Carol F. (cactusflowerwomen) reviewed Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War on + 628 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I have read very few books about the Bataan Death March, but this one is fantastic. It tells the true story of Major Ed Dyess a fighter pilot, and 9 other miitary men from different services, and the horror of the death march , their imprisonment in Davpeco (a Japanese penal colony), and then of their escape and their meeting up with filipino guerillas and others fighting against the hated Japanese. Then it details what happened when the first of them finally got back to America anxious to let America know of the brutality of the Japanese, and to fight to get their other POW comrades rescued, and the political red tape they rec'd from MacArthur, and FDR. Infuriating, but not totally a one-sided account of the help they rec'd from the filipinos. GREAT BOOK!
Alan W. (ontheelk) reviewed Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War on
Helpful Score: 1
I have read many books on WWII but few as riveting as this one. This author take you with ten servicemen and two Filipinos as you see and feel their exploits before during and after the escape. If you want a better understanding of the events that lead up to and were experienced by those in the Philippines during WWII, this book is for you.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
This is an exceptionally good story of the only large---12 men---escape from a Japanese POW camp in World War II. I've read this story elsewhere, but not in the detail this book covers.
It follows most of the men from before the war---except the two Filipinos--- and after, where it does cover the two Filipinos, plus other heroic Filipino resistance fighters.
In some ways, it is a sad book, due to the harsh treatment of the POWs by the Japanese, and due to the use the American military and politicians made of the escapees' story.
There were two problem areas in the book. First, the author continues to relate the story of Captain Colin Kelly diving his damaged B-17 into a Japanese cruiser. This never happened, although it was commonly told in the early years of the war. Kelly actually received his Medal of Honor for continuing to fly his plane so his crew could parachute out to safety. Unfortunately, Kelly died when his plane crashed. Look up "Colin Kelly" on Wikipedia for the true story. I have no idea why the author didn't do this, as the book was published in 2010.
Second, the author continues the malicious stories told about Colonel Wendell Fretig, who led the American-Filipino guerrilla resistance on Mindanao. These stories were generated by some regular U.S. Army officers who felt they should be in charge, instead of a U.S. Army Reserve officer. Plus, members of MacArthur's staff, if not MacArthur himself, conspired to downplay Fertig's efforts. For the full story, search for "Wendell Fertig" on Wikipedia.
It follows most of the men from before the war---except the two Filipinos--- and after, where it does cover the two Filipinos, plus other heroic Filipino resistance fighters.
In some ways, it is a sad book, due to the harsh treatment of the POWs by the Japanese, and due to the use the American military and politicians made of the escapees' story.
There were two problem areas in the book. First, the author continues to relate the story of Captain Colin Kelly diving his damaged B-17 into a Japanese cruiser. This never happened, although it was commonly told in the early years of the war. Kelly actually received his Medal of Honor for continuing to fly his plane so his crew could parachute out to safety. Unfortunately, Kelly died when his plane crashed. Look up "Colin Kelly" on Wikipedia for the true story. I have no idea why the author didn't do this, as the book was published in 2010.
Second, the author continues the malicious stories told about Colonel Wendell Fretig, who led the American-Filipino guerrilla resistance on Mindanao. These stories were generated by some regular U.S. Army officers who felt they should be in charge, instead of a U.S. Army Reserve officer. Plus, members of MacArthur's staff, if not MacArthur himself, conspired to downplay Fertig's efforts. For the full story, search for "Wendell Fertig" on Wikipedia.
