Synopses & Reviews
Advance Praise for The Rescue
"Steven Trent Smith grapples boldly with several big subjects: the Japanese occupation of the Philippines; the capture of Japan's 'Z Plan' (the decisive-battle strategy for destroying the U.S. Pacific Fleet); the rescue by submarine of forty Americans stranded in the Philippines; the climactic Battle of the Philippine Sea. Meticulously researched and well written, The Rescue ties these elements together into an epic that is emotionally engaging from start to rousing finish."--Martin Russ, author of Breakout and The Last Parallel
"Smith's thoroughly researched, detailed account of the brave American and Filipino guerrillas on Negros Island in the Philippines will do much to introduce readers to this little-known aspect of World War II in the Pacific. Operating in the most primitive conditions, suffering the deprivations of living and fighting in the wild, these guerrillas were a formidable army and did much to win the war for the Allies in World War II. And the courageous and resourceful submariners of the USS Crevalle of the Pacific Fleet went well beyond the call of duty to rescue their fellow Americans from harm's way. This is a fascinating story well told." --Elizabeth Norman, author of the award-winning We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese
"The Rescue is a delightful journey with the gallant few who resisted the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and who shaped the larger events which led to victory in the Pacific. Smith's brilliant research and unique storytelling make this account a must for all who enjoy history and a grand adventure."--Peter Huchthausen, author of Hostile Waters
"With a photojournalist's eye for action and detail, Steven Trent Smith's The Rescue is a remarkable achievement. The incredible mission to save forty Americans stranded in the Philippines reads more like a work of fiction. This story could easily grace the big screen of your local movie theater, with a plot filled with non-stop action, amazing twists of fate, and an incredible cast of characters, complete with a climax that's certain to get the pulse pounding. A must-read for all those interested in one of the great secret submarine operations of World War II and all action adventure fans alike!"--Richard P. Henrick, author of Crimson Tide and Nightwatch
Review
"Excellent book... Smith deserves praise for telling a long and fairly involved story without becoming tiresome. The level of drama has its peaks and valleys, but "The Rescue" is a thrilling book." (Associated Press)
On May 22, 1944, the U.S. submarine Crevalle was instructed to go to the remote Philippine island of Negros to pick up some Americans and Filipinos and take them to Australia. Following Pearl Harbor, navy subs regularly landed spies and saboteurs, as well as ammunition, supplies, and medicines for the guerillas. In 1944, the Crevalle was sent to Negros to pick up 25 people but ended up with 40, including 21 women, 12 children, and seven escaped American POWs. Smith, an Emmy-award winning freelance television photojournalist with a passion for history, begins his study with a long account of the prewar lives of the missionaries at Stilliman University in Negros, the sugar planters, the Filipino Americans, and the soldiers stationed in Panay and Negros. He describes the Japanese invasion and how the civilians coped with living in the jungle over two years before their rescue by the Crevalle, which also picked up a crate of important secret Japanese documents taken from a captured Japanese admiral. Smith's account of the long, hellish journey to Australia is eminently worth reading and, though perhaps overlong, is a fascinating book that belongs in every public and academic library.
(Library Journal May 2001 -Stanley L. Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, NY)
"The Rescue is a delightful journey with the gallant few who resisted the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and who shaped the larger events which led to victory in the Pacific. Steven Trent Smith's brilliant research and unique storytelling make this account a must for all who enjoy history and a grand adventure."
(Peter Huchthausen, author of Hostile Waters and the upcoming Wiley book October Fury: Cuban Encounter)
Television journalist Smith retells a rousing story of WWII resistance to Japanese occupation of the Philippinnes, with emphasis on the American players.
The events he chronicles took place on Negros Island, the fourth largest island of the Philippines. In addition to its Filipino population, the island housed a number of American missionaries, sugar plantation managers, educators, and businessmen, most of whom retreated into the mountainous interior after the Japanese occupied the seaside towns. Smith delves into their backgrounds, explaining how they escaped American POWs, joined the resistance forces carrying out hit-and-run operations against the Japanese. It didn't take long for the occupying forces to start reprisals, with a vengeance, and the evacuation of noncombatants was undertaken at great risk to the them an dthe submarine crew of the USS Crevalle. In a parallel story, Japanese plans for the "Decisive Battle" of the Pacific had fallen into the hands of James Cushing, an American leader of the resistance movement on the Philippine Island of Cebu, and these too had to be picked up by the submarine. Smith sets a gentle course for the early pages, providing a wealth of biographical details to give readers a stake in the story, then gets pumping when the action starts in earnest. The writing is trim and unornamented, at times resembling that of a not-so-true adventure magazine (Cushing's "exploits were the stuff of legend"), but this works fine for the stirring events at hand. Smith closes with the Battle of the Philippines Sea, giving readers a sense of the importance of the Crevalle's cargo.
Wartime adventure draped with thrills and romance.
