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Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War
On April 4, 1943, ten American prisoners of war and two Filipino convicts executed a daring escape from one of Japan's most notorious prison camps. The prisoners were survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March and the Fall of Corregidor, and the prison from which they escaped was surrounded by an impenetrable swamp and reputedly escape-proof. Theirs was the only successful group escape from a Japanese POW camp during the Pacific war. Escape from Davao is the story of one of the most remarkable incidents in the Second World War and of what happened when the Americans returned home to tell the world what they had witnessed.
Davao Penal Colony, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, was a prison plantation where thousands of American POWs toiled alongside Filipino criminals and suffered from tropical diseases and malnutrition, as well as the cruelty of their captors. The American servicemen were rotting in a hellhole from which escape was considered impossible, but ten of them, realizing that inaction meant certain death, planned to escape. Their bold plan succeeded with the help of Filipino allies, both patriots and the guerrillas who fought the Japanese sent to recapture them. Their trek to freedom repeatedly put the Americans in jeopardy, yet they eventually succeeded in returning home to the United States to fulfill their self-appointed to tell Americans about Japanese atrocities and to rally the country to the plight of their comrades still in captivity. But the government and the military had a different timetable for the liberation of the Philippines and ordered the men to remain silent. Their testimony, when it finally emerged, galvanized the nation behind the Pacific war effort and made the men celebrities.
Over the decades this remarkable story, called the "greatest story of the war in the Pacific" by the War Department in 1944, has faded away. Because of wartime censorship, the full story has never been told until now. John D. Lukacs spent years researching this heroic event, interviewing survivors, reading their letters, searching archival documents, and traveling to the decaying prison camp and its surroundings. His dramatic, gripping account of the escape brings this remarkable tale back to life, where a new generation can admire the resourcefulness and patriotism of the men who fought the Pacific war.
Davao Penal Colony, on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, was a prison plantation where thousands of American POWs toiled alongside Filipino criminals and suffered from tropical diseases and malnutrition, as well as the cruelty of their captors. The American servicemen were rotting in a hellhole from which escape was considered impossible, but ten of them, realizing that inaction meant certain death, planned to escape. Their bold plan succeeded with the help of Filipino allies, both patriots and the guerrillas who fought the Japanese sent to recapture them. Their trek to freedom repeatedly put the Americans in jeopardy, yet they eventually succeeded in returning home to the United States to fulfill their self-appointed to tell Americans about Japanese atrocities and to rally the country to the plight of their comrades still in captivity. But the government and the military had a different timetable for the liberation of the Philippines and ordered the men to remain silent. Their testimony, when it finally emerged, galvanized the nation behind the Pacific war effort and made the men celebrities.
Over the decades this remarkable story, called the "greatest story of the war in the Pacific" by the War Department in 1944, has faded away. Because of wartime censorship, the full story has never been told until now. John D. Lukacs spent years researching this heroic event, interviewing survivors, reading their letters, searching archival documents, and traveling to the decaying prison camp and its surroundings. His dramatic, gripping account of the escape brings this remarkable tale back to life, where a new generation can admire the resourcefulness and patriotism of the men who fought the Pacific war.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2010
90 people are currently reading
2940 people want to read
About the author
John D. Lukacs
4 books29 followersWriter, adventurer, historian and documentary filmmaker John D. Lukacs specializes in one-of-a-kind stories—the unusual, the unprecedented and the virtually unknown.
His first book, "Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War," was called "a most impressive authorial debut" by World War II Magazine and "diligent, impassioned history" by Booklist. Lukacs's first documentary film, titled "4-4-43," was an official selection of the 2014 GI Film Festival.
Recognized as a "gifted stylist and storyteller" and a "top-notch non-fiction writer," his work has appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, ESPN The Magazine and on ESPN.com. He is a regular contributor to World War II Magazine. Lukacs has made numerous local and national television and radio appearances, including on ESPN and C-SPAN, as well as Sirius Satellite Radio.
