The Saltwater Crocodile is something else, the largest reptile on the planet, the pinnacle of evolution. The beast hasn’t changed from its prehistoric form for millions of years.
Growing up to 6 meters in length, 1 tonne in weight and capable of swimming at 29 km/h - That nasty motherfucker is at the top of the food chain.
The average Japanese soldier in WWII was 5’3” and weighed around 120 lbs.
Now imagine signing up for the army. Harnessing the fear of being shot, potentially blown up? What about being mauled by a Saltwater Crocodile?
This is one fear the Japanese knew all too well.
During the invasion of Burma in early 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army captured Ramree Island, establishing airfields to supply mainland war efforts.
January 1945, the British Army launch Operation Matador, aimed at recapturing a number of now Japanese held islands, one of which being Ramree.
The attack on Ramree began with a naval bombardment shortly followed by the RAF in the air. Within a few hours, the Allies had complete superiority in the sky.
Allied troops then made their way onto the beaches, moving inland facing the Japanese forces head on.
Overwhelmed, the Japanese were forced to retreat to their stronghold in the hills of Ramree
British Marines landing on Ramree Island
Japanese commander Kanichi Nagazawa made the decision to take his 900 remaining men on a 10 mile march through the swamps, hoping to meet up with other Japanese forces.
As you’ve already guessed, the swamps were filled with venomous snakes, disease ridden mosquitos and thousands of saltwater crocodiles.
Straying soldiers at the back were the first to be picked off, with the crocodiles initially preying on lone soldiers and appearing out of nowhere to drag their dinner through the swamps.
Over the next few days, the Japanese made slow progress through the swamps, struggling through the dense foliage and waist deep water.
With fatigue setting in, more and more soldiers starting falling behind the group, feeding the bloodthirsty crocodiles even more, who were now even devouring their victims in front of the living comrades.
One night, one crocodile wandered into the Japanese camp and ate an exhausted soldier, dragging his lifeless carcass back into the depths of the swamp.
Eventually, what little remained of the group emerged from the swamps and frantically attempted an evacuation back to mainland Japan.
No one is sure of the exact number of massacred soldiers, and the reality of the story has been highly debated.
It’s believed that, if true, around 500 men perished in the swamp, but the true figure will likely never be known.
On February 17th, the Japanese carried out aerial bombing on Ramree, giving the remaining solders the chance to escape on rescue crafts.
By February 22nd, the Japanese resistance on Ramree island had fallen.
Due to unregulated hunting in the 60’s, the Crocodile colony on Ramree island is now nearly extinct, with only a handful suspected to remain in the swamps.
Some editions of the Guinness Book of World Records have attributed the highest number of fatalities in an animal attack to the Battle of Ramree.
Although zoologists and modern military historians have dismissed these claimed.
- M
On This Day -
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1837 - British poet laureate Robert Southey writes in reply to 20 year-old Charlotte Brontë - "Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be."
1894 - Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time in a sweet shop in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
1938 - Nazi Germany invades Austria.
Sources -
Wikipedia - Battle of Ramree Island
Youtube - Simple History