Thomas F. (hardtack) -
I requested this book due to my interest in the "secret wars" waged during World War II. I thought, due to MacArthur's name being on it, I might read more about the Alamo Scouts, This is a unit created under his authority to scout behind enemy lines and conduct raids. While there was text about this unit in the book, most of the book was a rehash of numerous undercover events I've read about before, not all of which took place under MacArthur's authority.
I have an entire shelf of books written about the Filipino resistance during WW II. It might be the greatest guerrilla resistance in history. I acquired many of these books by volunteering at a non-profit thrift store. Many of them were written by, or with the cooperation of, the men and women who participated in those events and were published in 1945-46 and never republished. So I am very knowledgeable in this area.
The author is obviously a devout worshiper of MacArthur, as he lauds him throughout the book, even to the point of telling stories of his courage under fire, some of which are just stories created by MacArthur's press people. On the other hand, he tells stories about the OSS that boggle the imagination. These stories were just tales made up by soldiers to entertain each other and only serve to show the OSS in a bad light, as MacArthur wanted no OSS presence in his command area since he could not be in control of it. All of this leads me to question many aspects of this book.
I thought about listing all the mistakes the author makes, as I have read extensively in WW II, but that would take pages. After finding dozens of such mistakes in just the first 50 pages of the book I thought about tossing it.
The author relates stories which actually took place in that area, or even in other areas, and tosses in a reference or two to the AIB (see book description) to make it appear MacArthur can take credit for those people and actions. For example, the coastwatcher system was set up by the British (Australian and New Zealand military), and the raids on Singapore were directed by the British in India, but somehow the author gives MacArthur credit. It got so I was surprised the author didn't give credit to MacArthur for the American naval victory at Midway. Although, he does include a photo of Navy Commander Rochefort whose code breaking efforts were responsible for that victory. But Rochefort served under Admiral Nimitz in Hawaii.
Many of the stories the author relates are true, he just adds his own filler---some of which is obviously made up---to make it more interesting or to give MacArthur or his staff credit. Frankly, most of his staff were hangers-on who told MacArthur what he wanted to hear, especially his intelligence chief.
Despite this, the book tells a lot of what really happened and that is its real worth. There are entire books written about people the author just discusses in one or even part of one chapter. And I have read many of those books. If these stories move you to read further about those unsung heroes, than this book has value. So I'm going to give it 3 stars.
If you wish to read an amazing book about the Filipino resistance I suggest "They Fought Alone" by John Keats, who also served in the Philippines, which tells the story of the resistance on Mindanao under Colonel Wendell Fertig. This book from the 1960s was republished in 2015. In "MacArthur's Undercover War," the author always refers to Fertig as a "civilian engineer" running a resistance unit. It was more like an army, as it eventually numbered over 30,000 men and women. Fertig also ran the government of the entire island as well as its military forces. However, while Fertig was a civilian engineer in the Philippines before the war, he also a U.S. Army Reservist. He was recalled to active duty as a major in June 1941, months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. But MacArthur and his "Bataan Gang" made sure he never got credit due him for liberating that island. There is also a book titled "Wendell Fertig and His Guerrilla Forces in the Philippines: Fighting the Japanese Occupation, 1942-1945" published in 2015, which I have not read. You can also read the Wikipedia page on Wendell Fertig, which, I confess, I wrote most of.
I have an entire shelf of books written about the Filipino resistance during WW II. It might be the greatest guerrilla resistance in history. I acquired many of these books by volunteering at a non-profit thrift store. Many of them were written by, or with the cooperation of, the men and women who participated in those events and were published in 1945-46 and never republished. So I am very knowledgeable in this area.
The author is obviously a devout worshiper of MacArthur, as he lauds him throughout the book, even to the point of telling stories of his courage under fire, some of which are just stories created by MacArthur's press people. On the other hand, he tells stories about the OSS that boggle the imagination. These stories were just tales made up by soldiers to entertain each other and only serve to show the OSS in a bad light, as MacArthur wanted no OSS presence in his command area since he could not be in control of it. All of this leads me to question many aspects of this book.
I thought about listing all the mistakes the author makes, as I have read extensively in WW II, but that would take pages. After finding dozens of such mistakes in just the first 50 pages of the book I thought about tossing it.
The author relates stories which actually took place in that area, or even in other areas, and tosses in a reference or two to the AIB (see book description) to make it appear MacArthur can take credit for those people and actions. For example, the coastwatcher system was set up by the British (Australian and New Zealand military), and the raids on Singapore were directed by the British in India, but somehow the author gives MacArthur credit. It got so I was surprised the author didn't give credit to MacArthur for the American naval victory at Midway. Although, he does include a photo of Navy Commander Rochefort whose code breaking efforts were responsible for that victory. But Rochefort served under Admiral Nimitz in Hawaii.
Many of the stories the author relates are true, he just adds his own filler---some of which is obviously made up---to make it more interesting or to give MacArthur or his staff credit. Frankly, most of his staff were hangers-on who told MacArthur what he wanted to hear, especially his intelligence chief.
Despite this, the book tells a lot of what really happened and that is its real worth. There are entire books written about people the author just discusses in one or even part of one chapter. And I have read many of those books. If these stories move you to read further about those unsung heroes, than this book has value. So I'm going to give it 3 stars.
If you wish to read an amazing book about the Filipino resistance I suggest "They Fought Alone" by John Keats, who also served in the Philippines, which tells the story of the resistance on Mindanao under Colonel Wendell Fertig. This book from the 1960s was republished in 2015. In "MacArthur's Undercover War," the author always refers to Fertig as a "civilian engineer" running a resistance unit. It was more like an army, as it eventually numbered over 30,000 men and women. Fertig also ran the government of the entire island as well as its military forces. However, while Fertig was a civilian engineer in the Philippines before the war, he also a U.S. Army Reservist. He was recalled to active duty as a major in June 1941, months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. But MacArthur and his "Bataan Gang" made sure he never got credit due him for liberating that island. There is also a book titled "Wendell Fertig and His Guerrilla Forces in the Philippines: Fighting the Japanese Occupation, 1942-1945" published in 2015, which I have not read. You can also read the Wikipedia page on Wendell Fertig, which, I confess, I wrote most of.