A hands-on historian who enjoys forensic documentary research and believes that first-hand knowledge of a geographical location is essential to fashioning a riveting narrative, he has explored World War II battlefields and historic sites throughout both Europe and the Pacific, including: Attu, the Ardennes, Bastogne, Bataan, Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden, Cabanatuan, Corregidor, Coral Sea, Dachau, Davao, Dutch Harbor, Fiji, Guadalcanal, Guam, Hiroshima, Hong Kong, Iwo Jima, Kiska, Manila, Midway, the Maginot Line, the New Hebrides, Paris, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa, Rabaul, Reims, Saipan, the Siegfried Line, Singapore, Tarawa, Truk and Wake Island.
A veterans' rights advocate and staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, Lukacs received the 2011 Senator John Heinz Award from the Veterans Leadership Program of Pittsburgh.
A former resident of New York City’s famed Hotel Chelsea, Lukacs is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
His first book, "Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War," was called "a most impressive authorial debut" by World War II Magazine and "diligent, impassioned history" by Booklist. Lukacs's first documentary film, titled "4-4-43," was an official selection of the 2014 GI Film Festival.
Recognized as a "gifted stylist and storyteller" and a "top-notch non-fiction writer," his work has appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, ESPN The Magazine and on ESPN.com. He is a regular contributor to World War II Magazine. Lukacs has made numerous local and national television and radio appearances, including on ESPN and C-SPAN, as well as Sirius Satellite Radio.
A hands-on historian who enjoys forensic documentary research and believes that first-hand knowledge of a geographical location is essential to fashioning a riveting narrative, he has explored World War II battlefields and historic sites throughout both Europe and the Pacific, including: Attu, the Ardennes, Bastogne, Bataan, Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest at Berchtesgaden, Cabanatuan, Corregidor, Coral Sea, Dachau, Davao, Dutch Harbor, Fiji, Guadalcanal, Guam, Hiroshima, Hong Kong, Iwo Jima, Kiska, Manila, Midway, the Maginot Line, the New Hebrides, Paris, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa, Rabaul, Reims, Saipan, the Siegfried Line, Singapore, Tarawa, Truk and Wake Island.
A veterans' rights advocate and staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, Lukacs received the 2011 Senator John Heinz Award from the Veterans Leadership Program of Pittsburgh.
A former resident of New York City’s famed Hotel Chelsea, Lukacs is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
November 27, 2024
Great book about the epic escape of 10 American POW's and 2 Philippine inmates from the Davao Penal Colony during World War 2. The story follows the 10 American servicemen from the outbreak of the war in the Philippines and their service during the fighting on Bataan and Corregidor and their subsequent capture and imprisonment by the Japanese on the Philippine islands.
These men endured unimaginable horrors and hardships under their Japanese captors and escaping was really a life-and-death situation, for if they got recaptured by the Japanese, they would have tortured them to death, as they did to others. But they persevered not just to get to freedom, but to tell the world of the plight of the POW's still in captivity and what they had to endure. There are also glimpses into the guerilla activity in the Philippines where the reader is introduced to a few of these courageous men, and the end of the book focuses a bit on the fight against bureaucracy in the US government to be able to get their story told. Highly recommended as this book contains a wealth of information on top of being a great story.
These men endured unimaginable horrors and hardships under their Japanese captors and escaping was really a life-and-death situation, for if they got recaptured by the Japanese, they would have tortured them to death, as they did to others. But they persevered not just to get to freedom, but to tell the world of the plight of the POW's still in captivity and what they had to endure. There are also glimpses into the guerilla activity in the Philippines where the reader is introduced to a few of these courageous men, and the end of the book focuses a bit on the fight against bureaucracy in the US government to be able to get their story told. Highly recommended as this book contains a wealth of information on top of being a great story.
