34. The First Famous Diehard: Sakae Oba
Compared to other Japanese holdouts, captain Sakae Oba’s resistance was relatively brief. However, it captured public attention and introduced the trope of Japanese holdouts to popular culture. Oba had joined the Imperial Japanese Army in 1934, and after years of service in China, he ended up in Saipan, three months before the US Marines invaded in June of 1944. Overcoming fierce resistance, the Marines gradually ground down the defenders. At the end of their tether, the Japanese decided to go out in a final blaze of glory, and launched a massive banzai charge – the largest of the entire war. Captain Oba was one of the few survivors.