Rescue at Los Banos

Rescue at Los Banos tells the mesmerizing survival story of more than two thousand prisoners of war held in the Philippines by the Japanese during World War II—and the elite 11th Airborne Division's remarkable, heart-pounding mission to rescue them from deep inside enemy territory

As the U.S. victory in the Pacific drew near, desperate Japanese soldiers guarding the civilian prisoners—most of them Americans—at the Los Baños Internment Camp became increasingly sadistic and began systematically starving, beating, and killing their captives. Fearing the loss of countless more lives if the POWs were not rescued soon, General Douglas MacArthur personally gave the 11th Airborne Division the dangerous mission of freeing these men, women, and children in a deadly race against the clock.

In Rescue at Los Baños, #1 New York Times bestselling author Bruce Henderson deftly weaves together dramatic accounts of life at the Japanese prison camp with detailed analysis of the complex military operation being planned and carried out. He tells the stories of ordinary men and women thrust into the horrors of war and the valiant soldiers determined to save them. The assignment from MacArthur required the coordination of a three-pronged attack—deploying troops by air, land, and sea—and it had to be carried out in darkness, with a Japanese infantry division ten thousand strong lurking just down the road. The odds against success were steep and the risks were enormous, but the young American paratroopers and Filipino guerrillas responded with unparalleled courage in their heroic efforts to save the prisoners. General Colin Powell has called the raid "a textbook operation for all ages and all armies," and today it is remembered as one of the most legendary in U.S. military history.

Combining personal interviews, diaries, correspondence, memoirs, and extensive archival research, Rescue at Los Baños documents the incredible story of a group of prisoners of war—whose fortitude helped them overcome hardship, deprivation, and cruelty—and of the young U.S. soldiers and Filipino guerrillas who risked their lives to try to save them.