March 6, 2011
I've been off Goodreads for a couple of months. Being on a payroll and balancing a family, project work, and a new smart phone haven't left much time for pontificating here. But I have kept reading, and I'll try to catch up with recommendation of John D. Lukacs' first book, Escape From Daveo is astounding to me as a 30 year reader of WWII history in that it's a story I've never heard. 12 American enlisted men and officers, with help from Phillipino guerillas and resistance members, escaped from a Japanese prison camp in the middle of a malarial swamp in Mindanao. They make their way behind resistance lines and eventually are rescued. Several returned to America to tell of the atrocities committed by the Japanese army against ally prisoners. Because of timing, politics, and the vagueries of a willfully censored press, the story of whole thing was kept in a can until it was released as an attempt to sell war bonds, well after the men had risked their lives to get the word out.
The first half of the book, detailing the siege and surrender of Bataan and Corregidor, the Bataan death march, prison camps, hell ships, and day to day live at Depecol (Daveo Penal Colony) are harrowing. Thousands of American boys were executed summarily, humiliated, tortured, starved and generally dehumanized. The fact that a dozen men were able to find each other and say "hell no, we're getting out of here" is a great testament to human determination. If you liked "Papillon", this will be right up your alley.
The second half of the book, dealing with the American response of everyone from MacArthur and Roosevelt to leading journalists and allies, is maddening. The news in America used to be managed by the government, not the corporations, so news of the Daveo escape was held back until allies and army intelligence could maneuver, and until it would have maximum effect on war bond sales to pay for the expected invasion of Japan.
It's a quick read, and it has a raft of little known WWII history about the Phillipines and the American-Phillipino resistance to the Japanese Imperial Army. I more understand now how people of a certain age(elderly at this point) kept buying Chevys and Fords, never bought a Honda or Mitsubishi.
The first half of the book, detailing the siege and surrender of Bataan and Corregidor, the Bataan death march, prison camps, hell ships, and day to day live at Depecol (Daveo Penal Colony) are harrowing. Thousands of American boys were executed summarily, humiliated, tortured, starved and generally dehumanized. The fact that a dozen men were able to find each other and say "hell no, we're getting out of here" is a great testament to human determination. If you liked "Papillon", this will be right up your alley.
The second half of the book, dealing with the American response of everyone from MacArthur and Roosevelt to leading journalists and allies, is maddening. The news in America used to be managed by the government, not the corporations, so news of the Daveo escape was held back until allies and army intelligence could maneuver, and until it would have maximum effect on war bond sales to pay for the expected invasion of Japan.
It's a quick read, and it has a raft of little known WWII history about the Phillipines and the American-Phillipino resistance to the Japanese Imperial Army. I more understand now how people of a certain age(elderly at this point) kept buying Chevys and Fords, never bought a Honda or Mitsubishi.
April 9, 2013
This is a true story of heroes -- real heroes. I cannot imagine going through the trials that these brave men suffered.
Many of the details of the horrific battles in the South Pacific were eye-openers to me -- especially the treatment these men were given by FDR and General MacArthur.
If you choose to read this book, it will make you very sad at times, and -- if you are like me -- you will not leave unaffected. I just have to say: I partly agree with Brokaw. The generation that fought World War Ii -- and that includes those who sacrificed at home in various ways -- were, indeed, among our " greatest generations." The men in this story prove it.
Many of the details of the horrific battles in the South Pacific were eye-openers to me -- especially the treatment these men were given by FDR and General MacArthur.
If you choose to read this book, it will make you very sad at times, and -- if you are like me -- you will not leave unaffected. I just have to say: I partly agree with Brokaw. The generation that fought World War Ii -- and that includes those who sacrificed at home in various ways -- were, indeed, among our " greatest generations." The men in this story prove it.
January 2, 2013
An excellent, well-researched history. The book is three things, a history of the atrocities surrounding the Bataan death march in WWII, a terrific POW escape story, and an interesting discussion of why the US government was so reticent to release the Bataan and POW stories coming out of the Pacific theater. If you liked Hampton Sides's "Ghost Soldiers," you'll enjoy this book.
