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The War Journal of Major Damon "Rocky" Gause: The Firsthand Account of One of the Greatest Escapes of World War II
 
186 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 11, 2016
This is an incredible story of Rocky Gause's escape from Bataan and Corregidor to Australia. It is an awe inspiring story of a man's will to be free and safe and all he is willing to risk to achieve that. It is a real good read and what makes it better is that it was written during the war before his death in a flying accident. I always like books written "real time" and to see how people thought during the times they went through and what their mindset was. Great read and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great adventure story. Only thing the book lacks is what happened to all the people that helped him during his journey.
February 20, 2014
I admit this review is somewhat biased as Major Gause was my great uncle. That aside, however, this was an amazing book which told an amazing story. Though I was never fortunate enough to meet my great uncle Gause, I could not be more proud of his bravery, his heroism, and his character.
March 25, 2015
It never ceases to amaze me when one person goes through so many things. Any quarter of this book could be a movie unto itself, and this man goes and does it all.
As always, I wish there were some follow up on some of the secondary characters, but I know that's not always, or even often, possible with war journals.
Also (spoiler), it is just wrong to get through that kind of an escape and die testing airplanes.
As always, I wish there were some follow up on some of the secondary characters, but I know that's not always, or even often, possible with war journals.
Also (spoiler), it is just wrong to get through that kind of an escape and die testing airplanes.
December 7, 2020
Excellent war story from Major Damon Gause, who grew up not far from where we live. The journal was written in WWII era wording and phrase, in a narrative similar to war stories told by my dad who served in the US Army Air Force during WWII. In other words, don't come if easily offended by our concept of politically correct 2020 language. This is a most amazing story of grit, determination, danger, and bravery you will read this year. It's a tribute to our faithful men and women who served our country in the Armed Forces.
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February 5, 2025An incredible story of grit and survival. I'm pretty sure I'm more of a "roll over and die" person, and am always amazed at what individuals in these adventure/survival stories endure in their determination to not give up.
December 4, 2020
Amazing escape. Recommended.
July 3, 2014
While I read this book a couple of years ago, it is the type of story that really sticks with you. This memoir is largely based on Gause's wartime diaries and letters. His adventure is incredible and flows like a Hollywood blockbuster.
Upon the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and the destruction of almost all American aircraft on Luzon, Gause finds himself and his fellow airmen serving as ad hoc infantrymen in the Bataan Peninsula. As the Japanese forces advance and American resistance falters, Gause strikes out to avoid capture. His incedible adventure leads to Corrigedor and later to another harrowing escape - for that matter, a series of narrow escapes that takes him from the Philippines across the South Pacific and eventually back to a cockpit in England preparing to supportthe Normandy invasion.
Gause's incredible story needs to be read with a skeptical eye -as do all memoirs and diaries. He probably never intended for his diaries to be published in their original state, but sadly he did not survive the war. However, there is no doubt a great deal of truth to Gause's story - and the lack of his opportunity to revise and edit in the post war years should not detract from his story.
Overall, a great read and highly recommended.
Upon the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and the destruction of almost all American aircraft on Luzon, Gause finds himself and his fellow airmen serving as ad hoc infantrymen in the Bataan Peninsula. As the Japanese forces advance and American resistance falters, Gause strikes out to avoid capture. His incedible adventure leads to Corrigedor and later to another harrowing escape - for that matter, a series of narrow escapes that takes him from the Philippines across the South Pacific and eventually back to a cockpit in England preparing to supportthe Normandy invasion.
Gause's incredible story needs to be read with a skeptical eye -as do all memoirs and diaries. He probably never intended for his diaries to be published in their original state, but sadly he did not survive the war. However, there is no doubt a great deal of truth to Gause's story - and the lack of his opportunity to revise and edit in the post war years should not detract from his story.
Overall, a great read and highly recommended.
April 6, 2015
This was a two day reading - could have read in a day. Anyway, this true story is a wild account of a couple guys that somehow escaped the Japanese soldiers for 159 days and most of it was in the Pacific in a beat up old wooden boat that seemed like it was on its last leg.
It's a war journal of Major Damon Gause that survived through all the years after the war. His son reads his journal and brings to light the " The War Journal of Major Damon "Rocky" Gause.
It's a war journal of Major Damon Gause that survived through all the years after the war. His son reads his journal and brings to light the " The War Journal of Major Damon "Rocky" Gause.
