviews

"The Cabanatuan Prison Raid: The Philippines, 1945 highlights the Army Rangers' remarkable 30-mile sprint ahead of the US Sixth Army in the Philippines to liberate Allied inmates at Cabanatuan prison camp before their Japanese captors could murder them. This volume, the third in Osprey's new RAID series, applies the historical detail of the publisher's CAMPAIGN series to a focused event. As usual, author Gordon Rottman presents aspects from either side of this remarkable raid by the 6th Ranger Battalion, with the invaluable help from Filipino guerrillas." --Jon Guttman, Military History (Oct/Nov 2009)

Author Bio

Gordon L Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 196970 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. He was a special operations forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas.