60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MacArthur's Eyes, Ears and Nose In the Jungle, February 8, 2009
This review is from: Shadows In The Jungle: The Alamo Scouts Behind Japanese Lines In World War II (Hardcover)
There is an exhilarating scene in John Dahl's 2005 wartime film,
The Great Raid (Full Screen Edition) when soldiers swarm the Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp. Dressed as local farmers, the Alamo Scouts pretended to work in the cultivated fields next to the camp all the while reconnoitering its defenses. With this information, the main attack by Rangers and Filipino guerrillas set free 561 suffering men, many who had survived the Bataan Death March.
Larry Alexander has chosen to build his rousing war narrative "Shadows In the Jungle" around those Alamo Scouts. Mr. Alexander's book tells us pacific war adventure stories straight from the 108 missions carried out by Gen. Kruegar's Alamo Scouts (named for the shrine in Kruegar's hometown of San Antonio, Texas).
"They collected data on possible invasion beaches, tides and currents, troop numbers and locations, enemy morale, defensive positions, the availability of roads and fresh water, and other much-needed information. While their main mission was to collect intelligence and not fight the enemy, they were sometimes called upon to perform raider duties, such as destroying enemy supply depots, and rescuing civilian hostages and prisoners of war from the Japanese", states the author.
Mr. Alexander is the talented author of
Biggest Brother : The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers. There is great attention to historic detail and graphic story telling of these deadly men paddling ashore, lurking in the shadows, then leaping up to attack unwary Japanese soldiers.
"Shadows In the Jungle" contains a gallery of twenty-six photographs of the Alamo Scouts, three area maps, and an appendix of the Alamo Scouts team roster.
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating, April 15, 2009
This review is from: Shadows In The Jungle: The Alamo Scouts Behind Japanese Lines In World War II (Hardcover)
Just halfway through this fascinating account of the Alamo Scouts, I am greatly impressed by the work that this Special Forces Unit did to help prepare the way for the US combat troops during WWII. Praise goes to the author who carefully unearthed the unheralded and little-known work of the Alamo Scouts. These average men were transformed into brave heroes during the war years, and then returned to their everyday lives as upstanding American citizens and family men.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shadows in the Jungle, January 25, 2010
The story of the Alamo Scouts is definitely a 5 but the writing is only a 3 for me. It is unfortunate that the exploits of Alamo Scouts was kept secret so long, which of course wasn't necessary but typical of the government. The scouts were an all volunteer group of very young, very couragous Americans. Their feats were literally amazing. 108 missions behind enemy lines and never lost a man while providing Gen. Krueger vital information which no doubt save many lives. I have read a lot on WWII and knew very little about this group. It is a fascinating story.
I did however have a problem with the writing particularily the narrative style with lots of direct quotes. It read more like a historical fiction book where real events are told through fictional characters so dialog can be made up. I just find it hard to believe that a lot of dialog wasn't made up. These were events that happened 60 years ago. Most of the scouts were dead and I can't imagine that the ones that were interviewed remembered all this dialog that they said at the time. It seems more likely to be a literary device to make it a narrative style of writing. I don't think it was necessary at all since it was a great story. I can remember what I did last week but not much of the dialog. I can't remember very much of what I did 40 years ago even the really important things, except in very broad strokes.
The Alamo Scouts were the real deal. If you are a WWII buff read this book.
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