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. Did 1000 Japanese soldiers eaten by 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. It is located in Myanmar, and it is the most dangerous island in the world. 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. CrocBITE, Worldwide Crocodilian Attack Database: Sideleau, B., and Britton A.R.C. Several British soldiers said that the crocodiles preyed on the Japanese soldiers in the swamp. Join the list to receive special offers, updates, and everything about Black Rifle Coffee. This was particularly so in the mangrove swamps where such reptiles thrive, like on Ramree Island. 13. Do you risk your life in the swamp or put your life in the hands of the enemy? An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. We do not need to add mythical tales when reality provides a drama played out in all its honor and tragedy. The story originated with news articles published around the time of the incident, but certain plot holes identified in the years since have raised questions about the veracity of those early reports. 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. Although most attacks are not reported, the Nile crocodile is estimated to kill hundreds (possibly thousands) of people each year, which is more than all other crocodilian species combined. Winner will be selected at random on 02/01/2023. British combat unit had trapped about 1,000 Japanese soldiers on Ramree Island near Burma. It was just that their levels were low. The Japanese soldiers on Ramree Island during the nearing end of World War II had a dilemma that resulted in the deadliest crocodile feast ever. The largest crocodile ever killed was a saltwater crocodile that measured 23 feet and weighed 2,370 pounds. "[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. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. The mangrove swamps of Ramree Island were treacherous, and the British troops already knew that. 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. Why Did Ancient Egyptian Men Wear Makeup? Reviews indicate that at least half of all attacks by the Nile and saltwater crocodiles are fatal[1] (in Australia, however, only about 25% of saltwater crocodile attacks are fatal). 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. Wildlife Sketches Near and Far, p. 275[13], Other writers, including Roger Caras in his 1964 Dangerous to Man, repeated Wright's version, with Caras stating "had the story come from a source other than Bruce Wright, I would be tempted to discount it. That night [19 February 1945] was the most horrible that any member of the M. L. [motor launch] crews ever experienced. A SCIENTIST was eaten alive by a 17ft long crocodile after being dragged into its enclosure while she fed it last week. The crocodiles have a long history of attacking humans who wander into their habitats, seeing them as little more than taller, more awkward prey. However, gasoline demand has dropped to levels not seen since the early days of the pandemic, revealing how consumers' habits are changing. 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. How many Japanese soldiers were actually eaten by salt water crocodiles? 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. It just shows that you should never underestimate the power of nature. While the US and NATO have yet to commit to sending full-size tanks, the Bradley is a potent armored vehicle for a mechanized war. Who Were the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece? Right beside the carcass of the Giant Crocodile, there were 2 skills books, a green treasure box and 200 Survivor Coins. In January 1945, two. In this official account there are references to the menace posed by saltwater crocodiles at Ramree Island. [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]. Wikimedia Commons photo. The swamps were infested with mosquitoes, leeches, and snakes. "[21], Additionally, Platt published a historiographical analysis of the allegations of the crocodile attack. Only a handful came out alive". 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. Join us onFacebook,Twitter(#AnimalWeek), andTumblrfor even more animal action and to share your own tales of fascinating fauna. The nights were said to have been filled with dire screams, gunfire, and the sounds of animal attacks. The weary and bloodied soldiers thrashing clumsily through the swamps may as well have been a dinner bell ringing. 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. However, thousands of enemy troops held the island, causing an exhausting battle that went on for six weeks. Two days later Mayin was occupied and the troops reached the Yanbauk Chaung the next day. The mangrove swamp was thick with mud and it was slow-going. Troops of Japanese Fifteenth Army on the border of Burma. An accurate count of annual crocodile attacks on humans is difficult to obtain. The defeated Japanese soldiers ignored all appeals by the British for their surrender, and instead abandoned their base and entered the swamp. 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. A preliminary analysis of worldwide crocodilian attacks. The island lies off the Burma coast, 70 miles south of Akyab, now known as Sittwe. As part of their retreat they had to cross a 16km mangrove swamp. The presence of crocodiles in the Ramree swamps led other servicemen stationed on the island to believe they were a significant factor in the battle's outcome, with one British soldier writing in his diary that "[w]hen the Army landed they drove the Japanese into the swamps and the crocodiles killed hundreds of them. 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. 