Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War

278 Pages·2010·2.58 MB·English

by  John D. Lukacs

The Forgotten Story of
the Most Daring Prison Break
of the Pacific War
ESCAPE
from
DAVAO
John D. Lukacs
Simon & Schuster
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Copyright © 2010 by John D. Lukacs
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lukacs, John D.
Escape from Davao : the forgotten story of the most daring prison break of the Pacific war / John D.
Lukacs.—1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
p. cm.
1. World War, 1939–1945—Prisoners and prisons, Japanese. 2. World War, 1939–1945—
Philippines—Davao City. 3. Prisoner-of-war escapes—Philippines—Davao City—History—20th century.
4. Escaped prisoners of war—United States—Biography. 5. Escaped prisoners of war—Philippines—
Davao City—Biography. 6. Davao City (Philippines)—History, Military—20th century. 7. Philippines—
History—Japanese occupation, 1942–1945.
8. World War, 1939–1945—Underground movements—Philippines. 9. Guerrillas—
Philippines—History—20th century. 10. Soldiers—United States—Biography. I. Title.
D805.P6L85 2010
940.54’7252095997—dc22 2010003238
ISBN 978-0-7432-6278-1 (ebook)
ISBN 978-1-4391-8043-3 (ebook)
To the memory
of my father,
John F. Lukacs
Contents
Author’s Note
Prologue
PART I • WAR
1 Ten Pesos
2 A Long War
3 The Raid
4 God Help Them
PART II • HELL
5 The Hike
6 Goodbye and Good Luck
7 A Rumor
8 The Erie Maru
9 A Christmas Dream
10 A Big Crowd
11 The Plan
12 Cat-and-Mouse
PART III • FREEDOM
13 A Miracle
14 Another Gamble
15 Unexplored
16 Little Time to Rest
17 A Story That Should Be Told
18 Duty
19 Greater Love Hath No Man
20 Legacies
21 Conditional Victory
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
I had tried to put into words some of the things that I have experienced and observed during
these past months, but I fail to find words adequate to an accurate portrayal. If any American
could sit down and conjure before his mind the most diabolical of nightmares, he might
perhaps come close to it, but none who have not gone [through] it could possibly have any
idea of the tortures and the horror that these men are going through.
—MAJ. WILLIAM EDWIN DYESS, AUGUST 16, 1943
ESCAPE
from
DAVAO