The Soldier Who Didn’t Know WW2 Ended

back in 1974 a Japanese College Dropout named norio Suzuki heard a rumor apparently on a lone island in the Philippines far out in the dense jungle was a Japanese soldier a lieutenant no less who'd been there since the end of World War II that's almost 29 years at this point refusing to surrender initially niio brushed this off as a hoax if he'd been missing for that long he must have been declared dead plus plus there was no way someone could survive out in the jungle for that long however he did some research the lieutenant by

the name of hero onoda had been missing since the war ended in 1945 and declared dead in 1959 that was odd it was a suspiciously long time to wait to declare someone dead so he must have been seen alive at some point and if he'd survived that long what was to say he wasn't still there inspired by by this wild Legend he decided to take matters into his own hands and embarked on a daring adventure to find the lost Soldier and bring him home but it wouldn't be that easy not by a long shot so

get ready because we're about to take one heck of a deep dive into the story of a man who fought for nearly 29 years after World War II had ended to begin we we need to meet the mysterious man hero onoda hero was born in 1922 in the town of kinan in Japan's wakayama prefecture he grew up in a bustling family as the fifth of seven children and later embarked on a career as a Salesman for a Japanese company operating in China but Destiny had other plans for him and eventually everything changed on December 7th

1941 history Buffs might recognize that date it's the day when the Japanese Imperial forces attacked the United States Naval Base of Pearl Harbor this was a world shattering event that altered the course of the second world war it was a catastrophic event that would lead to the US declaring war on Japan embroiling the two countries in Conflict following this all able-bodied men aged 17 to 40 in Japan were drafted for the Army in May 1942 hero was called up for his army physical passing it with flying colors so at the tender age of 20 years

old he was inducted into the 61st Infantry Regiment in wakayama before being assigned to the 28th Infantry Regiment his first orders to head to the warfront in Nanchang China but in December 1944 American forces landed in San Jose in the Philippines the Japanese soldiers were immediately relocated to fight against them with Hero's regiment ordered to defend lubang a small narrow Island barely 48 square miles in size forming part of the Philippines archipelago as the American Invasion escalated hero received a battlefield promotion to a full-fledged second Lieutenant by January 10th 1945 then he received a set

of orders that would change his life forever major Takahashi said Apprentice officer onoda will proceed to lubang Island where he will lead the lubang Garrison in Guerilla Warfare it was a huge responsibility one that hero was Keen to undertake but then General Akira Muto Chief of Staff of the 14th area Army delivered a haunting message that echoed in Hero's ears you are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand it may take 3 years it may take five but whatever happens we will come back for you as a newly appointed Lieutenant given direct orders from

a general these words were burned into Hero's mind he swore an oath to fight the war Till The Bitter End but despite his conviction he didn't have the confidence of his fellow soldiers being such a young soldier in command Euro still had a lot to prove and boy would he be put to the test on February 28th a force of 50 American soldiers landed on lubong island a battalion of Marines led by four tanks put boots down in the small town of Tik and in the battle that ensued the town was completely wiped out with

the American forces immediately overwhelming the japanes Japanese troops to protect his unit hero ordered a retreat into the mountains changing their strategy to that of Guerilla Warfare despite the name this didn't mean all the soldiers put on monkey suits rather a gorilla campaign is the type of warfare where smaller groups of soldiers attack larger armies by relying on sabotage surprise ambushes and hid and run tactics hero knew it wouldn't be safe for all the soldiers to remain in the same place as they'd be sitting ducks if they became surrounded by the Americans and so the

soldiers splintered into three man cells it meant Two Soldiers could stand guard facing either direction while the third Soldier prepared meals and set up camp Hero's three man cell was joined by Corporal shimata and private Kuka they were later joined by private akatu a sickly young Soldier who'd been Iced Out from his cell the men continued to carry out Guerilla Warfare against the American forces over the summer of 1945 held in the den jungle thick mountains these three man cells were completely cut off from the central military command which is why they were unaware of

the catastrophic events that unfolded on the 6th of August 1945 it was a day the world would never forget the Americans dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima the bomb annihilated the city completely destroying some 60,000 structures and ending the lives of some 66,000 people 3 days later the Americans dropped the second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki raising it to the ground and wiping a further 69,000 people off the face of the Earth following this apocalyptic demonstration of power Japan admitted defeat the official surrender of Japan was announced by

