# Last Soldiers To Die In World War 2? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156 "2009-12-06T02:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/1 "2009-12-06T02:45:22Z")
Who were the last soldiers to die on the Western, Eastern, and Pacific fronts of World War 2? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/2 "2009-12-06T03:13:29Z")
Do you include combatants who later died of their injuries? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/3 "2009-12-06T03:18:39Z")
And do you include the holdouts who lasted for weeks/months after the official end of the war? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/4 "2009-12-06T03:19:23Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Do you include combatants who later died of their injuries? No. > [@kunilou](#): > > And do you include the holdouts who lasted for weeks/months after the official end of the war? From what I’ve studied there weren’t much holdouts on the European fronts. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/5 "2009-12-06T03:24:46Z")
there were pretty serious holdouts well into 1946 in the Philippines. my father said he was in very serious firefights there well after the war ended. This doesn’t count the lone japanese survivalists who held out 20-30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/6 "2009-12-06T03:28:19Z")
**December 31, 1946:** President Harry S. Truman [ended state of hostilities](http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=12571) in World War II. **Name: Thomas L. Babb** Death Date: 16 June 1946 Cemetery: Epinal American Cemetery Cemetery Burial Plot: Plot A Row 37 Grave 30 Cemetery City: Epinal Cemetery Country: France WAR: World War II Title: Technical Sergeant Rank: Technical Sergeant Service: U.S. Army Air Forces Service ID: 37379261 Division: 1922nd Ordnance Ammunition Company, Aviation Data Source: World War II Honor Roll **Name: Blas Chacon** Death Date: 26 June 1946 Cemetery: Florence American Cemetery Cemetery Burial Plot: Plot D Row 2 Grave 25 Cemetery City: Florence Cemetery Country: Italy WAR: World War II Title: Private Rank: Private Service: U.S. Army Service ID: 38713574 Division: 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division Data Source: World War II Honor Roll ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/7 "2009-12-06T05:01:19Z")
> [@](#): > > This doesn’t count the lone japanese survivalists who held out 20-30 years. At least one is still “holding out”. Lt Hiroo Onoda refused to surrender until 1974. And he’s still alive at the age of 87. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-soldiers-to-die-in-world-war-2/520156/8 "2009-12-06T11:53:24Z")
I think we can take the OP to mean “Killed in action”, and I think this partially answers the question. [http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/The\_Last\_to\_Die.html](http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/The_Last_to_Die.html)