After the official end of World War II in 1945, many soldiers from the defeated Axis powers continued to hold out, isolated in various corners of the world. While Germany and Japan both officially surrendered in 1945, several soldiers did not give up until much later, with some still holding on to their posts for years after the war’s conclusion.
One of the most astonishing stories is that of the last German soldier to surrender after WWII. His name was Herbert H. S., a German soldier who continued to resist long after the war ended. In 1947, he finally laid down his arms, two years after Nazi Germany’s surrender in May 1945. This late surrender occurred in the far reaches of the German-occupied territories, where communication was sparse, and the war’s true end hadn’t reached every corner of the German military.
However, the last soldier to formally surrender from Japan wasn’t until 1974, almost three decades after the official surrender on September 2, 1945. Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese Imperial Army officer, continued to fight in the Philippine jungle long after his country had surrendered. Onoda was stationed on the island of Lubang, and he believed the war was still ongoing despite leaflets, loudspeakers, and other efforts to inform him of Japan’s defeat. He and his fellow soldiers survived on guerrilla tactics, refusing to believe the war had ended until Onoda’s former commander traveled to the island to formally relieve him of his duties in 1974. This surrender marked a symbolic and poignant end to the WWII resistance for Japan, even though the rest of the world had long moved on.
These two stories — one from Germany and the other from Japan — are haunting reminders of the intense loyalty and miscommunication that prolonged the war in unexpected ways. They demonstrate how some soldiers, trapped in isolated conditions, refused to believe the war had truly ended, even as history marched on without them.