When US and German Soldiers Fought Together and Lesser-Known World War II Events

1. The Castaways Return Home

The letters, along with an official message from the Japanese government, finally convinced Anatahan’s holdouts. They surrendered in 1951, and were shipped back to Japan. There, their story became a sensation, resulting in numerous books, plays, and movies.

The most well-known of the Anatahan castaways, Kazuko Higa, was nicknamed “The Queen Bee of Anahatan Island” by the Japanese press. She found temporary fame as a tropical temptress, selling her story to newspapers and recounting it to packed theaters. However, after public interest receded, she fell into prostitution and abject poverty, and died at the age of 51 while working as a garbage collector.

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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading

BBC – The Austrian Castle Where Nazis Lost to German-US Force

Bomber Command Museum of Canada – Halifax

Cox, Robert John – The Battle Off Samar: Taffy III at Leyte Gulf (2010)

Defense Media Network – The Mark 14 Torpedo Scandal

Encyclopedia Britannica – Panzer IV

Firearm Blog – The Worst Pistol Ever: Type 94 Nambu

Forsyth, Robert – Ju 88 Aces of World War 2 (2019)

Harding, Stephen – The Last Battle: When US and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe (2013)

History Net – Goldilocks Fighter: What Made the F6F Hellcat ‘Just Right’?

Hornfischer, James D. – The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the US Navy’s Finest Hour (2005)