May 27, 2018
Major Gause should have died about 3 dozen times during his epic escape from the Japan-occupied Philippines. His story is more unbelievable and awe-inspiring than the most outlandish Hollywood movie. What an amazing man and incredible story. A true page-turner.
September 26, 2008
Want to read a book about a Real Man? This is it!
December 5, 2011
Unbelievable story of fearless American!
June 9, 2019
Captivating. Could not put down.
February 27, 2026
I read this book in about three days. It's one of those natural page-turners that burns through your fingers like well-written suspense or adventure fiction. But it's not fiction. It's the actual experience of a U.S. Air Corps officer name Damon "Rocky" Gause -- his incredible, death-defying journey from a defeated army to a prison camp, from the camp to a daring escape...and then a whole series of escapes which culminated in a massive, 3,200 odyssey in an open boat to escape a relentless and pitiless enemy.
Just before WW2 began for America, Rocky Gause found himself pulling ground duty in the Phillippines. When the Japanese launched their ocean-wide attack on America and all the colonial powers on December 7, 1941, the Phillippines were a prime target, and due in part to the bungling of the egomaniac MacArthur, the U.S. forces there were caught off-guard and quickly smashed.
I read this book in about three days. It's one of those natural page-turners that burns through your fingers like well-written suspense or adventure fiction. But it's not fiction. It's the actual experience of a U.S. Air Corps officer name Damon "Rocky" Gause -- his incredible, death-defying journey from a defeated army to a prison camp, from the camp to a daring escape...and then a whole series of escapes which culminated in a massive, 3,200 odyssey in an open boat to escape a relentless and pitiless enemy.
Just before WW2 began for America, Rocky Gause found himself pulling ground duty in the Phillippines, what might have been easy duty. When the Japanese launched their ocean-wide attack on America and all the colonial powers on December 7, 1941, the Phillippines were a prime target, and due in part to the bungling of the egomaniac MacArthur, the U.S. forces there were caught off-guard and quickly smashed. Most American and Filipino forces surrendered and endured the Bataan Death March; some fled successfully to Correigidor Island, where they continued to hold out until finally overwhelmed. Gause was captured, escaped by killing a Japanese guard, and fled to Corregidor by boat. When Corregidor fell, he fled again, and hid out with Filipino natives who quickly learned to hate the Japaanese. Finally, accompanied by one other officer, on an improvised sailbot boat with an ancient two-stroke motor, he commenced an epic, hardship-filled, danger-prone ordeal which saw them travel thousands of miles through shark-filled waters teeming with Japanese patrol boats; run aground on reefs; barter (or steal from) native tribes on nameless islands; hide in plain sight among Filipino allies; and endure typhoon-level storms. All on their cruddy little boat, on a diet of bananas, green coconuts, and rice, which they ofte had to cook in salt water (ugh). Oh, and they got strafed and shot up by Japanese aircraft, too. Their goal? Australia, 3,000 miles away.
Stories like this amaze me because they are testaments to human ingenuity and endurance. Most of us cry if we can't get air conditioning or wi-fi. This guy had to go through nine circles of hell, plus a few Dante couldn't imagine, to escape capture and...and voluntarily return to duty as a fighter pilot in the European Theater. It's an inspiration to read. It's also important documentation of an unchic topic nowadays, the rampany, barbarous, systematic cruelty the Japanese showed toward everyone they subjugated, regardless of race or ethnicity. The way history is taught in the West, you'd think the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have no context. Gause reminds us that things like the rape of Nanking and the Bataan death march were part of a 45-year policy of the Japanese Empire, not flukes or aberrations.
The book is also a reminder of the tragedy of war. Gause could have spent the rest of WW2 in a cushy stateside post, drumming up war bond sales. Instead, he volunteered for a fighter combat squadron (P-47s) in Europe. This guy didn't just have guts, he had commitment. A rare breed, and a great read.
Just before WW2 began for America, Rocky Gause found himself pulling ground duty in the Phillippines. When the Japanese launched their ocean-wide attack on America and all the colonial powers on December 7, 1941, the Phillippines were a prime target, and due in part to the bungling of the egomaniac MacArthur, the U.S. forces there were caught off-guard and quickly smashed.
