The war ended. He kept fighting.
World War II ended in 1945, but Japanese officer Hiroo Onoda continued fighting in the Philippines until 1974. His orders had explicitly forbidden him to surrender.Hiroo Onoda: The WWII Soldier Who Fought Until 1974
Even family letters weren't enough
Onoda and his companions dismissed surrender leaflets and letters from their families as tricks. His later claim that he did not know the war had ended remains disputed: he had access to newspapers and a radio.Hiroo Onoda: The WWII Soldier Who Fought Until 1974
