We Band of Angels Audiobook By Elizabeth M. Norman cover art

We Band of Angels

The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

We Band of Angels

By: Elizabeth M. Norman
Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

We Band of Angels is the story of women searching for adventure, caught up in the drama and danger of war. On the same day the Japanese Imperial Navy launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, it also struck American bases in the Far East, chief among them the Philippines. That raid led to the first major land battle for America in World War II and, in the end, to the largest defeat and surrender of American forces. Caught up in all of this were 99 Army and Navy nurses - the first unit of American women ever sent into the middle of a battle. The "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor" - as the newspapers called them - became the only group of American women captured and imprisoned by an enemy. And the story of their trials on a bloody battlefield, their desperate flight to avoid capture and their ultimate surrender, imprisonment, liberation and homecoming is a story of endurance, professionalism and raw pluck. Along the way, they helped build and staff hospitals in the middle of a malaria-infested jungle on the peninsula of Bataan. Then, short of supplies and medicine, they worked around the clock in the operating rooms and open-air wards, dealing with gaping wounds and gangrenous limbs, ministering to the wounded, the sick, the dying. A few fell in love, only to lose their men to the enemy. Finally, on the tiny island of Corregidor in Manila Bay, the Japanese took them prisoner. For three long years in an internment camp - years marked by loneliness and starvation - they kept to their mission and stuck together. In the end, it was this loyalty, this sense of purpose, womanhood and honor, that both challenged and saved them.

Through interviews with survivors and through unpublished letters, diaries, and journals, Elizabeth M. Norman vividly re-creates that time, telling the story in richly drawn portraits and in a dramatic narrative delivered in the voices of the women who were there.

©1999 Elizabeth Norman (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Americas Gender Studies Medicine & Health Care Industry Southeast Asia World War II Military Inspiring Heartfelt War
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Editorial reviews

"This is a gripping book. Elizabeth Norman presents a war story in which the main characters never kill one of the enemy, or even shoot at him, but are nevertheless heroes. . . . First on Bataan, then moved to Corregidor, they were under almost constant shell fire, were always hungry, close to starvation, had horrendous diseases to deal with despite a shortage or even a complete lack of proper medicines, getting little or no sleep, nothing in the way of recreation--yet they were a true band of angels, inspiring all the men whom they were there to help. In a squalid prison camp, they remained giants, despite their small size. . . . They were the bravest of the brave, who endured unspeakable pain and torture. Americans today should thank God we had such women." - Stephen E. Ambrose

What listeners say about We Band of Angels

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    346
  • 4 Stars
    100
  • 3 Stars
    39
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    269
  • 4 Stars
    97
  • 3 Stars
    56
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    365
  • 4 Stars
    54
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous

I thoroughly enjoyed this #WWII story. I have never heard such a detailed accounting of #combatnurses in the #pacifictheatre. The story features a #strong #femaleprotagonist and the audio narration was very well done. #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bravo

Fantastic story and written well. A story we should not forget. Narrator brings it to life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Moving

A remarkable telling of the horrors that a group of nurses, and those souls around them experienced. During and after Pearl Harbor was bombed, this band of soldier nurses in the Philippines along with their patients suffered the unimaginable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Never Knew About These Brave Women

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and kept my attention. I really grew to enjoy the women and their individual stories. It ended in a great way too, telling where they ended up after the war.

We owe a great deal to these unsung heroes. I wonder if their descendants know what heroes they were.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great History Sacrifice and Coursge

WWII nurses were amazing- dedicated. Courageous and giving. Wonderful account and story of their sacrifice for this country, America’s Greatest Generation indeed..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enthralling

As a nurse I was more proud of my profession after hearing the story of these amazing women. I also found out one of these Angels was from a town a few miles from my hometown. Ann Bernatitus, Captain, Exeter, Pa. Well done.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Honor to these Angels

I have so enjoyed listening to this account of the heroism these women exhibited in the early days of WWII. May they forever rest in the peace they so richly deserve. May God bless and keep them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story of on the Nurses of WWII

When I first purchased this book, I did not think it would be new material for me. I was interested because of being a nurse by profession and also being a veteran. What a powerful and heartwarming story about the Belle's of Bataan. I laughed and cried, living through some of the heartaches that they suffered and overcame. I will be listening to this book over and over.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

What they went through and how they lived on after World War 2 is amazing and inspiring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredibly inspiring

Great women!!
Great read!
Great history lesson!
Such inspiring women! It’s too bad they did not get the recognition they deserved.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!