Book excerpt: From December 7, 1941, until the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the war with Japan was a losing one. It was to be the darkest period of the almost four-year war. During those days, no times were more trying than the final hours for the men trapped on Wake Island, Bataan, Corregidor, Hong Kong and Singapore. This book, outlining the bitter end to their ordeals, covers the crucial days and final hours that led to their surrender, a capitulation that would shock the free world.