Books and Articles on the Philippine Scouts
Below is a list of books and articles written about the Philippine Scouts or events involving them. Purchase information is provided. Please also see the Newsletter section of our website for additional articles.
Books
Anywhere-Anytime by Col. John Olson.
History of the 57th Infantry (PS). Many maps, rosters and pictures.
Bataan Diary by Paul Ashton
Written by the Chief of Surgery at General Hospital #1 on Bataan, this book covers the initial resistance to the Japanese invasion and the POW experience following the surrender. Contains index, as well as many maps and photos.
Bataan Diary: An American Family in World War II, 1941-1945 by Chris Schaefer
This well-written and researched book deals mostly with guerrilla warfare on Luzon following the surrender to the Japanese. Includes information on 21 Scout officers.
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Bataan: The March of Death by Stanley Falk
This books is probably is the most thorough and accurate treatment on this terrible subject.
Bataan: Our Last Ditch by John W. Whitman
Covers four months from the Japanese invasion to the surrender on Bataan. Maps, photos, endnotes, bibliography, index.
The Battle of Bataan: A Complete History by Donald J. Young
The Doomed Horse Soldiers of Bataan: The Incredible Stand of the 26th Cavalry by Raymond G. Woolfe Jr.
This is the story of the last mounted American troops to see action in battle, when, in late 1941, six-hundred men and their horses held off the Japanese invasion of Luzon in the Philippines.
The Fall of the Philippines by Louis Morton
This excellent book is part of the U.S. Army in WWII: The War in the Pacific series.
Family in Crisis: The United States, the Philippines, and the Second World War by John M. Fitzgerald
An interesting survey of a wide range of guerrilla units fighting the Japanese. Includes very useful bibliography.
Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides
This best seller, soon to be made into a movie, tells a riveting story of the rescue raid on the Cabanatuan.
Guardians of Empire: The U.S. Army in the Pacific, 1902-1940 by Brian McAllister Linn,
University of North Carolina Press
This solidly researched book, is a history of the U.S. Army in the Philippines and Hawaii. The Philippine Scouts are mentioned frequently.
The Guerrilla and the Hostage by Col. John Olson.
A novel about two brothers-a PS Officer and an air force pilot who served on Bataan and their adventures during and after the collapse of the Fil-American defense.
History of the Philippine Scouts, 1899-1934
Compiled by the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
History of the Philippine Scouts Field Artillery by Col. Melvin H. Rosen.
Available at any of the following libraries: Library of Congress; National Archives; U.S. Army Military History Institute (Carlisle Barracks); PSHS Museum (San Antonio); Office of Chief of Military History; and USMA Library at West Point. Mel Rosen was an officer with the 88th Field Artillery (PS).
Honorable Warrior: General Harold K. Johnson by Lewis Sorley.
Gen. Johnson was the 57th Infantry Regiment (PS) Executive Officer when the Japanese attacked the Philippines. The book mentions the Scouts frequently and devotes an entire chapter to them.
The Intrepid Guerrillas of North Luzon by Bernard Norling
Well-researched account of the Cagayan-Apayao Forces operating in Northern Luzon and commanded by Maj. Ralph Praeger, until he was killed and the unit decimated by the Japanese.
Lapham's Raiders: Guerrillas in the Philippines 1942-1945 by Robert Lapham and Bernard Norling.
Goes well beyond usual books on guerrilla warfare in describing historical and cultural context of events. Index and numerous endnote are particularly useful to researchers. Bob Lapham was an officer with the 45 Infantry Regiment (PS).
Lt. Ramsey's War: from Horse Soldier to Guerrilla Commander by Edwin Price Ramsey and Stephen J. Rivele.
Includes a description of the last horse cavalry charge of the U.S. Army. Ed Ramsey was an officer with the 26th Cavalry Regiment (PS).
Odyssey of a Philippine Scout by Arthur Kendall Whitehead
This book is about the author's experiences as a young officer of the 26th Cavalry (PS) in the Philippine Islands during WWII.
