June 15th 1944
The U.S. military forces invade Saipan
in the Northern Marianna's
group of island
The Marines moves ashore establishing
themselves on the south-west coast
on their way of taking
control of the island
under The Japanese control,
Saipan is called home by
defended by over 30 thousand
highly trained members of the
imperial fighting forces.
Though one of the most
strategically most important
of the Japanese strong
holds in the Pacific
Saipan defenses folds under
the onslaught of the
American war machine
numbering over 70,000 strong
In issuing battle, the majority of
Japanese defenders are annihilated
And the survivors
flee to Mount Tapochau
located at the
center of the island
Unbeknownst to the Japanese on
the island, the Imperial Navy
suffers a humiliating defeat
in the sea of the Mariannes
Leaving the Imperial
command no choice
but to abandon the
defense in Saipan
The uniformed defenders
however continue to fight
believing in inevitable victory
of their imperial forces and their nation
Get out the way
Get a move on
Move this thing over, come on.
Move out of the way
Sorry about that Captain. Carry on
Come on. come on. Get out of the road.
Hey clear the way
God damn, mini Japs.
This time tomorrow their pants going
to be overflow in no time,
just a few days those
yellow monkeys in
the mountain are
going to be history
You know their orders are
to stop us no mater what
Those Japanese soldier are tough,
they don't give up
You have no idea what you're
talking about corporal,
I advise you to keep
opinion to yourself
Right, sir.
Watch it
You take it easy corporal,
or I'm taking the jeep and
you walk, you read me?
Yes, sir.
Shit! We should've stopped
Look they just Japs sir.
They'll be fine
What thats mean sir?
The Japanese treasure every
meeting for it they never recur
If you pay attention,
you might actually
learn something
while you're here
We did you learn to Lingo sir?
You date a Jap
girlfriend or something?
I studied it in Japan two
years, unfortunately
never got around a
Japanese girlfriend.
I bet you wanted to
Keep your eyes on the road Mr.
Yes sir
- You're Lewis?
- Yes, sir.
Have a seat Captain, we're
not that formal here
not in this damn heat
Thank you, sir.
I hear you speak Japanese.
The Japanese would say otherwise.
I know the basic sir
- Where you're from?
- Boston, sir.
So you're any Ivy league huh?
You could say that.
I'll try not to hold against you.
I need your help, Lewis
I do not understand
these Japs
Bushido suicide thing.
Its a... Well its crazy.
Well it's a matter of pride.
Its a way of thinking you been
nurturing their head for centuries
What? Killing themselves?
Are you?
Are you familiar with this, sir.
Can't say that I am, what are they?
Kinda Jap lucky charms?
No sir. There are shogi pieces
Japanese chess pieces if you like.
They are all look the same
except for the writing and the sign
So?
The only thing differentiate
your pieces from mine,
is the direction that their
facing on the board
Get to the point Captain
Yes sir.
Unlike our chess, if I were to
take one of your pieces
I don't hold on to it
waiting for you to reclaim it
I just simply turn it around
and use it against you.
As part of my army
What the hell does it have
to do with them killing themselves
The Japanese put a high price
on loyalty to one master
If one were to be taken a
prisoner, it would expect a
behaviour for them to serve the
new lord with equal loyalty
Well now, if that were true
why wont they come surrender
and come fight on our side
Well sir, if they were
to be taken prisoner,
there's a chance they could end
up betraying their emperor
So they choose to die instead
of taking the chance that might happen
You see sir, The Japanese
Captain, I didn't come here
to play a fucking chess.
Now, if these Japs want to die,
I'll more than happy to oblige that
Honorably or otherwise
I just want to get
this damn war over with
Are we clear?
Crystal clear, sir.
Check out at the entrance
You're up, fire that cave
Now you throw that in
Marry Christmas Nicks
Look out
Cover the entrance
Cave's clear
Are they dead?
Go in and find out
- I'm not going in there.
- Get in there
Go on, check them out
Check the pockets
We don't have all day
Get all the souvenir and watch your 6
What do you got?