Emperor Hirohito on the 15th of August and formally signed on the 2nd of September 1945 bringing the horrendous War to a close orders were delivered through Central Command passing on that Japan had surrendered and all soldiers were to stand down though it took longer for the news to reach further areas of the warfront such as the Philippines there weren't iPhones or internet access back in those days just telegrams letters and word of mouth with that in mind it was the middle of October when news of the surrender finally reached luong a squad of Japanese soldiers

had encountered a group of local Islanders who'd immediately fled in Terror but one of them left behind a piece of paper printed on it in Japanese was a statement that read the war ended on August 15th come down from the mountains the soldiers dismissed it as a ruse from the Islanders to force them to evacuate the island meanwhile they still heard distant gunshots and remained steadfast in their belief that the Americans were attempting to lure them out as the year Drew to a close a Boeing B17 flew over their Hideout dropping a bundle of papers

the these were prints of the official surrender order from General Yamashita of the 14th area Army but the soldiers scrutinized every detail filled with skepticism the leaflet said that any soldiers who surrendered would be rewarded with hygienic sucker and hauled to Japan now sucker which means to give Assistance or Aid was a word typically used at this time when liberating prisoners of War to the active soldiers this seemed incredibly suspicious but what troubled hero the most was the mention of a quote direct Imperial order in general yamashita's command he had never heard of such an

order and the grammar of the text suggested that the general was issuing the order to himself something didn't add up with doubt clouding their minds the soldiers concluded that the leaflets were clever forgeries by the Americans it would later transpire that the pamphlets error was a simple printing mistake but it was too late the soldier remained Vigilant and unwavering in their fight for Japan as their Guerilla campaign dragged on supplies began to dwindle and the men were starting to get hungry all groups had begun with a 3-month supply of rice which Hero's cell had carefully

rationed to last as long as possible but by March the other soldiers had run out they came to Hero's camp and begged for rice but the tough Lieutenant refused he gave them all the same answer you men made pigs of yourselves when you have had rice so now you don't have any if we give you rice we'll all be in trouble you don't know how to conserve now if there's something that makes us feel weak willed it's hunger and with all that constant clamoring Through the Jungle you can imagine how hungry the soldiers were as

more leaflets urging surrender rained down from above the hungry and homesick soldiers found themselves teetering on the edge finally in April 1946 41 of the three man cells gave in and surrendered Hero's fourman cell however stood their ground and refused to give up on Japan as the days and weeks wore on the Japanese troops who had surrendered began leaving notes out that read nobody is searching for you now but the Japanese come on out but these four soldiers still refused to accept the war had really ended and more importantly that Japan had lost instead they

chose to believe the surrendered Japanese soldiers were actually captured prisoners of war and that the Americans were forcing them to lure out Hero's cell with that in mind every time the Searchers called out for Hero's team the cell quickly relocated still the leaflets left a deep impression on private akatu who at just 22 years old was the youngest member of the cell one evening after they had finished their meal he raised the all important question what if the war really had ended All Eyes turned toward the lieutenant rising to the occasion he hero made a

bold statement if that's what you all truly think I'll go and check he said but then private Kuka suddenly intervened he reminded them of the strange pamphlet they had received referencing the direct Imperial order he convinced them that the other soldiers had fallen into the Americans trap taken prisoner by believing in that forged letter this was enough to sway their View and they refused to Bear responsibility for those other soldiers who they believed had been captured the four of them vowed to keep on fighting it was now mid April in 1946 and little did they

know but these four men were the last remnants of Japanese resistance in the Philippines after the main bulk of the Japanese contingent had surrendered the Islanders on luang began to feel more at ease venturing into the mountains to cut timber meanwhile whenever Hero's Squad which was always on high alert heard them coming they'd hide in the bushes like ninjas they considered the Islanders enemies because when the American forces had initially landed swiftly sided with them turning against the occupying Japanese force these Islanders had acted as guides for the enemy so now the cell avoided them

at all costs but luck wasn't always on their side and sometimes they were spotted when that happened there was only one option left shoot at the Islanders to scare them off it was all they could think to do to protect their secret hideout from being discovered by the people they thought were the enemy the solders soldiers were living in their own version of reality you have to feel bad for the Islanders who had to constantly deal with the aggressive tactics of Hero Squad but being shot at was just the start of the problems they also

had their food stolen too when the Islanders went up into the mountains to work they often brought along bags of uncooked rice they'd hang the sacks from trees and leave them behind after finishing work to use the next day but little did they know there were very hungry soldiers hiding in the jungle Hero's Squad would steal the rice like bandits in the night but these meager portions of rice alone weren't enough to sustain them fortunately lubang had an abundance of Flora and Fauna the soldiers could hunt and scavenge the tropical climate meant that one fruit