September 2, 2013
I am usually not a fan of military stories BUT having lived in the Philippines and visiting Corrigedor and other WWII battle sites, I was determined to try and read this account. At one point, I was so horrified and upset by the descriptions of what went on in the POW camps, that I couldn't sleep and was determined to not finish the book. However, I prevailed and couldn't put the book down as I read of their planning and escape and then the about the politics of the American government to keep the story quiet until it was to the Government's advantage to release the details. There are parts that become a bit complicated with details but you can quickly read those parts and not lose the thread of the story.
November 19, 2015
This is an incredible story, and you will be inspired by the will and resourcefulness of all of the escapees. The physical and mental strain these guys must have experienced is unimaginable. I enjoy the stories about how they managed to sneak around and snatch what the needed, and how the hid their supplies. I've read a few prison and POW escape stories, but this one is particularly exciting because the terrain is so alien and challenging. I celebrated all of their successes along the way. There were many "no waaaay" moments, but I'm not going to include any spoilers. A brilliantly told story, and a most enjoyable read.
September 27, 2012
This was a terrific war story; engaging and well-paced. The storytelling was almost as fluid as a novel. However this wasn't fiction; the horrors the book described were real, and real people suffered through them.
In addition, the book raises some serious moral issues about the government's reluctance to allow the escapees to tell their stories to the public, until it was "convenient". Recently, we seem to see government behavior during WWII through rose-tinted glasses, and this book helps dispel that picture a little.
In addition, the book raises some serious moral issues about the government's reluctance to allow the escapees to tell their stories to the public, until it was "convenient". Recently, we seem to see government behavior during WWII through rose-tinted glasses, and this book helps dispel that picture a little.
May 4, 2025
An interesting story about an aspect of the war I didn’t know much about. The narrative isn’t always easy to follow and I found myself skipping ahead a bit to see how it would all wrap up
May 17, 2019
Excellent book. We don't hear about the Philippines during WW II, because it was a shameful thing to leave so many Americans behind to face the advancing and brutal Japanese. Many of them died horrible deaths. This book tells the story of the only group of POW's to make it out of the Davao prison camp in the Philippines. Escape was 99% impossible because Davao was surrounded by a dangerous swamp, and most people that attempted either died or were captured. These men not only made it out, but went on to cause the Japanese some serious grief. Up to this point, the public had no idea what had happened to the fighting men in the Philippines when MacArthur left and the Japanese invaded. What is shocking is the extreme censorship of the day, but understanding that era is a big help to understand why a lid was kept on the story of the Philippines. This is a well researched book, and just about every paragraph has a link (in the Kindle edition) should you want to go directly to the footnote and read the source. Bittersweet ending but I loved reading the epilogue to find out what "the boys" did after the war.
May 7, 2011
A retelling of the story of a part of the Second World War in the Philippine Islands including the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, the Bataan Death March and the frustrations of men who escaped from a prison camp set in the middle of 18 miles of swamp. I am so moved by the frustrations of the men who, having gotten out, were not allowed to tell their stories or answer the questions of the concerned families of their comrades. Can't wait to see what happens next.
I finished this book not long after it came out. I was particularly interested in it because my father was one of the men involved in the escape. I got to see aspects of his personality from a different perspective; this was very refreshing. Also saw the historical setting of the escape more clearly than i had before. Well told.
I finished this book not long after it came out. I was particularly interested in it because my father was one of the men involved in the escape. I got to see aspects of his personality from a different perspective; this was very refreshing. Also saw the historical setting of the escape more clearly than i had before. Well told.
June 4, 2011
My dad fought in the Pacific in WWII. He told many stories of his experiences. As a teenager, I read about the Bataan Death March and last January visited the Bataan Memorial at Mt Samat and drove some of the route of the March. I learned a lot more about that time in history from this book and I found myself emotional at times while reading. A great book for history buffs. On my next trip to the Philippines, I want to see more of the locations in the book on Luzon.
