Escape on Mindanao

By Lt.-Comm. Melvyn H. McCoy

Escape on Mindanao is U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Melvyn H McCoy's account of his wartime experiences in the Philippines: the defense and fall of Corregidor Island, the Bataan Death March, his internment in Camp Cabanatuan, his transfer to Bilibid Prison in Manila, and finally being sent to the Davao Penal Colony on Mindanao. From the Davao camp, McCoy escaped and led nine other servicemen and two Filipinos on a hazardous journey to a rendezvous with an American submarine which would take them to freedom and safety in Australia. His daily log provides an insight into the dangers the escapees faced, the difficulties in travelling in the jungles and swamps of Mindanao, harrowing encounters with Japanese patrols, and heartwarming accounts of the generosity and assistance of Filipino citizens and guerrillas along the way.

For his service, McCoy was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The commendation read as follows: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Commander [then Lieutenant Commander] Melvyn Harvey McCoy, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action in the Philippine Islands, from 4 April to 9 July 1943. After eleven months as a Prisoner of War, and in weakened physical condition, Commander McCoy outwitted the Japanese guards on 4 April 1943, escaped from a prison camp, eluding pursuing patrols, and made his way on foot and by small boat from the vicinity of Davao to northern Mindanao. Hearing of a United States force in Misamis Occidental he contrived to reach its headquarters on foot and by launch. Arrangements for his evacuation having been made, he continued on foot through enemy-occupied territory. By using mountain trails, he avoided capture by numerous Japanese patrols and arrived at the rendezvous. Commander McCoy's courage in the face of great danger and his fortitude despite his physical weakness enabled him to escape and to rejoin the United States forces with information of great military value.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barajima Books
• Release date: Jan 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839742002

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Escape on Mindanao

From Corregidor to the Davao Penal Colony

LT. COMDR. MELVYN H. McCOY, USN

Escape on Mindanao is based on the secret wartime account entitled Escape of Lt. Comdr. Melvyn H. McCoy, USN, from a Japanese Prison Camp in the Philippines. The report was completed in August 1943 and declassified by the National Archives and Records Administration in December 2012.

Table of Contents

Contents

Table of Contents 4

About The Author 5

Foreword 6

1. Background 7

2. Escape 16

3. Daily Log 20

Appendices 34

Food Received and General Health Conditions of Prison Camps 34

Brutalities and Atrocities 37

Disposition of Remainder of Escaped Prisoners 43

Miscellaneous 44

Comments and Suggestions 46

Glossary and Abbreviations 47

Illustrations 48

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 55

About The Author

Lt. Comdr. Melvyn Harvey McCoy, U.S.N., was born in 1907, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis (class of 1927). He served in the Philippines in World War II and in the Korean war as captain of the U.S.S. Markab, retiring as a Rear-Admiral. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross and the Prisoner of War Medal. McCoy passed away in 1988, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Foreword

Lt. Comdr. Melvyn H. McCoy, Radio Material Officer of the 16th Naval District, was stationed at Cavite during the first stages of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. On December 25, 1941, a week before the Japanese entered Manila, he was evacuated to Corregidor, where he remained during the siege. Although that fortress surrendered on May 6, 1942, it was not until May 22 that he was moved from the island to Old Bilibid Prison, Manila, where he was kept for the following six weeks.

On July 6 he was transferred to the main American Prisoner-of-War Camp at Cabanatuan, Luzon. There he remained until October 26, when he left for the American Prisoner-of-War Camp, Davao Penal Colony, about 30 miles north of Davao City. En route he again passed through Old Bilibid Prison before arriving at the Davao camp on November 7.

He made his escape from this camp on April 4, 1943, leading a group of 10 officers and men. A month later the party succeeded in reaching our guerrilla forces. On May 13, Lt. Comdr. McCoy met Lt. Comdr. Parsons, U.S.N.R., and on May 23, Lt.-Col. W. Fertig, leader of the guerrillas in Mindanao. He had remained at Misamis, the scene of this meeting, for about a month when the Japanese occupation of the place on June 26 forced a hurried departure. On July 3 he started for a rendezvous with the submarine which was to take him to Australia, which he made as scheduled on July 9, 1943.

The following pages contain Lieut. Comdr. McCoy’s account of his experiences, his observations, and his recommendations.

1. Background

About two weeks before Corregidor surrendered the Japanese commenced a very heavy bombardment of the island. At no time during this period did fewer than 5,000 shells daily strike the island, the largest number up until the last day being 16,000. Most shells were about 155 caliber, although some 240’s and 105 calibers were used. By May 5, 1942, all of the large gun batteries on Corregidor had been destroyed by enemy gunfire as well as all searchlights, so that it is probable that the first Japanese landing barge landed without being seen about 2300 on May 5. However, in spite of the fact that there was no illumination and only smaller caliber semi-portable guns could be used, we probably sank about two-thirds of the Japanese barges, according to their own admission.

The landing was preceded by a terrific bombardment of the area in which they landed. After the first landing, they were pushed back by our forces perhaps 200 yards and rapidly fell back about 500 yards more and requested by radio a renewed barrage which was forthcoming and which drove our forces back towards the center of the island. The Japanese also sent for reinforcements which arrived and could have repeated this process indefinitely if necessary. We were informed about 0400 on May 6th, that it was the intention to surrender at 1200 that date.

All naval radio equipment with the exception of one transmitter and receiver was destroyed before 1100 and the rest of the equipment was destroyed at 1155. All codes and ciphers were destroyed by burning, and all coding machines completely demolished and distorted by burning also. The Army did not destroy all of its radio equipment, but I personally saw to it that the coding machine which they had borrowed from us was destroyed. All in-shore patrol vessels, which included the Yangtze River gunboats and minesweepers, were sunk except for the Luzon, whose engineering plant had been completely damaged by enemy shells. The Luzon was later towed by the Japanese to the Cavite Navy Yard.

After the surrender I was able to view the area in which the Japanese landed. Prior to the landing this area was heavily wooded. At the time I examined it, there was not a blade of grass or remains of a tree eight inches high in it. The Japanese were bombarding us with many guns from Bataan; one of the reasons that they were able to install so many artillery units on Bataan is