was found quite literally by the bunch bananas lubang was also a wildlife Paradise with wild water buffalos wild bores wild chickens and even iguanas that could grow up to a whopping 3 F feet in length lizard meat doesn't exactly sound appetizing and hunting wild animals with what precious little ammunition they had seemed like a huge waste which is exactly why the soldiers focused their attention instead on the cows the Islanders raised for meat they Justified this hunting as taking resources from the enemy it was bad news for the Islanders and the cows but from this

bare sustenance the soldiers continued to struggle for survival to truly grasp the unique situation these holdout soldiers found themselves in we need to understand the lay of the land on lubang the population of the entire Island was only 12,000 mostly consisting of farmers that resided in the north of the island so hero cell focused their movement surround the less populated and jungle covered mountains in the South they developed a circuit a rough ellipse moving counterclockwise through the region they wouldn't stay at a camp location for more than 3 to 5 days as they were riddled

with paranoia convinced the enemy troops could appear at any moment living in such a remote area isolated from the outside world and strictly following their routine the soldiers slowly brainwashed themselves into the belief that the war was still raging on though one soldier remained skeptical you see private akatu was never as convinced as the others that Japan was still at war three times he abandoned the group and disappeared into the jungle only to be brought back by Corporal shimata but then one day in September 1949 4 years and 210 days since the war had ended

private akatu vanished the other soldiers feared the worst that he had been captured by American troops but they were in for a surprise in 1950 more than 6 months later they stumbled upon a leaflet that revealed the shocking truth private akatu had surrendered to the Filipino troops in March after spending 6 months on his own Zone at a location on the other side of the island a note was attached with private akatu handwriting saying that when he eventually decided to surrender the Filipino troops greeted him as a friend rather than an enemy surely that was

enough evidence to convince them the war was over but as they were pondering the private surrender they spotted a mysterious aircraft circling above them assuming this must all be part of an enemy trap they quickly moved on so instead of casting doubt private akatu depart Archer sent the group's paranoia levels through the roof they started seeing all Islanders as spies in Disguise at this point you might have assumed that the Japanese authorities had given up trying to search for them but their efforts continued in February 1952 7 years after the war had ended another plane

dropped leaflets into the jungle and among them was a letter from Hero's oldest brother toshio the letter stated that the war had ended and that his brothers were all out of the Army there was also a letter from private kazuka and Corporal shima's families together with photographs compelling evidence right nope the soldiers dismissed them as another enemy hoax they believed the photos were fabricated as a clever Trap by the Americans how well Corporal shimada's family was stood in front of a house that he didn't recognize indicating the photos were fake little did the men know

though that Tokyo had been extensively firebombed during the war and most most of the city had needed to be rebuilt so they still refused to believe Japan had lost and instead they let their imaginations run wild with theories on how the Americans forg the photographs this would have been a lot harder over 70 years ago because Photoshop didn't even exist ironically the various leaflets and messages sent to them saying that the war was over only served to further entrench their conspiracies living in the humid jungle for so long though their un forms were now beginning

to rot to patch the holes they used thread from fibers of a hemp likee plant that grows in the forest and cut pieces of canvas off their tent for patches luckily there was no malaria on lubang and being isolated from the main population of the island they rarely got sick they kept track of the calendar by memory and Counting rations they took care of their military issued swords and guns by polishing them with palm oil to keep them from rusting but gradually the gun butts and Lings absorbed so much palm oil that the giant jungle

rats would sniff them out and gnaw at them they also stole materials from the Islanders including clothes they raided the Islanders houses for coffee and canned goods unsurprisingly the Islanders became increasingly hostile towards the soldiers and tried various methods to flush them out some of the wackier ideas included leaving dirty cartoons or nude photos of women in the mountains to entice them to reveal their location but rampant paranoia overwhelmed any desires they had by this point and the soldiers steered clear eventually sick of being taken advantage of the Islanders began fighting back in June 1953

