Obscure WWII Facts

Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese intelligence officer, continued fighting WWII for 29 years after the war ended on Lubang Island in the Philippines. He believed leaflets were enemy propaganda. Finally, his former commanding officer was brought to the island to formally relieve him. He surrendered in his still-serviceable uniform, sword intact, rifle functional. Over 50 Japanese holdouts were found into the 1970s.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on business when the first bomb fell on August 6, 1945. He returned to his hometown of Nagasaki, and on August 9, he was describing the first bombing when the second bomb hit. Both times he was within 3km of ground zero. He survived both bombings, though with severe burns and radiation sickness, living to age 93.

The Battle of Peleliu in September 1944 is considered by historians as perhaps the ugliest, most vicious battle of the Pacific. 10,000 Americans and Japanese died for an airfield that was never used. Admiral Halsey called it "a useless waste." The 1st Marine Division suffered 65% casualties - the highest of the war. Many veterans never spoke of it. The HBO series "The Pacific" finally told the story in 2010.

The Navajo code developed by Philip Johnston and 29 original code talkers was never broken by the Japanese. They used their native language, which was unwritten and extremely complex. Each code talker memorized over 411 terms. Major Howard Connor stated that "without the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." They transmitted over 800,000 messages during the war.