August 6, 2016
The best war book I've ever read!!! It was such a treasure to read a piece of history that touched close to home since I grew up in Hawaii but my Great Grandparents were from Albany and lived across the street from William Dyess. Thank you for bringing a Forgotten Hero to the remembrance of future generations!
July 5, 2010
Dad said this was real good but parts of it were very hard to read because the stuff they went through was so awful. He had been to most of the places mentioned in the book - the Philippines, Singapore - when he was in the Navy during Vietnam.
September 10, 2012
I read this book on vacation this year and what these men went through was no vacation. It's not light reading by any stretch of the imagination, but the story moves very quickly. If you like suspense novels with historical foundations, it's the book for you.
September 26, 2023
This is the riveting story of how a group of American servicemen and two Filipino convicts managed to escape the brutal Japanese-held Davao Penal Colony during WWII. They overcame tremendous odds to do it and were also aided by some fortunate luck at crucial moments. Their number one aim was to get the news of the atrocities at the prison to the American public and the Allied Command, in order to help those they left behind. However, these men encountered almost as much resistance from military brass and politicians as they had in the Philippine jungles and swamps.
I am not a fan of the kind of military history that's all about battles and weaponry and strategy. I want to know the human side of it, and that's what this book tells. Absolutely recommended.
I am not a fan of the kind of military history that's all about battles and weaponry and strategy. I want to know the human side of it, and that's what this book tells. Absolutely recommended.
May 17, 2022
I really enjoyed reading Escape from Davao. I found it very fascinating to read about a group of American POWs, who managed to escape the Japanese after the fall of the Philippines in 1942. The story was well researched and the author managed to describe the events in group detail. Very good book to read if you are interested in the Pacific War.
February 15, 2021
The cover features a photo of major Ed Dyess and the beginning of the book is mainly about him. I was given the impression that he would be the central or major player throughout the book and that's not true although he did play a big role. Most of the book reads like a novel, is engaging and provoking. Rich in detail, great characters, dialogue, sense of place. For the most part it seems objective. However the end really bogs down in detail after Dyess's death. That part more like a history textbook. So I skipped to the epilogue which at first started out pretty good but again gets choppy as it deals with each of the characters of the escape end of life. I read some pages and then gave up.
October 14, 2023
Kept me up past my bedtime => 5 stars
Frankly, although being a military history buff, I did not know this story. And what a story!
This book is written around the lives of a select few Americans (and later, their Filipino helpers) who escaped from a Japanese POW camp in 1943.
About a dozen Americans are featured and their stories are told amidst the backdrop of the doomed defense of the Philippines.
The book starts in December 1941, then quickly moves into early 1942 and the American-Filipino army has surrendered on Bataan and Corregidor. The prisoners are marched up to POW camps on the infamous "Bataan Death March" Every horror you can imagine and then some is witnessed by the featured Americans (across all branches - Marines, Navy, Army, USAAF). Despair, hopelessness, rampant disease, torture, malnutrition, you name it occurs in the POW camps. This takes up about 25% of the book.
Then, miraculously for about 1,000 Americans, they are transferred by sea to Mindanao, specifically the Davao Penal Colony - a Filipino prison that was a work farm, designed to grow food and harvest timber, now for the Japanese war effort. Because the prison was supposed to generate output, food and medical conditions were considerably better than at Camp Cabanatuan in Luzon. But, still, not great.
The featured Americans hatch a plan to escape, despite the fact the camp was surrounded by an impenetrable swamp, populated by indigenous headhunters. Road and rail exits were heavily guarded by the Japanese. In some clever moves, and aided by local Filipinos, provisions are cached and a date is set. Rumors of an increased Japanese guard presence complicate matters. And, fear there would be retributions against their fellow POWs who remained (almost all oblivious to the escape plan) wracked the plotter's minds.
But, an intense determination to escape and tell the Americans back home and in the Pacific Theatre drove the POWs to make a break for it.