(Kirkus Reviews&/i; , March 15, 2001)
A television photojournalist who has covered the Iranian hostage crisis, the hunger strikes in Northern Ireland, the shooting of Pope John Paul II, various Olympics and Charles and Diana's wedding, Smith has also won four Emmy awards for producing public service announcements. He breaks into print with a taut tales of a forgotten rescue mission in 1944. When the Philippines fell to the Japanese in May 1942, more than 40 Americans living on the island of Negros abandoned their homes and fled inland. Most were missionaries, Silliman University faculty and their family members, who endured two years of hardship as they moved from place to place in the jungles and mountains, evading Japanese patrols sent to capture them. Protected by sympathetic civilians and watched over by vigilant Filipino resistance fighters, these Americans were finally evacuated in May 1944, as the Allied offensive came closer to the islands. But the evacuation by submarine--the U.S.S. &i; Crevalle&/i; --was only part of the drama. On the last day of March 1944, two Japanese flying boats carrying Adm. Koga Mineichi and his staff crashed in a severe storm. The admiral, in command of the Japanese fleet, had just completed top secret plans to counter the next American offensive, these plans washed up on a beach on neighboring Cebu island and quickly found their way to the American commander of the resistance. When Crevalle evacuated the civilians, the plans went along, with mixed results in influencing the Battle of the Phillippine Sea in June 1944. Smith evaluates the two admirals and the resulting controversy. (May 18)
Forecast: While the subject matter here is certainly intriguing, given Smith's journalistic exploits, one wonders whether a memoir can be far behind this well-reported story. Based on firsthand accounts supplied by surviving refugees and submariners, Smith's account will engross buffs, but won't reach beyond that market.(Publishers Weekly&/i; , April 30, 2001)
"The story of the escape and rescue of those american expatriates is a testament to the courage and strength of civilians caught in the war at its start."(U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings)
Review
"Steven Trent Smith grapples boldly with several big subjects: the Japanese occupation of the Philippines; the capture of Japan's 'Z Plan' (the decisive-battle strategy for destroying the U.S. Pacific Fleet); the rescue by submarine of forty Americans stranded in the Philippines; the climactic Battle of the Philippine Sea. Meticulously researched and well written,
The Rescue ties these elements together into an epic that is emotionally engaging from start to rousing finish."
--Martin Russ, author of Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950
"[Steven Trent Smith's] thoroughly researched, detailed account of the brave American and Filipino guerrillas on Negros Island in the Philippines will do much to introduce readers to this little known aspect of World War II in the Pacific. Operating in the most primitive conditions, suffering the deprivations of living and fighting in the wild, these guerrillas were a formidable army and did much to win the war for the Allies in World War II. And the courageous and resourceful submariners of the U.S. Crevalle of the Pacific Fleet went well beyond the call of duty to rescue their fellow Americans from harm's way. This is a fascinating story well told."
--Elizabeth Norman, author of We Band of Angels
"With a photojournalist's eye for action and detail, Steven Trent Smith's The Rescue is a remarkable achievement. The incredible mission to save forty Americans stranded in the Philippines reads more like a work of fiction. This story could easily grace the big screen of your local movie theater, with a plot filled with non-stop action, amazing twists of fate, and an incredible cast of characters, complete with a climax that's certain to get the pulse pounding. A must read for all those interested in one of the great secret submarine operations of World War II and all action adventure fans alike!"
--Richard P. Henrick, author of Crimson Tide
Synopsis
A riveting tale of Americans trapped in the Philippines and a daring submarine rescue
Hailed as a " fascinating story well told" (Elizabeth Norman, author of "We Band of Angels"), " an epic that is emotionally engaging from start to rousing finish" (Martin Russ, author of "Breakout"); and " a must for all who enjoy history and a grand adventure" (Peter Huchthausen, author of "October Fury"), "The Rescu"e weaves together a vivid account of missionary families, escaped POWs, sugar growers, and oil men who evaded capture by the Japanese for two years on the island of Negros and eventually trekked 100 miles through jungles and swamps to rendezvous with the submarine "Crevalle." But their adventures are just part of the story. An American guerilla leader on an adjacent island had captured secret Japanese war plans for a decisive battle at sea, and he would risk everything to get them to the sub in time. Based on first-hand interviews with surviving refugees and "Crevalle" crewman, "The Rescue" brings to life one of the great secret operations of World War II.
Steven Trent Smith (Philadelphia, PA) is a five-time Emmy Award winning freelance television journalist.
Synopsis
Praise for The Rescue
""Steven Trent Smith grapples boldly with several big subjects: the Japanese occupation of the Philippines; the capture of Japan's 'Z Plan' (the decisive-battle strategy for destroying the U.S. Pacific Fleet); the rescue by submarine of forty Americans stranded in the Philippines; the climactic Battle of the Philippine Sea. Meticulously researched and well written, The Rescue ties these elements together into an epic that is emotionally engaging from start to rousing finish.""
