Description
In the nearly seven decades following World War II, the heroes of the Allied Forces have been rendered ageless through portrayals transforming their overseas triumphs into household tales. Books, films, and video games have reiterated the stories of such famed American units as Merrill’s Marauders and Darby’s Rangers. Some of World War II’s most important missions, however, were also the most secretive: they have only recently been declassified by the U.S. government. Now, for the first time, a single volume describes many of them in detail.
In Shadow Warriors, military historian and retired U.S. Marine Dick Camp illuminates the untold history of American special operations units in World War II. The book’s action-packed narrative, rooted in a time before organizations like the CIA even existed, describes the adventures of those who paved the way for the special operations forces we know so well today—the U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Army Special Forces, and U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC). Split into two parts covering the war’s European and Pacific theaters, it features elaborate spy networks, covert parachutists, island assaults, amphibious raids, and the occasional catastrophic mission failure. Bolstered by an in-person interview with World War II veteran Sgt. Jack Risler (U.S. Marines Operation Union II) and a collection of rare black-and-white period photographs, Shadow Warriors is not only a gripping account of top-secret exploits: it is an homage to some of the brilliant, courageous, and previously unacknowledged heroes of World War II.
Dick Camp is a retired Marine Corps colonel and the author of Lima-6, his memoir as a Marine infantry company commander at Khe Sanh. He has written several combat histories of the U.S. Marines, including The Devil Dogs at Belleau Wood, Battleship Arizona's Marines at War, Iwo Jima Recon, and Last Man Standing: The 1st Marine Regiment on Peleliu. He is also the author of Leatherneck Legends: Conversations with the Marine Corps' Old Breed and has published over sixty articles in various military-oriented magazines, including Vietnam, World War II, Marine Corps Gazette, and Leatherneck. Camp is currently the vice president for museum operations at the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, overseeing the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.
“Camp’s stories keep the reader engaged and interested, with reflections and comments from the leading protagonist and amplifying vignettes expanding on a particular item. This book is an excellent read for anyone interested in Marine special operators in World War II.” – Air Power History
“His (Dick Camp) books are renowned for two essential elements: superb storytelling and historical accuracy. Shadow Warriors certainly lives up to that reputation. It’s cram packed with excitement and the heroic tales of the lesser known shadow warriors of the Marine Corps.” – Leatherneck
“This book is written by an author with the uncommon combination of having expertise in the subject matter as well as being a professional historian. The material is exciting and the attention to detail, with many references provided, superb. This book is not a rehash of oft told stories รข?? instead Camp brings to life extraordinary accomplishments (emphasizing U.S. Marine Corps personnel) with verve and the understanding of a man who is familiar with what the work was like these otherwise forgotten heroes accomplished in the successful prosecution in many theaters of World War II.” – Travel for Aircraft (Seattle Post-Intelligencer Blog)
“With more than a dozen finely researched and written military or historical books and myriad magazine articles to his name, the author has acquired a group of dedicated “Camp-followers” who eagerly anticipate his next offering. For those already familiar with his work and new readers who are not, Shadow Warriors will not disappoint. Shadow Warriors is a finely woven historical tome, successfully turning complicated patterns into a smooth design with a truly masterful result.” – Proceedings (Naval Institute)
