American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann—the Man Who Escaped from Bataan, Raised a Filipino Army against the Japanese, and Became the True "Father" of Army Special Forces

After General Douglas MacArthur's retreat from Bataan, Army Captain Russell Volckmann refused to surrender. He escaped into the jungles of north Luzon and raised a Filipino army of more than 22,000 men. Over three years, he led a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese, killing more than 50,000 enemy soldiers while maintaining radio contact with MacArthur's headquarters in Australia to direct Allied forces to key enemy positions. When General Yamashita surrendered, he approached Volckmann first, not MacArthur. This book argues that Volckmann's leadership was critical to the war's outcome in the Philippines. His guerrilla campaign rendered Yamashita's forces unable to repel the Allied invasion. Without Volckmann's intelligence, the American counter-invasion would have proceeded without clear information, potentially costing more lives and resources. The book also establishes Volckmann as the originator of modern counterinsurgency doctrine and the true founder of Army Special Forces, a role historically attributed to Colonel Aaron Bank. In 1950, Volckmann authored two army field manuals on guerrilla warfare that became the US Army's first handbooks for special warfare and counter-guerrilla operations. He advocated directly to the army chief of staff for establishing Army Special Forces, leading to the creation of the 10th Special Forces Group. Despite his significant impact on World War II and military doctrine, Volckmann remains largely absent from major military histories.