When the Philippines fell in the spring of 1942, many American and Filipino servicemen were cut off behind Japanese lines. Some were captured and sent to camps; others went into hiding with Filipino civilians and guerrilla forces, waiting for a chance to reach Allied territory. Throughout 1942, accounts of these escapes reached naval authorities as men made their way south through the islands by boat, foot, and sheer determination. The October 1942 Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin published three pages documenting the experience of those who found a way through — the routes they took, the help they received, and what they reported about conditions and enemy dispositions once they arrived.
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