After World War II, why did a Japanese soldier hide alone in a cave for 27 years?

Hiro Onoda was a Japanese soldier who obeyed his military orders at all costs. He was born on March 19, 1922, in Hainan City, Wakayama Prefecture, southwest of the Kii Peninsula in Honshu, Japan. He is proficient in Chinese and has served as an infantry company soldier. He attended the Army Reserve Sergeant School, received professional intelligence and espionage training, and graduated from the Army Nakano School.

December 17, 1944, was an extraordinary day for the 23-year-old. He had just graduated and was sent to a small island called Lubang Island in the Philippines to participate in World War II. . On this day, his boss Gu Tian assigned him two tasks: collecting intelligence and preparing to use guerrilla warfare to attack the landing US troops.

The old boss’s order became his lifelong belief

Tanida said to Onoda Hiroshi: We retreat, but only temporarily. You go into the mountains and deal with the enemy by laying landmines and blowing up warehouses. I forbid you to commit suicide or surrender. In three, four or five years, I will be back. Only I can cancel this order. ?

On February 28, 1945, the powerful US military landed on Lubang Island. The Japanese army was no match for them. They exhausted all tactics and failed to defeat the US military. The Japanese army was almost completely wiped out. Onoda divided the remaining defeated soldiers into small groups. He and his comrades-in-arms Corps Commander Shimada, First Class Soldier Kinchichi Kozuka, and First Class Private Akazu went into a jungle cave and continued to resist.

In 1945, the unbearable US military threw two "little boys" into Japan. As the mushroom cloud rose, Japan surrendered obediently on August 15. The American army then entered Japan and sent surrendered Japanese soldiers to the surrounding islands and mountains to shout to persuade those Japanese troops who were unwilling to surrender. Helicopters were also used to drop leaflets urging surrender. Large leaflets covered the islands surrounding Japan.

No matter how much I don’t believe that Japan will surrender

1. In October 1945, Onoda Hirō saw an eye-catching leaflet, which read: Japan has surrendered on August 14. Hurry down the mountain and surrender!?

Onoda Hiroshi was confused. He did not believe that Japan would be finished so soon. Besides, his boss had not withdrawn the order yet. Just when he was puzzled, several gunshots were heard not far away. He suddenly became energetic. Without the withdrawal order from his superiors, he concluded that the war was not over and the leaflets were a trick. He and his companions turned around and plunged deeper into the jungle. Here, he encouraged his comrades, "Keep fighting, guys!" ?

He put the slogan "Carry the war to the end" on the wall of the cave, carved the emperor's portrait on a banana leaf and worshiped it every day, motivating himself and his companions never to surrender.

They attacked the Philippine police and the Philippine army, looted local people's supplies, stole chickens, ducks, and buffalo for food, and stole residents' clothes and shoes, US military radar stations, warehouses, and US-Philippine military and police strongholds. Due to the flexible guerrilla tactics they adopted and Onoda's strong anti-detection capabilities, none of them was ever captured by the U.S. military or locals.

In order to survive, they caught hares, ate snakes, mice, and lizards, and dried bananas to use as military rations to avoid being attacked by various beasts and poisonous snakes. They often drank river water and relied on fruits and tree roots to satisfy their hunger. Dare to hunt with a gun, fearing that the sound of the gun will reveal your target.

When the rainy season comes, they arrange for the personnel on duty to be alert at all times, stay awake, and protect the guns with their bodies. They call each other out in fear of dying from hypothermia while sleeping.