The middle part of the book will remind some of the movie The Great Escape with all the plotting, interactions with capricious guards, and eventually the escape attempt. You'll be gripped to your seat.
Side note: At this point in the war (April 1943), American military and civilian authorities had no idea of the atrocities that occurred on the Bataan Death March and subsequent POW camps.
As per the title, the prisoners (i.e. the narrative's featured Americans) escape and immediately get lost in the swamp.
To avoid spoilers, I won't say anything more except to say that some make it out to Australia, and then home to the US.
The last portion of the book was quite astounding to me - after giving detailed accounts of the inhumane and deadly atrocities committed by the Japanese against tens of thousands of Americans and Filipinos, the US Government and US Military leaders put a lid on it - releasing no information to the public and frustrating to no end our heroes who escaped to tell their very story to the American public.
How this clash of secrecy versus truth played out was something that rings true today.
The book has all the elements of a great read:
* It is true
* It showed how determined men could best insurmountable odds - enemies both human and nature
* It covers many characters, their interplay and different end results
* It is a battle of individuals versus an American system that was at times, skeptical, indifferent, and openly hostile to the efforts of the escapees.
* You'll learn new (at least to me) stuff about the Filipino guerilla force on Mindanao and the Americans who stayed behind in 1942 to lead them.
Some photos and useful maps.
I also recommend reading Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission on a 1945 rescue mission of American POWs at Camp Cabantuan on Luzon. That book was also gripping.
Quibbles:
1. The otherwise outstanding 2-page map of the camp at Davao Penal Colony didn't show all the spots used by the escapees to actually escape! The central part of the book was the escape plan and you can't actually follow it all on the map.
2. There is a slight undertone by the author that cast doubt or questioned the American's military resource allocation to be primarily towards Europe with the Pacific Theatre getting short shrift. Clearly, the author is sympathetic to the plight of the American and Filipino POWs. Nowhere in the book did Lukacs explain why American had a Europe-first posture.
Frankly, although being a military history buff, I did not know this story. And what a story!
This book is written around the lives of a select few Americans (and later, their Filipino helpers) who escaped from a Japanese POW camp in 1943.
About a dozen Americans are featured and their stories are told amidst the backdrop of the doomed defense of the Philippines.
The book starts in December 1941, then quickly moves into early 1942 and the American-Filipino army has surrendered on Bataan and Corregidor. The prisoners are marched up to POW camps on the infamous "Bataan Death March" Every horror you can imagine and then some is witnessed by the featured Americans (across all branches - Marines, Navy, Army, USAAF). Despair, hopelessness, rampant disease, torture, malnutrition, you name it occurs in the POW camps. This takes up about 25% of the book.
Then, miraculously for about 1,000 Americans, they are transferred by sea to Mindanao, specifically the Davao Penal Colony - a Filipino prison that was a work farm, designed to grow food and harvest timber, now for the Japanese war effort. Because the prison was supposed to generate output, food and medical conditions were considerably better than at Camp Cabanatuan in Luzon. But, still, not great.
The featured Americans hatch a plan to escape, despite the fact the camp was surrounded by an impenetrable swamp, populated by indigenous headhunters. Road and rail exits were heavily guarded by the Japanese. In some clever moves, and aided by local Filipinos, provisions are cached and a date is set. Rumors of an increased Japanese guard presence complicate matters. And, fear there would be retributions against their fellow POWs who remained (almost all oblivious to the escape plan) wracked the plotter's minds.
But, an intense determination to escape and tell the Americans back home and in the Pacific Theatre drove the POWs to make a break for it.
The middle part of the book will remind some of the movie The Great Escape with all the plotting, interactions with capricious guards, and eventually the escape attempt. You'll be gripped to your seat.
Side note: At this point in the war (April 1943), American military and civilian authorities had no idea of the atrocities that occurred on the Bataan Death March and subsequent POW camps.
As per the title, the prisoners (i.e. the narrative's featured Americans) escape and immediately get lost in the swamp.
