The most massive attack of crocodiles. Battle of Ramree: British, Japanese and crocodiles Ramree crocodiles

Ramri Island, located in the Bay of Bengal and belonging to Myanmar, has one distinctive feature. The main inhabitants of this island are giant crocodiles, whose length can reach seven meters. They became the main characters of one incredible story that took place at the end of World War II in Japanese-occupied Ramri. This story is still shrouded in mystery.

Japanese occupation

The British colony of Burma (formerly Myanmar) was strategically important to Japan, which entered World War II in December 1941. Firstly, the so-called Burma Road carried important military supplies to China through the port of Rangoon. Secondly, this country was an important outpost on the approaches to India.

The Japanese landed in Burma on the second day after their entry into the war - December 8, 1941. In March, the British were forced to leave Rangoon, and by May Japan already controlled the entire central part of the country. Soon the British troops retreated to India.

In 1943, Japan granted independence to Burma. However, the Chindits, partisan detachments operating in the occupied British colony in 1943-1944, caused a lot of problems for the Japanese occupiers. under the leadership of British General Ord Wingate.

But on Ramri Island, the partisans were not the main problem for the Japanese soldiers. As it turned out at the final stage of the war, much greater trouble awaited them here.

A terrible massacre on the island. Ramri

The event that made Ramree infamous occurred in early 1945 during the liberation of the British colonies from occupation. In January, British-Indian troops, in order to create an air base on Ramree, landed on the island, where at that moment there were about 1,000 Japanese soldiers, and began an offensive. After a long resistance, the Japanese were surrounded, but refused to surrender. They were forced to retreat deeper into the island to face certain death. Many of them died from the bites of poisonous insects and snakes, others from hunger and lack of fresh water.

But the largest number of soldiers died in battles with giant crocodiles that lived in the local swamps. At least that’s what Canadian naturalist Bruce Wright said, who witnessed these events and described them in detail in his 1962 book. Wright called the night of February 18–19, 1945, “the most terrible” night the Marines had ever experienced. According to him, the military liberating the island heard rifle shots coming from the mangrove swamps and “the screams of wounded people caught in the mouths of giant reptiles,” which, together with the sounds of “swarming” crocodiles, created a “cacophony of hell.” Wright noted that out of 1,000 Japanese soldiers, only 20 survived!

However, the veracity of this horrifying story is still in doubt, and researchers continue to look for facts that could shed light on what happened on Ramri.

Were there crocodiles?

Many details related to the battle on the island. Ramri, there is disagreement among experts. In his book on the Burma Campaign, historian Frank McLynn refutes the main arguments in support of the veracity of the story of the terrible massacre, and especially the way the story was presented by the naturalist Wright. According to McLynn, there is no documented evidence that Wright was on the island at this time.

In addition, the historian points out the inconsistency of the “myth” about the attack of crocodiles from a scientific point of view. According to McLynn, such a number of reptiles, which allegedly ate hundreds of Japanese soldiers, would not have survived in the natural conditions of Ramri - they simply would not have had enough food! The scientist also draws attention to the fact that neither the official reports of the British army nor the memoirs of the Japanese who survived the battle on the island speak of a massive attack by crocodiles.

The veracity of the story was also questioned in a National Geographic documentary released in September 2016. Dr. Sam Willis visited the infamous island and also studied surviving military documents. The researcher concluded that the number of victims of local crocodiles was exaggerated.

In 2017, after the release of this documentary about. Ramree is once again included in the Guinness Book of World Records, where it was first included in 1968 as the site of the largest mass killing of people by crocodiles, citing the results of a National Geographic investigation.

As the editor-in-chief of the publication, Craig Glenday, explained, when assigning such a “title” to the battle of Ramree, the compilers of the annual directory relied on the memoirs of naturalist Wright, the reliability of which they had no reason to doubt. However, he stated that his editors are ready to consider new documentary data related to this story, if any are found.

Operation Matador

In mid-January 1945, the Indian Corps was ordered to attack Japanese positions on Ramree Island. After some time, the English soldiers attacked the enemy on another island - Cheduba. And while the latter managed to quickly occupy the territory, the former were mired in a tense confrontation with Japanese units.

The Indian Corps was the first to engage in the Battle of Ramri

Before the start of Operation Matador, intelligence reported that the main strategic targets - the port and airfield in the north of the island - were carefully guarded. The Japanese filled the area with artillery. Therefore, several warships were sent to help the Indian Corps. They were required to provide fire support for the infantry from the water. And before the landing, the island was fired upon by guns from ships. And only after that the assault troops entered the battle. First, they established a foothold on the beaches of the island (January 21), and the next day they moved a little deeper into the territory.

