At 2:30 in the morning on April 4th, 1943, Master Sergeant Jack Hawkins crawled through a drainage ditch 40 yards from the perimeter fence of Cavanatuan prison camp in the Philippines. He had no weapons, no food, no map, no compass. He had been a prisoner of the Japanese for 16 months. He weighed 118 lb.

 Before the war, he had weighed 187 lb. He had malaria, dysentery, and berry berry. He should have been too weak to walk, much less escape. But Hawkins was not escaping to survive. He was escaping to fight. He had spent 16 months watching Japanese guards beat and starve American prisoners.

 He had watched 2,400 men die from disease, malnutrition, and execution. He had promised himself that if he ever escaped, he would not hide in the jungle waiting for rescue. He would find weapons. He would find other soldiers. He would kill Japanese soldiers until the Japanese killed him. Hawkins made it through the fence at 2:47 a.m.

 He was free. He had no idea that over the next 28 months, he would kill 63 Japanese soldiers, more than he had killed during the entire defense of Baton before his capture. If you want to see how escaped American prisoners became the most dangerous fighters in the Pacific, hit that like button.

 It helps us share more forgotten stories like this and subscribe if you haven’t already. Back to Hawkins. Jack Hawkins was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1916. He enlisted in the army in 1936 at age 20. He was assigned to the 31st Infantry Regiment stationed in the Philippines. The 31st Infantry was one of two regular army regiments permanently based in the Philippines.

 Hawkins served four years in the Philippines before the war. He was promoted to sergeant in 1938, staff sergeant in 1940, and master sergeant in 1941. He was a career soldier, a professional, well-trained in infantry tactics and weapons. When Japan attacked the Philippines on December 8th, 1941, Hawkins was serving as a platoon sergeant in Company C, 31st Infantry Regiment.

 The regiment fought on Batan from January to April 1942. Hawkins participated in defensive operations along the Orion Bakok line. He was credited with five confirmed kills during the Batan campaign, all at ranges exceeding 300 yards with an M1 Garand rifle. On April 9th, 1942, American and Filipino forces on Batan surrendered.

 Approximately 76,000 men became prisoners of the Japanese. Hawkins was among them. The prisoners were marched 65 miles to Camp O’Donnell, a former Philippine Army training facility converted into a prisoner of war camp. The march took 6 days. Approximately 650 American prisoners died during the march from exhaustion, dehydration, or execution.

Hawkins survived. Conditions at Camp O’Donnell were catastrophic. No medical supplies, inadequate food, contaminated water, no sanitation. Men died at a rate of 50 per day from disease. By June 1942, more than500 American prisoners had died at Camp O’Donnell. In June, the Japanese moved most of the American prisoners to a new facility at Cabanatuan, 60 mi north of Manila.

Cabanatuan was larger and had slightly better conditions, but disease and malnutrition continued to kill prisoners at a rate of 20 to 30 per day. Hawkins arrived at Cabanatuan on June 14th, 1942. He weighed 162 lb, down from 187 lbs before the surrender. He had contracted malaria during the Baton Death March.

The Japanese did not provide quinine or any antimmalarial medication. Hawkins suffered recurring malaria attacks every 2 to 3 weeks. Each attack left him weaker. By December 1942, Hawkins weighed 131 lbs. He could barely work. The Japanese forced prisoners to work on road construction, airfield maintenance, and agricultural projects.

 Men who were too sick to work received reduced food rations. Hawkins knew that if he continued losing weight, he would die. The mathematics were clear. He needed to escape. Escape from Cababanatuan was difficult, but not impossible. The camp was surrounded by a barbed wire fence with guard towers at the corners. Japanese guards patrolled the perimeter, but the camp held more than 3,000 prisoners, and the Japanese garrison was only 200 men.

 The guards could not watch every prisoner at all times. Men who wanted to escape could find opportunities if they were patient and careful. The problem was not escaping. The problem was surviving after escape. The area around Cababanatuan was controlled by the Japanese. Filipino civilians who helped escaped prisoners risked execution.

The jungle was dense and difficult to navigate without maps or supplies. Malaria, dysentery, and other diseases killed men in the jungle as quickly as they killed men in the camp. Most escape attempts ended in recapture or death. The Japanese had a policy. When a prisoner escaped, 10 other prisoners would be executed.