I read this book in about three days. It's one of those natural page-turners that burns through your fingers like well-written suspense or adventure fiction. But it's not fiction. It's the actual experience of a U.S. Air Corps officer name Damon "Rocky" Gause -- his incredible, death-defying journey from a defeated army to a prison camp, from the camp to a daring escape...and then a whole series of escapes which culminated in a massive, 3,200 odyssey in an open boat to escape a relentless and pitiless enemy.
Just before WW2 began for America, Rocky Gause found himself pulling ground duty in the Phillippines, what might have been easy duty. When the Japanese launched their ocean-wide attack on America and all the colonial powers on December 7, 1941, the Phillippines were a prime target, and due in part to the bungling of the egomaniac MacArthur, the U.S. forces there were caught off-guard and quickly smashed. Most American and Filipino forces surrendered and endured the Bataan Death March; some fled successfully to Correigidor Island, where they continued to hold out until finally overwhelmed. Gause was captured, escaped by killing a Japanese guard, and fled to Corregidor by boat. When Corregidor fell, he fled again, and hid out with Filipino natives who quickly learned to hate the Japaanese. Finally, accompanied by one other officer, on an improvised sailbot boat with an ancient two-stroke motor, he commenced an epic, hardship-filled, danger-prone ordeal which saw them travel thousands of miles through shark-filled waters teeming with Japanese patrol boats; run aground on reefs; barter (or steal from) native tribes on nameless islands; hide in plain sight among Filipino allies; and endure typhoon-level storms. All on their cruddy little boat, on a diet of bananas, green coconuts, and rice, which they ofte had to cook in salt water (ugh). Oh, and they got strafed and shot up by Japanese aircraft, too. Their goal? Australia, 3,000 miles away.
Stories like this amaze me because they are testaments to human ingenuity and endurance. Most of us cry if we can't get air conditioning or wi-fi. This guy had to go through nine circles of hell, plus a few Dante couldn't imagine, to escape capture and...and voluntarily return to duty as a fighter pilot in the European Theater. It's an inspiration to read. It's also important documentation of an unchic topic nowadays, the rampany, barbarous, systematic cruelty the Japanese showed toward everyone they subjugated, regardless of race or ethnicity. The way history is taught in the West, you'd think the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have no context. Gause reminds us that things like the rape of Nanking and the Bataan death march were part of a 45-year policy of the Japanese Empire, not flukes or aberrations.
The book is also a reminder of the tragedy of war. Gause could have spent the rest of WW2 in a cushy stateside post, drumming up war bond sales. Instead, he volunteered for a fighter combat squadron (P-47s) in Europe. This guy didn't just have guts, he had commitment. A rare breed, and a great read.
May 10, 2022
I selected this book from Mt TBR since it fit the genre land prompt of Journal or Diary. The story is compelling and tells in a matter-of-fact tone the basics of the Major's escape from Bataan in the Philippines and his journey across the ocean to Australia. While the anti-Japanese sentiment is completely understandable for a record of experiences in WWII, the constant use of slurs takes a bit of getting used to. There is also casual racism against many native peoples and a casual approach to personal brutality which are appropriate to the time (and a testament to the fact that no attempt was made to polish the Journal by later generations) bit still do not reflect well on the time.
One takeaway for me is the loyalty of the Philippine people to their American occupiers. In my work at the VA I have encountered many claims for benefits from those who claim to have been part of official US military efforts against the Japanese. Nearly all of them are not legally valid. But the experiences of this one man suggest a level of moral justification to the claims that I had never given much thought to. I cannot endorse the US colonialism that motivated the rule of the Philippines but I can acknowledge that it must have had some positive impact on the lives of the people, at least for a time.
One takeaway for me is the loyalty of the Philippine people to their American occupiers. In my work at the VA I have encountered many claims for benefits from those who claim to have been part of official US military efforts against the Japanese. Nearly all of them are not legally valid. But the experiences of this one man suggest a level of moral justification to the claims that I had never given much thought to. I cannot endorse the US colonialism that motivated the rule of the Philippines but I can acknowledge that it must have had some positive impact on the lives of the people, at least for a time.
