
Alms for Oblivion
Sunset on the Pacific War
Peter Kemp(Author)
Passage Classics (Publisher)
Published on 3. September 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
264 pages
978-1-959403-17-3 (ISBN)
Description
Asia, 1945. The War in Europe is over. Undeterred, the Japanese Empire fights on. With millions of loyal troops at its disposal and holdings that extend over thousands of miles, the Allies still have much intense fighting ahead. Freed from a Soviet dungeon by diplomatic happenstance as the European theatre closes is Peter Kemp. Kemp was a young law student who volunteered to fight for the Nationalists against the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. Recruited by the elite British Special Operations Executive for his extensive irregular warfare experience and enormous bravery, Kemp was a commando raider then spy in the Balkans and Poland before being betrayed, along with his comrades, by the advancing Red Army. Recognizing him as one of their best operatives, the British redeploy Kemp to the South Pacific. Although initially tasked with mopping up the Japanese remnants, after the surrender Kemp finds himself struggling to bring order to the chaos as anti-colonial sentiment surges, first in French Indochina and then the Dutch East Indies. With the United States indifferent or hostile to its allies' extended empires, Kemp is forced to lead Japanese troops and a smattering of European holdouts against a phantom army of guerrillas. Kemp published his story in 1961, one of only a few to offer a first-hand look at the little-explored aftermath of World War Two in the Pacific. The book has been out-of-print for decades, but joins Kemp's first two books, Mine Were of Trouble (recounting his Spanish Civil War experiences) and No Colours or Crest (following him through Europe in WW2) back in wide release again.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-959403-17-3 (9781959403173)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Peter Mant MacIntyre Kemp (August 19, 1915 - October 30, 1993) was an English soldier and writer. He became notable for his participation in the Spanish Civil War, one of the few Englishmen to volunteer for Franco's Nationalist forces, serving in the elite (and high casualty) Spanish Foreign Legion and, during World War II, as a member of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) who fought in France, Albania, and the Far East. Later in life Kemp became a beloved journalist and critic, providing on the ground reports from major international incidents like the 1956 Hungarian Uprising and the Nicaraguan Revolution. He was a close collaborator with legendary intelligence operative David Smiley, another SOE veteran.