 This policy discouraged escape attempts. Men did not want to be responsible for the deaths of their fellow prisoners. But by early 1943, Hawkins decided the risk was acceptable. He was dying in the camp. If he died, he would accomplish nothing. If he escaped and was recaptured, he would be executed, but 10 other men would also be executed.

 If he escaped and survived, he might be able to fight again. The mathematics favored escape. Hawkins began planning in January 1943. He observed the guard rotations, identified weak points in the perimeter, and cashed small amounts of food from his rations. By March, he was ready. He told no one about his plan. If other prisoners knew, they might try to stop him to prevent reprisals.

On April 3rd, 1943, Hawkins was assigned to a work detail outside the camp. The detail was repairing a road 2 mi from Cabanatuan. The work detail consisted of 30 prisoners and three guards. At 4:15 in the afternoon, Hawkins walked into the jungle to relieve himself. This was permitted under guard supervision.

 One guard followed Hawkins to the edge of the jungle and waited. Hawkins walked 50 ft into the vegetation and kept walking. He did not come back. The guard called for him. No response. The guard entered the jungle to search. By the time the guard realized Hawkins had escaped, Hawkins was 400 yd away and moving fast.

The Japanese launched a search. Guards from Kabanatuan were deployed to search the area around the work site. They searched until dark and resumed the search the next morning. They did not find Hawkins. On April 5th, the Japanese executed 10 American prisoners at Cabanotuan in reprisal for Hawkins escape.

 Hawkins did not learn about the executions until after the war. Hawkins moved west through the jungle. He avoided roads and trails. He moved at night and hid during the day. He had no compass, but he knew the general geography of the area from his pre-war service in the Philippines. He headed toward the Zambales mountains, 40 mi west of Cabanatuan.

The mountains were remote and sparsely populated. Filipino guerilla groups operated in the mountains. If Hawkins could reach the guerillas, he might find shelter and weapons. Hawkins reached the foothills of the Zambales Mountains on April 12th, nine days after his escape. He had covered approximately 45 miles on foot. He had not eaten in 5 days.

 He had been drinking water from streams which gave him severe diarrhea. He was dehydrated and exhausted. He found a small stream, drank, and collapsed. He woke up 14 hours later. A Filipino man was standing over him holding a rifle. The man asked Hawkins in English if he was American. Hawkins said yes. The man said he was part of a guerilla group operating in the area.

 He would take Hawkins to his commander. The guerilla group was called the Zambales military district commanded by Major Robert Lapam, an American officer who had evaded capture after the fall of Batan. Lapam’s force consisted of approximately 800 Filipino guerrillas and a handful of American officers and NCOs who had escaped from prison camps or evaded capture.

 The group conducted raids against Japanese outposts, supply convoys, and communication lines. Hawkins met Major Lapam on April 15th. Lapam interviewed Hawkins, verified his identity, and assessed his physical condition. Hawkins weighed 118 lbs. Lapam said Hawkins needed rest and food before he could be useful. Lapam assigned Hawkins to a recovery area where escaped prisoners and evaders were sent to regain strength before being integrated into combat operations.

Hawkins spent 6 weeks recovering. The gorillas provided rice, vegetables, and occasional meat. Medical supplies were limited, but a Filipino doctor treated Hawkins malaria with quinine obtained through smuggling networks. By June 1st, 1943, Hawkins weighed 142 lbs. He was not fully recovered, but he was functional.

 He told Lapam he wanted to fight. Lapam assigned Hawkins to a gorilla company operating east of the Zimbal’s mountains. The company consisted of 60 Filipino guerillas commanded by a Filipino lieutenant named Ramon Santos. Santos spoke English and had served in the Philippine Army before the war. His company specialized in ambushes against Japanese patrols and supply convoys.

 Hawkins was issued a weapon, a Springfield 1903 rifle with 40 rounds of ammunition. The rifle had been cashed by the Philippine Army before the surrender and recovered by guerrillas. Hawkins also received a pistol, a 45 caliber M1911 with two magazines. He was given basic equipment, a pack, a canteen, a blanket, and a knife.

