Escapees of Bataan march

I read somewhere that during the Bataan death march that some allied POW's escaped and went into hiding in the jungle. Is there any info on how many or what happened to them? I don't guess there is a book about this. Thought some of you guys might know.

 

If you read as many Bataan-related books as you can, many will have information about those who escaped. One is Bataan Diary by Chris Schaeffer. It's about an officer who did not surrender (I guess he didn't escape from the march) and those he encountered who either didn't surrender or who escaped from the march.

You can also try Lt. Ramsey's War. Ed Ramsey became a big guerrilla leader in Luzon.

There's no one book that has a comprehensive information about escapees. You'll have to read as many books as you can and piece together all the many information you can get from them.

 

My uncle was in the Batan death march and I dont know about the march but he did say that while in camp ,you were put into 10 men groups. IF any one of those ten escaped the other 9 were shot. He said there was a few that did escape that resulted in their buddies death. They swore a pact among themselves that if they ever saw one of the escapees, they would kill them on sight. I was given his Japanese prisioner of war post cards that were issued by the Japanese goverment, for soldiers to write home to loved ones. Along with the cards I also recieved his Western Union telegrams that he sent home telling his mother he was free and on the way home.

 

I will get my wife to post photos of them on here soon.

 

>My uncle was in the Batan death march and I dont know about the march but he did say that while in camp ,you were put into 10 men groups.

What organization was your uncle assigned?

Robert

 

Dude, we're still waiting....

 

How about those pics??

 

The site the video is from has some amazing film footage. I could spend hours there looking at WWII footage.

 

How can I find information regarding prisoners of Shirakawa prison camp post-Bataan death march? I am looking for info about my grandfather, Col. Frank Brezina. He died in Shirakawa 1943. Thanks.

 

Brezina, Frank (O-2983). Born - Austria, 11 June 1880. Appointed at large from US Army. Graduate: Command and General Staff School, 1926; Quartermaster Corps School, 1924. Retired, disability in line of duty, 1936. Returned to active duty, 1941.

Private, Corporal, and Sergeant, Troop I, 14th US Cavalry, 30 March 1906 to 12 December 1908. Private and Sergeant, Troop I 14th US Cavalry, 16 December 1908 to 19 January 1911. Appointed 2d Lieutenant, Philippine Scouts 16 January 1911, accepted 20 January 1911. Reappointed 2d Lieutenant, 16 January 1915. 1st Lieutenant, 19 September 1916. Captain, 2 April 1918. Major, 1 July 1920. Lieutenant Colonel, 1 August 1935. Retired, 30 April 1936. Returned to active duty and appointed Colonel AUS, 19 December 1941.

All the above garnered from the 1943 Official Army Register, page 1036. This is the last year of the Register in which he has a full entry. Colonel Brezina appears in the 1944 register on page 1412, regretfully, just a one line entry recording his death on 26 June 1943. The location noted is “in the Asiatic Area” which would seem to be a common entry for POWs of the Japanese; the second name after him is Colonel Paul D. Bunker, whom I know was also a POW who died in the care of the Japanese.

Shirakawa #4 POW camp was located in south central Formosa (23° 23.85' N 120° 26.49' E). It was a camp for senior officers after the camp at Karenko closed. Can’t find much detail just googling about. You might want to look at Never Forgotten - The Story of the Taiwan POW's . The site has a name search at Never Forgotten - The Story of the Taiwan POW's where, if you search for your grandfather, his name comes up as being held at the Karenko and the Shirakawa camps.

Rich

 

We had a local guy here named Austin Shofner. He was a Marine Capt. who escaped from the march. There were several books written by escapees. One was called "Ten Escaped from Tojo" (very hard to find or was for me), there was one called the "Dyess Story" (sorry if I misspelled that one), Also, another escapee named Grashio wrote a book on the escape. Capt. Shofner retired as a General. I interviewed him before he died and he told me he helped plan the Great Raid on Cabanatuan. Shofner lived with the guerillas until he could get out by submarine. He then went to the Commandant of the Marine Corps to get sent back to active duty in the Pacific. He finally won out and got to go back to the philippines. He was a tough guy for sure.

 

Lt. Colonel William E. Dyess was an escapee.
DYESS, WILLIAM EDWIN (1916–1943). William Edwin Dyess, World War II flier, was born on August 9, 1916, in Albany, Texas, the son of Judge Richard T. and Hallie (Graham) Dyess. He graduated from Albany High School and attended John Tarleton Agricultural College (now Tarleton State University) in Stephenville, where he graduated in 1936. After graduation he received pilot training at Randolph and Kelly fields in San Antonio and a second-lieutenant's commission. He was then assigned to Barksdale Field, Shreveport, Louisiana, and later promoted to first lieutenant and commander of the Twenty-first Pursuit Squadron at Hamilton Field, California. Dyess was sent to Nichols Field, Manila, Philippines, in October 1941.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and began assaults on Bataan and Corregidor, Dyess was thrust into combat in the Asian Theater as commander of all flying squadrons on Bataan. On March 3, 1942, in Subic Bay he sank a Japanese ship and damaged shore installations. A New York Times reporter called him a "one man scourge of the Japs." As the enemy closed in, Dyess refused evacuation and remained with his men in the Philippines. On April 9, 1942, the American forces surrendered to the Japanese, and Dyess became a prisoner of war. He survived the horror of the Bataan Death March and imprisonment at camps O'Donnell and Cabanatuan and the Davao Penal Colony. At Davao, Dyess and several other prisoners escaped on April 4, 1943. They contacted Filipino guerillas who led them to the submarine Trout on July 23.
After evacuation to Australia and a hero's welcome in the United States, Dyess briefed the War Department on Japanese warfare and confirmed the enemy's brutality to POWs.

After staying in an army general hospital in Virginia to regain his health, Dyess was promoted to lieutenant colonel and resumed flying on December 22, 1943. He was killed that day in Burbank, California, attempting an emergency landing and was buried in Albany. Dyess, a Presbyterian, was survived by his wife, Marajen (Stevick), and his parents. During his life he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the Silver Star. Soon after his death he was nominated for the Medal of Honor and was posthumously awarded the Soldier's Medal. Abilene Air Force Base was renamed Dyess Air Force Base in his honor in December 1956.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Army failed to recognize Colonel Dyess in accordance to guidelines. He earned the Bronze Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal (First OLC), and Combat Infantryman badge.

Robert

 

Indeed a great information you got there Rober!

I have to answer on my own knowledge even if he said it all.

Most Filipinos were friendly to POWs during and on Post-Death March from Bataan through out Camp O'Donell and Cabanatuan Prison Camp, in Palawan, Davao, Cebu and Mindoro. During the march Filipinos gave food, water and blankets secretly on POWs while on the road. and while local guerillas made almost non-stop communications from inside the camps and even Manila, the POWs (either american, filipino or other Nationalities) were inspired that they are not alone and not been forgotten by the remaining Fil-American forces on the archipelago. US Navy Subs had snucked on the islands (because 40% of the islands were held by Guerillas) to bring supplies and to send gathered intelligence by the Guerilla Forces, thus, putting in more escapees to safety, either US Mainland or australia.