Fact Finder - History

Fact
The 'Last Soldier' to Surrender
Category
History
Subcategory
World Wars
Country
Philippines
Description
World War II did not end for everyone in 1945. Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese intelligence officer, was stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines with orders to never surrender. He spent 29 years living in the jungle, engaging in guerrilla warfare and ignoring several attempts to convince him the war was over, believing them to be Allied trickery. He only finally surrendered in 1974 after his former commanding officer was flown to the island to personally order him to lay down his arms. Onoda returned to Japan as a hero, symbolizing the extreme dedication and 'no surrender' ethos of the Imperial Japanese military.