When the British landed on the neighboring island of Cheduba on January 26, the Japanese on Ramree were still resisting the Indian Corps. Therefore, the command decided to transfer troops from the captured island to help the Indians.

When Japanese intelligence learned about the enemy's plans, more than a thousand soldiers from the Land of the Rising Sun, who belonged to the sabotage corps, left their positions. They headed to another, larger battalion located on the island.

The British arrived on the island to suppress enemy resistance

Several days of travel passed relatively calmly. The British were in no hurry to get involved in battle. However, the Japanese soon came across mangrove swamps that stretched for sixteen kilometers. You could, of course, try to get around them, but then you would have to fight your way to your own people, as they say, since the British did not waste time and managed to encircle this territory. And the Japanese command decided to go straight.

The choice of this option was not only due to the shrinking ring of British soldiers. The fact is that the Japanese had special uniforms and weapons, which were necessary to overcome such difficult areas as mangrove swamps. The British could not boast of such a reserve. And if so, it means that clashes with them could be postponed for some time.

Unexpected enemy

But the plan, which seemed promising, did not work. And although there was a relatively short distance to overcome, the Japanese got stuck. The British, of course, did not pursue them. But “for the sake of order,” several reconnaissance detachments were assigned, which observed the enemy’s actions at a safe distance. Therefore, the British command was aware of all events. They knew that the Japanese first began to have problems due to a lack of drinking water. It was impossible to use water from the swamps due to its unsuitability for consumption. However, this did not stop many Japanese soldiers suffering from thirst. This is how the second serious problem arose - infectious diseases and poisoning. The picture of torment was complemented by frenzied insects and snakes. But, as it turned out, the worst was yet to come.

The Japanese command decided to go through the swamps

On the night of February 19, as the exhausted soldiers continued to advance through the swamps, the British had an unexpected ally. The Japanese came across saltwater crocodiles. British naturalist Bruce Stanley Wright, who witnessed the clash between men and predators, later wrote in Sketches of Fauna: “The night was the most terrible that any of the combatants had ever experienced. Scattered in the black swamp slurry, bloody, screaming Japanese, crushed in the jaws of huge reptiles, and the strange alarming sounds of spinning crocodiles formed a cacophony of hell. Such a spectacle, I think, few people could observe on earth. At dawn the vultures flew in to clean up what the crocodiles had left... of the 1,000 Japanese soldiers who entered the Ramree swamps, only about 20 were found alive.”

Crossing the swamps.

Sergey Tikhonov “Expert Online”, February 18, 2014

On February 19, 1945, crocodiles ate up to a thousand Japanese soldiers trying to escape from the British in the swamps.

This story took place in February 1945, when Hitler's Japanese allies were still carrying out a counter-offensive in all strategic positions, including the so-called. Southwestern Front. His key territorial link was a long-range artillery base on the Yuhan Hills, located on the Burmese island of Ramri. It was from there that the most successful attacks on English landing craft were carried out. When the object was discovered by Anglo-American military intelligence, its destruction was designated among the top five priority tasks for the 7th Airborne Operational Squadron of the Royal Navy. To protect the base, the Japanese command sent the army's best special forces unit to the island - Diversionary Corps No. 1, which is considered unsurpassed in repelling attacks by mobile infantry.

The commander of the English airborne battalion, Andrew Wyert, turned out to be a very cunning and resourceful officer. He sent a reconnaissance group deep into the island, where there were impenetrable mangrove swamps, and having learned that they were simply teeming with huge saltwater crocodiles, he decided to lure the enemy detachment there at any cost. The major objected: “Our uniforms and weapons are not designed to go through swamps, unlike the Japanese, who are equipped with special suits and a decent arsenal of bladed weapons. We will lose everything." To which the commander, in his signature half-joking style, replied: “Trust me and you will live...”.

The crew was amazing in its tactical elaboration. After the Japanese detachment was led into the very depths of the swamp through positional battles (which, by the way, the Japanese officers were only happy about, thinking that they would gain an advantage here), Wyert ordered a gradual retreat to the coastline, ultimately leaving only a small detachment under artillery cover.

