Member-only story
World War 2 Ended in 1974
At least for some people
“You’re wrong, it ended in 1945" Well, not for everybody.
When the Americans landed in the Philippines in 1945, on Lubang Island, Hiroo Onoda and other Japanese soldiers were fighting against them.
Most of the Japanese soldiers were either taken as prisoners or killed, but Onoda and 3 others managed to escape in the island’s forest.
Six months later (in August), the war had ended, but nobody told them.
In October, they saw a poster declaring the end of the war, but they believed it to be a fake piece of propaganda, a deception attempt from the enemy.
Four years went by, and one of them finally decided to leave. He told the army about the other 3 soldiers, and they dropped in the forest family pictures and letters.
Onoda still didn’t believe them, he still thought it was all a trick, and two more years went by.
They were living off of coconuts and bananas, sleeping in huts made from branches, under rain, tropical heat, and rat infestations.