Corporal shimata was wounded badly in the leg after being shot at by a local fisherman then in a heartbreaking turn of events just a year later Corporal shimata was accidentally shot and killed by a Philippine Army Mountain unit during their training while accidental the cell saw it as the enemy closing in fueling them further into their wartime delusion just 10 days after Corporal shima's untimely demise a Philippine Air Force plane made several passes over their location it dropped more leaflets and a loudspeaker blared out onada kazuka the war has ended you'd think this would be

the Moment of Truth the Revelation would get the message through but no enraged over Corporal shimada's death it only hardened their desire fire for Revenge they sought as yet another cunning Ploy by the Americans to lure them out of hiding at this point I'm not sure if these guys were staunchly patriotic or straight up crazy either way I guess spending nearly a decade in the jungle will do that to you but they weren't the only ones being impossibly stubborn as the Japanese government true to General mud's words refused to give up on them in 1959

the now Twan cell found themselves faced with yet another attempt to lure them out but this time it was in the form of a large search party loudspeakers were set up with the party saying Lieutenant onoda private first class Kuka the war has ended they also played the Japanese national anthem and a lot of old Japanese folk songs the two recognized the search party went around the whole island every time they came near them however the two treed back further into the jungle still convinced this was a trick the search party stayed for an unbelievable

6 months from May until late November that's some serious commitment but no matter what the search party did the two remained hidden on the last day of the search however something extraordinary happened hero Heard a Voice Over the loudspeaker saying hero come out this is your brother toshio and immediately he recognized the voice it was his brothers now you'd think this is the moment he'd finally come out of hiding right he knows his brother he trusts his brother there's no voice changing to technology available yet so this has to be him right there could be

no doubt in Hero's mind right right unbelievably hero convinced himself that this was just a prisoner sent to imitate his brother perfectly talk about hearing what you want to believe but that's not all as they wrapped up the search the party left behind something that could have shattered their beliefs once and for all Japanese newspapers it was the first real up-to-date news the cell had seen SE in some 15 years but instead of accepting the truth their paranoia reigned Supreme the enemy had obviously infiltrated these newspapers doctoring articles to deceive them because none of the

Articles contained reference to the East Asia co-prosperity sphere the what you've probably never heard of it but it was an idea cooked up by the Empire of Japan in which Japan would essentially be the central power in Asia with all other countries surrounding it as vassal States unsurprisingly this was an idea hated by every other country in Asia and when Japan Lost World War II they were forced to abandon it but to hero and private Kuka again the idea of Japan losing the war was impossible so the sphere must exist they believed that if Japan

had truly lost there would be no news delivered because the entire population would have been wiped out it's a morbid thought but it gives us a glimpse into the extreme indoctrination these soldiers experienced through wartime propaganda for some context when hero arrived in the Philippines in 1944 Japan was already losing the war but in the Homeland the propaganda slogans being repeated were 100 million Souls dying for Honor so it was established that the entire population of Japan would rather perish before surrendering hero took this literally and sincerely believed that Japan would not surrender so long

as even one Japanese person remained alive both hero and private kazuka believed it was their duty to hold out until the East Asia co-prosperity sphere rescued them the fact that none of the Japanese newspapers even mentioned it convinced the two men that these were deliberately faked by the Americans a classic conspiracy loophole of circular thought it's astounding to think that even in the face of overwhelming evidence they clung to their beliefs so rigidly what hero had done was effectively create a mental prison that kept him trapped in his delusional world as hero and private Kuka

held onto their conspiracies they continued their Guerilla tactics they conducted what they called fire raids setting Ablaze piles of rice harvested by the Islanders they saw these fires as beacons signaling their presence and dedication to their duties as the onada Squadron it was all in the hopes of clearing the way for the Japanese Landing party they believed would soon arrive however their actions did not go unnoticed the Islanders who had turned from tolerating them to hating them by this point reported these raids to the local police labeling them as Mountain Devils fueling the tension between

them following the war living conditions gradually began to improve on the island and the soldiers observed as many of the villages were lit up with electric lights and then in late 1965 something remarkable happened they managed to to steal a transistor radio finally they had a way to hear news straight from the horse's mouth news on how the war was advancing on how much Japan had claimed and how close they were to winning but what they heard instead on the news was foreign relations with America that space flight was being tested that the Philippines had

a new president there was no news of the war at all it was as if it wasn't even going on surely this was the last straw this must have been what got them to see the light m nope they dismissed any news as American propaganda they continued resisting sadly this would come at another grave cost when tensions between the Islanders and soldiers escalated to a boiling point on October 19th 1972 as the pair were once again burning the Islanders rice the local Philippine police force were called shots were fired and in the chaos private kazuka

