In the tradition of Band of Brothers, the historian and former paratrooper James Fenelon offers a grunt's-eye view of the 11th Airborne's heroic campaign to liberate the Philippines in World War II. A soldier's history at its best.
The Pacific War in World War II pitted American fighting men against two merciless enemies: the fanatical Japanese army and the combined forces of monsoons, swamps, mud, privation, and disease.
The rowdy paratroopers of the 11th Airborne Division--nicknamed "The Angels"--answered the call and fought in some of World War II's most dramatic campaigns, ranging from bloody skirmishes in New Guinea's unforgiving rainforests to the ferocious battles of the Philippines, including the liberation of Leyte and the hellscape urban combat of Manila.
General Joseph Swing's paratroopers weren't trained for slogging jungle warfare, but high American casualties forced them into action. Swing kept his men supplied by airdropping food, ammunition, medical teams, and reinforcements over nearly impassable terrain, and the Angels fought on, emerging as one of the most lethal units in the Pacific War. Their final task was in the occupation of Japan, where they were the first American boots on the ground.
Angels Against the Sun provides an unforgettable grunt's eye view of America's victory in the Pacific.
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