Is The Bridge on the River Kwai a true story?
The film “The Bridge on the River Kwai” dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. Over 65,000 Allied P.O.W.s battled torture, starvation, and disease to hack the 255-mile railway out of harsh jungle for the Japanese.
How many soldiers died building the bridge over the River Kwai?
The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project driven by the need for improved communications to support the large Japanese army in Burma. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway.
How many POWs died building the Burma railway?
The rail line was built along the Khwae Noi (Kwai) River valley to support the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign. More than 12,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and tens of thousands of forced labourers perished during its construction.
Where is the bridge over River Kwai located?
Thailand
The actual bridge on the River Kwai is located in Thailand, and stretches over a part of the Mae Klong river, which was renamed Khwae Yai (Thai for big tributary). The railway route, which ran through Burma and Thailand, had been planned by the British.
What happened to the real bridge over the River Kwai?
The real bridge on the River Kwai was never destroyed, not even damaged. It still stands on the edge of the Thai jungle about three miles from this peaceful town and it has become something of a tourist attraction. The bridge was erected by Allied pris oners during the Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II.
Where is the real bridge over the River Kwai?
Kanchanaburi
Although the film was shot in Sri Lanka, the Bridge on the River Kwai is real, and is still used by local passenger trains from Bangkok to Nam Tok. For anyone interested in 20th century history, a visit to Kanchanaburi and the infamous Death Railway is a must.
How many Japanese soldiers died on the Burma Railway?
Japanese soldiers, 12,000 of them, including 800 Koreans, were employed on the railway as engineers, guards, and supervisors of the POW and rōmusha labourers. Although working conditions were far better for the Japanese than the POWs and rōmusha workers, about 1,000 (eight percent) of them died during construction.
When did British and American POWs die in Burma?
March – October 1943. BURMA-04_roster(WO 361-2204) – British and American POWs at Burma Camp 6, later IV. Some rosters show if living, dead or killed in action (KIA), cause of death and burial site. THAILAND_POW_Camps_rosters(WO 361-2171) – Numerous rosters of POWs in Thailand.
Who was sentenced to death for the Burma Railway?
Hiroshi Abe, a first lieutenant who supervised construction of the railway at Sonkrai where 1,400 British prisoners out of 1,600 died of cholera and other diseases in three months, was sentenced to death, later commuted to 15 years in prison, as a B/C class war criminal.
Where did the prisoners of war go on the Death Railway?
The first prisoners of war to arrive on the construction site were the Australians, a few thousand of them. They left prison in Changi and were shipped to Burma. Until railroad construction began, they were tasked with constructing airfields. At around the same time, British prisoners of war were sent to Thailand.