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. 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. (now Myanmar). 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. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. The design was hopelessly flawed. An army of 1000 Japanese soldiers was decimated by saltwater crocodiles during the Battle of Ramree Island of World War II. Trapped in deep mud-filled land, tropical diseases soon started to afflict the soldiers, as did scorpions, tropical mosquitoes and saltwater crocodiles. Death came to them from many different sources, scorpions, disease, drowning and of course the crocodiles. 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. Users Online Now: 2,152 : Visitors Today: 415,658: Pageviews Today: 948,169: Unfortunately for the Imperial Japanese Army, the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island are home to an unknown amount of the largest reptilian predator in the world, the saltwater crocodile. 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They were both Enhancers. The quest for a bird that continues to defy international sanctions. The soldiers were viciously and mercilessly attacked by the crocodiles. An active skill, requires 5 Spirit and 5 Stamina to activate. Required fields are marked *. 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. The defeated Japanese soldiers ignored all appeals by the British for their surrender, and instead abandoned their base and entered the swamp. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. In the memoir, Wright described how he arrived on Ramree after the main battle concluded. See. "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. 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. In Burma, the Allies faced a fierce enemy not only adept in jungle warfare and but also notorious for their suicidal kamikaze charges. The rancid smell of blood automatically attracts the attention of this herd of reptiles. 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. British troops monitored the situation from afar at the edge of the swamp. That night [19 February 1945] was the most horrible that any member of the M. L. [motor launch] crews ever experienced. Twenty Japanese soldiers were captured alive by the British, and almost five hundred are known to have escaped Ramree. Thats when things went from bad to worse and the Ramree Island massacre began. Last updated on July 22nd, 2022 at 09:57 pm. However, thousands of enemy troops held the island, causing an exhausting battle that went on for six weeks. According to one Allied commander: Your email address will not be published. The route took the Japanese through 9.9mi (16km) of mangrove swamp and as they struggled through it, the British encircled the area. The largest crocodile alive is Cassius who is about 100 years old. Of the 1,000 troops who entered the swamp on Ramree Island, only a reported 480 survived. Human-Tomistoma interactions in central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. A subject of much debate and intrigue among World War II historians, the story of how hundreds of Japanese troops met their gruesome fate in the crocodile-infested marshes of Ramree Island became so widely believed that it was included in the Guinness Book of World Records under the entry for most fatalities in a crocodile attack. [1] Each year, hundreds of deadly attacks are attributed to the Nile crocodile in Sub-Saharan Africa. The following day, the 4th Indian Infantry Brigade (Brigadier J. F. R. Forman) landed, took over the beachhead and occupied Kyaukpyu. Then, read up on Desmond Doss, the Hacksaw Ridge medic who saved dozens of soldiers lives during World War II. A preliminary analysis of worldwide crocodilian attacks. Men of the Wiltshire Regiment from the 26th Indian Infantry Division prepare a meal beside a temple on Ramree Island. A 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. Winner will be selected at random on 02/01/2023. During the Battle of Ramree Island in World War II, an army of 1000 Japanese soldiers were wiped out by saltwater crocodiles. Photoshopped image courtesy of opposingfronts.com. [marine launch] crews ever experienced. The Ramree Island crocodile attack in January 1945, the deadliest attack of its kind recorded thus far, came just as World War II ended. The unit was trapped and had no way to reach the safety of the larger battalion. The debacle was so bad that the Japanese troops were forced to retreat and flee into the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island. [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. 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. Swamps are their natural habitat, and humans are no match for their speed, size, agility, and raw power. [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]. He writes for his micro-blog. Wood, The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. 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). Two days later Mayin was occupied and the troops reached the Yanbauk Chaung the next day. 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. Ramree Island was captured by the Japanese in 1942. 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. 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. 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. 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. Some of them being so badly injured and mauled that they were later recaptured by the British forces. Of about 1,000 Japanese soldiers, it's estimated that only 20 survived. As I am writing this police are still searching for the girl. 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. 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. The Japanese soldiers retreated, and some went into the mangrove swamps. [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. The crocodiles have a long history of attacking humans who wander into their habitats, seeing them as little more than taller, more awkward prey. Their only escape was through the swamp. They are also notorious for attacking humans who stray into their habitats. The soldiers succumbed to the nightly menace, realizing that saltwater crocs were nocturnal and excelled at night hunting. A SCIENTIST was eaten alive by a 17ft long crocodile after being dragged into its enclosure while she fed it last week. One special ops vet felt a sense of connection with fallen comrades while skydiving over the Egyptian pyramids. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter 33(2): 29-30. I've recently learned about the Battle of Ramree Island and the "death march" through the mangroves that resulted in the battle earning the moniker of "worst crocodile disaster in the world." It just shows that you should never underestimate the power of nature. 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? Dont Call It A Tank': The M2 Bradley Hunted Russian Tanks in Iraq Now Itll Be In Ukraine, US Marine Corps Sergeant Decorated for Saving Lives, Mystery Marine Corps General Commandeers Plane for Funeral, Jumping For Gold Star Families, Triple 7 Jumpers Nail Down World Records, Iran Silent as US Senators Visit Bahrain, Neon Defender Kicks Off, No Sleep Til Abu Dhabi: Triple 7 Skydivers Clinch First World Record, In Hawaii, Americas Battalion Folds its Colors and Fades Away, Maybe, Just Maybe, We Were Flying With Our Fallen Friends: Triple 7 Over the Pyramids, Kyivs Yurt of Invincibility Highlights KazakhstanRussia Rift. The nights were said to have been filled with dire screams, gunfire, and the sounds of animal attacks. Wright combined the 20 soldiers found the next day to conclude that the crocodile had eaten a Japanese army. Join the list to receive special offers, updates, and everything about Black Rifle Coffee. 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). It is difficult to counter any of the reasonable arguments put forward by McLynn as there is simply no evidence to the contrary. During the Battle of Ramree, crocs slaughtered and ate up between 500 and 900 people. 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. CrocBITE, Worldwide Crocodilian Attack Database: Sideleau, B., and Britton A.R.C. The mangrove swamp was thick with mud and it was slow-going. 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. pp. By doing this, allied forces split the remaining party in two, leaving a group of 1,000 soldiers isolated and trapped. Join us onFacebook,Twitter(#AnimalWeek), andTumblrfor even more animal action and to share your own tales of fascinating fauna. Animal Weekis November 18 - 22, 2013 on Atlas Obscura. Explore this storyboard about World War II, Adolf Hitler, Military by HowStuffWorks on Flipboard. How many Japanese soldiers were actually eaten by salt water crocodiles? [2] Contents When Crocodiles Attack: The Ramree Island Massacre. Frank McLynn, a prominent British historian on the Burma campaign, effectively denounces the crocodile aggression account in his thorough analysis of the Allied effort to retake Burma from the Japanese, The Burma Campaign: Disaster into Triumph 1942-1945 (2011). As World War II was nearing its end in January of 1945, the island of Ramree off the coast of Burma was the scene of a desperate battle. 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. What the British do know for sure is that 20 men came out of the swamp alive and were captured. [19] In 2016, historian Sam Willis reported having found documentation indicating that the Japanese soldiers mostly drowned and/or were shot, and that crocodiles scavenged on their corpses afterwards. 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. 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