Got one
- Move up
- Yeah yeah
- I want a belly band
- What a belly band?
On the day following the
suicide General Saito
and his four commanders the tattered
remnant of Japanese forces gathered near
the western coast of the island for a
final assault against the invaders
The Americans however remain
completely unaware of their movements
Alright
Keep us posted on a regular basis
You find out there you boys will
be interested in, I let you know
Come home and stay sharp
Roger
- Mikey, lets go
- Got it sir
We got company. Japs
Oh shit!
Get on the horn
Hello Victor Charlie,
this is Able Victor Crow,
do you read me?
Hello, Able Victor Crow go ahead over
Able Victor Crow, fuck!
Fuck!
This is Victor Crow, anybody knew
god-damn Jap Banzai death?
We been trying to hold them
but we can't. Get the Captain
Captain!
Request immediate fire
mission on my mark
West at 4.00 am
I say again West at 4 am
Damn it. Fuck! Fire perfect
Come on get up
Victor crow repeat
last transmission over
Mike, keep you ass up,
we going to the B
Captain, thats Grabbias.
He's being overrun
Shit
Find out what's going on
Move
On the 7th of July in what came
to be known by the banzai attack
Over 4,000 Japanese and close to
in a space of only a few hours
Two days later, the American
commander would declare
a total military victory
on the island of Saipan
Alright pick it up
Keep your eyes open
- Hangs up
- See if you don't pay attention
Keep your eyes open,
check out them out
because it could
be some lives one
Here, near Mount Toucha
Its the place where the Japanese
are calling the valley of hell
It was here that
General Saito along
with his other commanders
committed suicide in front of men
And they did this the night
before they launch the attack
The night before?
Thats right sir
The night before the attack
If they want to die for
their god emperor
Though they just assume
to take us with them
They kill themselves the night
before even the battlefield.
What sense does that make?
Well by dying this way
in front of their men,
They're showing their men the way.
They setting an example
Continue sergeant
Now up here, mark your point
Calling this cliff, The Banzai Cliff
Because apparently civilians are threw
themselves into the rock the sea below
Women, children, entire families
spar-killing themselves sir
Women and children?
Why?
Seem that the Japanese
military had told them
That we Americans are
cannibals and torturers
They're terrified sir
The Japs has lost their commanders
and we've crushed their army
Now I tell you boys, the innocent thing
Thank god for that
Because this must stop right now
You're right colonel
But I feel we can't
be too optimistic
about this, this is still
a volatile situation
I like try and convince
them to surrender sir
You want to talk to them?
They have no food left, with no
freshwater around this island
They're also have go nothing to lose
I refuse to lose even one
more man on that mountain
You got one month captain
After that, I blow them all to hell
Thank you sir
Alright lets do this.
You over the fence
check the back
What kind of name is that, Calini?
You don't look Italian
- Not a whole sir
- At the Cal-Li
[Soldier] Meet you by the shack
means trouble maker
My Grandfather, well they're
both rough rider from Cuba
He met my grandmother in Cuba
Now that's the trouble
Exactly
You don't mind if I call you trouble
Everybody else does
You guys hear that?
Its probably a trap
I don't think you
should go in there sir
Thank you sergeant
He's weak. Make sure we give
this little guy a help huh
Yes, sir.
- You got him?
- Yeah
He got your eyes sergeant
Here
Make not to lose him
on the way back to camp
Give him some water
How do you suggest I do that?
You take your thumb, you're
going to dip it in your canteen
and you going to let him
suck on it just like you do
Shut up!
You want the Japs to hear you?
Now spread out and
finish clearing the area
Move
and take that damn thing off your head
Alright take 5
Anyone got any water?
Here I got a little
Private how many times do I have
tell you about the marvelous
of water conservation?
Sargent it was full this morning
You're fucking useless
You go without
You get me killed,
and Im coming back
and I'm gonna kill
you, you got it?
Yes sergeant
We take another walk. Give me room
Grenade
Grenade
There's another over here Lt
Sergeant there's a
hidden path over here
Fucking yellow monkeys,
how stupid do they think we are?
