W. R. (NYbooks) reviewed Lost in Shangri-la: The True Story of a Plane Crash into a Hidden World on + 101 more book reviews
History. ***. A military plane flying over uncharted land crashes killing almost everyone. The survivors must now contend with limited supplies, sustenance and the native headhunters/cannibals while the military brass figure out how to enter this terra incognita to rescue their fellow soldiers.
Well-researched book. Though not as "exciting" as I had anticipated, it was still very interesting especially regarding the inevitable culture-clash.
Well-researched book. Though not as "exciting" as I had anticipated, it was still very interesting especially regarding the inevitable culture-clash.
This is an amazing story of adventure, perseverance, and daring. I captivated by the characters (real people) and loved the photos that were throughout the text. I would recommend this tip any history buff, especially those interested in ww2.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
This was certainly an entertaining story, although it got off to a sad start due to the death of so many on what was suppose to be a "fun trip." I knew a number of planes were lost in New Guinea during the war, but was astounded to read the number was over 600, mostly due to non-combat causes.
I did find three interesting errors in the book.
1) The author claims the "7th Marine Division" fought in Okinawa. There was never such a division, and the author must have confused a mention of the 7th Marines (a regiment of the 1st Marine Division) for a division. This is a rather common mistake made by writers who do not have an adequate understanding of the Marine Corps.
2) The author relates how one Filipino paratrooper, Corporal Ramirez, was captured on Bataan and was part of the Bataan Death March, but escaped and left the islands by getting on a hospital ship in Manila which was bound for Australia. When you consider the Japanese had captured Manila before they captured Bataan, this obviously never happened.
3) On page 153, the author describes a "walkie-talkie" as a 35 pound, two-way radio the size of a small suitcase. Yet on page 187 there is a photo of the "walkie-talkie" which is actually hand-held and is just a bit larger than some of the "mobile phones" of the 1990s.
Finally, as you read the book, you are told several times how a combat-ready Filipino paratrooper unit wasn't used in the invasion of the Philippines. I suspect this was because General MacArthur and his cronies didn't want the Philippines 'liberated' by the Filipinos. Despite many islands being under control by Filipino guerrillas, MacArthur "invaded and liberated" each using American Troops, despite orders from the American Chiefs of Staff not to waste resources doing this. This way he got the credit for 'liberating' all the Philippines without any help from the Filipinos. This tells you something about the man.
I did find three interesting errors in the book.
1) The author claims the "7th Marine Division" fought in Okinawa. There was never such a division, and the author must have confused a mention of the 7th Marines (a regiment of the 1st Marine Division) for a division. This is a rather common mistake made by writers who do not have an adequate understanding of the Marine Corps.
2) The author relates how one Filipino paratrooper, Corporal Ramirez, was captured on Bataan and was part of the Bataan Death March, but escaped and left the islands by getting on a hospital ship in Manila which was bound for Australia. When you consider the Japanese had captured Manila before they captured Bataan, this obviously never happened.
3) On page 153, the author describes a "walkie-talkie" as a 35 pound, two-way radio the size of a small suitcase. Yet on page 187 there is a photo of the "walkie-talkie" which is actually hand-held and is just a bit larger than some of the "mobile phones" of the 1990s.
Finally, as you read the book, you are told several times how a combat-ready Filipino paratrooper unit wasn't used in the invasion of the Philippines. I suspect this was because General MacArthur and his cronies didn't want the Philippines 'liberated' by the Filipinos. Despite many islands being under control by Filipino guerrillas, MacArthur "invaded and liberated" each using American Troops, despite orders from the American Chiefs of Staff not to waste resources doing this. This way he got the credit for 'liberating' all the Philippines without any help from the Filipinos. This tells you something about the man.
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed Lost in Shangri-la: The True Story of a Plane Crash into a Hidden World on + 1228 more book reviews
This was a very interesting account of an incident that occurred during the waning days of WWII on the island of New Guinea. In May 1945, a group of over twenty service men and women stationed at Hollandia, New Guinea, went on a sightseeing trip aboard a C-47 plane to see a lost valley over 100 miles south dubbed as "Shangri-La" after it was discovered by one of the base's pilots. The valley contained native villages which could be seen from the air along with the natives themselves who appeared to be very tall and could also be headhunters or cannibals. And then disaster struct; the plane crashed into a mountainside killing everyone on board except for three survivors. The survivors were a WAC named Margaret Hastings who was badly burned by the crash and was developing gangrene in her legs; John McCollom a lieutenant who lost his identical twin brother in the crash; and Kenneth Decker who was also severely burned and had an open head wound. The group was able to leave the crash site and hike to a clearing where they were sighted by a search plane. But how could they be rescued?
