But exactly how many men died in the maws of the mighty crocs remains up for debate because no one knows how many troops succumbed to disease, dehydration, or starvation as opposed to predation. Unfortunately, the battle was at a standstill until the . [10], In the 1965 edition of the British official history, Stanley Woodburn-Kirby wrote that the Japanese force suffered about 500 men killed and twenty men taken prisoner; British losses were "trifling".[11]. No purchase necessary. The scattered rifle shots in the pitch black swamp punctured by the screams of wounded men crushed in the jaws of huge reptiles, and the blurred worrying sound of spinning crocodiles made a cacophony of hell that has rarely been duplicated on earth. The battle is known for claims that many Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles in the mangrove swamps of Ramree. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. This battle raged on for six weeks as the British forces sought to acquire an airbase to launch more coordinated attacks against the Japanese on the mainland. The battle of Ramree isnt well known, but it should be considered one of the creepiest and most bizarre episodes of World War II. The Japanese soldiers were soon faced with a decision: stay and die of disease or dehydration, venture further into the swamps, and risk being eaten alive. Unfortunately for the fleeing men, the mangrove jungle on Ramree Island is home to an unknown number of the largest reptilian predator in the world the saltwater crocodile. Ramree Island was captured by the Japanese in 1942. We do not need to add mythical tales when reality provides a drama played out in all its honor and tragedy. The Japanese soldiers were no match for these crocodiles. So, instead of accepting their fate, they chose to make an 8-mile journey through the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island. The crocodiles have a long history of attacking humans who wander into their habitats, seeing them as little more than taller, more awkward prey. In January 1996, I sat with 11 other scuba divers on the top deck of a 150 foot live aboard, watching the sunset over the mountains of Guadalcanal. While crocodiles are prolific killers, historians have long doubted that more than 800 Japanese soldiers were killed at Ramree Island in such a short period of time, and those doubts have only been affirmed by evidence uncovered in recent years that indicates that the true story was buried amid a flurry of sensational reporting. What happened next is a bit of a mystery; however, according to one version of the story the best-known version only 20 of the soldiers who entered the marshes made it out alive; the rest were eaten by crocodiles. Crocodile attacks are not always reported to local authorities, and some reports are difficult to verify. Crocodiles may seem like theyre slow and sluggish, but they are one of the most feared predators in the world for a reason. It just shows that you should never underestimate the power of nature. During the Battle of Ramree, crocs slaughtered and ate up between 500 and 900 people. Japanese soldiers hid in the swamp, not knowing of the danger that lies ahead - saltwater crocodiles! If the British 14th Army succeeded in taking the island, it could build an airbase there and use it as a launch point for bombing missions over Burma and Malaysia. Conservation & Society. Of the 1,000 troops who entered the swamp on Ramree Island, only a reported 480 survived. As part of their retreat they had to cross a 16km mangrove swamp. Some of them being so badly injured and mauled that they were later recaptured by the British forces. And as if these conditions werent bad enough, the swamps were also home to large saltwater crocodiles. The saltwater crocodile Cassius measures 17 feet three inches . The 4th Indian Infantry Brigade had advanced to Ledaung Chaung and then moved east to reinforce the attack; the town fell on 9 February. On 23 January, the 71st Infantry Brigade advanced southwards, down the west coast. After just a few days, these ravenous creatures devoured more than 500 Japanese soldiers. The British didnt pursue the fleeing troops closely because the Allies knew what awaited the enemy inside this natural death trap: crocodiles. Those who survived the battle reportedly didnt fare well when they chose the doomed escape route across the crocodile-infested waters. Nine hundred soldiers of an Imperial Japanese Army unit, in an attempt to retreat from the Royal Navy and rejoin a larger battalion of the Japanese infantry, crossed through sixteen kilometres (ten miles) of mangrove swamps that contained saltwater crocodiles. Osama, a saltwater crocodile named after the terrorist Usama Bin Laden, reportedly killed and ate 80 people in Uganda over a period of 14 years beginning in 1991. Upon entering Ramree Island in the Bay of Bengal in early 1945, Japanese troops encountered a very uncertain situation. In Burma, the Allies faced a fierce enemy not only adept in jungle warfare and but also notorious for their suicidal kamikaze charges. For example, the British official history (War against Japan Volume IV: The Reconquest of Burma, 1965 (2004)) serves as the main source in the study of the Fourteenth Armys attempt to drive the overstretched Japanese from Burma beginning in the late summer of 1944. 