Angels at Dawn: The Los Banos Raid

Los Banos was an internment camp in the Philippines for Allied prisoners during World War II, 25 miles behind Japanese lines. On February 23, 1945, a combined force of guerrillas and U.S. airborn troops rescued all 2122 internees, evacuating them under fire without loss of life or even injury to rescuer or rescued. The exciting story is told in narrative form, with interesting characters (American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers, as well as various internees) and vividly described action. Flanagan, a retired Lt. Gen. and veteran of the campaign of which this raid was part, includes a chapter analyzing the operation in the context of Clausewitz's principles of war, which demonstrates that the raid was not only a brilliant achievement but almost without parallel in modern military historya perfect operation. (July)