We do not need to add mythical tales when reality provides a drama played out in all its honor and tragedy. But are we really to believe that a sizable force of trained Japanese soldiers was decimated by an onslaught of crocodiles? Crocodile attacks on humans are common in places where large crocodilians are native and human populations live. [2] The mugger crocodile is also very dangerous to humans, killing several people in India every year and with a fatality rate that is almost as high (slightly less than half of all attacks are fatal). On all fronts, they were attacked by the Allied forces in full strength, leaving them to either surrender or Troops of Japanese Fifteenth Army on the border of Burma. 900 soldiers entered the swamp only 20 emerged. According to one Allied commander: Saltwater crocodiles made a meal of the Japanese soldiers after they were bombed and strafed by the RAAF. How to use in-sentence of "trap": + Cilia and mucus along the inside wall of the nasal cavity trap and remove dust and germs from the air as it flows through the nasal cavity. Find out what happened when 900 Japanese soldiers, trapped by a British landing on Ramree Island, Burma in 1945, tried to retreat through 10 miles of mangrove swamps. The majority of attacks recorded below have occurred in Southeast Asia and Australia. The largest crocodile alive is Cassius who is about 100 years old. 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 Of about one thousand Japanese soldiers that entered the swamps of Ramree, only about twenty were found alive.. Explore this storyboard about World War II, Adolf Hitler, Military by HowStuffWorks on Flipboard. Innumerable crocodiles had gathered in the swamps under the water, attracted by the smell of blood coming from the dead and wounded Japanese soldiers. Hundreds of crocodiles lurked in the murky waters, hungry for human flesh. 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. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. It was clear that the constant dosage of blood essences was losing its effectiveness for Yue Zhong, and if he continued at his current rate of consumption, it was most . Swamps are their natural habitat, and humans are no match for their speed, size, agility, and raw power. The largest crocodile ever killed was a saltwater crocodile that measured 23 feet and weighed 2,370 pounds. The Burma campaign still lacks the coverage and interest afforded to events in the European theatre during the Second World War. The new discoveries have been given the names Riparovenator milnerae and Ceratosuchops inferodios, translating respectively to "Milner's riverbank hunter," in honor of paleontologist Angela Milner, and the more colorful "hell-heron horned crocodile-face.". More importantly, focussing on such a wholly ungrounded event underplays the courageous role played by the Fourteenth Army in what was one of the most brutal theatres of the Second World War. The worst "mass attack" by crocodiles allegedly occurred during World War II on the night of 19 February 1945, when approximately 1000 Japanese soldiers found themselves pinned down in a mangrove swamp separating Ramree Island from the mainland of Myanmar (then Burma). Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. The quest for a bird that continues to defy international sanctions. This story has gained increasing credence in recent years. So, instead of accepting their fate, they chose to make an 8-mile journey through the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island. On February 8, 2009, 5-year-old Jeremy Doble was attacked by a crocodile in far north, On March 15, 2009, 11-year-old Briony Goodsell was killed by a crocodile when swimming with friends at Lambells Lagoon near. They decided to take their chances in the swamp rather than surrender. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter 33(2): 29-30. The 4th Indian Infantry Brigade had advanced to Ledaung Chaung and then moved east to reinforce the attack; the town fell on 9 February. An estimate put naval gunfire support from 4 January to 13 March for the land operations at Akyab, Ramree and Cheduba at 23,000 shells. Several British soldiers said that the crocodiles preyed on the Japanese soldiers in the swamp. Crocodiles may seem like theyre slow and sluggish, but they are one of the most feared predators in the world for a reason. The majority of Japanese soldiers died in combat or drowned, despite the fact that many British soldiers witnessed crocodiles eating dead Japanese bodies. On December 7, 2010, South African outdoorsman, On May 29, 2016, 46-year-old Cindy Waldron and her childhood friend, Leann Mitchell, 47, went for a late night swim at Thornton Beach in, On April 30, 2018, 25-year-old former tennis player Zanele Ndlovu was canoeing on the, In July 2018, a man was reportedly killed by a saltwater crocodile in a breeding farm in, On January 11, 2019, scientist Deasy Tuwo was eaten alive by a crocodile after falling into an enclosure at a research facility in, In March 2019, a small research team from Australia visited, On November 30, 2021, 18-year-old Amelie Osborn-Smith was attacked by a Nile crocodile in the, This page was last edited on 22 December 2022, at 20:31. 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. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. Salt-water crocodiles, some of them well over 20 ft (6.1 m) long frequented these waters. The battleship, named for five brothers killed in the Pacific, was the first American warship designated in honor of more than one person. Men of the Wiltshire Regiment from the 26th Indian Infantry Division prepare a meal beside a temple on Ramree Island. Director Steve Lawson Writer Steve Lawson Stars Charlie Bond Steven Dolton Ryan Harvey See production, box office & company info Watch on Prime Video 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 https://www.coffeeordie.com/crocodiles-eat-soldiers Trevor Pomfret Jayma April 15, 2022. 14 (4): 391405. Moreover, even a medium-sized saltwater crocodile could easily kill a human. As I am writing this police are still searching for the girl. 0 20 2 minutes read. The rest were according to legend, eaten by crocodiles. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Reconnaissance carried out on 14 January 1945, found that Japanese forces were placing artillery in caves overlooking the landing beaches on Ramree and the Royal Navy assigned the battleship HMSQueen Elizabeth, the escort carrier HMSAmeer, light cruiser HMSPhoebe, the destroyers Rapid, Napier, Norman and Pathfinder, with the sloops Flamingo and HMISKistna. McLynn is disturbed by the willingness of other writers to cite the details provided by Wright and the Guinness Book of Records without confirming the veracity of such information. Crocodiles appeared when the Japanese got deeper into the swamp. "[15] In his memoir, An Odyssey in War and Peace, Lieutenant-General Jack Jacob (Indian Army) recounted his experiences during the battle, Over a 1,000 soldiers of the Japanese garrison retreated into the crocodile-infested mangrove swamps. In September 2005, Russell Harris, a 37-year-old British engineer, was killed by a large saltwater crocodile while snorkeling off Picnic Beach in Australia. Where did Japanese soldiers get eaten by crocodiles? 111114. The Japanese didnt realize that these mangrove swamps were a death trap in disguise, but they wouldnt figure that out until later. On the 19th of the month, the Japanese unit attempted to make its way through 10 miles of swamp to link up with a larger unit. Unfortunately, he died of congestive heart failure in February 2013. 13. 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. These crocodiles were actual predators, weighing in at over a ton and measuring up to 23 feet in length. Describing the incident in his 1962 book Wildlife Sketches, the Canadian naturalist Bruce Stanley Wright wrote that an estimated 1,000 Japanese soldiers fled into the marshes and that only 20 came out alive. Unknown to the Imperial Japanese Army, the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island are home to an unknown number of the largest reptilian predator in the world - the saltwater crocodile. "[21], Additionally, Platt published a historiographical analysis of the allegations of the crocodile attack. He prides himself on uncovering the most fascinating tales of history by sharing them through any means of engaging storytelling. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. What animal has the strongest armor? All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Circa 1945 was the year when the Imperial Japan invasion of Asia was nearing its ends. February 1945, Japanese forces on Ramree island attempt to withdraw from the British and link up with a larger force. 1.7K views, 54 likes, 0 loves, 2 comments, 9 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Coffee or Die Magazine: Did crocodiles really eat hundreds of Japanese soldiers in World War II? Wood, The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. Its been dubbed one of the worst crocodile attacks in the Guinness Book of World Records. One thing is for certain: When given the choice of surrendering or taking chances in a crocodile-infested swamp, choose surrender. The British didnt pursue the fleeing troops closely because the Allies knew what awaited the enemy inside this natural death trap: crocodiles. The story of the Ramree massacre was reported in a number of papers, but the tale is still largely apocryphal. Frank McLynn, a prominent British historian on the Burma campaign, effectively denounces the crocodile aggression account in his thorough analysis of the Allied effort to retake Burma from the Japanese, The Burma Campaign: Disaster into Triumph 1942-1945 (2011). The short version is that a large number of Japanese soldiers (between 400 to 1000 depending on the "source") were eaten by saltwater crocodiles during the night of Feb 19th 1945 during the battle of Ramree island as part of the Burma campaign. Royal Flying Doctor Service/Reuters. Out of the 1,000 Japanese soldiers that ventured into the mangrove swamps, its estimated that only 480 made it out alive. On the night of the 19th of February 1945, Allied forces in Burma were allegedly aided in their efforts by a group of reptiles which decimated over 90% of their enemy. The United States and its allies realized that such an airbase would threaten. Unlike other "man-eating" crocodiles, such as the saltwater crocodile, the Nile crocodile lives in proximity to human populations, so contact is more frequent. Saltwater crocodiles are the largest reptiles in the world. Some editions of the Guinness Book of World Records have attributed the highest number of fatalities in an animal attack to the battle; zoologists and modern military historians have dismissed these claims. A massive saltwater crocodile (via Wikimedia). In April 2010, a 25-year-old woman from New Jersey was killed by a saltwater crocodile while snorkeling in India's Andaman Islands. 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. The swamps were full of saltwater crocodiles. The incident appears in the Guinness records: Ramree Island was the scene of an alleged massacre of Japanese . While the Ramree Island Massacre story may seem far-fetched, it is a true story. The Battle of Ramree - World War II. Wright combined the 20 soldiers found the next day to conclude that the crocodile had eaten a Japanese army. Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has announced plans to divert traffic from the Clock Tower junction along Entebbe road for two months starting January 14th up to March 14th, 2023. (2015). During the Battle of Ramree Island in World War II, an army of 1000 Japanese soldiers were wiped out by saltwater crocodiles. Gustave, a Nile crocodile once described as a serial killer by National Geographic, is believed to have killed as many as 300 people in the east African nation of Burundi in the 1980s and 1990s. However, there is no specific mention of the crocodile attack devouring over 900 Japanese. [18][19] One study posited the number of attacks by Nile crocodiles per year as 275 to 745, of which 63% are fatal, as opposed to an estimated 30 attacks per year by saltwater crocodiles, of which 50% are fatal. . Historydefined.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Copyright 2023 History Defined | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. 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. However, the. In January 1945, two infantry brigades from the Indian Army and a detachment of British commandos were dispatched to Ramree Island, the largest island off the coast of present-day Myanmar (then known as Burma). However, death toll estimates vary. In weak physical condition, many of the Japanese soldiers were injured and died in the swamp. 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The design was hopelessly flawed. Not a single one did. 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. Who Were the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece? This was particularly so in the mangrove swamps where such reptiles thrive, like on Ramree Island. A Cultural Herpetology of Nile Crocodiles in Africa. When Crocodiles Attack: The Ramree Island Massacre. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter 34(2): 21-22. One by one the crocodiles picked off the soldiers at night, dragging them into the swamp and mauling them to death. This type of crocodile can grow as much as 20 feet in length and can weigh about 22,000 pounds. Wikimedia CommonsBritish Marines landing on Ramree Island in January 1945 at the beginning of the six-week battle. The soldiers were viciously and mercilessly attacked by the crocodiles. Inspired by actual events during World War 2. On 21 January, an hour before the 71st Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier R. C. Cotterell-Hill) was to land, Queen Elizabeth opened fire with 69 rounds of 15in (380mm)-shell from the main battery, the fall of shot being watched by aircraft from Ameer. In 1945 during the Battle of Ramree Island an estimated 500 Japanese soldiers entered the swamps of Ramree island, Burma, according to the stories less than 20 of them emerged. Details of a fatal attack on a human by a Morelets crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) in Belize. Refresh the. [8] It took until 16 April for the airfield to be used for transport sorties, Akyab having come into use on 1 April. Sgt. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Your email address will not be published. The body is protected against danger and predator. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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