Shadows in the Jungle: The Alamo Scouts Behind Japanese Lines in World War II

( 7 )

Overview

In the early days of World War II, Japanese forces pushed across the Pacific, taking island after island from Allied forces. General Douglas MacArthur needed a new kind of fighting force. He needed the Alamo Scouts.

Formed as an elite intelligence unit, the Scouts were to silently slip onto Japanese-held islands and assess enemy locations, conditions, morale, and troop strength, all while remaining undetected. It was an impossible task that ...

See more details below
This Hardcover is Not Available through BN.com
See All Options
Note: This is a bargain book and quantities are limited. Bargain books are new but may have slight markings from the publisher and/or stickers showing their discounted price. More about bargain books
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

In the early days of World War II, Japanese forces pushed across the Pacific, taking island after island from Allied forces. General Douglas MacArthur needed a new kind of fighting force. He needed the Alamo Scouts.

Formed as an elite intelligence unit, the Scouts were to silently slip onto Japanese-held islands and assess enemy locations, conditions, morale, and troop strength, all while remaining undetected. It was an impossible task that became an incredible success.

More than just a recon and intelligence outfit, the Scouts conducted rescue missions to recover prisoners from Japanese camps, organized and supplied guerrilla freedom fighters, and provided protection for General MacArthur himself. They completed at least 108 known missions, but not a single Scout was killed or captured.

National bestselling author Larry Alexander takes readers in the footsteps of the men who made up the elite reconnaissance unit that served as General MacArthur's eyes and ears in the Pacific War. Drawing from interviews and testimonies from Scout veterans, Alexander weaves together the tales of the individual Scouts, who often spent weeks behind enemy lines to complete their missions. Now, more than sixty years after the wax, the story of the Alamo Scouts has finally been told.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

The little-known Alamo Scouts were formed by Gen. Douglas MacArthur as an elite unit shortly after defeat in the Philippines in 1942 and charged with gathering intelligence, reporting on conditions in the occupied areas, and rescuing prisoners and hostages from the Japanese. They completed 108 missions behind enemy lines. Alexander (Biggest Brother) has a story-telling style that makes this account, based largely on memoirs and interviews with the now elderly surviving Scouts, an easy read. For those reading comprehensively on the war in the Pacific.
—Edwin Burgess

From the Publisher
"One of those rare works of nonfiction that does indeed read like a novel and also sheds light on a heroic and almost unknown group of men." —-Michael Korda, New York Times bestselling author of Ike: An American Hero
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781616814205
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 2/3/2009
  • Pages: 368
  • Product dimensions: 6.10 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 1.30 (d)

Meet the Author


Larry Alexander has been a journalist and columnist for the Intelligencer Journal in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for more than a decade, winning numerous awards for excellence in journalism. He is the author of the national bestseller Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers. Norman Dietz is a writer, an actor, and a solo performer. Since 1962, he has toured coast to coast, presenting his work before audiences all over the United States and Canada. He is the author of the comic novel Nailing It, as well as Fables & Vaudevilles & Plays and The Lifeguard and the Mermaid, collections of his work for the stage. Norman has also performed frequently on radio and television, and he has recorded over 150 audiobooks, many of which have earned him awards from AudioFile magazine, the ALA, and Publishers Weekly. Additionally, AudioFile named Norman one of the Best Voices of the Century. He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Read More Show Less

Table of Contents

Introduction The Best of the Best 1

1 Hollandia: "Looks Like We Walk Home." 9

2 "I'll Form My Own Intelligence Unit." 26

3 Recruitment and Training 44

4 The First Mission 69

5 "God Bless You, Brave Soldiers." 84

6 "...The Entire Shoreline Was Ablaze." 101

7 Final Operations in New Guinea 117

8 "...By Far the Best Show I've Ever Seen." 139

9 The Rescue at Cape Oransbari 157

10 "Maybe We Can Save the World." 170

11 Samar/Ormoc Bay 198

12 "Only an Act of God Is Going to Get You Out." 218

13 First In, Last Out 230

14 "If I Don't Make It, It's Up to You." 257

15 "I Wouldn't Trade the Whole Damned Jap Army for One Alamo Scout." 272

16 "It Would Have Been Near Suicide." 298

Epilogue: Through the Years 307

App. A Alamo Scout Team Rosters 315

App. B Glossary of Terms 319

Selected Bibliography 321

Index 325

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 7 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(2)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing 1 – 4 of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 23, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 9, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 16, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 29, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing 1 – 4 of 3 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)