Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla in the Philippines [Hardcover]

Ray C. Hunt (Author), Bernard Norling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1986

This is an action-packed true story of the war in the Pacific--guaranteed to fascinate those interested in military history and combat stories. Here is the story of Ray Hunt--one of the few American soldiers on the Bataan Death March who escaped.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stands out for the vividness of its detail, its effort to sort fact from legend, and its tribute to the heroism of the resistance movement, which was almost entirely Filipino." -- Choice

"A thrilling, informative book." -- Ex-POW Bulletin

"Hunt tells his own harrowing tale as a guerrilla fighter, how he formed fighting groups, their fears, illnesses and reflections on the outcome of the years in the Hell of the Pacific." -- Historical Media Review

"An exceptionally valuable contribution." -- Military

"Makes war novels look pale. The book is engaging because it is as candid as the law allows." -- Washington Times

"An exceptionally well written, eye witness narrative that is a much appreciated and welcome contribution to the growing library of World War II literature regarding combat operations in the Pacific Theater." -- Wisconsin Bookwatch

"A first-person account of life with the Philippine guerrillas of World War II, written by an air force sergeant who spent three years in central Luzon." -- Booklist

"General Hunt's arguments deserve detailed consideration and his book should be read by all serious students of the Vietnam War." -- David T. Zabecki, Vietnam Magazine

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

"Behind Japanese Lines stands out for the vividness of its detail, its effort to sort fact from legend, and its tribute to the heroism of the resistance movement, which was almost entirely Filipino."--Choice

“A first-person account of life with the Philippine guerrillas of World War II, written by an air force sergeant who spent three years in central Luzon.”—Booklist

“An exceptionally well written, eye witness narrative that is a much appreciated and welcome contribution to the growing library of World War II literature regarding combat operations in the Pacific Theater.”—Wisconsin Bookwatch

“Hunt tells his own harrowing tale as a guerrilla fighter, how he formed fighting groups, their fears, illnesses and reflections on the outcome of the years in the Hell of the Pacific.”—Historical Media Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kentucky; First edition (November 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081311604X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813116044
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #911,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific eye-witness narrative of combat operations., May 8, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla in the Philippines (Paperback)

Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla In The Phillippines is the story of Ray Hunt, an American soldier who escaped the Bataan Death March and organized a troop of American and Filipino guerrillas. Hunt tells his own vivid and harrowing tale of life as a guerrilla behind Japanese lines, the struggle to survive and harass the Japanese, even the lingering fear among his troops that, because they had not followed orders to surrender to the Japanese when their units in Phillippines surrendered to the Japanese, they would be court martialled for desertion if the Americans won the war. Hunt also argues against the lack of American thanks or compensation to the insurgent Filipinos after the war. Behind Japanese Lines is an exceptionally well written, eye-witness narrative that is a much appreciated and welcome contribution to the growing library of World War II literature regarding combat operations in the Pacific Theater.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A riveting account of courage and sacrifice, February 23, 2001

By 

J. Taylor (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla in the Philippines (Paperback)

The Philippines' role as a major battleground in World War II must not be forgotten. Thus, Ray Hunt and Bernard Norling provide an important service in "Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla in the Philippines." The story of American servicemen fighting as guerillas during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines is an amazing one. Hunt's personal experience is just one of many such riveting experiences.

"Behind Japanese Lines" provides the reader with a vivid portrayal of Mr. Hunt's three-year ordeal as a guerilla on the island of Luzon, an ordeal he did not expect to survive. It also contains detailed analysis of the history of the Philippines and its complex relationship with the United States. The only drawback is that Mr. Hunt's narrative is abruptly and inconveniently interrupted by such analysis, presumably by Mr. Norling.

Importantly, Mr. Hunt gives much regard to the Filipino people, who suffered so much during the war. With their help and sacrifice, he was able to stay alive and fight to help liberate the Philippines. Very few other people of any nation gave so much in fighting for freedom during the war.

Also, Mr. Hunt is honest in his account of guerilla life. It was anything but easy, as rival guerilla gangs fought each other almost as often as they fought the Japanese. Even American guerillas fell under the spell of a near-anarchy situation and over-stepped their bounds. But such were the circumstances, and guerillas did what they could to survive. In any event, Japan's conduct in the Philippines was far worse than that of the guerillas.

All in all, the book is a good read and contributes much in the way of the history of the Philippines in World War II. Another similar book worth reading is "Lieutenant Ramsey's War: From Horse Soldier to Guerrilla Commander," by Edwin P. Ramsey and Stephen J. Rivele.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind Japanese Lines., July 4, 2000

By 

Jennifer Martinez (Vallejo,CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind Japanese Lines: An American Guerrilla in the Philippines (Hardcover)

I would like to say that this book is great for me since the two Guerrillas in the book named William and Joseph Henry are my Grandfather and Uncle. Their father was Irish and their mother was Filipina. My Great Grandfather was killed by the Japanese and they took revenge. They are still alive and had some stories to tell! I would recommend this to anyone since I know first hand that this was a really good history lesson. To all the others who have been in the war, I give my respect and love. God bless you all!