Well what are you waiting on?
Aright, let see where this take us.
Come on
Lets go
Watch your spacing
I do not like this
Let get out of here
Everyone fall back
Incoming
Damn it
- Its a trap
- Cover me
Aim for the left side
Watch out
Cease fire
I suppose you going try and tell
me the Japs did this on purpose
Well sir, they just disappeared
Check your wounded
- He's gone sergeant
- Get his tags
How much further?
It was here, the base of the
mountain where we spotted the camp
Anything form the grasshopper?
The last report there
were no sign of life
Japs must've gone up
and over that ridge
What about the other
side of the mountain?
Can they even make
over the poor ridge?
One thing for certain they
going to leave a big trail
Let hope so
Alright, we all move out
They must have we were coming
Hey, water
Wait, there's no fresh
water on this island
Cor man
Captain, over here
Sergeant
Don't move
Oh my god
Captain
Oh Jesus Christ
How you doing pal?
Rusty, disappear in a mess
and he bases for water
and now we don't even
knows what he look like
- Sergeant
- He's a fucking fox
Sergeant, take it easy
Save your energy
You take care buddy
Men, I have a problem
And you can bet you fucking
me when I have a problem,
you now have a problem
Ive just received word
from washington
The brass are wondering
why they are receiving
reports of enemy
activity in Saipan.
On the island I assured them we had
secured over 4 months ago
Now I would like report back
in not to distance fucking
future that all enemy hostility
has ceased on this island
Gentlemen, we will hunt, and
we will destroy any and
all opposition on that mountain,
within the next 7 days
Further Im hearing some kind
of nonsense about a
Japanese officer who thinks
he too smart to get caught
A fox, sir.
Say again
Some of the say he's
smart like a fox, sir.
Someone been saying
he's smart like a fox
Bullshit
That is complete and utter bullshit
If there is a guy out there running
the show, I will tell you this
He will be gone
Gone. Gone straight to
hell in under a week
I promise you that
The enemies area of operation is limited
to 4 miles long and 3 miles wide
around the base of the mountain
These 300 or so Japanese
soldiers are hold up in this area
and I know I have
your insurances
every last one of them
will be flush out
You will make a full division
sweep of that whole god damn area
I want a line 3 miles wide
and a width an arm length
Forget about the Japs, anything
thats moving or alive I want found
I want those Japs in
custody or in the ground
Good luck gentlemen
Fucking log
You guys got anything down there?
- Nothing here
- Alright move out
What about at the area
at the base now? Over
- Enemy?
- No
Did you see anything up there? Over
No buddy not a damn thing, over
- Keep your eyes out
- Okay
They know the land
a lot better than we do
Looks clear
Keep your eyes open
Incoming!
Shit! How many?
Come on
Go
Go
He's up there
Holy shit
Over there
Grenade
- That guy behind the rock
- Move it from the right
Move
Grenade
Lets take a look
at what we did captain
What have we gain?
All those marines are at our disposal
We captured six scared civilians
Kill three Japs soldiers
and lost 11 US marines
We failed
We underestimate them, sir.
Underestimate them?
We could even find
them for christ sake
Who is this fuck character Lewis?
What is his fucking name?
ls he some kind of a magician?
ls he Harry Houdini?
He's responsible for the bobby traps
and he's probably the who mark
the baby for us to find colonel
He's a clever man
Clever my ass
What do you think The
Brass are going to say?
We did shit, thats what
they're going to say
and they maybe right
Get out of my fucking office
Excuse me, I heard you got a
woman here who knows
about the fox
The fox, what fox?
All the civilians we brought
down from the mountains
They're all civilians here captain
Captain wait you
can't go in there
- Colonel
- Big man
Thank you sir
I still don't get the Japs captain
Captain Sekae Oba,
The fox
That's his name colonel
Is that fact?
Take care Lewis
Good luck sir
When you get this Oba character
you tell him something for me
Yes sir. What's that sir?
