Ghost Soldiers

[Sharky]

Yes, I know this is a book topic, but dammit, it's also a Ranger topic so I'm putting it here.

This book is freakin AWESOME! It's about the 6th Ranger Battalion's WWII POW snatch mission at Cabanatuan in the Phillipines. Great book and a good piece of Ranger history. If you ever served in the 75th, don't miss this book.

[Cicero]

Even if you haven't served in the 75th, or soon will, pick up this book. It's a very human story, and reads like a movie...visualizing the horrid conditions at the Cabanatuan Camp, as well as the Rangers' movements over the grassy Philippine terrain, leads to very vivid mental images...if Spielberg does make a movie out of this (As he has expressed interest in doing), he'd do well to stay as true to the book as possible.

[rgrjoe175]

Originally posted by Sharky
Yes, I know this is a book topic, but dammit, it's also a Ranger topic so I'm putting it here.

This book is freakin AWESOME! It's about the 6th Ranger Battalion's WWII POW snatch mission at Cabanatuan in the Phillipines. Great book and a good piece of Ranger history. If you ever served in the 75th, don't miss this book.

Damn Finboy it took you this long to read it... hmmm just remembered the change of jobs... I read it also while riding around also... outstanding book on the mission...

Regards,

Joe

[Doogie320]

Kinda off topic, but not....

There is a book out, "Raider" by Charles Sasser, about CSM Galen Kittleson who was on the Cabanatuan and Son Tay raids among others. Kittleson as a PVT was with the Alamo Scouts that did the recon for C Co., 6th RGR BN. Pretty good book, IMO.

BTAR

[Max Power]

Completely agree there Sharky (http://www.socnetcentral.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16091). Almost done reading it, they just began the raid (Chapter 10 I believe). So I'm off from this board to go and finish up one ass kicker of a book.

[Max Power]

I'm still amazed they weren't spotted, based on the terrain descriptions they gave. Simply amazing. And the flyby was a damn good idea. The whole raid was simply amazing, and the sudden violence rained down upon the camp from every direction, that must've been a sight. And that there were no friendly fire accidents, simply amazing.

[Doogie320]

That and the fact that without working with them, the Rangers and Alamo Scouts trusted (and depended) on the local guerillas to provide the blocking force at the bridge.

Their prep time is all the more amazing considering they got their intel and did their plan while quartered in friendly villages, but BEHIND enemy lines.

If my earlier post conveyed/ stated that the Rangers didn't do their own recon, my apologies.

The whole op was simply amazing.

BTAR

[Sharky]

Originally posted by Doogie320
The whole op was simply amazing.



Amazing is right. Those guys had balls that clank. The book is a must-read. I'd love to see a movie come out of this one.

[Caster]

I just started it last night and only 20 pages in and it's infuriating the hell outta me! My G-Grandfather served in the Marines in WWII and now I know why he only referred to them as JAPS.

Also, in my school district, we were forced to read Hiroshima , the most anti-American propaganda BS book ON VETERAN's DAY WEEKEND! Why do we read about how only the Nazi's were the only bad guys and we were bad for dropping the two nukes, yet public school recipients hear nothing of this?

Gotta go get my blood-pressure checked now...