Product Details
Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account

Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account
By William E. Dyess

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Product Description

The hopeless yet determined resistance of American and Filipino forces against the Japanese invasion has made Bataan and Corregidor symbols of pride, but Bataan has a notorious darker side. After the U.S.-Filipino remnants surrendered to a far stronger force, they unwittingly placed themselves at the mercy of a foe who considered itself unimpaired by the Geneva Convention. The already ill and hungry survivors, including many wounded, were forced to march at gunpoint many miles to a harsh and oppressive POW camp; many were murdered or died on the way in a nightmare of wanton cruelty that has made the term "Death March" synonymous with the Bataan peninsula. Among the prisoners was army pilot William E. Dyess. With a few others, Dyess escaped from his POW camp and was among the very first to bring reports of the horrors back to a shocked United States. His story galvanized the nation and remains one of the most powerful personal narratives of American fighting men. Stanley L. Falk provides a scene-setting introduction for this Bison Books edition.

William E. Dyess was born in Albany, Texas. As a young army air forces pilot he was shipped to Manila in the spring of 1941. Shortly after his escape and return to the United States, Colonel Dyess was killed while testing a new airplane. He did not survive long enough to learn that he had been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #203474 in Books
  • Published on: 2002-06-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 196 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"For anyone reading about the war in the Pacific, this first-person account will change all statistics into human beings."-Southwest Book Views (Southwest Book Views )

"Dyess''s plain-spoken graphic record of one of the worst atrocities of the war is a harrowing testament to both Japanese barbarism and the indomitability of the human spirit. It is a classic of its type that should not be overlooked by World War II scholars."-WW II History (WW II History )

About the Author

Stanley L. Falk is a former chief historian of the U.S. Air Force and professor of international relations at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He is the author of numerous works, including Bataan: The March of Death.

Customer Reviews

Must read "Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account"5
"Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account" by William E. Dyess is a very descriptive book about the Bataan Death March, a torturous march from Bataan to various prison camps. The march started on April 10, 1042, and it involved American and Filipino soldiers being stripped of their belongings and forced to walk about 100 miles in the hot sun. The soldiers were cruelly treated by the Japanese soldiers, usually beaten until unable to walk and sometimes killed right on the spot. Most of the time they were not given food or water, and when they were given food, the portions would be just a small bite.
The book gives readers a look at the Bataan Death March from an actual U.S. soldier's experience. Lt. Col. Dyess survived this horrendous act and he decided to write a book to tell the American people what he went through. The book was very well written, and it had many details of the march, details that no history text book could even start to explain.
I really liked "Bataan Death March: A Survivor's Account" because it gave me a sense of what the soldiers had to go through. Dyess' experiences helped me understand the awfulness of the Bataan Death March because he explained them so vividly, and even through his words I could hear the passion in his voice. With the author being a survivor, having a first-hand account of what actually happened on the Bataan Death March really helps readers understand the enormity of the situation.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about what happened on the Bataan Death March. It is a very poweful book that takes the reader back in time to World War II.

ED Dyess - Small town man with uncommon valor5
Ed Dyess was from my home town of Albany Texas. His story is a must read for anyone interested in why America is great. He exhibited in the PI that uncommon valor seen in countless men and boys from small town America. As a young boy I heard him speak of his experiences at the football stadium and have been trying to get a copy of his book since.

It is fitting that Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, TX is named after him.

Glad to find the book about my cousin5
I was so thrilled to find the book written by my cousin, Edwin Dyess. WE had an old copy of the Chicago Sun's article written by him back right after he returned home from Bataan. After visiting Edwin's hometown of Albany and his gravesite recently, I took a chance and went on line to see if there was anything in bookform and BiNGO. Leave it to Amazon to have most anything I am looking for. Thanks Amazon. Read the book. It is totally amazing how one man could endure such terrors.