14 (4): 391405. In 2016, he decided to tackle the mystery of the Crocodile Massacre at Ramree Island after learning that the Guinness Book of World Records had relied on Wrights book for source material. A landing party of Japanese mistook North Australian tide times and heights , landing at low tide and getting stuck waist deep wading in mudflats in the Northern Territory . In addition, the references made to crocodiles are minimal compared to the passages detailing the dangers of malaria. And in an incident not unlike the infamous U.S.S Indianapolis shark attack that befell American troops later that year, many of these troops didnt survive. However, we must ask the question: did this event really occur? (2015). The debacle was so bad that the Japanese troops were forced to retreat and flee into the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island. This disease seriously hindered both sides attempt to gain control of the island. But, of course, the British werent surprised as saltwater crocodiles are notoriously territorial and will attack any human they view as a threat or potential food source. The body is protected against danger and predator. It was just that their levels were low. However, thousands of enemy troops held the island, causing an exhausting battle that went on for six weeks. They didnt know what exactly caused the shouts of terror they heard, but only that the Japanese troops were being ravaged by some evil menace. In April 2010, a 25-year-old woman from New Jersey was killed by a saltwater crocodile while snorkeling in India's Andaman Islands. The two sides were stuck in a standoff until the British Royal Marines along with the 36th Indian Infantry Brigade outflanked a Japanese position. In January 1945, forces of the Fourteenth Army landed on Ramree and the neighbouring island of Cheduba, to establish airfields for the supply of the mainland campaign. Winner will be selected at random on 02/01/2023. The Japanese didnt realize that these mangrove swamps were a death trap in disguise, but they wouldnt figure that out until later. Gas prices have fallen since mid-June. Ramree Island, part of Arakan (now Rakhine State), has an area of 520sqmi (1,350km2) and is separated from the mainland by a strait with an average width of about 490ft (150m); the island is 70mi (110km) south of Akyab (now Sittwe). A preliminary analysis of worldwide crocodilian attacks. So when nearly 1,000 panicked soldiers came dripping blood and sweat into the cramped confines of the Ramree mangrove swamp, the giant lizards likely had the feast of their lives. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. "[12] In his 1962 collection Wildlife Sketches Near and Far, Canadian naturalist and veteran of the Burma campaign Bruce S. Wright described the events of the battle, focusing on predation of the Japanese soldiers by the saltwater crocodiles. As the Indian and British troops closed in, the Japanese soldiers were faced with two options: They could stay and fight or attempt to flee through the marshes and escape by sea. Not a single one did. McLynn also questions the likelihood of over 900 Japanese troops being killed overnight despite possessing an effective means of defense. They decided to flee. The design was hopelessly flawed. A saltwater crocodile (photograph by Heather Paul). The story goes that during World War II, 1,000 Japanese soldiers were eaten by crocodiles on the island. The largest crocodile ever killed was a saltwater crocodile that measured 23 feet and weighed 2,370 pounds. Ultimately, he stated, "[t]he only crocodile-related deaths occurred when 10 to 15 soldiers were killed trying to ford Min Chaung, a tidal creek", and he therefore concluded that although the deaths of nearly 1000 Japanese soldiers during the Battle of Ramree Island are "well documented and undisputed", there is "little need to invoke crocodile predation. British soldiers landing on Ramree (via Wikimedia). Circa 1945 was the year when the Imperial Japan invasion of Asia was nearing its ends. In February of 1945, the Japanese army suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of British forces in Burma. During World War II, Ramree Island off the coast of Burma was the site of a number of military battles, but the truly terrifying action only began after the military maneuvers ended. The crocodiles, alerted by the din of warfare and the smell of blood, gathered among the mangroves, lying with their eyes above water, watchfully alert for their next meal. A depiction of a saltwater crocodile emerging from the water alongside British soldiers at Ramree Island during World War II. The current evidence, which is clear but limited, suggest we should not believe it. Her boyfriend caught the attack on film; the camera was recovered two days later along with her remains. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. And they werent shy about attacking either. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter 34(2): 21-22. The Tragic Story Of Over 900 Japanese Soldiers Slaughtered By Crocodiles | by L. Small | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. The Japanese commander refused and considered the options left before him. It took the lives of hundreds of Japanese soldiers. Japanese Soldiers Burma Crocodiles? "[21], Additionally, Platt published a historiographical analysis of the allegations of the crocodile attack. [1], The two species with the most well-known and documented reputation for preying on humans are the Nile crocodile and saltwater crocodile, and these are the perpetrators of the vast majority of both fatal and non-fatal crocodilian attacks. In addition, the references made to crocodiles are minimal compared to the passages detailing the dangers of malaria. The Island had been captured by the Imperial Japanese Army in early 1942, during the invasion of Burma. In the memoir, Wright described how he arrived on Ramree after the main battle concluded. Dr. Sam Willis, an award-winning historian, archaeologist, and host of National Geographics Nazi Weird War Two, investigated some of World War IIs most bizarre stories, including Hitlers methheads and Himmlers haunted castle. Phoebe also joined the bombardment, along with Consolidated B-24 Liberators, North American B-25 Mitchells and Republic P-47 Thunderbolts of 224 Group Royal Air Force (RAF), under the command of HQ RAF Bengal and Burma, that strafed and bombed the beaches. Where did Japanese soldiers get eaten by crocodiles? On mainland Burma, diseases such as malaria accounted for almost half the total death toll of Allied forces. the 26th Indian Division attacked Ramree while . Only a handful came out alive". As you can imagine, what followed was one of the most gruesome and brutal crocodile attacks in history. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. The defeated Japanese soldiers ignored all appeals by the British for their surrender, and instead abandoned their base and entered the swamp. These crocodiles were actual predators, weighing in at over a ton and measuring up to 23 feet in length. The Allies also had to deal with challenges posed by logistics and supply problems, as well as malaria, cholera, and various other diseases. However this has not stopped the Guinness Book of World Records to name the incident the Most Number of Fatalities in a Crocodile Attack. A dubious distinction for a horrible event, no matter the real numbers. [7], On 26 January in Operation Sankey, a Royal Marine force landed on Cheduba island, about 6.2mi (10km) offshore of the south-west coast of Ramree Island and found it unoccupied. A Cultural Herpetology of Nile Crocodiles in Africa. The Imperial Japanese Army decided that a full retreat was in order after their defeat in Burma at the hands of British forces. "Level 3 Skill: Water Flow Manipulation. Men of the Wiltshire Regiment from the 26th Indian Infantry Division prepare a meal beside a temple on Ramree Island. British troops monitored the situation from afar at the edge of the swamp. Unfortunately, he died of congestive heart failure in February 2013. Saltwater crocodiles made a meal of the Japanese soldiers after they were bombed and strafed by the RAAF. [22] Interviewing other members of the S.R.U., Wright reported that two of the men abandoned their paddleboards during the battle and climbed up a mangrove tree to avoid a crocodile. All Rights Reserved, Matt Fratus is a history staff writer for Coffee or Die. Offer subject to change without notice. The most prominent firsthand retelling of what happened comes from naturalist Bruce Stanley Wright, who participated in the Battle of Ramree Island and gave this written account: That night [of February 19, 1945] was the most horrible that any member of the M.L. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter 28(1): 911. Troops of Japanese Fifteenth Army on the border of Burma. [2] Contents Mosquitoes, spiders, poisonous snakes, and scorpions hid in the thick forest and picked off some troops one by one. Last updated on July 22nd, 2022 at 09:57 pm. Many of the Japanese troops succumbed to tropical diseases carried by swarms of mosquitoes, as well as the various poisonous spiders, snakes and scorpions found in the marsh. Havelock Island, where the attack took place, lies 72 kilometres (45mi) from the Lohabarrack Salt Water Crocodile Sanctuary. Royal Flying Doctor Service/Reuters. There was a story that hundreds of people died getting slaughter by crocodiles in just one night. The nights were said to have been filled with dire screams, gunfire, and the sounds of animal attacks. The incident appears in the Guinness records: Ramree Island was the scene of an alleged massacre of Japanese . All rights reserved. [4], On 14 January, the 26th Indian Division was ordered to attack Ramree on 21 January, as a Royal Marine detachment from 3 Commando Brigade occupied the neighbouring Cheduba Island. In Hawaii, the Corps deactivated the famous 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. There is a long history of saltwater crocodiles attacking humans who wander into their habitats, and ultimately only 520 out of 1000 Japanese soldiers managed to survive the Ramree swamps. A band of soldiers in search of a secret Japanese ammunition store face off against deadly saltwater crocodiles in the swamps of Ramree Island. The weary and bloodied soldiers thrashing clumsily through the swamps may as well have been a dinner bell ringing. 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