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. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. In Burma, the Allies faced a fierce enemy not only adept in jungle warfare and but also notorious for their suicidal kamikaze charges. 997. Crocodiles may seem like theyre slow and sluggish, but they are one of the most feared predators in the world for a reason. 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. In April 2010, a 25-year-old woman from New Jersey was killed by a saltwater crocodile while snorkeling in India's Andaman Islands. 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. Unfortunately, it seems that the Japanese didnt know what awaited them in the swamp, or they were so desperate to escape that they didnt care. [motor launch] crews ever experienced. Finally, the British soldiers realized the Japaneses situation and urged them to surrender to avoid further bloodshed. There was a story that hundreds of people died getting slaughter by crocodiles in just one night. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. [22] Likewise, vultures often appeared over areas [British] forces had never reached[22] Wright ultimately concluded the Japanese did not die from crocodiles alone but also from "thirst" and "wounds."[22]. Then, read up on Desmond Doss, the Hacksaw Ridge medic who saved dozens of soldiers lives during World War II. 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. A biologist solves the mystery of two dozen missing animal mummies. The route took the Japanese through 9.9mi (16km) of mangrove swamp and as they struggled through it, the British encircled the area. Wikimedia Commons photo. The fight for the island began after the Japanese landed on June 8, 1942, to begin construction of an airstrip. Your email address will not be published. The British then sent word that the smaller, isolated Japanese group should surrender. In January 1945, two. [7], The large number of ships was intended to provide more firepower in support of the landing force. 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. When Crocodiles Attack: The Ramree Island Massacre. Only 20 of the Japanese fighters made it out alive. Of course, the threat posed by saltwater crocodiles was an ever-present one in the Far Eastern theatre of World War Two. One night the British soldiers reported hearing panicked screams and gunfire emanating from within the darkness of the swamp. 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? Japanese resistance on the island ended on 17 February and the Allied blockade was maintained until 22 February, sinking many of the rescue craft and inflicting many casualties on the Japanese troops hiding in the mangrove swamps; about 500 troops managed to get away. 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. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. With the ebb of the tide, the crocodiles moved in on the dead, wounded, and uninjured men who had become mired in the mud, The scattered rifle shots in the pitch black swamp punctured by the screams of the 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. Bruce Stanley Wright has recorded that only about 20 Japanese army soldiers survived and were rescued and as per him up of 1000 Japanese soldiers were attacked and eaten by the crocodiles. It is not difficult to imagine what happened to the Japanese who took refuge in the mangroves! The body is protected against danger and predator. 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. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. 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. Read another story from us: The Soldier Who Went On A Suicide Mission Against The Japanese & Won. 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. (2012). 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. See. This story has gained increasing credence in recent years. Not a single one did. Cheduba Island was not garrisoned and the 22nd East African Brigade was sent to hold Ramree Island. "[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 rest were allegedly eaten alive by . Men of the Wiltshire Regiment from the 26th Indian Infantry Division prepare a meal beside a temple on Ramree Island. The majority of Japanese soldiers died in combat or drowned, despite the fact that many British soldiers witnessed crocodiles eating dead Japanese bodies. 2023 Atlas Obscura. Imagine youre part of a military force outflanked by the enemy on a tropical 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. [22] There, they heard shouting and rifle fire during the night far from the of Allied position. During World War II, The Japanese Imperial Army captured Ramree Island in 1942. pp. He thanks you for reading his content. [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." Rachmawan, D., and Brend, S. (2009). A Japanese air raid on 11 February seriously damaged a destroyer with a near miss and forty small craft were sent by the Japanese from the mainland to rescue the survivors of the garrison. They used to call the crocodiles the allies. [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. Thats when things went from bad to worse and the Ramree Island massacre began. 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. Gas prices have fallen since mid-June. What will one do when you have to face death on both ends of a road [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. [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. British troops monitored the situation from afar at the edge of the swamp. Various British soldiers did indeed witness crocodiles devouring dead Japanese bodies, but Willis ultimately determined that the majority of Japanese soldiers died in combat or drowned. The croc was shot by a hunter in Queensland, Australia, in 1957. the 26th Indian Division attacked Ramree while . On 23 January, the 71st Infantry Brigade advanced southwards, down the west coast. 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. [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. 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. 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. Those who survived the battle reportedly didnt fare well when they chose the doomed escape route across the crocodile-infested waters. Required fields are marked *. Military officials decided to press on, and the Japanese continued their journey through the mangrove swamps. You dont want to get bit by this creature, though, as their bite force is the strongest in the animal kingdom. 