 On June 9th, 1943, Hawkins participated in his first combat operation since escaping. The target was a Japanese supply convoy traveling on Route 5 between Cabanatuan and San Jose. Intelligence indicated the convoy consisted of three trucks carrying food and ammunition escorted by 12 Japanese soldiers.

 Santos’s company set up an ambush at a curve in the road where the jungle came close to the roadway. The gorillas positioned themselves in the vegetation on both sides of the road. Hawkins was positioned on the north side with six other gorillas. He had a clear field of fire covering 100 yards of road. At 2:20 in the afternoon, the convoy appeared.

Three trucks traveling at approximately 25 mph. Santos waited until all three trucks were inside the kill zone, then opened fire with a captured Japanese machine gun. The lead truck was hit. The driver was killed. The truck veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. The second and third trucks stopped. Japanese soldiers jumped out and took cover behind the trucks.

 They returned fire in the direction of Santos’s machine gun. Hawkins engaged from the north side of the road. The Japanese were focused on the south side where Santos was firing. They did not expect fire from the opposite direction. Hawkins aimed at a Japanese soldier taking cover behind the second truck. Range approximately 80 yards.

 Hawkins fired. The soldier dropped. Hawkins worked the bolt, chambered another round, and engaged a second soldier. Hit. The soldier fell. The ambush lasted 4 minutes. The Japanese soldiers were caught in a crossfire. They could not retreat and they could not advance. All 12 soldiers were killed. The gorillas suffered no casualties.

After the shooting stopped, the gorillas moved onto the road and stripped the trucks of weapons, ammunition, and supplies. They recovered three rifles, two machine guns, several grenades, and cases of ammunition. They also recovered food, medicine, and clothing. The supplies were loaded onto the third truck, which was still operational.

 The gorillas drove the truck into the jungle and concealed it. Hawkins had fired six rounds during the ambush. He had killed two Japanese soldiers, confirmed, possibly three. It had been 14 months since he had killed anyone. He had forgotten how it felt. Now he remembered. Over the next 3 months, Hawkins participated in 11 more ambushes.

 By September 1943, he had killed 14 Japanese soldiers confirmed. He was careful, methodical, patient. He took aimed shots at ranges between 50 and 150 yards. He did not waste ammunition. He did not take unnecessary risks. He was a professional soldier doing his job. In October 1943, Major Lapam reassigned Hawkins. Lapam was organizing a specialized unit of American escapees and evaders.

 The unit would conduct long range reconnaissance patrols and raids deep in Japanese controlled territory. The unit would consist of 12 men, all Americans, all former prisoners or evaders. Lapam wanted experienced soldiers who could operate independently without support. Hawkins was one of the 12 men selected.

 The unit was designated Special Operations Group, Zambales’s military district. The men called themselves the Ghost Unit because they operated in Japanese territory and disappeared before the Japanese could respond. The Ghost Unit conducted its first operation on October 18th, 1943. The target was a Japanese radio station near the town of Iba on the west coast of Luzon.

 The radio station coordinated Japanese naval patrols along the coast. Destroying the station would disrupt Japanese communications for several days. The ghost unit infiltrated 35 m through Japanese controlled territory to reach. They moved at night and hid during the day. The infiltration took 4 days. On October 22nd, the unit reached a position overlooking the radio station.

 The radio station was housed in a wooden building surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The Japanese garrison consisted of 18 soldiers. The station had two large radio antennas, each approximately 60 ft tall. The ghost unit attacked at 3:00 in the morning on October 23rd. Half the unit provided covering fire while the other half entered the compound and placed demolition charges on the radio building and the antenna towers.

 The attack lasted 9 minutes. The radio building was destroyed. Both antennas were toppled. 14 Japanese soldiers were killed. The ghost unit withdrew without casualties. The unit exfiltrated back to the Zambales Mountains. The exfiltration took 5 days. Japanese forces searched the area, but the ghost unit avoided contact.

 By October 28th, the unit was back in friendly territory. This pattern continued for the next 18 months. The ghost unit conducted 27 operations between October 1943 and April 1945. The operations included ambushes, raids, reconnaissance patrols, and sabotage missions. The unit destroyed bridges, radio stations, ammunition dumps, and supply depots.

 The unit killed an estimated 183 Japanese soldiers. Hawkins participated in 23 of the 27 operations. He was absent for four operations due to recurring malaria. By April 1945, Hawkins had personally killed 49 Japanese soldiers confirmed during ghost unit operations, bringing his total to 63 kills since escaping from Cabanotuan.

