japanese soldiers eaten by crocodiles
However, there is no specific mention of the crocodile attack devouring over 900 Japanese. 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. We do not need to add mythical tales when reality provides a drama played out in all its honor and tragedy. The island lies off the Burma coast, 70 miles south of Akyab, now known as Sittwe. Where did Japanese soldiers get eaten by crocodiles? Crocodiles In One Night Slaughtered Over 900 Japanese Soldiers | by L. Small | THE CURIOSITY | Medium Write Sign up Sign In 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. Sterling Pub Co Inc (1983), Last edited on 22 December 2022, at 20:31, "Crocodile Attack in Australia: An Analysis of Its Incidence and Review of the Pathology and Management of Crocodilian Attacks in General", 10.1580/1080-6032(2005)16[143:CAIAAA]2.0.CO;2, "Five Killer Croc Attacks Part Two: "Back Against The Wall", "Jual Batik Modern Murah - Pesona Batik Indonesia (0231) 8820445", Croc kills kid at holiday park: News24: World: News, "Crocodile attack victim Briony Goodsell, 11, was swimming near the Black Jungle Swamp", Lauren Failla DEAD: Vanderbilt Alum Killed By Crocodile 4 Years After Sister Dies In Climbing Accident, "River guide believed killed by crocodile in Congo", "NatGeo team confirms Lolong the croc is world's longest", "Philippine town claims world's largest crocodile title", "Woman watches friend dragged off beach by crocodile at night", "FT journalist presumed dead after being 'dragged into water by crocodile', "Briton killed by crocodile while washing hands in lagoon identified as FT journalist", "Zimbabwe crocodile attack bride tells of renewed hope", "Bride who lost arm to crocodile details horrific attack", "Indonesia mob slaughters nearly 300 crocodiles in revenge killing", "Bloodthirsty mob slaughters 300 crocodiles in revenge after villager eaten alive", "A Scientist Has Been Eaten Alive By A Crocodile", "The Revered Crocodiles of This Island Nation Have Suddenly Started Killing People", "Zambia crocodile attack: Amelie Osborn-Smith to return to UK", "Friend punched crocodile repeatedly to stop it eating British teenager", "National Museum of Australia - Val Plumwood canoe", Crocodile kills man securing boat from storm in Philippines, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crocodile_attack&oldid=1128943972, On March 29, 1987, Ginger Faye Meadows, an American model, was killed by a crocodile while swimming in the, On May 22, 1992, an Iban girl, Dayang anak Bayang was killed by, In January 2001, attacks by mugger crocodiles were reported on tribal population around the, In October 2002, 23-year-old German student Isabel von Jordan was killed by a saltwater crocodile in Australia's. A Cacophony Of Hell: The Story Of The Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. 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. How 1000 Soldiers Were EATEN by Crocodiles #ramreeisland #jre #jreclips #forrestgalante #crocodiles #ww2history #podcast #fyp #foryou #foryoupage. 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. Some British soldiers, including the naturalist Bruce Wright, who participated in the battle, claimed that the large population of saltwater crocodiles native to the mangrove swamps on Ramree Island preyed on the trapped Japanese force at night and ate many soldiers. Sgt. British soldiers landing on Ramree (via Wikimedia). 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 didn't survive. 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. 997. The Ramree Island crocodile attack in January 1945, the deadliest attack of its kind recorded thus far, came just as World War II ended. Crocodiles are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will eat anything they can get their mouths on, making the Japanese soldiers the perfect prey. A massive saltwater crocodile (via Wikimedia). The likeliness of hearing of the Battle of Ramree Island is incredibly small due to it not being one of the Second World Wars most significant skirmishes, but many consider it one of the oddest and creepiest stories in the history of warfare. Read Next: The Legend of Dick Bong: World War II Ace of Aces, Medal of Honor Recipient and Crocodile Killer? And they werent shy about attacking either. 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. Several British soldiers said that the crocodiles preyed on the Japanese soldiers in the swamp. So the next time youre going through a swamp, just remember the story of the Ramree Island Massacre and be grateful that you werent one of the 500 Japanese soldiers who lost their lives to these crocodiles. During the night 980 Japanese soldiers are said to have been lost to saltwater crocodiles living in the swamp. 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. 