After the bloody Battle of Saipan in July 1944, Captain Oba Sakae refused to participate in the mass suicide charge (banzai attack) that killed most of the remaining Japanese garrison. Instead, he gathered 46 soldiers and approximately 200 civilians and led them into Saipan's mountainous interior.
For 512 days, Oba conducted a sophisticated guerrilla campaign against the American garrison, raiding supply depots, ambushing patrols, and evading massive search operations. The Americans nicknamed him "The Fox" and devoted significant resources to catching him. At one point, 40,000 American troops were on the island while Oba's tiny band remained at large.
Oba protected the civilians in his group, including women and children, maintaining strict discipline and ensuring they were fed. He only surrendered on December 1, 1945—three months after Japan's official surrender—when a former Japanese general was brought to Saipan to convince him the war was truly over. He marched his remaining men to the American lines in formation, surrendered his sword with full military honors, and earned the respect of his former enemies.