Description: The Bataan Death March by Chad Godfrey Shortly after the surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor in late 1941, over 70,000 American and Filipino servicemen were captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. What ensued for these young men is considered by many military historians to be one of the most barbaric sequences of war crimes in history, yet it remains an incredibly inspiring story of unmatched heroism and survival. According to the Japanese code of Bushido a soldier captured alive had dishonoured himself and his country, so their new prisoners were often regarded with utter contempt. Then Second Lieutenant Patrick Rafferty and his fellow "Battling Bastards of Bataan" had just forfeited the right to be treated humanely, at least in the eyes of their captors. Forced to march shoeless over sixty-five miles northward in unbearable heat with no water or food, men were routinely executed if they showed any signs of slowing the forward progress towards their internment camp. Some estimates suggest that nearly 18,000 men perished during the infamous Bataan Death March, bones and souls left unceremoniously in shallow graves on a dusty roadside. Ghastly Japanese prison camps awaited those lucky enough to survive the Death March. Long, hard days of unrelenting slave labour under the watchful eyes and beating sticks of the prison guards drove many a young soldier to his early grave. If the torture and executions did not take ones life, any number of intestinal diseases could, and often did. Having no communication with the outside world, the prisoners were assured the US and its allies had surrendered, adding heavy layers of mental anguish on top of the gruesome physical toll endured. Adding to this tortuous uncertainty, prisoners like Rafferty were routinely shuffled to new locations, sometimes via the notorious hell ships like Oryoku Maru, where Allied soldiers were routinely drowned or murdered by the thousands, often by friendly fire. Still, tales of unwavering friendship and comradery thread beautifully throughout Raffertys account, often charmed by his Boston-Irish sense of humour, offering well-placed balance to the horrors. Decades later, then Lieutenant Colonel Rafferty would finally, bravely share his long-suppressed memories and the pain they brought. Speaking into a handheld tape recorder with striking detail, he revealed the true story of what he and his comrades endured. Amongst other jaw-dropping anecdotes from his three-and-a-half years as a POW, perhaps his most gripping personal horror was burying his sickly friend alive as a bayonet pointed into the back of his own neck to ensure the shovelling continued. This, then, is a moving first-hand account of survival at its most brutal core. 32 b/w illustrations FORMAT Hardcover CONDITION Brand New Details ISBN1036113434 Author Chad Godfrey Publisher Pen & Sword Books Ltd Year 2024 ISBN-13 9781036113438 Format Hardcover Imprint Pen & Sword Books Ltd Subtitle A Soldiers Personal Story of Survival and Captivity under the Japanese Place of Publication Barnsley Country of Publication United Kingdom Audience General ISBN-10 1036113434 Illustrations 32 mono illustrations; 32 Illustrations Publication Date 2024-09-24 UK Release Date 2024-09-24 Pages 176 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:161596969;
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End Time: 2025-01-31T06:02:08.000Z
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Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9781036113438
Author: Chad Godfrey
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Book Title: The Bataan Death March
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