At first, the mission to save fellow American soldiers trapped in a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camp in the Philippines seemed impossible to the group of assigned Army Rangers. The odds of a successful mission were stacked against them: They were outnumbered more than two to one, had little time to prepare, and zero time to conduct military exercises. But in the end, they prevailed and rescued over 500 prisoners.
A Deadly March
In April 1942, a few months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army invaded the Philippines and forced Gen. Douglas MacArthur to flee. The defeat left over 70,000 U.S. and Philippine soldiers aligned with U.S. interests with no choice other than to surrender.Once the Japanese arrived, they led the prisoners on a 60-mile trek—the Bataan Death March. During the grueling trip, American and Filipino prisoners were starved, beaten, and even executed if, exhausted, they stopped walking. Estimates say that 5,000 to 18,000 Filipinos and 500 to 650 Americans died.
