THE HEROES

by Ronald McKie ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Close on the heels of Brian Connell's Return of the Tiger comes this second account of Major Ivan Lyon's daring canoe raids on Singapore shipping in 1943 and 1944. Unlike the first book however, this book is much more detailed, longer, and more exciting because of its dramatization and closer, interior examination of character. The story deals with ""Scorpion Party"", an irregular group of English and Australian soldiers and sailors, who sail to Singapore in a bedraggled old ex-Jap fishing boat called Krait, from where they canoe into the harbor, attach limpet mines to ships, and sink 7. The latter part of the book relates the little-known Operation Rimau of the following year, in which nearly all Lyons men were discovered by the Japanese and killed or captured. Much of this account deals with the labyrinth of war records, obscure literature, and correspondence. The final story of the interrogation and beheading of the last 10 raiders by the Japanese is a moving one. The Japanese so respected their prisoners they referred to them as ""Heroes"" and were greatly reluctant to kill them. Overall, an excellent, fast-paced book.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1960

Categories: NONFICTION