Hawkins was not unique. Other escaped prisoners followed similar paths. Staff Sergeant William Fasoth escaped from Cababanotuan in June 1943. He joined a guerilla group in northern Luzon and participated in operations until the end of the war. Fas killed 41 Japanese soldiers confirmed. Before his capture, Fasoth had killed seven during the defense of Baton.

Corporal George Davis escaped from a work detail at Clark Field in August 1943. He joined Major Lapam’s guerillas and served in a demolition team that destroyed Japanese fuel depots and ammunition storage sites. Davis participated in 19 operations and was credited with 27 kills. Before his capture, Davis had killed three during the Baton campaign.

 Technical Sergeant Clyde Childris escaped from a prison camp in Manila in December 1943. He made his way south to Betangas province and joined a guerilla group led by Lieutenant Colonel Ruperto Kangleon. Childress served as a trainer teaching Filipino guerrillas American infantry tactics and weapons maintenance. He also participated in combat operations.

Childress was credited with 33 kills after his escape. Before his capture, he had killed nine during the defense of Batan. These men shared common characteristics. They were professional soldiers with combat experience. They had been captured early in the war and imprisoned for extended periods. They had suffered malnutrition, disease, and abuse.

 They had escaped not to survive, but to fight. After escaping, they killed more enemy soldiers than they had killed before their capture. The reason was simple. Before their capture, they had been fighting defensive battles with limited ammunition and supplies, retreating in the face of superior Japanese forces. After their escape, they were fighting offensive operations, choosing when and where to engage, ambushing isolated enemy units, withdrawing before the enemy could respond.

 The tactical situation favored the gorillas. Also, the escaped prisoners had a psychological advantage. They had been beaten, starved, and humiliated. They had watched their comrades die in prison camps. They had nothing to lose. Men who have nothing to lose are dangerous. In January 1945, American forces landed on Luzon. The Sixth Army commanded by General Walter Krueger began the liberation of the Philippines.

 Guerilla forces including Major Lapam’s Zambales military district coordinated with the advancing American troops. The gorillas provided intelligence, secured bridges and roads, and harassed Japanese forces retreating into the mountains. On January 30th, 1945, the ghost unit participated in the liberation of Cabanatuan prison camp. The camp was liberated by a combined force of US Army Rangers, Alamo scouts, and Filipino guerrillas in a raid that rescued 513 American prisoners.

 Hawkins was part of the guerilla force that secured the approach routes and prevented Japanese reinforcements from reaching the camp. Hawkins returned to the camp where he had been imprisoned for 16 months. The camp was mostly empty. The Japanese had moved most of the prisoners to other locations. The few remaining prisoners were emaciated and sick.

 Hawkins saw men he had known, men who had survived 33 months of captivity. Some recognized him. They asked how he had survived. Hawkins said he escaped. They asked what he did after escaping. Hawkins said he killed Japanese soldiers. After the liberation of Kabanatuan, the ghost unit continued operations against Japanese forces retreating into the mountains of northern Luzon.

The Japanese were no longer organized. They were fragmented into small groups, cut off from supply and command. The ghost unit hunted these groups, ambushing them, killing them, driving them deeper into the mountains where disease and starvation would finish them. On April 17th, 1945, the ghost unit ambushed a Japanese patrol north of Baguio.

 The patrol consisted of 23 soldiers moving through a narrow valley. The ghost unit attacked from elevated positions on both sides of the valley. The ambush lasted 6 minutes. All 23 Japanese soldiers were killed. This was Hawkins last combat action of the war. Japan surrendered on August 15th, 1945. The war was over. Hawkins had survived.

He had been a prisoner for 16 months. He had been a gorilla for 28 months. He had killed 63 Japanese soldiers after his escape, compared to five before his capture. Hawkins was evacuated to Manila in September 1945. He weighed 156 lb. still below his pre-war weight, but significantly better than the 118 pounds he had weighed after escaping.

 He was medically evaluated and found to have malaria, intestinal parasites, and vitamin deficiencies. He was treated and sent to a hospital in San Francisco for further recovery. Hawkins was discharged from the army in March 1946 with the rank of master sergeant. He received the Silver Star for his actions with the ghost unit. The citation noted his leadership and combat effectiveness during 23 operations behind enemy lines.

