Hiroo Onoda – Braveheart Japanese Fighter

Hiroo Onoda born on 19 March 1922 in the ancient Japan, was an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who was one of those brave soldiers fought in World War II for Japan and was a Japanese holdout and also one of those soldiers who did not surrender to the enemies when war ended in August 1945.

After the war ended in 1945, Onoda was still deploying his duties and spent 29 years while holding out his point at Philippines till the time his former commander finally traveled from Japan so as to formally relieve him by order of the Emperor in 1974 from his duty. He was holding the rank of second lieutenant while his employment at Philippines as a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army. When Onoda was 17 years old, he left his home to work in and under the Tajima Yoko trading company located in Wuhan, China. While he came back after a year he came back and thereafter he was included in the Imperial Japanese Army Infantry. Onoda got his training as an intelligence officer in the regular commando classes then called as "Futamata" in the Nakano School. On 26^th December 1944, he was employed at Lubang Island located at the Philippines. He was ordered to take any step so as to hamper the enemy’s attacks and control on the island, which also includes destroying of the airstrip and the pier located at the harbor. Onoda also got the orders that not under any circumstances was he should surrender or end his own life. When he took charge of the island, Onoda got a chance to join the forces with a group of Japanese soldiers who had been posted there already. Those officers in the group outranked Onoda and eventually prevented him from executing his assignment. Resultantly, it became easy for United States and Philippine Commonwealth forces to capture the island when they landed on 28 February 1945. Eventually as they landed, just after a while all but Onoda and three other soldiers had either died or surrendered. After this Onoda got promoted as a lieutenant, and ordered the men to take to the hills. Onoda’s life was full of struggles but he fought like a brave heart all his life.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroo_Onoda