O'Donnell, Andersonville of the Pacific by Col. John Olson.
Detailed documentary of the Japanese POW Camp in which thousands of Filipinos, including over 2,600 Philippine Scouts, died of disease, malnutrition and savage cruelty in less than six months. Author was personnel officer of the American Group.
On A Mountainside: The 155th Provisional Guerrilla Battalion Against the Japanese on Luzon by Malcolm Decker
Another well-written account of guerrilla warfare on Luzon written by the son of one of the American guerrilla officers.
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Can be purchased directly from author: Send check or money order for $21.85 to:
Malcolm Decker
1625 Northbrook St.
Lebanon, MO 65536-4327
Price includes autographing and shipping hardcover book.
One Out of Eleven by Col. Robert S. Kramer (U.S.A., Ret)
A detailed history of the actions of C Company, 14th Engineer Bn. (PS) on Bataan by one of the platoon leaders.
Philippine-American Military History, 1902 - 1942 An Annotated Bibliography by Richard B. Meixsel.
The Philippine Scouts edited by Col. John Olson.
This large volume published by the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society.
The Philippine Scouts: The Development of America's Colonial Army by James Richard Woolard.
The Philippine Scouts: The Use of Indigenous Soldiers During the Philippine Insurrection 1899 by Allan D. Marple
An in depth look at the operational tactics employed by the U.S. Army in the Philippines.
Resolve: From the Jungles of WW II Bataan, the Epic Story of a Soldier, a Flag, and a Promise Kept by Bob Welch
Surviving Bataan and Beyond: Colonel Irvin Alexander's Odyssey as a Japanese Prisoner of War, edited by Dominic J. Caraccilo
This is Col. Irvin Alexander's gripping memoir of the fall of the Philippines, the Bataan Death March, and his three and a half years as a prisoner of war during World War II.
Taking Flight: the Nadine Ramsey Story by Raquel Ramsey and Tricia Aurand.
PSHS member Raqui Ramsey and Tricia Aurand invite us to accompany Nadine, Nelle and Ed Ramsey (of the Philippine Scouts and the famed last cavalry charge) on an extraordinary journey where we watch each one of them overcome terrible setbacks, then forge ahead to achieve remarkable successes. All three of them. Again and again.
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We Remember Bataan and Corregidor by Mariano Villarin.
Filipino perspective on the defense of the Philippines during the first five months of the war.
26th Cavalry Regiment by George A. Rummel.
A collection of articles and photographs detailing the history of the regiment from inception through WWII.
Articles
"A Sack of Cement" by Col. John Olson.
Bulletin of the American Historical Collection Foundation, October-December 2001, pp. 44-50.
"Philippine Scouts Celebrate Centennial" by Col. John Olson.
Bulletin of the American Historical Collection Foundation, October-December 2001, pp. 76-9.
"Remembering the Philippine Scouts" by Beth Day Romulo.
Bulletin of the American Historical Collection Foundation, October-December 2001, pp 71-5.
"The Philippine Scouts and the Defense of Bataan" by J. Michael Houlahan.
Bulletin of the American Historical Collection Foundation April-June 2001, pp. 4-12.
"Their Finest Hour: The Philippine Scouts in Bataan" by J. Michael Houlahan.
Filipinas, October 2002, pp. 49-51.
"Two Bataan Veterans Tell Their Stories" by Sen. John Patterson.
Bulletin of the American Historical Collection Foundation April-June 2001, pp. 13-43.
World War II Journal, Issue 5: The War in the Philippines. Editor: Ray Merriam
Additional Bibliographies
A comprehensive, partially-annotated bibliography compiled by Rod Hall lists over 500 books (and a few articles) on Manila and the Philippines during WWII. Mr. Hall was held by the Japanese in Santo Tomas Internment Camp in his early teens and now lives in England.
» Download the bibliography
WWII bibliography totaling about 130 titles compiled by Waldette Cueto, curator of the American Historical Collection at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. Although this second bibliography duplicates some of Rod Hall's longer list, it also contains some different titles.
» Download the bibliography