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. Only 20 of the Japanese fighters were able to escape unharmed. [1] These are the West African crocodile (often considered quite harmless,[4] but has been involved in several attacks, also fatal),[5] American crocodile (only a few documented fatalities),[3][6][7] the Morelet's crocodile (typically considered a relatively non-threatening species, but there have been several fatal attacks),[7][8] Orinoco crocodile (fatalities recorded in the 1930s and earlier when the species was more common, but today it is very rare),[9][10] Cuban crocodile (generally considered aggressive, but only one confirmed fatality),[3][11] black caiman (fatal attacks confirmed in Brazil, but possibly underreported because of its remote range),[3] American alligator (making up an estimated 6% of fatal crocodilian attacks),[2] and false gharial (only a few confirmed fatalities, all involving very large false gharials). The defeated Japanese soldiers ignored all appeals by the British for their surrender, and instead abandoned their base and entered the swamp. [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. How he arrived at that number is unclear, but the Guinness Book of World Records accepted it as fact and began including Wrights version of the story in their annual book starting in 1968. In Hawaii, the Corps deactivated the famous 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. 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. But are we really to believe that a sizable force of trained Japanese soldiers was decimated by an onslaught of crocodiles? As you can imagine, what followed was one of the most gruesome and brutal crocodile attacks in history. [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. 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. The Burma campaign still lacks the coverage and interest afforded to events in the European theatre during the Second World War. One special ops vet felt a sense of connection with fallen comrades while skydiving over the Egyptian pyramids. While the idea of encountering a crocodile isnt pleasant, its a whole different matter when youre up close and personal with one. + A sting operation is a more sophisticated way to trap criminals. That night [19 February 1945] was the most horrible that any member of the M. L. [motor launch] crews ever experienced. The soldiers were viciously and mercilessly attacked by the crocodiles. 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.. Wikimedia CommonsBritish Marines landing on Ramree Island in January 1945 at the beginning of the six-week battle. [1] Unlike the predatory attacks by Nile and saltwater crocodiles, victims of mugger crocodiles are often not eaten, indicating that many attacks by this species are territorial or defensive rather than predatory. In early 1945, as part of the Pacific War during World War II, Allied forces pinned down 1,000 Japanese soldiers in a mangrove swamp off the coast of Burma (now Myanmar). In Burma, the Allies faced a fierce enemy not only adept in jungle warfare and but also notorious for their suicidal kamikaze charges. 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. 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. So instead of following the Japanese into the swamps, they decided to wait them out. These crocs are the largest reptiles in the world and are capable of bringing down water buffalo. A thousand Japanese soldiers were purportedly killed by saltwater crocodiles in the Ramree mangroves. A preliminary analysis of worldwide crocodilian attacks. British troops in a landing craft make their way ashore on Ramree Island, 21 January 1945. Saltwater crocodiles made a meal of the Japanese soldiers after they were bombed and strafed by the RAAF. 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. 14 (4): 391405. 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). Japanese soldiers hid in the swamp, not knowing of the danger that lies ahead - saltwater crocodiles! In addition, the references made to crocodiles are minimal compared to the passages detailing the dangers of malaria. [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]. [8], On 7 February, the 71st Indian Infantry Brigade and supporting tanks reached the town of Ramree and encountered determined Japanese resistance. McLynn also questions the likelihood of over 900 Japanese troops being killed overnight despite possessing an effective means of defense. As a result, saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocodile species in the world and the largest reptile. The croc was shot by a hunter in Queensland, Australia, in 1957. He thanks you for reading his content. The fight for the island began after the Japanese landed on June 8, 1942, to begin construction of an airstrip. Without an accurate reporting system in place, crocodile attacks in Africa are difficult to track and very few are reproduced here. (2014). The crocodiles have a long history of attacking humans who wander into their habitats, seeing them as little more than taller, more awkward prey. Offer subject to change without notice. Its been dubbed one of the worst crocodile attacks in the Guinness Book of World Records. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. It's the noise of hell. 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. Twenty Japanese soldiers were captured alive by the British, and almost five hundred are known to have escaped Ramree. 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. About 400 Japanese soldiers 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. . 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. Ops vet felt a sense of connection with fallen comrades while skydiving over the pyramids. Island of World Records warfare and but also notorious for their surrender, and instead their! 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