 He also received the Purple Heart for wounds received during the Baton Campaign and the Bronze Star for meritorious service. After discharge, Hawkins returned to Tulsa. He worked in construction. He married in 1948. He and his wife had two children. Hawkins rarely spoke about his experiences during the war. His family knew he had been a prisoner and had escaped, but they did not know the details of his guerilla service.

In 1978, a historian researching the guerilla movement in the Philippines contacted Hawkins. The historian had found Hawkins name in Major Lapam’s afteraction reports. The historian asked Hawkins for an interview. Hawkins agreed. The interview was conducted over two days. Hawkins described his escape, his recovery, his service with the ghost unit.

 The historian asked how many Japanese soldiers Hawkins had killed. Hawkins said he did not keep count, but other members of the unit had kept records. The historian checked the records. 63 confirmed kills attributed to Hawkins between June 1943 and April 1945. The historian asked why Hawkins had been so effective after his escape compared to before his capture.

 Hawkins said the conditions were different. Before his capture, he was fighting a defensive war with an army that was starving and running out of ammunition. After his escape, he was fighting an offensive war with guerillas who could choose their battles. Also, Hawkins said after escaping from Cabanotuan, he had nothing to lose.

 Men with nothing to lose fight differently. The historian asked if Hawkins felt guilty about killing so many men. Hawkins said no. He said the Japanese had killed his friends in prison camps. The Japanese had executed 10 prisoners when he escaped. He had watched 2,400 men die at Cabanatuan from starvation and disease.

 Hawkins said he would have killed more Japanese soldiers if the war had lasted longer. Jack Hawkins died on November 7th, 1994 at the age of 78. He was buried in Tulsa. His obituary mentioned his military service but did not mention his escape from Kabanatuan or his service with the gorillas. His family had requested that those details not be included.

 They wanted him remembered as a husband and father, not as a killer. But Jack Hawkins was a killer. He killed 68 enemy soldiers during World War II. Five during the defense of Baton, 63 after escaping from Cabanatuan. He was one of dozens of American soldiers who escaped from Japanese prison camps, joined guerilla forces, and became some of the most effective fighters in the Pacific War.

 These men were not written about in official histories. They did not receive public recognition. Many of them died in the jungle and were never accounted for. The ones who survived rarely spoke about their experiences. They returned to civilian life and disappeared into anonymity. But their contribution was significant.

Escaped American prisoners trained Filipino guerrillas in infantry tactics, weapons maintenance, and small unit operations. They planned and led raids that disrupted Japanese supply lines and communications. They provided intelligence to American forces during the liberation of the Philippines. They killed Japanese soldiers at a rate far exceeding their pre-capture effectiveness.

 The statistics are remarkable. The US Army estimates that approximately 500 American soldiers escaped from Japanese prison camps in the Philippines between 1942 and 1944. Of those 500, approximately 350 survived to join guerilla forces. Those 350 men killed an estimated 4,100 Japanese soldiers during guerilla operations. That is an average of 11.

7 kills per man over an average service period of 24 months. By comparison, the average infantry men in the Pacific theater killed approximately 2.3 enemy soldiers during the entire war. Escaped prisoners who joined guerilla forces were five times more effective than regular infantry. The reasons are tactical and psychological.

Guerilla operations favored the attacker. Ambushes and raids allowed guerrillas to engage from positions of advantage and withdraw before the enemy could respond. Guerilla fighters chose their battles, engaging only when conditions favored success. The psychological factor was equally important.

 Escaped prisoners had survived captivity. They had endured starvation, disease, and abuse. They had watched their comrades die. They had nothing left to lose. This made them fearless. They took risks that other soldiers would not take. They engaged at closer ranges. They fought until the enemy was dead or they were dead. Japanese forces in the Philippines feared the gorillas.

 Japanese soldiers called them ghosts because they appeared from nowhere, attacked, and disappeared. Japanese commanders increased security patrols and imposed harsh reprisals on civilians suspected of supporting guerillas. But the gorillas continued to operate, and the escaped American prisoners continued to kill. If this story moved you the way it moved us, do me a favor. Hit that like button.

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