Customer Reviews

Trapped With the Enemy: Four Years a Civilian P.O.W. in Japan

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"Trapped with the Enemy" is a well written and graphically descriptive story of the American civilians seized when Guam fell to the Japanese two days after Pearl Harbor. Rarely mentioned in any war histories were these American civilians sent as contractors to build up the defenses of Guam or the men who serviced the glamorous Pan American "Clippers" that reached from San Francisco to Hong Kong.

Captured and forgotten, Thomas and his fellow prisoners ran the gamut of emotions from exhilaration when they saw Doolittle's bombers streak across Kobe... to the abject fear when firebombs rained down to destroy the once mighty Japan. Courage and faith kept them together as their bodies wasted from starvation. The war's end came only days before they were slated for execution.

"Trapped with the Enemy" is one of the finest books relating the POW story since Gavin Daws put pen to paper.

Roger Mansell
Director
Center for Research
Allied POWS Under The Japanese
Los Altos California

My grandfather was a civilian during WWII and was one of those "Trapped with the Enemy". James O Thomas tells in detail of these years and the hardship that the prisoners encountered. Thank you for a gift to our family. This is history that we had only heard as short stories from grandpa.

This is a riveting book. A must read for anyone with an interest in WWII, particularly in the Pacific. This story deserves to be widely publicized as it describes a POW situation hardly known or remembered.

Well written by the survivor who experienced it first hand.

I thought the story was well done. The author did a great job. It was very interesting and the book was in very good condition.

Bernie

My uncle was Alton R. (Andy) White, the North Dakota farm boy refer to in this book. He was a 25 year old civilian welder when the Japanese attacked Guam. He never told much about his years of captivity, and his health was never very good after his return. One reference in this book did bring back an incident that he related. A couple of stry cats would come around the camp, so my uncle made a slingshot and killed them. He and his buddies were'nt hungry enouth to eat them at that time, but a few days later, they were, and did.

Thank you James O. Thomas for this important piece of history.