[FULL DISCLOSURE: I received my copy of this book free from the author and/or publisher. I was not paid for this review and the opinion expressed is purely my own]
The edition of South from Corregidor I got is a reprint of a book that first appeared in the US during World War II. The edition I reviewed is a reprint of the original with some additional information. The book itself is the story of a US Navy officer and 16 men who escape Manila Bay in the days following the final Japanese assault on the island Corregidor.
The book is 273 pages long divided into 13 chapters. There are illustrations and maps scattered throughout. No index though, then again, this is not the type of book that had an index either then or now.
I immensely enjoyed reading the book. This is a straightforward story that details the trip of 17 men mostly crewmembers from the minesweeper USS Quail that took a 36 foot motor launch and made good their escape from the Philippines to Australia after the fall of the country to the Japanese invasion in the first months of World War II in the Pacific. The author, LCDR Morrill, was the captain of the Quail and had a unique position to both see and participate in the fight f9or the Philippines.
The story begins right after the fall of Bataan and describes the actions of the crew of the Quail but is really a direct recitation of events as experienced by LCDR Morrill. If nothing else, he lived an exciting few months and the end he and 16 other sailors decided to make a run for Australia rather than submit to the mercies of the Japanese as a POW.
The story is broken down by telling of the voyage itself as a series of stages. They several times ran into sympathetic Philippinos and other natives farther south on their trip who invariably helped them at great risk to themselves. This is essentially a story detailing how Morrill kept his men together and focused for the 31-day journey through enemy held waters. Not only is this a great story it is also inspiring because of the picture it paints of men who refuse to give up in the face of defeat.
The final part of the book is a modern addition by the authors that provides biographical sketches of the 17 men on the boat and what happened to them both during the rest of the war and after.
The editors of the new volume Tim and Mike Deal did an outstanding job of putting it together for modern republication and they are to be commended for reintroducing us to a story that should not be forgotten. I highly recommend this excellent book for it honest portrayal of men at war and the lengths to which they will go to stay in a fight they feel is justified. Great book!