A few minutes later, the British officers watching through binoculars witnessed a strange performance: despite a temporary lull in the attacks, Japanese soldiers, one after another, began to fall into the muddy swamp slurry. Soon the Japanese detachment completely ceased to offer resistance to their military opponents: the soldiers who were still standing ran up to the fallen and tried to pull them out from somewhere, then also falling and falling into the same epileptic convulsions. Andrew ordered the vanguard detachment to retreat, although he met with objections from his fellow officers - they said, they had to finish off the bastards. For the next two hours, the British, being on the hill, calmly watched as the powerful, well-armed Japanese army was rapidly melting away. As a result, the best sabotage regiment, consisting of 1215 selected experienced soldiers, which repeatedly defeated significantly superior enemy forces, for which at one time it was nicknamed “Smerch” by the enemies, was devoured alive by crocodiles. The remaining 20 soldiers, who managed to escape from the deadly trap of the jaws, were safely captured by the British.

This case went down in history as “the largest number of human deaths from animals.” The article in the Guinness Book of Records is also named. “About a thousand Japanese soldiers tried to repel an attack by the British Royal Navy ten miles offshore, in mangrove swamps where thousands of crocodiles live. Twenty soldiers were later captured alive, but most were eaten by crocodiles. The hellish situation of the retreating soldiers was aggravated by the huge number of scorpions and tropical mosquitoes that also attacked them,” says the Guinness book. Naturalist Bruce Wright, who participated in the battle on the side of the English battalion, claimed that the crocodiles ate most of the soldiers of the Japanese detachment: “That night was the most terrible that any of the fighters had ever experienced. Scattered in the black swamp slurry, bloody, screaming Japanese, crushed in the jaws of huge reptiles, and the strange alarming sounds of spinning crocodiles formed a cacophony of hell. I think few people could observe such a spectacle on earth. At dawn the vultures flew in to clean up what the crocodiles had left...of the 1,000 Japanese soldiers who entered the Rami swamps, only about 20 were found alive.”

The saltwater crocodile is still considered the most dangerous and most aggressive predator on planet Earth. Off the coast of Australia, more people die from attacks by saltwater crocodiles than from attacks by a great white shark, which is mistakenly considered the most dangerous animal by the people. This type of reptile has the strongest bite in the animal kingdom: large individuals can bite with a force of over 2500 kg. In one case recorded in Indonesia, a Suffolian stallion, weighing a ton and capable of pulling over 2,000 kg, was killed by a large male saltwater crocodile, which dragged the victim into the water and broke the horse's neck. The strength of his jaws is such that he is capable of crushing a buffalo skull or a sea turtle shell in a few seconds.

Of the documented cases of mass human casualties from animal attacks, also noteworthy is the World War II incident involving the attack of great white sharks, which ate about 800 helpless people. This happened after ships carrying civilians were bombed and scuttled.

I read it in Expert magazine.
“This story happened in February 1945 on the so-called. Southwestern Front. His key territorial link was a long-range artillery base on the Yuhan Hills, located on the Burmese island of Ramri. It was from there that the most successful attacks on English landing craft were carried out. When the object was discovered by Anglo-American military intelligence, its destruction was designated among the top five priorities for the Royal Navy's 7th Amphibious Operations Squadron. To protect the base, the Japanese command sent the best special forces unit of the army to the island - sabotage corps No. 1, which is considered unsurpassed in repelling attacks by mobile infantry.
The commander of the English landing battalion, Andrew Wyert, sent a reconnaissance group deep into the island, where there were impenetrable mangrove swamps, and having learned that they were simply teeming with huge combed crocodiles, he decided to lure the enemy detachment there at all costs. The major objected: “Our uniforms and weapons are not designed to go through swamps, unlike the Japanese, who are equipped with special suits and a decent arsenal of bladed weapons. We will lose everything." To which the commander, in his signature half-joking style, replied: “Trust me and you will live...”.
The calculation was justified. After the Japanese detachment was led into the very depths of the swamp through positional battles (which, by the way, the Japanese officers were only happy about, thinking that they would gain an advantage here), Wyert ordered a gradual retreat to the coastline, ultimately leaving only a small detachment under artillery cover.
A few minutes later, the British officers, watching through binoculars, witnessed a strange phenomenon: despite a temporary lull in the attacks, Japanese soldiers, one after another, began to fall into the muddy swamp slurry. Soon the Japanese detachment completely ceased to offer resistance to their military opponents: the soldiers who were still standing ran up to the fallen and tried to pull them out from somewhere, then also falling and falling into the same epileptic convulsions. For the next two hours, the British, being on the hill, calmly watched as the powerful, well-armed Japanese army was rapidly melting away. As a result, the best sabotage regiment, consisting of 1215 selected experienced soldiers, which repeatedly defeated significantly superior enemy forces, for which at one time it was nicknamed “Smerch” by the enemies, was devoured alive by crocodiles. The remaining 20 soldiers, who managed to escape from the deadly trap of the jaws, were safely captured by the British.
This incident went down in history as “the largest number of human deaths from animals.” The hellish situation of the retreating soldiers was aggravated by the huge number of scorpions and tropical mosquitoes that also attacked them, says the Guinness book. Naturalist Bruce Wright, who participated in the battle on the side of the English battalion, claimed that the crocodiles ate most of the soldiers of the Japanese detachment: “That night was the most terrible that any of the fighters had ever experienced. Scattered in the black swamp slurry, bloody, screaming Japanese, crushed in the jaws of huge reptiles, and the strange alarming sounds of spinning crocodiles formed a cacophony of hell. I think few people could observe such a spectacle on earth. At dawn, the vultures flew in to clean up what the crocodiles had left...of the 1,000 Japanese soldiers who entered the Rami Swamp, only about 20 were found alive. An inspection by a special commission of the military tribunal, which conducted an investigation 2 months later, showed that the water in a swamp area with an area of ​​3 square kilometers consists of 24% human blood.”
Of the documented cases of mass human casualties from animal attacks, also noteworthy is the World War II incident involving the attack of great white sharks, which ate about 800 helpless people. This happened after ships carrying civilians were bombed and scuttled."

