In September 2005, Russell Harris, a 37-year-old British engineer, was killed by a large saltwater crocodile while snorkeling off Picnic Beach in Australia. Kaori had been a kendo practitioner before the apocalypse, while Kyoko was a successor of the Tenshin-style sword arts. Their only escape was through the swamp. What animal has the strongest armor? The swamps were full of saltwater crocodiles. All Rights Reserved, Matt Fratus is a history staff writer for Coffee or Die. 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. It is not difficult to imagine what happened to the Japanese who took refuge in the mangroves! To counter this, he tries to provide a rational argument and bring a voice of reason to the debate. The saltwater crocodile Cassius measures 17 feet three inches . The route took the Japanese through 9.9mi (16km) of mangrove swamp and as they struggled through it, the British encircled the area. Saltwater crocodiles are not to be underestimated. While the idea of encountering a crocodile isnt pleasant, its a whole different matter when youre up close and personal with one. But rather than accept surrender, the Japanese chose to make an eight-mile journey through a mangrove swamp. During the Battle of Ramree, crocs slaughtered and ate up between 500 and 900 people. 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. Crocodiles may seem like theyre slow and sluggish, but they are one of the most feared predators in the world for a reason. 997. The only account that seems to prove any of this information comes from Bruce Stanley Wright, who participated in the battle of 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. In Hawaii, the Corps deactivated the famous 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines. 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. This is the terrible sound Wright heard in the night. A depiction of a saltwater crocodile emerging from the water alongside British soldiers at Ramree Island during World War II. Then, read up on Desmond Doss, the Hacksaw Ridge medic who saved dozens of soldiers lives during World War II. Oct 11, 2016 Goran Blazeski During World War II, The Japanese Imperial Army captured Ramree Island in 1942. (now Myanmar). 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. 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. However, those with a more investigative eye cannot help but be skeptical of this bizarre tale from history. Nile freshwater crocodiles, like the one pictured here, have a reputation as man-eaters, similarly to the saltwater crocodiles that were rumored to ravage Japanese soldiers at Ramree Island in Myanmar in 1945. The story comes from the writings of Bruce Stanley Wright, a British naturalist who was presumed to be at the scene. Details of a fatal attack on a human by a Morelets crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) in Belize. Somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 soldiers from the Imperial Japanese Armys 54th Division were entrenched on Ramree. Typical male specimens reach 17 feet long and 1,000 pounds and the largest can reach 23 feet and 2,200 pounds. Salt-water crocodiles, some of them well over 20 ft (6.1 m) long frequented these waters. Pooley, S. (2016). It's the noise of hell. [1], The two species with the most well-known and documented reputation for preying on humans are the Nile crocodile and saltwater crocodile, and these are the perpetrators of the vast majority of both fatal and non-fatal crocodilian attacks. The quest for a bird that continues to defy international sanctions. Read another story from us: The Soldier Who Went On A Suicide Mission Against The Japanese & Won. [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. Do you risk your life in the swamp or put your life in the hands of the enemy? Joseph Howard received a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for risking his life to save others. 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. During the night 980 Japanese soldiers are said to have been lost to saltwater crocodiles living in the swamp. The Japanese soldiers were soon faced with a decision: stay and die of disease or dehydration, venture further into the swamps, and risk being eaten alive. An accurate count of annual crocodile attacks on humans is difficult to obtain. These crocs are the largest reptiles in the world and are capable of bringing down water buffalo. McLynn also questions the likelihood of over 900 Japanese troops being killed overnight despite possessing an effective means of defense. 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). [2] Contents Many of the Japanese troops succumbed to tropical diseases carried by swarms of mosquitoes, as well as the various poisonous spiders, snakes and scorpions found in the marsh. Join the list to receive special offers, updates, and everything about Black Rifle Coffee. 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? Royal Flying Doctor Service/Reuters. British troops in a landing craft make their way ashore on Ramree Island, 21 January 1945. 900 soldiers entered the swamp only 20 emerged. This was particularly so in the mangrove swamps where such reptiles thrive, like on Ramree Island. A depiction of a saltwater crocodile emerging from the water alongside British soldiers at Ramree Island during World War II. [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]. Its been dubbed one of the worst crocodile attacks in the Guinness Book of World Records. Can an Old Coin Solve the Mystery of a Lost Roman Emperor? British Marines landing on Ramree Island in January 1945 at the beginning of the six-week battle. They decided to flee. 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. The design was hopelessly flawed. 