Rock Force

The American Paratroopers Who Took Back Corregidor and Exacted MacArthur's Revenge on Japan

By: Kevin Maurer

Narrated by: Stephen Graybill

From the number-one New York Times best-selling coauthor of No Easy Day comes a thrilling World War II story of the American airborne soldiers who captured a Japanese-held island fortress

"Rock Force is a beautifully told story of war: the friendships, the courage and despair, and the terror... One of the most exciting books ever written about the Pacific War.” (Mitch Weiss, New York Times best-selling coauthor of Countdown 1945)

In late December 1941, General Douglas MacArthur, caught off guard by the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, is forced to retreat to Corregidor, a jagged, rocky island fortress at the mouth of Manila Bay. Months later, under orders from the president, the general is whisked away in the dark of night, leaving his troops to their fate. It is a bitter pill for a fiercely proud warrior who has always protected his men. He famously declares "I shall return", but the humiliation of Corregidor haunts him, even earning him the derisive nickname "Dugout Doug".

In early 1945, MacArthur returns to the Philippines, his eyes firmly fixed on Corregidor. To take back the island, he calls on the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, a highly trained veteran airborne unit. Their mission is to jump onto the island - hemmed in by sheer cliffs, pockmarked by bomb craters, bristling with deadly spiky broken tree trunks - and wrest it from some 6,700 Japanese defenders who await, fully armed and ready to fight to the death.

Drawn from firsthand accounts and personal interviews with the battle's surviving veterans, acclaimed war correspondent and best-selling author Kevin Maurer delves into this extraordinary tale, uncovering astonishing accounts of bravery and heroism during an epic, yet largely forgotten, clash of the Pacific War. Here is an intimate story of uncommon soldiers showing uncommon courage and winning, through blood and sacrifice, the redemption of General MacArthur.

©2020 Kevin Maurer (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Excellent… well-told and riveting.” —The Wall Street Journal

“A riveting account of the intense combat to liberate the island… heart-pounding… Rock Force is an account of an important event in American history that reads like an exciting adventure novel. It should be on the Army’s recommended professional reading list. Military historians, or anyone just looking for a great book to read, will not be disappointed.” —ARMY magazine

“At its heart, Rock Force is a compelling war story, and Maurer concentrates on where his affinities lay: those troopers whose boots were on the ground. Their stories of valor and tragedy will hook readers from the very first page.” —World War II magazine

wow these men of the 503rd!

quite the amazing story about the valiant men of the 503rd parachute infantry regiment and the retaking of Corregidor

One of the best World War II history’s I have read.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wonders what it was like to fight against the Japanese in the second world war.

The Rock

Traveled to Corrigador 3 times. This story rounded out my knowledge of taking back " The Rock. " Great story.