Ghost Soldiers
Popular History Accessible Primary Sources
🇺🇸 American
The true story of the raid to rescue the survivors of the Bataan Death March from a Japanese POW camp in the.
The Verdict
A rescue story that reads like a thriller and happens to be true. Hampton Sides reconstructs the 1945 raid on the Cabanatuan POW camp in the Philippines, where US Army Rangers marched thirty miles behind Japanese lines to free the surviving prisoners of the Bataan Death March before they could be murdered. Sides intercuts the raid with the prisoners' three-year ordeal, and the result is propulsive and genuinely moving — popular history at its most gripping, built on the testimony of the men who lived it.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- A true rescue story told with thriller pace
- Readers who want narrative drive
- The aftermath of Bataan and the POW ordeal
- Accessible, vivid popular history
Look elsewhere if you want
- Strategic or operational analysis
- A measured, academic tone
- Readers wanting the Japanese perspective
Why We Rated It 4.5
Historical Context
After the 1942 fall of Bataan, surviving American and Filipino prisoners endured years of brutal captivity. In January 1945, US Army Rangers and Filipino guerrillas raided the Cabanatuan camp to free the remaining prisoners. Published in 2001, the book reconstructs both the raid and the captivity behind it.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Doubleday (2001)First edition.
Anchor paperbackThe standard reading edition.
Read It Alongside
Tears in the Darkness Michael & Elizabeth Norman · 2009 · ★ 4.6
Popular History 
King Rat James Clavell · 1962 · ★ 4.6
Historical Fiction 
We Band of Angels Elizabeth Norman · 1999 · ★ 4.4
Popular History Collector's Corner
A recent title; inexpensive and easy to find. Check current listings. → Check listings on AbeBooks.
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0385495653
Other Books About the Same Events
Tears in the Darkness Michael & Elizabeth Norman · 2009
Popular History We Band of Angels Elizabeth Norman · 1999
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Ghost Soldiers a true story?
- Yes — it reconstructs the real 1945 raid on the Cabanatuan POW camp and the Bataan captivity that preceded it.
- Is it related to the film The Great Raid?
- Yes — the 2005 film The Great Raid draws on the same events Sides documents.