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. [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. After weeks of bitter fighting, the Allies managed to drive the last surviving Japanese soldiers into mangrove swamps surrounding the island swamps populated by thousands of saltwater crocodiles. A thousand Japanese soldiers were purportedly killed by saltwater crocodiles in the Ramree mangroves. The Japanese soldiers were no match for these crocodiles. Even worse, saltwater crocodiles are nocturnal and excel at taking prey in the dark. [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]. [3] Crocodilians will defend not only themselves, but also their nest and young from anything they perceive as a threat. The island lies off the Burma coast, 70 miles south of Akyab, now known as Sittwe. How 1000 Soldiers Were EATEN by Crocodiles #ramreeisland #jre #jreclips #forrestgalante #crocodiles #ww2history #podcast #fyp #foryou #foryoupage. Moreover, even a medium-sized saltwater crocodile could easily kill a human. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. The weary and bloodied soldiers thrashing clumsily through the swamps may as well have been a dinner bell ringing. Gas prices have fallen since mid-June. 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. [2], The most deaths in a single crocodile attack incident may have occurred during the Battle of Ramree Island, on February 19, 1945, in what is now Myanmar. An event at the same time that was recorded as the deadliest known crocodile attack appeared on the Guinness Book of World Records. + 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 . 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. 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. 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. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. In this official account there are references to the menace posed by saltwater crocodiles at Ramree Island. We went in with boats and interpreters using loudhailers asking them to come out. 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. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter 28(1): 911. Another additional problem for the Japanese troops was the lack of drinking water and constant threat of starvation. Sideleau, B. . The rest were according to legend, eaten by crocodiles. Tehran remains unusually mum while Neon Defender warships ply Persian Gulf. 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. "[14] Subsequently, the story was incorporated into the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst animal attack ever recorded, due to Wright's statement that "[o]f about one thousand Japanese soldiers that entered the swamps of Ramree, only about twenty were found alive."[2]. Crocodiles of Guadalcanal. In January 1945, during World War II, the Allies were fighting the Japanese at the Battle of Ramree Island in Myanmar. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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. While this may have seemed a fine opportunity to slip into the wilderness and regroup, most of the Japanese soldiers would never be heard from again. [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. Jayma April 15, 2022. You dont want to get bit by this creature, though, as their bite force is the strongest in the animal kingdom. Ramree Island, part of Arakan (now Rakhine State), has an area of 520sqmi (1,350km2) and is separated from the mainland by a strait with an average width of about 490ft (150m); the island is 70mi (110km) south of Akyab (now Sittwe). This disease seriously hindered both sides' attempt to gain control of the island. The soldiers succumbed to the nightly menace, realizing that saltwater crocs were nocturnal and excelled at night hunting. Conservation & Society. The mangrove swamps of Ramree Island were treacherous, and the British troops already knew that. The short version is that a large number of Japanese soldiers (between 400 to 1000 depending on the "source") were eaten by saltwater crocodiles during the night of Feb 19th 1945 during the battle of Ramree island as part of the Burma campaign. For a start, he points out the lack of evidence for Wrights claim that he was at the scene. Did 1000 Japanese soldiers eaten by crocodiles? pp. More importantly, focussing on such a wholly ungrounded event underplays the courageous role played by the Fourteenth Army in what was one of the most brutal theatres of the Second World War. Darragh O Herlihy is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. 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 nights were said to have been filled with dire screams, gunfire, and the sounds of animal attacks. [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). 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. Unlike other "man-eating" crocodiles, such as the saltwater crocodile, the Nile crocodile lives in proximity to human populations, so contact is more frequent. It was this fortunate blow that killed the Giant Crocodile. The largest one ever officially measured was Lolong, who was a saltwater crocodile who measured 20 feet three inches long and weighed 2,370 pounds. The largest crocodile ever killed was a saltwater crocodile that measured 23 feet and weighed 2,370 pounds. Director Steve Lawson Writer Steve Lawson Stars Charlie Bond Steven Dolton Ryan Harvey See production, box office & company info Watch on Prime Video But what really happened?. They faced an enemy as old. However, we must ask the question: did this event really occur? 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. 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? 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.. [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. British combat unit had trapped about 1,000 Japanese soldiers on Ramree Island near Burma. Rachmawan, D., and Brend, S. (2009). Since a majority of fatal attacks are believed to be predatory in nature, the Nile crocodile can be considered the most prolific predator of humans among wild animals. History, culture, and places of the worst crocodile attacks on is! 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