-Martin Russ, author of Breakout and The Last Parallel
""Smith's thoroughly researched, detailed account of the brave American and Filipino guerrillas on Negros Island in the Philippines will do much to introduce readers to this little known aspect of World War II in the Pacific. . . . This is a fascinating story well told.""
-Elizabeth Norman, author of the award-winning We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese
""The Rescue is a delightful journey with the gallant few who resisted the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and who shaped the larger events wh ich led to victory in the Pacific. Smith's brilliant research and unique storytelling make this account a must for all who enjoy history and a grand adventure.""
-Peter Huchthausen, author of October Fury
""With a photojournalist's eye for action and detail, Steven Trent Smith's The Rescue is a remarkable achievement. The incredible mission to save forty Americans stranded in the Philippines reads more like a work of fiction. . . . A must-read for all those interested in one of the great secret submarine operations of World War II and all action adventure fans alike!""
-Richard P. Henrick, author of Crimson Tide and Nightwatch
Synopsis
By 1944, forty Americans?missionaries, escaped POWs, and sugar planters?had endured nearly three years of hell while hiding from the Japanese in the mountains of the central Philippines. They had moved frequently from one primitive hideout to the next, always in danger, subsisting on what little the locals could spare. They had seen friends and family captured, even murdered. And their faith in God, their country, and themselves had been stretched to the breaking point.
Then word came that MacArthur was sending a submarine, the Crevalle, to save them. The refugees confronted what they hoped would be their final trial: a hundred-mile trek south to meet the sub, a trek that would take them through dense jungle and trackless swamps with the Japanese an ever-present threat and the knowledge that one false step could result in tragedy.
But the refugees had no idea their dramatic rescue was just a cover for a mission of great strategic importance.
As MacArthur and Nimitz pushed the Japanese back, island by island, they put to flight Admiral Koga Mineichi, Yamamoto?s successor and the commander of Japan?s powerful Combined Fleet. Koga carried with him the detailed plans for the imperial navy?s long-planned "decisive battle" at sea. But his plane crashed and the plans washed up on a Philippine beach. Thanks to the courage of two fishermen, the secret papers soon found their way to an extraordinary American guerrilla leader, who then risked everything to get them to the rendezvous with the Crevalle.
But would the Crevalle reach the plans and the refugees before the Japanese caught wind of the scheme? The Crevalle and her heroic crew would first have to sail through enemy-infested waters to reach the island. And even if they made it, would the sub successfully pick up its precious cargo, then survive the 1,500-mile journey to Australia and freedom?
A cross between the bestselling Blind Man?s Bluff and the award-winning We Band of Angels, Steven Trent Smith?s The Rescue is an unforgettable account of this daring mission, a relentless personal drama, and a masterpiece of military history.
Synopsis
Praise for The Rescue
"Steven Trent Smith grapples boldly with several big subjects: the Japanese occupation of the Philippines; the capture of Japan's 'Z Plan' (the decisive-battle strategy for destroying the U.S. Pacific Fleet); the rescue by submarine of forty Americans stranded in the Philippines; the climactic Battle of the Philippine Sea. Meticulously researched and well written, The Rescue ties these elements together into an epic that is emotionally engaging from start to rousing finish."
-Martin Russ, author of Breakout and The Last Parallel
"Smith's thoroughly researched, detailed account of the brave American and Filipino guerrillas on Negros Island in the Philippines will do much to introduce readers to this little known aspect of World War II in the Pacific. . . . This is a fascinating story well told."
-Elizabeth Norman, author of the award-winning We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese
"The Rescue is a delightful journey with the gallant few who resisted the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and who shaped the larger events wh ich led to victory in the Pacific. Smith's brilliant research and unique storytelling make this account a must for all who enjoy history and a grand adventure."
-Peter Huchthausen, author of October Fury
"With a photojournalist's eye for action and detail, Steven Trent Smith's The Rescue is a remarkable achievement. The incredible mission to save forty Americans stranded in the Philippines reads more like a work of fiction. . . . A must-read for all those interested in one of the great secret submarine operations of World War II and all action adventure fans alike!"
-Richard P. Henrick, author of Crimson Tide and Nightwatch
About the Author
STEVEN TRENT SMITH is a five-time Emmy Award—winning freelance TV photojournalist and the author of Wolf Pack: the American Submarine Strategy That Helped Defeat Japan (Wiley). He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and son.
Table of Contents
Maps.
Author's Note.
Prologue.
Special Mission.
The Missionaries.
Separation.
The Sugar Families.
The Prisoners of War.
Independence Day.
Planter, Soldier, Oilman, Spy.
The Samurai's Story.
The Seventh Son.
Terms of Exchange.
Converging Paths.
The Rescue.
Precious Cargo.
Freedom.
The Admirals.
Decisive Battle.
Epilogue.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Index.