To avoid spoilers, I won't say anything more except to say that some make it out to Australia, and then home to the US.
The last portion of the book was quite astounding to me - after giving detailed accounts of the inhumane and deadly atrocities committed by the Japanese against tens of thousands of Americans and Filipinos, the US Government and US Military leaders put a lid on it - releasing no information to the public and frustrating to no end our heroes who escaped to tell their very story to the American public.
How this clash of secrecy versus truth played out was something that rings true today.
The book has all the elements of a great read:
* It is true
* It showed how determined men could best insurmountable odds - enemies both human and nature
* It covers many characters, their interplay and different end results
* It is a battle of individuals versus an American system that was at times, skeptical, indifferent, and openly hostile to the efforts of the escapees.
* You'll learn new (at least to me) stuff about the Filipino guerilla force on Mindanao and the Americans who stayed behind in 1942 to lead them.
Some photos and useful maps.
I also recommend reading Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission on a 1945 rescue mission of American POWs at Camp Cabantuan on Luzon. That book was also gripping.
Quibbles:
1. The otherwise outstanding 2-page map of the camp at Davao Penal Colony didn't show all the spots used by the escapees to actually escape! The central part of the book was the escape plan and you can't actually follow it all on the map.
2. There is a slight undertone by the author that cast doubt or questioned the American's military resource allocation to be primarily towards Europe with the Pacific Theatre getting short shrift. Clearly, the author is sympathetic to the plight of the American and Filipino POWs. Nowhere in the book did Lukacs explain why American had a Europe-first posture.
October 11, 2013
The subtitle says a lot about this book - forgotten and daring. It is an epic true story of the brutal reality endured by the survivors of Japan's overthrow of U.S. forces on the Bataan Peninsula and the only successful escape by americans from a Japanese prisoner of war camp in the Philippines. Lukacs succeeds in honoring the real life heroes, most of whom perished at the hands of their inhumane captors, and those very few who risked everything to escape to freedom. There are literally hundreds of real-life characters in this tragedy, yet Lukacs manages to put flesh on nearly every back-story and provides a strong sense that they were our fathers, sisters, brothers, classmates and neighbors. Sheesh! Did I just call it a tragedy? Make no mistake, it is a triumphant replete with determination against the impossible - but in the end triumph came for few, and so late. Honor them - the survivors and fallen alike; their sacrifice was for the just freedoms we enjoy in their absence - read it and remember.
June 24, 2015
This book was absolutely fabulous. It is like a "team" version of Unbroken. Whereas in Unbroken our hero survives till the end of the war alone - in this book a team of men plot and execute their escape from a Japanese POW camp over time. The book covers: the lead up to capture including the death march ,the inner workings of the POW camp - the relations with the guards ,fellow prisoners, help from the Philippine resistance ,savage environment of the jungle swamp, reaction from the USA once their story is told.
One moment in the book is etched on my mind. After the escape, when the guys were in the swamp in a seemingly hopeless situation, sitting on a log doubting their decision and facing death - one of them says a prayer for the group. From that prayer they draw strength to carry forward that day.
One moment in the book is etched on my mind. After the escape, when the guys were in the swamp in a seemingly hopeless situation, sitting on a log doubting their decision and facing death - one of them says a prayer for the group. From that prayer they draw strength to carry forward that day.
February 5, 2012
This is the story of the only mass escape from a Japanese POW camp by Allies during WWII. Ten men escaped. Lukacs starts with each member of the party, how they grew up and joined the forces, Battan, prison camp, planning the escape and the aftermath and legacy.
This book is different than most escape stories. I would guess about 40% of the book is about the escape itself. The rest describes the people, the early battles, the death march and the first camp they were in, and finally the legacy they had the desire to tell the story and the rest of the career of each of party members.
Anyone wanting to learn about a very rare escape from Japanese hands and the early war in the Pacfic.
