“If Oba had been an American, he’d have been put up for a Congressional Medal of Honor.”
By George Yagi Jr.
AICHI PREFECTURE boasts a colourful assortment of warriors who left their mark in the annals of Japanese history.
During the Sengoku or Warring States Period, the three unifiers of the country, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, all hailed from this region. In the aftermath of the Tokugawa clan’s victory at Sekigahara in 1600, samurai from Aichi continued to dominate the newly unified nation and exerted vast influence throughout the early Edo period.
With such a proud heritage on the battlefield, it is not surprising that another warrior from this prefecture emerged during the Second World War who would remain unconquered and stubbornly fight on after Japan had formally surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945. Only when he received orders from a superior officer brought to the island of Saipan did the war officially end for him and his men, and with Japanese colors flying proudly above his troops, he marched out of the jungle at their head. This steadfast officer, who was described by his former foe, Lieutenant Colonel Howard G. Kurgis as a “soldier of whom any country would be proud,” was Captain Sakae Oba.
Known to his enemies as “The Fox,” Oba was a native of Gamagori, Aichi. Originally a geography teacher, he joined the Imperial Japanese Army in 1934, and soon found himself posted to China. In 1944, the 18th Regiment, of which he was a member, was ordered to Saipan; the 29-year-old Oba was placed in command of a medical aid company. However, on its way to the island the unit’s transport, the Sakito Maru, was torpedoed by the American submarine USS Trout. A total of 2,358 soldiers drowned in the attack; Oba survived.
Once on Saipan, Oba reorganized his aid company, gathering his surviving medics, along with engineers and tankmen who were newly assigned to his unit.
When American troops launched the invasion of the island on June 15, 1944, Oba’s company suffered heavy casualties in the American pre-landing bombardment. His comrades had been killed without having even seen the enemy, which devastated the morale of the men. Over the coming weeks, casualties would pile up as what remained of the 30,000 Japanese troops stationed on Saipan fought on from the jungles and caves in the island’s rugged interior.
By July 7, the last of the island’s defenders massed to carry out the largest banzai attack in the Pacific War. More than 4,000 Japanese soldiers, with bayonets fixed, swarmed the American lines, in some cases literally driving the defenders into the sea; almost all of them were mowed down in 15 hours of combat. Once again, Oba’s luck held out. He, along with a handful of his men who took part in the charge, survived the slaughter and vowed to fight on.
As his small group lurked in the jungles, they continued to collect pockets of Japanese survivors. In the end, Oba had gathered more than 350 soldiers and civilians who lived on the island, all determined to continue holding out until the Imperial Japanese Navy returned to recapture Saipan.
Dividing the group into various camps, Oba’s men protected the civilians, who in turn did all they could to support the efforts of the troops. Some of the islanders attached to the group managed to infiltrate the American camps where other non-combatants were being held to collect food and information.
American troops on Saipan soon dubbed Oba “the Fox” for his daring and luck. In fact, the mere existence of his small shadow army seemed to taunt the occupiers. Long after the island was fully in U.S. hands, Oba’s foraging patrols continued with the captain himself often accompanying his men on operations. During one food raid, Oba himself snatched freshly baked bread from the windowsill of an American bakery. On another mission, he boldly strode into an enemy shower and after finishing, opened fire with his pistol at American troops as he left. One raiding party snuck onto an airfield and destroyed a B-29 bomber while it was parked on the tarmac. In yet another episode, Oba was reputed to have sat in on a movie being screened for U.S. troops. The fugitive captain also infiltrated the civilian prison camp, evading guards to collect info and boost the morale of the internees.
As the weeks wore on, Oba continued to frustrate his opponents. The preservation of his forces was his key goal, so resistance was limited to guerilla-style warfare. Infuriated by the holdouts, American commanders ordered an offensive to net Oba, with marines forming a solid line moving across the island northwards in an attempt to force him to either fight or surrender. Outwitting his adversaries yet again, Oba avoided capture by hiding on the side of a cliff, with some of his soldiers literally dangling from its edge. In the end, this massive operation secured only a handful of prisoners, mostly elderly and infirm. The American plan to capture “the Fox” of Saipan was a failure.
As the war continued, Oba’s band found it increasingly difficult to secure supplies. With starvation threatening, he reluctantly ordered the civilians under his care to give themselves up. With just 46 men remaining under his command, Oba finally received a communiqué from Imperial General Headquarters through the efforts of Major General Umahachi Amo. He was ordered to surrender; Japan had fallen. It was Nov. 27, 1945.
On December 1, 1945, three months after the war had ended, Oba marched out of the jungle at the head of his remaining troops to meet a U.S. Marine Lieutenant-Colonel Howard Kurgis. With great ceremony, the legendary defender of Saipan handed over his sword as his troops surrendered their colors and weapons. They were the last of 30,000 Japanese troops who had defended the island. A U.S. Navy photographer snapped a shot of the moment; after 17 months the fighting on Saipan had finally come to an end. In recognition of his exploits, Oba was feted by the U.S. Marine Officer’s Club on the island before being repatriated to Japan. Those assembled lined up to shake his hand.
Forty years after his capture, a veteran of the Saipan campaign, Corporal Don Jones remarked of the captain: “If Oba had been an American, he’d have been put up for a Congressional Medal of Honor.” Through the efforts of Jones, who would end up writing a book about Oba’s experiences, arrangements were made for the captain’s surrendered sword to be returned to him — a final touching gesture paid to a respected former adversary. To a samurai, his sword is much more than an ordinary weapon, it is his soul. Revered as a symbol of strength and honor, they are passed down from one generation to the next, the eldest son always inheriting the cherished weapon. It was a fitting tribute to the legendary “Fox of Saipan.”
Dr. George Yagi Jr. is an award winning author and historian at California State University, East Bay. Follow him on Twitter @gyagi_jr.
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