This episode covers the Ramree Island Massacre Myth: did Saltwater Crocodiles really kill hundreds of Japanese soldiers during WW2?

There is a myth that during Operation Matador, the battle for Ramree Island in 1945, that hundreds of Japanese soldiers were attacked and eaten by Saltwater Crocodiles. But is there any real evidence of this occurring?

The battle for Ramree Island occurred from 14 January – 22 February 1945 and was fought between forces of the XV British Indian corps against the 2nd Battalion, 121st Regiment, 54th Division led by Kan'ichi Nagazawa. The British-Indian forces defeated the Japanese, forcing them into the interior of the island which was a 10 mile mangrove swamp. The Japanese were encircled and faced a horrible fate as they marched through the swamp. Many Japanese attempted swimming for the mainland only to be attacked by allied boat crews and sharks.

The story of the Japanese who died within the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island are now full of myths and tall tales, but some have it hundreds of Japanese died to saltwater crocodile attacks. In reality the Japanese succumbed to starvation, dehydration and disease, but perhaps a few did face a gruesome fate against saltwater crocodiles.