japanese soldiers eaten by crocodiles

What animal has the strongest armor? Men of the Wiltshire Regiment from the 26th Indian Infantry Division prepare a meal beside a temple on Ramree Island. 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. 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. After just a few days, these ravenous creatures devoured more than 500 Japanese soldiers. 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. A thousand Japanese soldiers were purportedly killed by saltwater crocodiles in the Ramree mangroves. Of course, some injured Japanese soldiers were attacked by crocodiles. They were both Enhancers. The largest crocodile alive is Cassius who is about 100 years old. In April 2007, a 9-year-old Chinese child was killed in a crocodile pool at the Silver Beach holiday resort in southwest Guangxi region. In addition, saltwater crocodiles are far from a misunderstood monster. 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. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site. It is not difficult to imagine what happened to the Japanese who took refuge in the mangroves! As part of their retreat they had to cross a 16km mangrove swamp. [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. The invasion force was led by three Joint Assault Commanders, Captain Bush RN, Major-General Cyril Lomax and Wing Commander H. Smith. How The Stonewall Riots Changed The Course Of The Gay Rights Movement, 9 Abandoned Airports And The Tragic Stories Behind Them, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. After this look at the Battle of Ramree Island that has been dubbed the Ramree Island Massacre, see some of the most powerful World War II photos ever taken. Of course, the threat posed by saltwater crocodiles was an ever-present one in the Far Eastern theatre of World War Two. With the ebb of the tide, the crocodiles moved in on the dead, wounded, and uninjured men who had become mired in the mud.. These specimens could also live more than 70 years, meaning they had plenty of time to practice their hunting skills. A biologist solves the mystery of two dozen missing animal mummies. The Japanese soldiers retreated, and some went into the mangrove swamps. [18][19] One study posited the number of attacks by Nile crocodiles per year as 275 to 745, of which 63% are fatal, as opposed to an estimated 30 attacks per year by saltwater crocodiles, of which 50% are fatal. Finally, the British soldiers realized the Japaneses situation and urged them to surrender to avoid further bloodshed. At dawn the vultures arrived to clean up what the crocodiles had left.. 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. [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. 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." [3] Crocodilians will defend not only themselves, but also their nest and young from anything they perceive as a threat. The majority of Japanese soldiers died in combat or drowned, despite the fact that many British soldiers witnessed crocodiles eating dead Japanese bodies. No evidence, that is, unless one believes a solitary account by a mysterious character. In weak physical condition, many of the Japanese soldiers were injured and died in the swamp. The soldiers succumbed to the nightly menace, realizing that saltwater crocs were nocturnal and excelled at night hunting. 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.". The island that holds the world-record for largest human massacre caused by animals. The armor of the Pangolin is used to protect it. Tehran remains unusually mum while Neon Defender warships ply Persian Gulf. 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.. 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. Sgt. 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. [5] The Japanese garrison of Ramree consisted of the II Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment (Colonel Kanichi Nagazawa), part of the 54th Division, with artillery and engineer detachments to act as an independent force. 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. 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. In this official account there are references to the menace posed by saltwater crocodiles at Ramree Island. + A sting operation is a more sophisticated way to trap criminals. Have you ever heard of Ramree Island? It is located in Myanmar, and it is the most dangerous island in the world. The island lies off the Burma coast, 70 miles south of Akyab, now known as Sittwe. (2014). [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). Photoshopped image courtesy of opposingfronts.com. Of the 1,000 troops who entered the swamp on Ramree Island, only a reported 480 survived. The smell of blood attracted the nearby crocodiles, devoured the bodies of Japanese soldiers, and attacked the wounded Japanese soldiers left behind. Attacks by saltwater crocodiles often occur in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. He prides himself on uncovering the most fascinating tales of history by sharing them through any means of engaging storytelling. The largest crocodile ever killed was a saltwater crocodile that measured 23 feet and weighed 2,370 pounds. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. It took the lives of hundreds of Japanese soldiers. A Cultural Herpetology of Nile Crocodiles in Africa. 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. 8. If you dont attempt the crossing, you must face the enemy troops closing in on you. [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. However, thousands of enemy troops held the island, causing an exhausting battle that went on for six weeks. The names give some indication of how the dinosaurs lived. Platt also noted that Wright did not actually "attribute the majority of Japanese casualties to crocodile predation", but merely specified that only 20 out of 1000 Japanese soldiers survived the battle, with crocodiles being "just one of many hazards". This disease seriously hindered both sides' attempt to gain control of the island. The island lies off the Burma coast, 70 miles south of Akyab, now known as Sittwe. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. 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. [1] Each year, hundreds of deadly attacks are attributed to the Nile crocodile in Sub-Saharan Africa. 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. Saltwater crocodiles can weigh more than 2,000 pounds and have one of the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom. [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 did crocodiles manage to kill so many armed men? Two days later Mayin was occupied and the troops reached the Yanbauk Chaung the next day. 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. Japanese soldiers hid in the swamp, not knowing of the danger that lies ahead - saltwater crocodiles! 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. 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. Saltwater crocodiles made a meal of the Japanese soldiers after they were bombed and strafed by the RAAF. 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). 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. Ramree Island was captured by the Japanese in 1942. 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. In April 2010, a 25-year-old woman from New Jersey was killed by a saltwater crocodile while snorkeling in India's Andaman Islands. 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. 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. 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. One of Platt's subjects claims that crocodiles accounted for some Japanese casualties: "10 to 15 soldiers were killed attempting to ford Min Chaung, a tidal creek near Ramree Town." Field Marshall Slim, in his memoirs, further recounts that a number of Japanese fell victim to sharks prowling in the channel between the island and the . Saltwater crocodiles are the largest reptiles in the world. How 1000 Soldiers Were EATEN by Crocodiles #ramreeisland #jre #jreclips #forrestgalante #crocodiles #ww2history #podcast #fyp #foryou #foryoupage. Only 20 of the Japanese fighters made it out alive. The crocodiles have a long history of attacking humans who wander into their habitats, seeing them as little more than taller, more awkward prey. [7], The large number of ships was intended to provide more firepower in support of the landing force. A landing party of Japanese mistook North Australian tide times and heights , landing at low tide and getting stuck waist deep wading in mudflats in the Northern Territory . It's the noise of hell. [9], In 1965, the British official historian, Stanley Woodburn Kirby, wrote that the Japanese defence of the island and the escape of about 500 men against "fearful odds", had been courageous and determined. He writes for his micro-blog. [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. 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