However, there is no specific mention of the crocodile attack devouring over 900 Japanese. Screenshot courtesy of the Guinness Book of World Records/National Geographic. Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has announced plans to divert traffic from the Clock Tower junction along Entebbe road for two months starting January 14th up to March 14th, 2023. 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. Royal Flying Doctor Service/Reuters. Explore this storyboard about World War II, Adolf Hitler, Military by HowStuffWorks on Flipboard. 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. 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. In January 1945, two. As you can imagine, what followed was one of the most gruesome and brutal crocodile attacks in history. The design was hopelessly flawed. Do you risk your life in the swamp or put your life in the hands of the enemy? The Allies also had to deal with challenges posed by logistics and supply problems, as well as malaria, cholera, and various other diseases. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. In addition, the references made to crocodiles are minimal compared to the passages detailing the dangers of malaria. On Feb. 25, 1945, the British newspaper The Guardian reported that Japanese stragglers who are trying to escape from Ramree Island off the west coast of Burma, are being forced by hunger out of mangrove swamps and many have been killed by crocodiles. From there, the story took on a life of its own. The crocodiles have a long history of attacking humans who wander into their habitats, seeing them as little more than taller, more awkward prey. Without an accurate reporting system in place, crocodile attacks in Africa are difficult to track and very few are reproduced here. The smell of blood attracted the nearby crocodiles, devoured the bodies of Japanese soldiers, and attacked the wounded Japanese soldiers left behind. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. The island lies off the Burma coast, 70 miles south of Akyab, now known as Sittwe. Why Did Ancient Egyptian Men Wear Makeup? Can an Old Coin Solve the Mystery of a Lost Roman Emperor? 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. Inspired by actual events during World War 2. It was just that their levels were low. It is estimated that each year hundreds of people die from crocodile attacks in Africa many of these attacks are never reported in the media. It had been vital to complete the occupation of Ramree Island quickly, as Operation Dracula against Rangoon needed to commence in the first week of May at the latest, to have a chance of finishing before the monsoon. Goran Blazeski is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News, Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE, Built in the 19th Century, the U Bein Bridge is believed to be the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world, Realistic wooden paintings depict the ancient faces of Egypt from 2000 years ago, Police arrest a 72-year-old suburban grandfather suspected of being the Golden State Killer, Im not dead yet: some Buddhist monks followed self-mummification, Project Azorian: Howard Hughes secret mission, 1960s U.S. satellite that started transmitting again in 2013, The Walk of Shame in Game of Thrones historical inspiration, The only unsolved skyjacking case in U.S. history might have a break, Kurt Gdel became too paranoid to eat and died of starvation, Little Ease: One of the most feared torture devices in the Tower of London, The humble English girl who became Cora Pearl, Walt Disney softened the original Snow White story. The largest crocodile ever killed was a saltwater crocodile that measured 23 feet and weighed 2,370 pounds. 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. Of about 1,000 Japanese soldiers, it's estimated that only 20 survived. 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. This disease seriously hindered both sides' attempt to gain control of the island. Crocodiles are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will eat anything they can get their mouths on, making the Japanese soldiers the perfect prey. But what really happened?. The Island had been captured by the Imperial Japanese Army in early 1942, during the invasion of Burma. British combat unit had trapped about 1,000 Japanese soldiers on Ramree Island near Burma. Animal Weekis November 18 - 22, 2013 on Atlas Obscura. Find out what happened when 900 Japanese soldiers, trapped by a British landing on Ramree Island, Burma in 1945, tried to retreat through 10 miles of mangrove swamps. Users Online Now: 2,152 : Visitors Today: 415,658: Pageviews Today: 948,169: 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 . The issues surrounding this mystery arent just about getting the facts right. During World War II, The Japanese Imperial Army captured Ramree Island in 1942. The croc was shot by a hunter in Queensland, Australia, in 1957. "[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. 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). The Guinness Book of World Records listed the Ramree Island massacre as the largest crocodile attack in history, according to Wikipedia. [7], The large number of ships was intended to provide more firepower in support of the landing force. 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. [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. Rachmawan, D., and Brend, S. (2009). This type of crocodile can grow as much as 20 feet in length and can weigh about 22,000 pounds. You dont want to get bit by this creature, though, as their bite force is the strongest in the animal kingdom. 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. A Cultural Herpetology of Nile Crocodiles in Africa. 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. A biologist solves the mystery of two dozen missing animal mummies. Sideleau, B. 