February 3, 2025
Finished The War Journal of Major Damon "Rocky" Gause: The Firsthand Account of One of the Greatest Escapes of World War II by Damon Gause, published in 1999 by his son, who he met only once, the day he was born. Major Gause, an Army Air Corps pliot had the misfortune to be in the Phillipines at the outbreak of WW2. This book is taken directly from his war diary that begins with having a drink in a Manila Hotel as the Japanese are about to overrun the Philippines and ends reporting to General Douglas MacArthur in Australia, having survived a 52 day journey across 3200 miles of open Pacific in a small motorized sailboat with an Army infantry officer dodging bad weather, sharks and the Japanese. He was captured in Bataan, escaped to Corregidor and escaped again to go to Australia.
He could have sat out the rest of the war doing bond drives in the US but pressed the Army Brass to send him to England to participate in D-Day. He died on March 9, 1944 testing a P47 design that would be used in the invasion.
It is remarkable he escaped the Bataan Death march, very few did. The exact number of deaths during the Bataan Death March is unknown, but estimates range from 5,500 to 18,650
He could have sat out the rest of the war doing bond drives in the US but pressed the Army Brass to send him to England to participate in D-Day. He died on March 9, 1944 testing a P47 design that would be used in the invasion.
It is remarkable he escaped the Bataan Death march, very few did. The exact number of deaths during the Bataan Death March is unknown, but estimates range from 5,500 to 18,650
March 26, 2021
Personal diary of an escape form the fall of Manila and subsequent evasion of the Japanese during WW2 in making his way across miles of ocean before eventually reaching Australia as he intended.
An interesting and well documented true life tale of a heroic journey.
Enjoyable and matter of fact without being gripping; it is based on the diary he maintained during the trip - which must have been an effort in itself!
Published years after his death by his son - a suitable memorial.
An interesting and well documented true life tale of a heroic journey.
Enjoyable and matter of fact without being gripping; it is based on the diary he maintained during the trip - which must have been an effort in itself!
Published years after his death by his son - a suitable memorial.
December 15, 2022
Absolutely loved this book. Literally read it, finished in one day and reread it the next day. It’s Robinson Crusoe meets Unbroken. It’s in many ways tragic - but the memoir is relentless hopeful, optimistic and doesn’t contain a ounce of self pity.
It would make a brilliant film if Hollywood ever stumbles upon it.
It would make a brilliant film if Hollywood ever stumbles upon it.
January 13, 2025
What a magnificent memoir/journal of an amazing journey and escape yet also terrifying and intense.
I met Rocky's son years ago and got to listen to him tell the stories of the people he interviewed to write the introduction and epilogue.
I enjoyed this ride very much and reread it every so often. This was my fourth or fifth read. And still just as gripping.
I met Rocky's son years ago and got to listen to him tell the stories of the people he interviewed to write the introduction and epilogue.
I enjoyed this ride very much and reread it every so often. This was my fourth or fifth read. And still just as gripping.
January 2, 2026
I like reading about wartime exploits, and this was a pretty amazing one. You have to give some allowances for a journal written under duress while escaping from the Philippines and making your way all the way down to Australia by small boat. Not to mention al the close shaves while fighting against the Japanese. I was impressed by the fighting spirit of the Filipino soldiers and civilians.
July 10, 2022
Rocky was a true testament to the perseverance of the “greatest generation” fighting in WWII.
The journal can be tough to read at times, as it isn’t 100% grammatically correct, but is definitely worth your time!
The journal can be tough to read at times, as it isn’t 100% grammatically correct, but is definitely worth your time!
July 23, 2020
Incredible account of an American hero.
September 6, 2020
Interesting war journal of a guy who escaped the Bataan death march and managed to sail from the Philippines to Australia, "by the grace of God and the Filipinos."
September 28, 2020
I loved this book. Damon Gause was a hero, the kind we rarely see anymore. And I think it was EXTREMELY well written.
December 24, 2020
Rocky had to be one hell of a man.
This should be in the classroom for everyone to read!!
This should be in the classroom for everyone to read!!
January 24, 2021
A truly amazing story!
July 5, 2023
An awe inspiring war journal showing the human willingness and spirit to overcome adversity to return to home.
March 5, 2024
It was not for me. I was not into the story it seemed boring.
March 9, 2024
All I can say is WOW. What an amazing story. It’s insane what was endured on this adventure and the fact that it’s a true story is wild.
May 22, 2025
Great book! East read and inspirational!
June 23, 2026
Super quick read. Amazing story of a true hero but didn’t like the writing and didn’t enjoy really.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews