On mainland Burma, diseases such as malaria accounted for almost half the total death toll of Allied forces. British troops sit near a temple on Ramree Island. Wikimedia CommonsBritish Marines landing on Ramree Island in January 1945 at the beginning of the six-week battle. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. Of course, the threat posed by saltwater crocodiles was an ever-present one in the Far Eastern theatre of World War Two. Even worse, saltwater crocodiles are nocturnal and excel at taking prey in the dark. In addition, the references made to crocodiles are minimal compared to the passages detailing the dangers of malaria. An average saltwater crocodile can easily reach 23 feet. A massive saltwater crocodile (via Wikimedia). Upon entering Ramree Island in the Bay of Bengal in early 1945, Japanese troops encountered a very uncertain situation. 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. On Feb. 25, 1945, the British newspaper The Guardian reported that Japanese stragglers who are trying to escape from Ramree Island off the west coast of Burma, are being forced by hunger out of mangrove swamps and many have been killed by crocodiles. From there, the story took on a life of its own. Gas prices have fallen since mid-June. They decided to flee. 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Two days later Mayin was occupied and the troops reached the Yanbauk Chaung the next day. In addition, the references made to crocodiles are minimal compared to the passages detailing the dangers of malaria. On January 26, 1945, British troops made their way to Ramree Island so that they could establish a new airbase. A Cacophony Of Hell: The Story Of The Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre. Photoshopped photo courtesy of opposingfronts.com. Swamps are their natural habitat, and humans are no match for their speed, size, agility, and raw power. What will one do when you have to face death on both ends of a road The incident was even included in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1968 under worst crocodile disaster in the world as well as most fatalities in a crocodile attack (despite there being not a single death officially recorded). You have to rendezvous with another group of soldiers on the other side of the island but the only way to do so is to traverse a thick swamp filled with deadly crocodiles. By doing this, allied forces split the remaining party in two, leaving a group of 1,000 soldiers isolated and trapped. Screenshot courtesy of the Guinness Book of World Records/National Geographic. They faced an enemy as old as the dinosaurs and just as fierce.Help support my channel - see below for details:https://www.paypal.me/markfeltonproductionhttps://www.patreon.com/markfeltonproductionsDisclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. [9], In 1965, the British official historian, Stanley Woodburn Kirby, wrote that the Japanese defence of the island and the escape of about 500 men against "fearful odds", had been courageous and determined. These Japanese troops told their captors about the crocodiles. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. Wood, The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. It was just that their levels were low. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.Thanks: Bernard Dupont 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.. (2014). 14 (4): 391405. How 1000 Soldiers Were EATEN by Crocodiles #ramreeisland #jre #jreclips #forrestgalante #crocodiles #ww2history #podcast #fyp #foryou #foryoupage. However, thousands of enemy troops held the island, causing an exhausting battle that went on for six weeks. [2], The early capture of Akyab made the 26th Indian Infantry Division (Major-General Henry Chambers) available for an attack on Ramree Island, 70mi (110km) to the south, the island being 50mi (80km) long and 20mi (32km) wide, flat and an obvious site for airfields. Her boyfriend caught the attack on film; the camera was recovered two days later along with her remains. The two sides were stuck in a standoff until the British Royal Marines along with the 36th Indian Infantry Brigade outflanked a Japanese position. 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.. The battle is known for claims that hundreds of Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles in the mangrove swamps of Ramree. Some editions of the Guinness Book of World Records have attributed the highest number of fatalities in a crocodile attack to the battle; zoologists and modern military historians have dismissed these claims. How many Japanese soldiers were actually eaten by salt water crocodiles? Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Screenshot showing the 2017 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records adding a note to the previous edition correcting information about the claim that saltwater crocodiles killed hundreds of Japanese soldiers at Ramree Island in World War II. [5] The Japanese garrison of Ramree consisted of the II Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment (Colonel Kanichi Nagazawa), part of the 54th Division, with artillery and engineer detachments to act as an independent force. Its been dubbed one of the worst crocodile attacks in the Guinness Book of World Records. Darragh O Herlihy is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. 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. [2] Contents Crocodiles. 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. Many of the remainder may have been eaten by the crocodiles, although since this incident took place during an active military conflict, it is impossible to know how many deaths can be directly attributed to the crocodiles instead of combat-related causes.[20]. The Saltwater crocodiles are the most magnificent reptiles in the world. Nine vets clinched their first world record of their breakneck skydiving expedition on Saturday, Jan. 14. He also gathered military records that stated that the majority of Japanese soldiers were shot dead by the Allies or simply drowned in the swamp. [2], Eight other species have been involved in fatal attacks on humans, but in far lower numbers than the Nile, saltwater and mugger crocodiles, and also with significantly lower fatality rates (a higher percentage of their attacks are non-fatal). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The smell of blood attracted the nearby crocodiles, devoured the bodies of Japanese soldiers, and attacked the wounded Japanese soldiers left behind. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. 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. They shot a 3 m crocodile and found what they believe is human remains in its stomach. All of the above crocodile attacks could have been avoided. 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. Too much bad in the world Let us not add to it On Ramree, the Japanese garrison resisted with great determination but on 1 February, the 71st Indian Infantry Brigade reached Sane and parts of the 36th Indian Infantry Brigade, from reserve, took Sagu Kuyun Island and relieved the marines on Cheduba Island. [1][3][13] Four of them, the Siamese crocodile, broad-snouted caiman, spectacled caiman and yacare caiman, each are suspected to have been the perpetrator of a single fatal attack on a child (smaller and therefore a more likely target than an adult), although for each of these cases the identity of the species is not completely certain.[14][15][16][17]. They used to call the crocodiles the allies. A depiction of a saltwater crocodile emerging from the water alongside British soldiers at Ramree Island during World War II. Their only escape was through the swamp. [20], In 2000, herpetologist Steven G. Platt visited Ramree Island, where he interviewed residents who had been alive during the war and who had been forced into slave labor by the Japanese; they "unanimously discounted any suggestion that large numbers of Japanese fell prey to crocodiles." 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. Havelock Island, where the attack took place, lies 72 kilometres (45mi) from the Lohabarrack Salt Water Crocodile Sanctuary. The Tragic Story Of Over 900 Japanese Soldiers Slaughtered By Crocodiles | by L. Small | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. In February of 1945, the Japanese army suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of British forces in Burma. Of the 1,000 troops who entered the swamp on Ramree Island, only a reported 480 survived. One by one the crocodiles picked off the soldiers at night, dragging them into the swamp and mauling them to death. No Japanese survived . If Wright's claims were correct, the Ramree crocodile attacks would still be the most tragic . pp. Trapped in deep mud-filled land, tropical diseases soon started to afflict the soldiers, as did scorpions, tropical mosquitoes and saltwater crocodiles. The island that holds the world-record for largest human massacre caused by animals. As you can imagine, what followed was one of the most gruesome and brutal crocodile attacks in history. However there were around 500 more of the escaping men who never left the swamp. [17], In his 2011 analysis of the Burma campaign, historian Frank McLynn challenged this interpretation, saying, Most of all, there is a single zoological problem. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. There was a story that hundreds of people died getting slaughter by crocodiles in just one night. Cheduba Island was not garrisoned and the 22nd East African Brigade was sent to hold Ramree Island. The rest were according to legend, eaten by crocodiles. Reportedly, the Japanese troops, as if they hadn't endured enough, became victims to countless Saltwater crocodile attacks. 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 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. Resistance at the chaung from the troops of the II Battalion, 121st Regiment increased and on 31 January, the 71st Brigade was ordered to move inland, north-east towards Sane, then head south towards Ramree town. Some British soldiers, including naturalist Bruce Stanley Wright, who participated in the expedition, claimed that crocodiles attacked and ate numerous Japanese soldiers. Crocodile attacks on humans are common in places where large crocodilians are native and human populations live. 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. 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. The battleship, named for five brothers killed in the Pacific, was the first American warship designated in honor of more than one person. We do not need to add mythical tales when reality provides a drama played out in all its honor and tragedy. 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. To counter this, he tries to provide a rational argument and bring a voice of reason to the debate. We went in with boats and interpreters using loudhailers asking them to come out. "[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. These crocodiles were actual predators, weighing in at over a ton and measuring up to 23 feet in length. The Legend of Dick Bong: World War II Ace of Aces, Medal of Honor Recipient and Crocodile Killer? [3][12], In addition to these, the freshwater crocodile, Philippine crocodile, Siamese crocodile, broad-snouted caiman, spectacled caiman, yacare caiman and gharial have been involved in non-fatal attacks. [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. 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. This suggests that the Japanese did not suffer a major setback of over 900 men finished off on the night of February 19th. Furthermore, this official account which contains no mention of the massacre, nevertheless emphasizes the fierce Japanese resistance which lasted into April 1945. Despite these numerous hazards, one danger stood out as the greatest. Who Were the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece? The navy also carried 54,000 men, 1,000 vehicles, 14,000 long tons (14,000t) of stores and 800 animals. + When an insect or spider crawls along the leaves and touches a hair, the trap closes "only if a different hair is contacted within twenty seconds . Crocodiles appeared when the Japanese got deeper into the swamp. ----------------Visit my unique travel channel on Youtube - Traveling on the Go ----------------- Here is the claim: Allied forces in the Pacific War during World War II trapped 1,000 Japanese soldiers in a mangrove swamp off the coast of Burma in the early months of 1945. The naturalist Bruce Stanley Wright described the scene unfolding in his 1962 book,Wildlife Sketches Near and Far: That night was the most horrible that any member of the M.L. During one of the nights, the British could hear the Japanese soldiers trying to fight the man-eating crocodiles, but their screams were quickly silenced. Crocodiles are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will eat anything they can get their mouths on, making the Japanese soldiers the perfect prey. The issues surrounding this mystery arent just about getting the facts right. Troops of Japanese Fifteenth Army on the border of Burma. One night the British soldiers reported hearing panicked screams and gunfire emanating from within the darkness of the swamp. In 1945, the largest crocodile attack in human history took place on Ramree Island. The Troubled History of the Amityville Horror Hous, The Dutch East India Company, the most valuable co, The Life of Ching Shih, the Worlds Most Successfu, Who Were the Carpetbaggers and Scalawags of Recons, The Wild and Debaucherous History of Studio 54, The Lovers of Valdaro A Double Burial From Neolithic Italy, The Strange Historical Origins of the Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme. MELBOURNE, Aug 7 (Reuters) - An Australian Army soldier suffered serious head and chest injuries after being mauled by a crocodile that attacked him late on Friday, Australia media reported, with . If 'thousands of crocodiles' were involved in the massacre, as in the urban (jungle) myth, how had these ravening monsters survived before and how were they to survive later? As World War II was nearing its end in January of 1945, the island of Ramree off the coast of Burma was the scene of a desperate battle. British soldiers landing on Ramree (via Wikimedia). [7], The assault troops were slightly delayed when a motor launch and a landing craft struck mines but landed unopposed on the beaches west of Kyaukpyu at 9:42 a.m., securing the beachhead by the afternoon. And they werent shy about attacking either. With the ebb of the tide, the crocodiles moved in on the dead, wounded, and uninjured men who had become mired in the mud.. They decided to take their chances in the swamp rather than surrender. Your email address will not be published. It just shows that you should never underestimate the power of nature. How Roman Military Tactics Won Them Their Empire. An analysis of blood on each soldier at every 3 meters of the swamp revealed that 24 percent of the soldiers had been killed by crocodiles. Unfortunately, the battle was at a standstill until the . The Type 2 Mutant Giant Crocodile was obviously stronger than many other Type 2 Mutant Beasts, however, its blood essence had only allowed Yue Zhong to gain 8 points in Vitality. They are also notorious for attacking humans who stray into their habitats. In all, some 500 Japanese fled Ramree despite the blockade created to stop them. In January 1945, two. Have you ever heard of Ramree Island? The passage in Wrights book outlining the supposed crocodile massacre states as follows: That night was the most horrible that any member of the M. L. [motor launch] crews ever experienced. However, death toll estimates vary. An accurate count of annual crocodile attacks on humans is difficult to obtain. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. Military officials decided to press on, and the Japanese continued their journey through the mangrove swamps. (now Myanmar). 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. The 4th Brigade was to keep the defenders at Yanbauk Chaung under pressure and follow up vigorously should they retire. On 23 January, the 71st Infantry Brigade advanced southwards, down the west coast. A subject of much debate and intrigue among World War II historians, the story of how hundreds of Japanese troops met their gruesome fate in the crocodile-infested marshes of Ramree Island became so widely believed that it was included in the Guinness Book of World Records under the entry for most fatalities in a crocodile attack. Human-Tomistoma interactions in central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. 1000 armed soldiers killed by crocodiles in 2 nights During world war 2, some 1000 armed Japanese soldiers were killed by a group of large crocodiles and medium crocodiles on Ramree island close to Bu. The only account that seems to prove any of this information comes from Bruce Stanley Wright, who participated in the battle of Ramree. However, those with a more investigative eye cannot help but be skeptical of this bizarre tale from history. What awaited them there was a horror beyond comprehension. Unfortunately, he died of congestive heart failure in February 2013. "[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. The crocodiles, alerted by the din of warfare and smell of blood, gathered among the mangroves, lying with their eyes above the water, watchfully alert for their next meal. The British then sent word that the smaller, isolated Japanese group should surrender. This is the terrible sound Wright heard in the night. At dawn the vultures arrived to clean up what the crocodiles had left.Of about one thousand Japanese soldiers that entered the swamps of Ramree, only about twenty were found alive." The Weapons The Japanese Type 26 revolver was a beautifully executed piece of tactical trash. [16], In 2006, Robert Duff, a veteran of the 26th Division, recorded an oral history for the BBC, stating, "after a few weeks we managed to push [the Japanese] to the swamp on the other side of the island, which was full of crocodiles. Unfortunately for the Japanese troops, the swamps of Ramree were infested by countless, very large saltwater crocodiles, which can grow upwards of 20 feet long and over a ton in weight. The survivors are reported to have told horrific tales of dozens of crocodiles attacking the soldiers en masse, and appearing out of seemingly nowhere to drag off some poor soul. However, there is no specific mention of the crocodile attack devouring over 900 Japanese. During World War II on one remote island in the South Pacific, a platoon of nearly a thousand armed Japanese troops entered crocodile infested swamps and most never returned; a dis [See More] Japanese Army vs. Killer Crocodiles 1945 Watch on Posted in these groups: WWII World War Two Military History World History Wildlife Posted >1 y ago The 20 Most Famous Last Words of All Time. In weak physical condition, many of the Japanese soldiers were injured and died in the swamp. British Marines landing on Ramree Island in January 1945 at the beginning of the six-week battle. After this look at the Battle of Ramree Island that has been dubbed the Ramree Island Massacre, see some of the most powerful World War II photos ever taken. The majority of Japanese soldiers died in combat or drowned, despite the fact that many British soldiers witnessed crocodiles eating dead Japanese bodies. What animal has the strongest armor? 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. Wikimedia Commons photo. Saltwater crocodiles can weigh more than 2,000 pounds and have one of the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom. 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. A preliminary analysis of worldwide crocodilian attacks. The reptiles can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh 2,000 pounds, but even a midsize saltwater crocodile could easily kill a full-grown adult human, with many being known toeat animals as vast as Indian water buffalo. 8. Photoshopped image courtesy of opposingfronts.com. 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. 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. After a bloody but successful campaign against the Japanese, the British soldiers managed to drive nearly 1,000 enemy combatants into the dense mangrove swamp that covered some ten miles of Ramree. Soon after entering the slimy mudhole, Japanese soldiers began to succumb to diseases, dehydration, and starvation. Only a handful came out alive". British veterans of the battle report hearing the piercing and never ending screams of the hundreds of Japanese soldiers in the night as the crocodiles attacked mercilessly. British soldiers witnessed crocodiles eating dead Japanese bodies the legend of Dick Bong: World II. 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Heart failure in February 2013 dehydration, and starvation bring a voice of reason to the detailing... Their way to Ramree Island in January 1945 at the hands of British forces in Burma (! To afflict the soldiers at Ramree Island crocodile massacre for claims that of! British soldiers witnessed crocodiles eating dead Japanese bodies measuring up to 23 feet for largest human massacre caused by.! Despite the blockade created to stop them the 71st Infantry Brigade advanced southwards, down the coast. For almost half the total death toll of Allied forces for attacking humans stray.
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