Devil Warrior

Author: (USA) Hampton Sides
Translator: Yang Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-10-01
Features: A gripping legend, an exhilarating struggle, and a sweeping canvas Devil's Crossfire is a captivating work, permeated throughout by the fear of war. As a reader, you cannot read this book at ease, without tension—you will be immersed in an horrifying adventure alongside the author. Can you endure it? What price will your soul pay? The book was once a bestseller on Amazon.com and was designated as a reference text by elite special forces units in multiple countries. It be compared to other landmark novels that preserve the legacy of World War II legends! This is one of the most dazzling large-scale rescue operations in history. On January 28, 1945, 121 elite soldiers from the U.S. Sixth Ranger Battalion infiltrated deep into enemy territory in the Philippines. Their mission was to march 30 miles to Cabanatuan to rescue 513 Allied prisoners of war. These prisoners had been held in a hellish camp for three years. Among them were the last survivors of the Bataan Death March, whose strong will to survive might soon be extinguished, as the Japanese, in their retreat, had already begun executing Allied prisoners elsewhere in the Philippines due to the advancing U.S. forces. As the raiders moved stealthily through enemy-occupied territory, they discovered that Cabanatuan had become a major transit point for Japanese retreats, meaning they would not only face a few guards but likely up to 8,000 hardened enemy combat troops!
This book is not just a thrilling tale of combat heroism; Hampton Sides also explores the mysteries of human behavior under extreme duress: the astonishing resilience of Allied prisoners, who endured hunger and unimaginable torture while resisting the Japanese authorities; the intense cultural clash between Japanese guards immersed in bushido and Allied prisoners; the bravery of the raiders and Filipino guerrillas; the complex motivations of U.S. decision-makers; the near-suicidal recklessness of some spies. Through skillfully weaving together the memories and writings of survivors, the author crafts a chillingly harrowing true story that be compared to other landmark novels preserving the legacy of World War II legends.
Excerpt: She grew suspicious, as she had never heard of this captain or seen this Filipino boy before. When the boy stood at the door waiting, she quickly studied the letter and immediately confirmed it was a fake. Phillips feigned anger and said loudly, "I am Italian, and I have no interest in Americans." She sent the boy away and then arranged for a member of the club to follow him. After passing through a park, the boy met with Japanese guards. Afterward, Phillips waited in fear for someone to knock on her door one morning, but nothing happened. The Japanese guards might have believed her reaction to which boy had brought the fake letter, but from then on, the club could no longer be considered completely safe—it was clearly under suspicion and surveillance. Later, she told an American magazine, "After that, I grew increasingly worried about further suspicion and involvement."
On May 23, 1944, the decisive moment finally arrived. That morning, the guards burst through the club's doors and arrested Phillips, who was still wearing slippers and pajamas. "Where are your papers, Mrs. Chubaki?" one guard demanded, pointing a revolver at her ribs. "You're a spy!" They blindfolded her and took her through the city to the headquarters of the Japanese police. There, a fluent English-speaking intelligence officer interrogated her. "We know everything you've done," he began, then added sternly, "High Collar." Phillips was taken aback to hear her code name come from a Japanese mouth. She realized they must have intercepted some intelligence. "Who?" she wondered. "Boone?" "Boone? If that's the case, I'm doomed," she thought.
The Japanese intelligence officer began reading a letter Phillips had written to "Forever" (Rev. Tifany). She immediately understood the truth. It was clear that a Filipino liaison had been captured in Cabanatuan. Who was "Ca"? the interrogator asked. Phillips explained that "Ca" was an acronym for a small lemon fruit she sent inside the camp. In the letter, Phillips mentioned running a small juice business. "We're not fools! These are all American names," the interrogator said, clearly concluding that both individuals were American guerrillas in contact with High Collar. He would not accept any other explanation. Two reckless men burst into the room and began torturing Phillips until she lay bloodied on the floor. "Excuse me—do you have an English dictionary?" she weakly asked, feeling around in her chair since she was still blindfolded. "Check the dictionary and see what 'jar' means?" The guards stripped her and tied her to a bench. Then, she felt a tube being forced into her mouth, accompanied by the squeaking of metal, as a strong stream of water rushed down it. This was the terrifying "water treatment" torture she had heard about many times. Water quickly filled her throat, lungs, and entire body. Phillips fainted. When she came to, the guards were burning her leg with a lit cigarette: "Answer who this is." High Collar mumbled something about oranges, but the interrogator furiously cut her off, "I think you want more water!" The tube was reinserted into Phillips' mouth, and water was poured in again. "I fainted again," she later wrote.
When Phillips regained consciousness, she still refused to admit any connection to the American guerrillas. Failing to extract any information, the furious guards transferred her to the dungeon of Fort Santiago, a Japanese-Spanish castle built along the Pasig River, near the mouth of Manila Bay. Santiago was infamous for its brutal dungeons, many of which were connected to the river and constantly soaked with highly saline water. Fortunately, Phillips was held in a stone house slightly higher up. For three months, she was imprisoned alone, waiting for her execution. After capturing High Collar in Camp Kenbe, Japanese intelligence began identifying Phillips' contacts in Cabanatuan. Most of them were chaplains in the camp, though they generally used code names when communicating with Phillips, though not always. It seemed they had not yet realized they were in danger. Under the long, harsh, and painful conditions of the camp, chaplains played an extremely important role. Sometimes, theology could have very practical, direct effects. Everyone's minds were filled with the belief that they should continue living. The prisoners experienced the spiritual world daily, often hearing the pleas of deceased comrades to join them in the afterlife. Some people never gave up their faith even in the most intense pain, while others seemed to abandon it easily, as if they were born to betray their souls. The chaplains at Cabanatuan often found themselves facing profound questions about life and death. As mediators, morale boosters, and the flame of hope for the resistance, they were undertaking an almost impossible task. The chaplains wrote doctrines—such as biblical stories and the suffering of Christ—on the backs of can labels. Every day, they had to explain things that were practically unexplainable. They were seen as people who could answer all questions. In reality, not all chaplains were respected. Some showed indifference toward the prisoners, while others seemed extremely bored. The most respected chaplain was...