This book is different than most escape stories. I would guess about 40% of the book is about the escape itself. The rest describes the people, the early battles, the death march and the first camp they were in, and finally the legacy they had the desire to tell the story and the rest of the career of each of party members.
Anyone wanting to learn about a very rare escape from Japanese hands and the early war in the Pacfic.
June 8, 2012
Escape From Davao is an exceptionally well-researched and beautifully written account of the only mass escape of United States prisoners of war in the Pacific Theatre of WW2. If you like military history and/or adventure, as well as true tales of endurance, faith and resolve, this is the book for you. The subject matter is at times extremely gruesome, so be forewarned. But Lukacs writes so brilliantly, I found myself mesmerized at times by certain passages or phrases. There have been quite a few books on the American POW experience in the Pacific to come out in recent years (like Unbroken and Tears in the darkness) but this one is hands-down the best.
March 7, 2012
The level of detail brought forth in the prose by such a young author on a subject now so long ago is astounding. John D. Lukacs is truly an authority on the subject. It is obvious that his travels to the locations and talks with those somehow associated with the subject has paid off. This isn't your typical war story. It is a story that personifies the unknown atrocities, at that time, that were performed against the POWs by the ruthless Japanese and the heroism and perseverance it took to overcome. Truly worth a read and most certainly worth becoming a movie.
March 8, 2012
The level of detail brought forth in the prose by such a young author on a subject now so long ago is astounding. John D. Lukacs is truly an authority on the subject. It is obvious that his travels to the locations and talks with those somehow associated with the subject has paid off. This isn't your typical war story. It is a story that personifies the unknown atrocities, at that time, that were performed against the POWs by the ruthless Japanese and the heroism and perseverance it took to overcome. Truly worth a read and most certainly worth becoming a movie.
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March 14, 2012If you are an avid reader of history, especially WWII history, you learn to cherish new stories that have been forgotten over time. John Lukacs has brought to life an amazing true story about one of the most incredible events in WW II through incredibly detailed research. The story of these brave men who did the impossible is riveting in its rich detail. I can not wait for the next book by Lukacs -- I have a feeling that this young writer is just scratching the surface of his potential. I may need to get another book shelf and reserve it for his future work!
February 22, 2012
I was thrilled when my Great Aunt gave me this book for Christmas in 2010! Growing up in Albany, Texas our hometown hero was Edwin Dyess! When this book was written it gave me wonderful insights on why he was not only local hero but a national hero as well! This is such a well written book that it made me want to study more about the war in the Philippines and Asia. I can highly recommend John's book!
February 22, 2012
I was thrilled when my Great Aunt gave me this book for Christmas in 2010! Growing up in Albany, Texas our hometown hero was Edwin Dyess! When this book was written it gave me wonderful insights on why he was not only local hero but a national hero as well! This is such a well written book that it made me want to study more about the war in the Philippines and Asia. I can highly recommend John's book!
August 30, 2012
I have a hard time avoiding a good true story of a dramatic escape and this book is a great story told well about one of the most dramatic prison escapes of World War II - a story which was suppressed at the time because the leadership of our country felt that, were the conditions in the Japanese prison camps in the Philippines to become known,it would detract from the sales of war bonds to support the war in Europe.
A book well worth reading!
A book well worth reading!
March 6, 2014
Very interesting and sad story of the men who survived the Bataan death march in WWII. This is the true story of men who were sent to Davao prison camp after the forced march. They endured torture at the hands of the Japanese and daringly escaped from the prison camp. The story follows their escape route thru the jungle, subsequent rescue, and the Washington politics that were at play during their capture and rescue. If you are at all interested in WWII history, this is a must read.
December 4, 2013
This is a fascinating account of 10 American POWs (one of whom was my grandfather) who escaped, against all odds, from a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines. It reads as much like a nail biting thriller as military history and includes savage accounts of the Bataan Death March. It also exposes how the war in the Pacific took a backseat to the "Europe First" policy of America's military priorities in WWII.
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