In my opinion, this story shows that the British do not consider anyone but themselves as people. Be happy for two hours that people are being eaten alive by crocodiles? It would be better if they shot them! And also boast about his cunning and economy - why, they didn’t waste a single cartridge!
However, were there 1000 crocodiles there? Okay, they were lucky here, but what did they eat the rest of the time? The crocodile dragged the man to the bottom and calmed down. Can he carry more and more after this? How many people (antelope, goats, etc.) can a crocodile drag away? Does he stock up in such quantities? I do not know that. And therefore I’m not sure that the British weren’t lying. Perhaps they simply shot people drowning in the swamp, and in order not to make excuses for not taking prisoners, they exaggerated the gluttony of crocodiles.

On February 19, 1945, during the Burma Campaign of World War II, an incredible and terrible incident occurred. During the fighting on the small island of Ramri, located southwest of Burma, the Japanese unit was attacked by saltwater crocodiles that live in the local swamps. This case has gone down in history as one of the worst episodes concerning the relationship between humans and these reptiles.

The Battle of Ramri Island, known as Operation Matador, began on January 14, 1945.

On that day, troops from the 29th Indian Infantry Division were landed on the island with the aim of capturing a strategically important port in the northern part of the island and an airfield not far from it.

British landing on Ramri Island

The Japanese garrison at Ramree Island consisted of the 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, part of the 54th Division, artillery and engineering units acting as an independent force. Heavy fighting began. The British, supported by naval artillery and aircraft, pushed the Japanese deeper into the island.

Japanese during the battles for Burma

On January 21, the 71st Indian Infantry Brigade was additionally landed on the island. It was then that a turning point came in the battle for the island. On February 17, hostilities ceased, the Japanese left their positions in the north of the island and began moving south in order to connect with the rest of the garrison. Their path ran through local mangrove swamps.

British units did not pursue the Japanese; the soldiers did not have uniforms for operating in swampy terrain. The command limited itself to sending small reconnaissance groups in the wake of the retreating enemy. Although there is an opinion that the British deliberately allowed the Japanese to go into the swamps.

The Japanese unit entered a swampy area. In addition to problems with water, which was undrinkable, the Japanese were plagued by snakes, scorpions and tropical mosquitoes. But the worst was yet to come. On the night of February 19, while moving, the Japanese were attacked by local saltwater crocodiles, which lived in large numbers in the swamps.

As a result, nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers who entered the mangrove swamps of Ramri Island were eaten alive by crocodiles. The 22 soldiers and 3 officers who managed to escape from the deadly trap and survived were captured by the British.

Naturalist Bruce Stanley Wright, who participated in the battle on the side of the English battalion, described what happened in his book “Sketches of Fauna”:

This night was the worst any fighter had ever experienced. Scattered in the black swamp slurry, bloody, screaming Japanese, crushed in the jaws of huge reptiles, and the strange alarming sounds of spinning crocodiles formed a cacophony of hell.

I think few people could observe such a spectacle on earth. At dawn, the vultures flew in to clean up what the crocodiles had left behind... of the 1,000 Japanese soldiers who entered the Ramree swamps, only about 20 were found alive.

This incident was subsequently included in the Guinness Book of Records and is recognized as "the worst crocodile disaster in the entire world" and "the largest number of people killed by a crocodile attack."

The saltwater crocodile is still considered the most dangerous and most aggressive predator on the planet. The strength of his jaws is such that in a few seconds he can crush a buffalo skull or a sea turtle shell, or bite an adult in two.