DRAGON OF THE MANGROVES: INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS OF WORLD WAR II

by Yasuyuki Kasai

It was no time to fear animals when the possibility of the enemy counteroffensive was increasing. It didn't suit a soldier to lose nerve in the presence of a mere crocodile At the end of World War II, a garrison of the Twenty-eighth Japanese Army is deployed to Ramree Island, off the coast of Burma, to fight the Allies' severe counteroffensive. While on the island, Superior Private Minoru Kasuga questions a local villager about the terrible smell coming from the saltwater creek. To his horror, the old man tells him it is the stench of death from the breath of man-eating crocodiles that inhabit Myinkhon Creek. Fierce fighting drives the battalion to the island's east coast, and they must evacuate to Burma by crossing the creek. Just before they embark, Kasuga smells the same putrid odor that he'd questioned the villager about and warns his commanding officer of the underwater danger. His sergeant ignores him, thinking Kasuga is obsessed with wild stories from the villagers, and he tells the soldiers to cross the creek.Ordered to save the penned-in garrison, Second Lieutenant Yoshihisa Sumi arrives on Ramree Island. But what awaits him at Myinkhon Creek is a sight too horrible to contemplate

152 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2006

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughtful, insightful reflections on some dreadful moments of the second world war. The fighting men are scurrying to look after themselves and each other, fussing over points of etiquette and protocol, but all the while the crocodiles are waiting patiently for lunch to arrive. Sumi's ability to rethink what is important shows personal growth by the end of the story, but will it help him get home to Yukiko? Despite the fact that this book needed a final copyedit -- "lay" is used in place of "lie" throughout the text, unfortunately -- I can warmly recommend this one.

[Vinay Shivshankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange ending but intriguing to the end

Fascinating read about a battle in the pacific during ww2. The description of Ramree island is quite spectacular. The tension and horror of the encounter with something Japanese soldiers never expected is quite enthralling. Not a bad read

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is less of a Jaws or USS Indianapolis-style horror and more of a meditations on war and mortality story. As a result, I had a hard time enjoying it on its merits; I was disappointed that the scariest thing about it was the blurb on the back.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a World War II novel told from the Japanese point of view.

In early 1945, part of the Japanese Twenty-eight Army is sent to Ramree Island , off the coast of Burma, to blunt the Allies' counter-offensive. While they are there, one of the soldiers, Superior Private Kasuga, asks a local villager about the horrible smell coming from Myinkhon Creek, which separates the island from the mainland. It comes from the man-eating crocodiles that inhabit the creek.

Fierce fighting against British and Indian troops drives the Japanese to the eastern edge of the island. Their only option is to swim Myinkhon Creek (which is a couple of hundred yards wide) to reach the mainland. Private Kasuga smells that crocodile smell again, and tells his sergeant, who is not sympathetic. The men are ordered to start swimming, at night.

Meantime, Second Lieutenant Sumi has been sent from the mainland, on a desperate mission to rescue as many soldiers as possible. A couple of more direct rescue attempts failed disastrously. Renting several rickety Burmese fishing boats, Sumi and several soldiers land at the south end of Ramree Island (it is not a small island). They have to walk for several days through thick jungle, to reach the Twenty-eighth's last known position. Are they in time? Is there anyone left to rescue?

This is a good novel (inspired by a true story) that shows Japanese soldiers as real people, with loved ones back home. It also shows them dealing with a huge shortage of food and water, ammunition and military leadership. The appearance of the crocodiles takes up only a little bit of the end of the book. Otherwise, it is short, and worth reading.

[Brian Howald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book scared the "poodle-doo" out of me. Ramree Island is just off the coast of Burma and I`m curious to know how many British troops lost their lives in this horrifying way.