In the tradition of Band of Brothers, historian and former paratrooper James M. Fenelon offers a gruntâs-eye view of the 11th Airborneâs heroic campaign to liberate the Philippines in World War II. A soldierâs history at its best.
A Gruntâs-Eye View of Pacific Warfare
The Pacific theater of World War II pitted American fighting men against two merciless enemies: the relentless Japanese army and the combined forces of monsoons, swamps, mud, privation, and disease.
General Joseph Swingâs rowdy paratroopers of the 11th Airborne Divisionâ nicknamed the âAngelsââfought in some of the warâs most dramatic campaigns, from bloody skirmishes in Leyteâs unforgiving rainforests to the ferocious battles on Luzon, including the hellish urban combat of Manila.
The Angels were trained as elite shock troops, but high American casualties often forced them into action as ground-pounding infantrymen. Surviving on airdropped supplies and reinforcements, the Angels fought their way across nearly impassable terrain, emerging as one of the most lethal units in the Pacific War. Their final task was the occupation of Japan, where they were the first American boots on the ground.
Angels Against the Sun is an unforgettable account of the liberation of the Philippines. In the tradition of Band of Brothers, historian and former paratrooper James M. Fenelon offers a gruntâs-eye view of the war. This is a soldierâs history at its best.