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

Description

From the New York Times bestselling coauthor of A Higher Call, an up-close-and-personal account of the Alamo Scouts in World War II. Determined to retake the Philippines ever since his ignominious flight from the islands in 1942, General Douglas MacArthur needed a first-rate intelligence-gathering unit. Out of thousands, only 138 soldiers were chosen- the best, toughest, and most fit men the army had to offer. Their task- silently slip onto Japanese-held islands, stalk through the thick jungles, and assess enemy locations, conditions, morale, and troop strength, all while remaining undetected. It was an impossible task, doomed to failure, but incredibly, the Alamo Scouts were a valuable success. Acclaimed author Larry Alexander follows the men who made up the elite recon unit that served as General MacArthur's eyes and ears during the Pacific War. Drawing from personal 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 seventy years after the war, the story of the Alamo Scouts will finally be told.

Larry Alexanderis the author of the New York Times bestselling Biggest Brother-The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers and the coauthor of A Higher Call- An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II. Hehas been a journalist and columnist for the Intelligencer Journal newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for more than a decade, winning numerous awards for excellence in journalism.

"Shadows in the Jungle is 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, while reminding us of just how brutal and unforgiving the war in the Southwest Pacific was."-Michael Korda, New York Times Bestselling Author of Ike: An American Hero and Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee "A tale that is always gripping if frequently gruesome... Employing a gritty, up-close style that gives the narrative the feel of a novel, Alexander combines, to great effect, personal testimonies of Scouts he interviewed with official accounts of their deeds. While the details of the teams' exploits are not often pretty, the telling rings true. As readers follow different Alamo teams around the southwest Pacific, they will find themselves rooting for these men as if they know them-not that the Scouts needed any help."-ARMY magazine