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. "One arrow alone can be easily broken but many arrows are indestructible" ~Genghis Khan~, Stephen Gum Mark, Chinese American and 1914 San Rafael High School Graduate with Gift of Oratory, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard: Road of Many Names, THE BRITISH MONARCHY: A Case against Charles III, is a Case for Charles The Great and the Realm, READ/DOWNLOAD$] KAMPFRAUM ARNHEIM: A Photo Study of the German Soldier Fighting In and Around, Playing telephone with Edmund Burke and JFK. So while the historical accounts are unclear, the British almost certainly did encounter the 20 Japanese soldiers who explained the horrors they endured. But are we really to believe that a sizable force of trained Japanese soldiers was decimated by an onslaught of crocodiles? The navy and the 26th Indian Infantry Division then concentrated on blockading the chaungs (small streams) on the east coast, to prevent the Japanese from escaping to the mainland. There were 2 experts from the small Japanese village, one was Kyoko, the other was Kaori. Somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 soldiers from the Imperial Japanese Armys 54th Division were entrenched on Ramree. The saltwater crocodile Cassius measures 17 feet three inches . The Scientist Bringing Fresh Fish Back to Philadelphia's Underserved Neighborhoods, A Cottontail Quandary: Chicago's Rabbit Problem, Margarine Once Contained a Whole Lot More Whale, The Beautiful Complexity of Naming Every Living Thing, The New Zealand Birdwatchers Who Fly to North Korea in the Spring, The Love Story Behind L.A.'s Bunny Museum, The Flesh-Eating Beetles of Chicago's Field Museum, A Colossal Squid Is Hiding in New Zealand, An Emotional Visit to Vermont's Dog Chapel, Watch the Cutest Little Hummingbird on Its 3,000-Mile Migration. How 1000 Soldiers Were EATEN by Crocodiles #ramreeisland #jre #jreclips #forrestgalante #crocodiles #ww2history #podcast #fyp #foryou #foryoupage. 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 only account that seems to prove any of this information comes from Bruce Stanley Wright, who participated in the battle of Ramree. The rest were according to legend, eaten by crocodiles. Sideleau, B. [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. Those who survived the battle reportedly didnt fare well when they chose the doomed escape route across the crocodile-infested waters. For a start, he points out the lack of evidence for Wrights claim that he was at the scene. 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 ecosystem of a mangrove swamp, with an exiguous mammal life, simply would not have permitted the existence of so many saurians before the coming of the Japanese (animals are not exempt from the laws of overpopulation and starvation). We went in with boats and interpreters using loudhailers asking them to come out. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. 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. 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 design was hopelessly flawed. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. 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. On mainland Burma, diseases such as malaria accounted for almost half the total death toll of Allied forces. However, we must ask the question: did this event really occur? If you dont attempt the crossing, you must face the enemy troops closing in on you. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. 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. He thanks you for reading his content. The soldiers succumbed to the nightly menace, realizing that saltwater crocs were nocturnal and excelled at night hunting. [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. Crocodile attacks are not always reported to local authorities, and some reports are difficult to verify. Too much bad in the world Let us not add to it "Level 3 Skill: Water Flow Manipulation. Jayma April 15, 2022. Tehran remains unusually mum while Neon Defender warships ply Persian Gulf. 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. [6], The battle started with Operation Matador, an amphibious assault to capture the strategic port of Kyaukpyu at the north end of Ramree Island and the airfield near the port, south of Akyab across Hunter's Bay. 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. The battle is known for claims that many Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles in the mangrove swamps of Ramree. As part of his research, he visited the marshes of Ramree Island and interviewed locals. Iceland in Winter: Natural Wonders & Ancient Legends, Vietnam: A Culinary Adventure from Hanoi to Saigon, Antiques and Their Afterlives: Osteological Specimens, Accidental Discoveries: A Celebration of Historical Mistakes, Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: St. Foy, Mindful Mixology: Making Non-Alcoholic Cocktails During Dry January With Derek Brown, Designing Immersive Gatherings With Zach Morris of Third Rail Projects, Raising the Bar: Chocolate's History, Art, and Taste With Sophia Contreras Rea, Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Writing With Anca Szilgyi, How a Groundbreaking Pastry Chef Bakes Outside the Lines. 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. Death came to them from many different sources, scorpions, disease, drowning and of course the crocodiles. British troops monitored the situation from afar at the edge of the swamp. 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. 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. The rest were reportedly eaten alive by hordes of prehistoric-looking saltwater crocodiles. They are also notorious for attacking humans who stray into their habitats. Perhaps the biggest question that the crocodile story doesnt sufficiently answer concerns the staggering death toll: How did only 20 Japanese soldiers survive? British soldiers landing on Ramree (via Wikimedia). 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.". With a jump in Australia on Monday, Jan. 16, local time, a team of vets set skydiving records to raise money for Folds of Honor. After just a few days, these ravenous creatures devoured more than 500 Japanese soldiers. 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. 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. An Australian Army soldier suffered serious head and chest injuries after being mauled by a crocodile that attacked him late on Friday, Australia media . Moreover, even a medium-sized saltwater crocodile could easily kill a human. Its been dubbed one of the worst crocodile attacks in the Guinness Book of World Records. The incident appears in the Guinness records: Ramree Island was the scene of an alleged massacre of Japanese . In the end, the Japanese soldiers never stood a chance. The island is 70 miles south of Akyab and is known as Sittwe. [7] When the British outflanked a Japanese stronghold, the 900 defenders abandoned the base and marched to join a larger force of Japanese soldiers across the island. 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). 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. 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