TY  - BOOK
AU  - Lukacs, John D.
TI  - Escape from Davao : : the forgotten story of the most daring prison break of the Pacific War / 
SN  - 9780743262781 (hardbound)
PY  - 2010///
CY  - New York, N.Y. : 
PB  - New American Library
KW  - Prisoner-of-war escapes
KW  - Philippines
KW  - History
KW  - 20th Century
KW  - Soldiers
KW  - United States
KW  - Biography
KW  - World War, 1939-1945
KW  - Prisoners and prisons, Japanese
KW  - Underground movements
KW  - Davao
KW  - Guerrillas
KW  - Davao City (Philippines)
KW  - Japanese occupation, 1942-1945
N2  - Exhaustively researched account by a professional journalist and historian, detailing the escape of ten American and two Filipino prisoners of war from Davao Penal Colony, with the aid of Filipino guerrillas. The escape was extremely hazardous owing in part to the Japanese guards as well as to natural obstacles, but was considered well worth the risk considering the atrocious conditions inside the camp. Most of the American escapees were evacuated from the Philippines while a few decided to join the guerrillas in Mindanao.

In the US, the story of the escape and the horrors of prison camp life under the Japanese were suppressed by higher ups, and were only allowed to be publicized many months after the escape. Lukacs details the seeming cover up which diminished the press coverage of the daring escape. The author traveled to Mindanao and interviewed as many eyewitnesses he could find, as well as their families, resulting in the discovery of many new documents. - Prof. Ricardo T. Jose; Summary:  Documents the escape of ten American prisoners of war from a World War II Japanese prison camp in the Philippines, describing the inhumane conditions they endured and the political struggle that influenced their return home
ER  -