''Escape From Davao: The Forgotten Story of the Most Daring Prison Break of the Pacific War'', is a

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

, military history book written by John D. Lukacs. The book is the story of the only large-scale group of American prisoners of war to escape from a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

prison camp in the Pacific Theater during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The ten escaped POWs were the first to break the news of the infamous

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March (Filipino: ''Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan''; Spanish: ''Marcha de la muerte de Bataán'' ; Kapampangan: ''Martsa ning Kematayan quing Bataan''; Japanese: バターン死の行進, Hepburn: ''Batān Shi no Kōshin'') wa ...

and other atrocities committed by the Japanese to the world. The ten POWs, after two months of planning and preparation, escaped from

Davao Penal Colony Davao Prison and Penal Farm, formerly the Davao Penal Colony (DaPeCol), was established on January 21, 1932 in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, Philippines. It has a land area of 30,000 hectares with a prison reservation of 8,000 hectares. During Wo ...

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on April 4, 1943, and were led by Lt. William Dyess and assisted by two Filipino convicts. The American prisoners spent a year in captivity, and after escape spent several months on the run. The group underwent unspeakable conditions, and once rescued were able to convey the realities of Japanese POW camps to the U.S. government, eventually prompting increased U.S. military action in the Pacific. Lukacs constructed the book's narrative – including the grim details of the three-week-long Bataan Death March, the grisly treatment of the prisoners of war by the Japanese, and the difficult escape itself – through interviews with surviving characters, archival research, personal correspondence, and periodicals. He also visited the battlefields of

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...

and Corregidor, as well as the prison itself, which remains in use by the government of the Republic of the Philippines. The book was reviewed favorably by publications including ''

Pittsburgh Magazine Pittsburgh Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It hosts an annual "40 Under 40" featuring prominent young Pittsburghers. It's known for listicles including Pittsburgh's 25 Best Restaurants, Best of the 'Bur ...

'', ''World War II Magazine'', ''

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'', ''

Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

'', ''

San Angelo Standard-Times ''San Angelo Standard-Times'' is a daily newspaper based in San Angelo, Texas, United States that was established in 1884. It is owned by Gannett. History The newspaper was established in 1884 by J. G. Murphy, the city's second mayor. Mr. Mu ...

'',Dromgoole, Glenn
"TEXAS READS: 10 American POWs fled Japanese prison camp"
. ''

''. May 6, 2010. and ''

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976. The newspaper ...

''. ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

''Taylor, Gilbert
"''Escape from Davao''"
'' Booklist Reviews'', 2010. Reprinted at Alachua County Library District. and '' Kirkus Reviews'' also gave the book plaudits. Lukacs presented a one-hour talk about the book televised by C-SPAN at the

MacArthur Memorial The MacArthur Memorial is a memorial, museum, and research center about the life of General Douglas MacArthur. It consists of three buildings on MacArthur Square in Norfolk, Virginia. * Memorial – located in the former Norfolk City Hall Norf ...

in June 2010. The author also received the 2011 Senator

John Heinz Henry John Heinz III (October 23, 1938 – April 4, 1991) was an American businessman and Republican politician from Pennsylvania. Heinz represented the Pittsburgh suburbs in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and ...

Community Advocate Award from the Veterans’ Leadership Program of Pittsburgh, for the book. A documentary film helmed by Lukacs, ''4-4-43'', was created about the book's subject matter.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escape From Davao 2010 non-fiction books History books about the United States History books about World War II History books about the Philippines History books about Japan Davao Davao Bataan Death March History of Davao del Norte Military history of the Philippines during World War II Japanese war crimes in the Philippines Japan in World War II Davao

1943 in the Philippines Prisoners of war in popular culture