Under a Blood Red Sun: The Remarkable Story of PT Boats in the Philippines and the Rescue of General MacArthur

About this book

The true story behind the exploits of the unit that was immortalized in the blockbuster 1945 movie They Were Expendable. During the opening days of World War II in the Pacific a small group of American sailors in the Philippines were propelled into the forefront of the fighting. They were manned with six small wooden torpedo (PT) boats and led by a courageous larger-than-life character in Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley. The men of Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 faced insurmountable odds as they conducted a series of heroic operations against the navy and air power of Imperial Japan. As Americas defense of the Philippines crumbled under the weight of a massive Japanese assault the courageous activities of Bulkeleys men made headlines across the U.S.often as the only good news coming from the bleak Pacific front. The unit achieved everlasting fame by evacuating General Douglas MacArthur from the front. Then the squadron continued to fight on until all six of its torpedo boats were lost under fire. The fate of the doomed American defenders was sealed when the Japanese won the battle for the islands in the spring of 1942. The exploits of the unit were immortalized in the blockbuster 1945 movie They Were Expendable starring John Wayne and Robert Montgomery but since then the saga of Bulkeley and his men has slipped into history. Under a Blood Red Sun revives the story of the Philippine PT-boats through the intertwined accounts of Bulkeley and his subordinate officers and men. It is a story of the courage and sacrifice of men thousands of miles from their homeland representing American gallantry and fighting prowess while giving the Japanese a taste of what was further to come their way. Table of Contents Prologue: War Comes to the Philippines Part I: Voyage to the Orient Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Part II: Thrust into the Fire Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 PART III: Evacuation Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 PART IV: Scattered Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Epilogue Appendix 1: MacArthurs Evacuation Mission Appendix 2: Motor Torpedo Boats Squadron Three Final Disposition of Boats Notes Bibliography Index