Oba, the Last Samurai

Library Journal

In July 1944, after 28 days of bloody battle, the island of Saipan was declared secured. All Japanese troops were assumed dead and all resistance ended. As in most Pacific battles, a number of enemy troops escaped to hide in the hills and jungle. Captain Sakae Oba, one of the Japanese soldiers on Saipan, a former high school geography teacher, organized a party of some 300 soldiers and civilians. He fed, clothed, and sheltered them in jungle villages and caves. Oba carried on a guerrilla campaign against the American garrison and refused to surrender until he personally received instructions from the Imperial General Staff. One criticism: Jones tells nothing of Oba's life in postwar Japan. His readers will regret not knowing what became of this tenacious officer. Essential for all World War II collections. Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park, N.Y.