You tell him
Tell he's a son-of-a-bitch
I'm sure to let him know sir
Attention
- Breezy, take me to the air field
- Yes sir
Dismissed
Pass me the ball. Pass me the ball
You know the first
thing I did when
I found out there was
a sign of Saipan,
I must have grab
that fishing rod?
I never use it or at
least I can think about it
Well I hope one day we can
go fishing come sooner than later sir
So do I captain. So do I
Atten-hut
There's no secret you know
more about this place than I do
I like to hear your thoughts,
tell me what you know
Well sir we been carry
the directus from
the site warfare boys in an
effort to get them to surrender
We had some success
with individual stragglers
Not with the larger group whom
we think they still hiding
out in the mountains
Sit down
What would you do differently?
Well sir I want to
continue this leaflets
But I would like to
make some of our own.
Tailored specifically to the
hold out on this island
and we have to stop
using the word Toco
The Japanese are a very proud
people and they will not surrender
I'm aware of that captain
Go on
We need to give them a away
out without shaming themselves sir
Perhaps tell them to cease
resistance rather than surrender
Alright captain
Right now you pursue
that course of action
Just that know our time is
limited so keep me in the loop
That's all, dismissed
Yes sir, thank you sir
Captain
You seem to have an
understanding of this culture
What is at the heart
of this absolute
commitment to Japanese
have in no surrender?
Are you familiar with this sir?
Captain
I do not want Japan or America to
further engage in this unnecessary war
I would try to help
Really?
Who was that? What was he doing?
Take a look
- I got nothing
- Check the windows
- No one's here
- You got anything?
What was Oba doing in the camp?
Gathering information and supplies
He was trying to verify some photos
and?
I told him, it was true,
he was shocked
Colonel I think we
need to try something
more aggressive to get
them to surrender
Such as?
We should promise
them food and medicine
When they come, we lay
a trap and capture them
No, absolutely not, that will not
honorable nor very effective
If we do that, the other left on
the mountain will never surrender
Colonel, treachery here
is not the answer
Mr Baba says he will
go up the Mountain
and convince them to come down
Well Mr Baba, The Japanese
person like yourself can
convince them to come down,
Im happy have you try
Perhaps a little Japanese to Japanese
talk will us all some good
At this point we have nothing to lose
Captain, you have my
permission to do what ever
you need to do to bring
back a peaceful resolution
Please make sure that Motoki-son
here gets what ever he needs to
Please wait outside
I will call you if he agrees
to meet with you
Okay, if only if he agrees
I do not want him to
think we trying to trap him
of course captain
Don't worry about us,
we stay out of your way
Thank you
Wait
Its time
Fall back
Get him clear
Go
Come on. Lets go
Don't shoot. Stop
He has no idea
Stop
Fire
Cover 3
Get down
Shoot back
Japs
Fire
Ceased fire
Help me get him out of here
What the hell just happened?
- Are you understood this men?
- I don't know
Reuben is not going to make it
Somebody's over here
Let get these guys to the hospital
Go on
Emperor Hirahito
announcement of Japan
unconditional surrenders
were recorded and later
broadcast to his loyal subject
Even with the knowledge of
Japan total capitulation,
neither Oba nor his men are willing
to come down off the mountain
- You wanted to see me colonel
- Yeah come in captain
According to a message
from the Japanese camp,
Oba is saying that
he wanted to meet
Oda does? Has he agree to surrender?
No
He want to meet the representative of
the American Armed Forces
Captain Oba is nothing
if not consistent
He wanted his way right
to the bitter end
I like to be the one to meet
him if you permit me sir
Permission granted
Thank you sir
You admire him don't you captain?
I do sir
Where do you learn English?
ln singapore
Because war
You speak good English
Thank you
You got an American girlfriend?
No
Watch the road
Please stop
What's that?
You guys wait here
Wait
On December 1st 1945.
At the foot of the Mountain
Tapochau on the island of Saipan.
Following 512 days of fighting,
The war finally ended for
The Captain Sakae Oba
and his army of 47.
Sir