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 incident appears in the Guinness records: Ramree Island was the scene of an alleged massacre of Japanese . The defeated Japanese soldiers ignored all appeals by the British for their surrender, and instead abandoned their base and entered the swamp. The rest were reportedly eaten alive by hordes of prehistoric-looking saltwater crocodiles. [21] He established that Bruce S. Wright had not been present on Ramree Island at the time of the battle, and noted that although the other chapters in Wright's book were told in the first person, the account of the battle was in the third person; possibly, Platt speculated, Wright was repeating stories he had been told by friends. What animal has the strongest armor? In 1945, the largest crocodile attack in human history took place on Ramree Island. However there were around 500 more of the escaping men who never left the swamp. Troops of Japanese Fifteenth Army on the border of Burma. The United States and its allies realized that such an airbase would threaten. "[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]. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. Crocodile attacks are not always reported to local authorities, and some reports are difficult to verify. Oct 11, 2016 Goran Blazeski During World War II, The Japanese Imperial Army captured Ramree Island in 1942. Death came to them from many different sources, scorpions, disease, drowning and of course the crocodiles. So while the historical accounts are unclear, the British almost certainly did encounter the 20 Japanese soldiers who explained the horrors they endured. Finally, the British soldiers realized the Japaneses situation and urged them to surrender to avoid further bloodshed. Your email address will not be published. [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). It has been estimated that about 1,000 people are killed by crocodilians each year. And helped launch a corporation now worth more than $40 billion. However, first they had to drive off the Japanese invasion force which had already claimed the island. 13. In April 2010, a 25-year-old woman from New Jersey was killed by a saltwater crocodile while snorkeling in India's Andaman Islands. No purchase necessary. In addition, saltwater crocodiles are far from a misunderstood monster. All rights reserved. [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. Those who survived the battle reportedly didnt fare well when they chose the doomed escape route across the crocodile-infested waters. 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. The majority of attacks recorded below have occurred in Southeast Asia and Australia. 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. Join the list to receive special offers, updates, and everything about Black Rifle Coffee. 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. The survivors are reported to have told horrific tales of dozens of crocodiles attacking the soldiers en masse, and appearing out of seemingly nowhere to drag off some poor soul. 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. 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? 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. 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. Sgt. In Burma, the Allies faced a fierce enemy not only adept in jungle warfare and but also notorious for their suicidal kamikaze charges. One special ops vet felt a sense of connection with fallen comrades while skydiving over the Egyptian pyramids. How 1000 Japanese Soldiers Where EATEN by Crocodiles.. - YouTube How 1000 Japanese Soldiers Where EATEN by Crocodiles.. @Joe_Juice Subscribe 6 Dislike 0 Share Dont mess with. The Japanese soldiers were no match for these crocodiles. Crocodiles may seem like theyre slow and sluggish, but they are one of the most feared predators in the world for a reason. Unfortunately, the battle was at a standstill until the . 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 Tragic Story Of Over 900 Japanese Soldiers Slaughtered By Crocodiles | by L. Small | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. 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. Somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 soldiers from the Imperial Japanese Armys 54th Division were entrenched on Ramree. Fair winds and following seas to Marine Corps 1st Lt. Nicholas Manganiello. There was a story that hundreds of people died getting slaughter by crocodiles in just one night. With the ebb of the tide, the crocodiles moved in on the dead, wounded, and uninjured men who had become mired in the mud, The scattered rifle shots in the pitch black swamp punctured by the screams of the 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. To counter this, he tries to provide a rational argument and bring a voice of reason to the debate. A band of soldiers in search of a secret Japanese ammunition store face off against deadly saltwater crocodiles in the swamps of Ramree Island. But exactly how many men died in the maws of the mighty crocs remains up for debate because no one knows how many troops succumbed to disease, dehydration, or starvation as opposed to predation. 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. 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. Wikimedia CommonsBritish Marines landing on Ramree Island in January 1945 at the beginning of the six-week battle. 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. 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. 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. [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. 2023 Atlas Obscura. The saltwater crocodile Cassius measures 17 feet three inches . British soldiers landing on Ramree (via Wikimedia). Circa 1945 was the year when the Imperial Japan invasion of Asia was nearing its ends. 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. The battle was bloody and grueling, leaving the Japanese soldiers exhausted yet full of defiance. 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? Thats when things went from bad to worse and the Ramree Island massacre began.