There is the example of Wendell Fertig. He was a Lieutenant Colonel as of December 19, 1941 in the Philippines. He refused to surrender, and organized and commanded an American-Filipino guerrilla force on the Japanese-occupied, southern Philippine island of Mindanao. At it's height, he commanded approximately 32,000 troops the equivalent of an Army Corps—with 16,500 of them armed.
He promoted himself to Brigadier General in order to command such a large force.
When the submarine USS Narwhal arrived at Mindanao in Nov. 1943 to deliver supplies, the crew was met by a uniformed band playing "Stars and Stripes Forever."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Fertig