Research Catalog

Title

Under a blood red sun : the remarkable story of PT boats in the Philippines and the rescue of General MacArthur / John J. Domagalski.

Author

Domagalski, John J., 1969-

Publication

Philadelphia : Casemate Publishers, 2016.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xiii, 389 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps; 24 cm

Summary

• "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. Bulkely. 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 America's defense of the Philippines crumbled under the weight of a massive Japanese assault, the courageous activities of Bulkeley's 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." (from the dust jacket cover).

Subject

• Bulkeley, John D. 1911-1996
• MacArthur, Douglas, 1880-1964
• Bulkeley, John D. 1911-1996
• United States. Navy. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3
• 1939-1945
• World War, 1939-1945 > Naval operations, American
• World War, 1939-1945 > Pacific Ocean
• HISTORY / Military / Naval
• HISTORY / Military / World War II
• Military operations, Naval > American
• Pacific Ocean

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 344-379) and index.

Contents

Pt. 1. Voyage to the Orient -- pt. 2. Thrust into the fire -- pt. 3. Evacuation -- pt. 4. Scattered.

ISBN

• 1612004075
• 9781612004075
• 9781612004099 (digital) (canceled/invalid)

LCCN

2018469233

OCLC

• ocn944156932
• 944156932
• SCSB-1871041

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library