We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Only 20 of the Japanese fighters were able to escape unharmed. This very situation happened to Japanese troops occupying Ramree Island in the Bay of Bengal during World War II in early 1945. During the night 980 Japanese soldiers are said to have been lost to saltwater crocodiles living in the swamp. A saltwater crocodile (photograph by Heather Paul). It wasnt long until they realized that a predator lurked in the water around them. The British then sent word that the smaller, isolated Japanese group should surrender. 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. The defeated Japanese soldiers ignored all appeals by the British for their surrender, and instead abandoned their base and entered the swamp. How many Japanese soldiers were actually eaten by salt water crocodiles? With the ebb of the tide, the crocodiles moved in on the dead, wounded, and uninjured men who had become mired in the mud.. 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. The rest were reportedly eaten alive by hordes of prehistoric-looking saltwater crocodiles. Who Were the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece? 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. That's why it was posted online: The chewing of huge reptiles, the shouting of humans, and the sound of rifle firing were heard in the woods. 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. What the British do know for sure is that 20 men came out of the swamp alive and were captured. 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. [22] Interviewing other members of the S.R.U., Wright reported that two of the men abandoned their paddleboards during the battle and climbed up a mangrove tree to avoid a crocodile. Circa 1945 was the year when the Imperial Japan invasion of Asia was nearing its ends. Offer subject to change without notice. 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). 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). Rachmawan, D., and Brend, S. (2009). In February of 1945, the Japanese army suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of British forces in Burma. They decided to flee. 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, there is no specific mention of the crocodile attack devouring over 900 Japanese. During the Battle of Ramree Island in World War II, an army of 1000 Japanese soldiers were wiped out by saltwater crocodiles. On January 26, 1945, British troops made their way to Ramree Island so that they could establish a new airbase. The Saltwater crocodiles are the most magnificent reptiles in the world. As a result, saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocodile species in the world and the largest reptile. However, we must ask the question: did this event really occur? How did crocodiles manage to kill so many armed men? Men of the Wiltshire Regiment from the 26th Indian Infantry Division prepare a meal beside a temple on Ramree Island. 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. However, the. Not a single one did. 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). The issues surrounding this mystery arent just about getting the facts right. 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. 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. [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). See. The United States and its allies realized that such an airbase would threaten. Those who survived the battle reportedly didnt fare well when they chose the doomed escape route across the crocodile-infested waters. 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]. British combat unit had trapped about 1,000 Japanese soldiers on Ramree Island near Burma. [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. While the Ramree Island Massacre story may seem far-fetched, it is a true story. Gas prices have fallen since mid-June. An average saltwater crocodile can easily reach 23 feet. The island that holds the world-record for largest human massacre caused by animals. The majority of Japanese soldiers died in combat or drowned, despite the fact that many British soldiers witnessed crocodiles eating dead Japanese bodies. 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. No evidence, that is, unless one believes a solitary account by a mysterious character. 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. Tehran remains unusually mum while Neon Defender warships ply Persian Gulf. Several British soldiers said that the crocodiles preyed on the Japanese soldiers in the swamp. As part of his research, he visited the marshes of Ramree Island and interviewed locals. Details of a fatal attack on a human by a Morelets crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) in Belize. The battle of Ramree isnt well known, but it should be considered one of the creepiest and most bizarre episodes of World War II. 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. 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. 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. By doing this, allied forces split the remaining party in two, leaving a group of 1,000 soldiers isolated and trapped. What animal has the strongest armor? 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. It is not difficult to imagine what happened to the Japanese who took refuge in the mangroves! 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. + A sting operation is a more sophisticated way to trap criminals. However, gasoline demand has dropped to levels not seen since the early days of the pandemic, revealing how consumers' habits are changing. "[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. On mainland Burma, diseases such as malaria accounted for almost half the total death toll of Allied forces. Anyhow , Japanese withdrew into swamps when any other military in World War 2 would have surrendered at that point and allied forces heard shouting and gunshots throughout the night as huge salt water Crocs attacked. Havelock Island, where the attack took place, lies 72 kilometres (45mi) from the Lohabarrack Salt Water Crocodile Sanctuary. A band of soldiers in search of a secret Japanese ammunition store face off against deadly saltwater crocodiles in the swamps of Ramree Island. 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. After two centuries of binomial nomenclature, scientists are nowhere close to running out of things to document. There was a story that hundreds of people died getting slaughter by crocodiles in just one night. According to one Allied commander: But rather than accept surrender, the Japanese chose to make an eight-mile journey through a mangrove swamp. In January 1945, during World War II, the Allies were fighting the Japanese at the Battle of Ramree Island in Myanmar. The island lies off the Burma coast, 70 miles south of Akyab, now known as Sittwe. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. 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. It was after this that one of the oddest incidents in the history of warfare occurred. Without an accurate reporting system in place, crocodile attacks in Africa are difficult to track and very few are reproduced here. Innumerable crocodiles had gathered in the swamps under the water, attracted by the smell of blood coming from the dead and wounded Japanese soldiers. There is a long history of saltwater crocodiles attacking humans who wander into their habitats, and ultimately only 520 out of 1000 Japanese soldiers managed to survive the Ramree swamps. 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 Many historians debunk the tale of the massacre, but some facts do point to some veracity of the incident. 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. The weary and bloodied soldiers thrashing clumsily through the swamps may as well have been a dinner bell ringing. However, the veracity of the crocodile aggression has gradually grown throughout the years, despite there being no other references to it within historical writings relating to the Far Eastern theatre in WWII. 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. For almost half the total death toll of Allied forces almost half the death... 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