A group of men parachuted in to provide medical services and establish a base to work on extracting the injured. The medics and most of the men who came in were Filipino paratroopers. The medics were able to treat the wounds but then the group had to hike to the main valley for rescue. Along the way and at the valley they were surrounded by the natives who turned out to be mostly friendly and provided needed assistance. But rescue was still being debated by the army. They couldn't fly in a helicopter because of the altitude; planes could not land there; an overland hike was prohibitive because of the terrain and the possibility of hostile natives or Japanese soldiers in the area. Eventually they came up with a plan to use gliders to get the group out of the valley. This was a very fantastic rescue which could have been written as adventure fiction.
Today this event is pretty much forgotten but at the time it was front-page news along with the rest of the events of WWII. A former movie personality actually parachuted into the camp and filmed a lot of what happened before and during the rescue. Some of his footage is available on Youtube and called "Rescue from Shangri-La."
I really enjoyed this very compelling read. Zuckoff really did his research including talking with some of the people involved. He went to New Guinea and was able to track down some of the natives who were present at the time when they were children. He provided a lot of insights into the native people including their customs, warlike tendencies, and dress (or lack thereof). A very good overall recommendation for this one.
A group of men parachuted in to provide medical services and establish a base to work on extracting the injured. The medics and most of the men who came in were Filipino paratroopers. The medics were able to treat the wounds but then the group had to hike to the main valley for rescue. Along the way and at the valley they were surrounded by the natives who turned out to be mostly friendly and provided needed assistance. But rescue was still being debated by the army. They couldn't fly in a helicopter because of the altitude; planes could not land there; an overland hike was prohibitive because of the terrain and the possibility of hostile natives or Japanese soldiers in the area. Eventually they came up with a plan to use gliders to get the group out of the valley. This was a very fantastic rescue which could have been written as adventure fiction.
Today this event is pretty much forgotten but at the time it was front-page news along with the rest of the events of WWII. A former movie personality actually parachuted into the camp and filmed a lot of what happened before and during the rescue. Some of his footage is available on Youtube and called "Rescue from Shangri-La."
I really enjoyed this very compelling read. Zuckoff really did his research including talking with some of the people involved. He went to New Guinea and was able to track down some of the natives who were present at the time when they were children. He provided a lot of insights into the native people including their customs, warlike tendencies, and dress (or lack thereof). A very good overall recommendation for this one.
Mary M. (redpandareads) reviewed Lost in Shangri-la: The True Story of a Plane Crash into a Hidden World on + 9 more book reviews
I was a little disappointed by the premise of this book. It was supposed to be an edge-of-the-seat adventure tale, but the natives were friendly and the rescues were successful. I don't know if it needed to be an entire book, but the research that went into it is admirable, and the characters were all very vivid. I was getting bored with it until the epilogue, and I fought back tears for the last 20 pages.
Susan D. (leecat2) -
It is true that this is no Unbroken, although as a story of a plane crash in the Pacific area in WW2, it i very good on it's own merits. I really enjoyed reading it, especially the diary excerpts.
The author was a good researcher and presents the story in an entertaining fashion. I would not call it a suspenseful adventure, but it is a well-written narrative of the plane crash and rescue. I enjoyed it as such.
The author was a good researcher and presents the story in an entertaining fashion. I would not call it a suspenseful adventure, but it is a well-written narrative of the plane crash and rescue. I enjoyed it as such.
Carol F. (cactusflowerwomen) reviewed Lost in Shangri-la: The True Story of a Plane Crash into a Hidden World on + 628 more book reviews
Excellent war survival story. Plane crash in New Guinea among stone age tribesmen, with only 3 survivors. god adventure story and lots of cultural information about a primitive tribe.
Ed S. reviewed Lost in Shangri-la: The True Story of a Plane Crash into a Hidden World on + 3 more book reviews
This is a well written, interesting account of three survivors and their rescuers. It is well documented and gives insights into not only how they survive, but the mindsets that pulled them through the ordeal.