was killed it was a devastating blow that left hero all alone surrounded by the consequences of his misguided actions nevertheless he continued his one-man patrol around the island disguised in camouflage unable to break out of his strict military routine just 3 days after private kazuka death another search party was dispatched once again the search party left newspapers behind hoping to catch Hero's attention but mistakes in the reporting cast doubt in his mind though they' reported private kazuka death none of of the Articles mentioned private kazuka cherished thousand Stitch waistband a special cloth where family and

friends sewed stitches for good luck to leave out such an important detail to Hero led him to believe that the newspapers had been tampered with fueling his suspicion of a larger conspiracy at play with his unwavering belief in the righteousness of Japan's cause hero clung to the notion that the Philippines would switch sides from America to Japan he convinced himself that staying on lubong island fighting for Japan with his sword in hand would serve the greater good for his country and so he continued hiding in the jungle waiting for an imaginary secret agent to contact

him but his family never gave up searching for him in the following six months three Japanese search parties attempted to persuade hero to surrender but still concealed in camouflage they were unable to ever spot hero hiding in the dense jungle then one day something changed hero believed his family was being forced to do this by the Americans in some sort of Twisted power play he couldn't bear to not at least make contact with them in a moment of weakness he wrote out a thank you note for some gifts they had left leaving it behind in

the same spot this at least established that he was alive and cemented him as a legend in Japan it was at this point that Hero's story captivated the interest of norio Suzuki The College Dropout who in 1974 traveled all the way to the the Philippines on a whim to find the long lost lieutenant and by some Stroke of Luck he achieved what the rescue parties had been trying to do for almost 29 years in Just 4 days noro had set up a camp in the jungle all on his own when all of a sudden hero

just walked up to him he immediately recognized that noro wasn't an Islander how he was wearing a thick Woolen socks with rubber sandals something the Islanders never did noro also spoke in a polite Japanese Di which is perhaps what convinced hoo to stay and talk with norio for over 2 hours after being totally alone for several months he seemed desperate for company noro carefully and gently broke the news to Hero that Japan had in fact lost the war and had been at peace for years only then looking into the eyes of another man did it

slowly Dawn on hero that everything he had dismissed for years as the enemy propaganda was actually the truth that meant he had been fighting for over 10,000 Days on the island for nothing still unable to fully comprehend what he was hearing when noro asked what it would take for hero to finally leave the jungle he replied a direct order from his Superior officer to stand down the old major had long since retired from the Army and was now a book dealer living in Miyazaki prefecture but noro promised hero he would bring the retired major to

the Philippines to prove that he had indeed found hero they took several photos together side by side and as promised 2 weeks later the long awaited reunion happened the major greeted hero and read out his final order the 14th area Army has ceased all combat activity and just like that after fighting for more than 29 years Lieutenant hero onoda's war was finally over he was reunited with his oldest brother toshio before being escorted to Manila where president Marcos addressed hero for the serious crimes he'd unwittingly committed during his time believed he was still in combat

technically all his actions were acts of terrorism but the president generously pardoned him he was warmly welcomed as a war hero when he returned to Japan which may seem strange considering how long he spent in his crazy conspiracy delusion but in Japanese culture there's a deep admiration for Heroes Who Remain loyal to a cause especially when it seems lost or hopeless and so Lieutenant anoda was celebrated like one of those ancient Heroes a modern day Sam of sorts his homecoming was nothing short of spectacular roaring crowds celebratory parades and speeches by public officials it was

a true Hero's welcome Japan could finally celebrate something from the war after their devastating losses as the Lost Soldier finally returned but now hero found himself in a strange and unfamiliar land Japan had been dramatically modernized over the 30 years he'd been missing and while he tried to return to a normal life things just weren't the same so he embarked on a whole new adventure in 1975 hero packed his bags and moved to a Japanese colony in Sal Pao Brazil to assist his brother who owned a farm there who would have thought this once super

stubborn Soldier would become a cattle rancher of all things this story is full of bizarre twists later in 1984 hero Found Love and tied the knot with Machi onuku a Japanese tea ceremony teacher together the pair returned to Japan and founded the onoda Nature School a camp where kids learned survival skills then in 1996 hero made a pilgrimage back to luban and as a gesture of appreciation donated $110,000 to a local school there and finally on January 16th 2014 after a life filled with Adventure hero onoda passed away at the remarkable age of 91 now

that is one heck of a life story do you think Hero's determination to fight the war so long was a masterclass in dedication or was he totally out of his mind let me know down in the comments and thanks for watching [Music]