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. The Japanese understood that saltwater crocodiles have a reputation for eating humans but they went into the mangrove swamp of Ramree Island anyway. The battle is known for claims that many Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles in the mangrove swamps of Ramree. As the boat moved away from the shore and headed out to sea the intense heat and humidity of mid-summer began to fade as we sailed into an ocean climate. Some British soldiers, including naturalist Bruce Stanley Wright, who participated in the expedition, claimed that crocodiles attacked and ate numerous Japanese soldiers. Innumerable crocodiles had gathered in the swamps under the water, attracted by the smell of blood coming from the dead and wounded Japanese soldiers. 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. It has been estimated that about 1,000 people are killed by crocodilians each year. Unfortunately, the battle was at a standstill until the . Even worse, saltwater crocodiles are nocturnal and excel at taking prey in the dark. 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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. 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. A SCIENTIST was eaten alive by a 17ft long crocodile after being dragged into its enclosure while she fed it last week. Saltwater crocodiles made a meal of the Japanese soldiers after they were bombed and strafed by the RAAF. A massive saltwater crocodile (via Wikimedia). . Around 500 Japanese soldiers are thought to have escaped those mangrove swamps, and 20 of them were eventually recaptured by the British forces who had set up a perimeter around the thick wilderness. In February of 1945, the Japanese army suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of British forces in Burma. The unit was trapped and had no way to reach the safety of the larger battalion. The smell of blood attracted nearby crocodiles, so the bodies of Japanese soldiers were eaten by crocodiles. Crocodile attacks are not always reported to local authorities, and some reports are difficult to verify. [3] The experience in co-operation between the 26th Indian Division and the navy in the war of chaungs and small ports along the Arakan coast was intended to be exploited in the attack. [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. On mainland Burma, diseases such as malaria accounted for almost half the total death toll of Allied forces. 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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. They decided to flee. Offer subject to change without notice. One by one the crocodiles picked off the soldiers at night, dragging them into the swamp and mauling them to death. He prides himself on uncovering the most fascinating tales of history by sharing them through any means of engaging storytelling. Reportedly, the Japanese troops, as if they hadn't endured enough, became victims to countless Saltwater crocodile attacks. 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. The Imperial Japanese Army decided that a full retreat was in order after their defeat in Burma at the hands of British forces. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. [21] He established that Bruce S. Wright had not been present on Ramree Island at the time of the battle, and noted that although the other chapters in Wright's book were told in the first person, the account of the battle was in the third person; possibly, Platt speculated, Wright was repeating stories he had been told by friends. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Have you ever heard of Ramree Island? The saltwater crocodile Cassius measures 17 feet three inches . Twenty Japanese soldiers were captured alive by the British, and almost five hundred are known to have escaped Ramree. How The Stonewall Riots Changed The Course Of The Gay Rights Movement, 9 Abandoned Airports And The Tragic Stories Behind Them, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. [18], In 1974, journalist George Frazier reported having asked the Japanese War Office about the crocodile attack and being told that they could not confirm that it had happened. If you dont attempt the crossing, you must face the enemy troops closing in on you. The defeated Japanese soldiers ignored all appeals by the British for their surrender, and instead abandoned their base and entered the swamp. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter 28(1): 911. However, those with a more investigative eye cannot help but be skeptical of this bizarre tale from history. However, gasoline demand has dropped to levels not seen since the early days of the pandemic, revealing how consumers' habits are changing. The battle is known for claims that hundreds of Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles in the mangrove swamps of Ramree. Moreover, even a medium-sized saltwater crocodile could easily kill a human. Do you risk your life in the swamp or put your life in the hands of the enemy? 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. It took the lives of hundreds of Japanese soldiers. Since Ramree was strategically important, the Allies launched an attack in 1945 to retake the island and establish airbases to support the mainland campaign. The crocodiles would silently stalk their prey before attacking with lightning speed; humans are no match for the saltwater crocodile when considering their power, size, and weight. This is the terrible sound Wright heard in the night. Saltwater crocodiles are not to be underestimated. These specimens could also live more than 70 years, meaning they had plenty of time to practice their hunting skills. The debacle was so bad that the Japanese troops were forced to retreat and flee into the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island. These prehistoric holdovers can grow to over 20 feet in length and over 2,000 pounds in some cases, and although examples that size are rare, even a mid-sized crocodile of the species could easily kill a full grown adult human. Galante elaborated that the crocodiles were hungry because the soldiers had already. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. A Cacophony Of Hell: The Story Of The Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre. And helped launch a corporation now worth more than $40 billion. A full retreat was in order after their defeat in Burma, the who. Another story from us: the Soldier who went on a Suicide Mission Against the Japanese fighters it. 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