A strategic battle for control of the isle, located just north of Rangoon, Burma, resulted in crocodile attacks on Japanese troops in a mangrove swamp.The exact number of men killed by crocodiles remains a mystery. The operation lasted from February 8 to 22.
This is not so common here, but I am sick of slathering myself with sunscreen, and every time I wear a hat my hair goes flat. “Prisoners taken out of the mangroves during the operations were found to be semi-dehydrated and in a very low physical condition.”Power estimated that the remainder were killed in battle or perished in the mangrove swamp.How many men fell to an unseen crocodile army remains a mystery.After surviving the ordeals of Ramree, Duff was given a month’s leave in summer 1945 and participated in a parade in August. Here you are left alone for the most part, once you are out of the tourist areas, and even in them it is pretty mild.I am eating a lot of fruit here, and have discovered jackfruit, mangosteens and dragon fruit.It was overcast today, which I think must be deemed ‘cold’ here, as most of the locals were rugged up in hoodies. On another occasion, volunteers were needed for a mission behind Japanese lines—nobody was willing to go, so the men cut a deck of cards to choose the unlucky. Crocodiles were once quite common in Vietnam....but centuries of human population pressure and habitat destruction have eliminated them. “We lost the war,” they said. There were some alligators further off with their mouths wide open, who were so still I really didn’t know if they were statues or real or dead. They are also very polite and courteous, and to be a foreigner here is not so irritating as it can be in other countries, where people sometimes fawn or stare or harangue.
/ Imperial War MuseumTo prevent Japanese troops from escaping the island via boat, the British launched Operation Block—a combined operation in which Royal Navy destroyers blocked water exits, the RAF strafed Japanese boats and ground forces encircled Japanese units on the ground. They were like an old couple.The menu at the restaurant we were at read like a kind of extreme dining experience.There are a gang of motorbike taxi drivers who hang outside the window of the cafe where I now live, and they sit around all day smoking and looking bored, then suddenly they will start to play a game where they run around and try to kick each other on the ass. Interestingly, when I walk with the umbrella, nobody approaches me to try to sell me anything. Oh well. British survivors of the battle estimated that about 1,000 Japanese were attacked by the giant reptiles—a claim which gave rise to sensational stories and has been disputed by historian Frank McLynn.Despite the numerical debates, the fact remains that Japanese combatants were killed by crocodiles while resisting British troops. Not sure if it makes me look like a local or just crazy…I had forgotten how great it is to live overseas, not just to travel, but to be a part of a city, to establish a routine, to get to know people properly. “Why don’t you find yourself a nice Vietnamese wife?” I suggested. Crocodiles Cut Open, Skinned in Vietnam for Leather Bags . Wikimedia Commons British Marines landing on Ramree Island in January 1945 at the beginning of the six-week battle. Talking to them, I felt inspired to change my life so that I can do the same.I spent the first day of my trip with Thuy, a Vietnamese teacher from my school, who didn’t turn out to be the boon I expected. After bouts of hospitalization from amoebic dysentery, ulcers and malaria, Duff survived to go to Ramree the following January.“The Japanese had developed a strong defensive position guarding the beaches…. “Only a handful came out alive.”Crocodiles, nocturnal predators, struck at nighttime shortly after the Japanese entered the mangrove swamp. I have taken to walking around town with an umbrella to protect me from the sun.
I thought she would enrich my experience as a traveller, but the most she contributed was to say “This is cheaper in Saigon”, which was good in a way as it prevented me from buying anything!I saw my first alligators on this trip, which were in a depressing enclosure where people stood over them on a bridge and dangled pieces of meat on string attached to sticks, like a macabre fishing rod.
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