Why is the Burma Railway called the Death Railway?

It originated in Thailand and cut across to the Burmese war front to aid in the Japanese invasion of India. Originally called the Thailand-Burma Railway, it earned the nickname “Death Railway” because over one hundred thousand laborers died during its 16 month construction between 1942 and 1943.

What is the true story of the bridge over the River Kwai?

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.

What happened on the Thai Burma Railway?

The railway was completed in October 1943. The Japanese were able to use it to supply their troops in Burma despite the repeated destruction of bridges by Allied bombing. More than 90,000 Asian civilians died on the railway, as well as 16,000 POWs, of whom about 2800 were Australian.

What was the purpose of the Thai Burma Railway?

The Burma-Thailand railway (known also as the Thailand-Burma or Burma–Siam railway) was built in 1942–43. Its purpose was to supply the Japanese forces in Burma, bypassing the sea routes which had become vulnerable when Japanese naval strength was reduced in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway in May and June 1942.

Does the Burma Railway exist?

By the end of the war around 100 of the original 142 trains were still in operation. Few survive today and the trains now installed at Kanchanaburi near ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ and at the JEATH Museum are postwar locomotives.

How many died building the Burma Railway?

This breakneck speed of construction had a heavy toll for those who built it: around 13,000 Allied Prisoners of War (POW) died during the work, alongside 100,000 local workers from across the region. They perished in unimaginably horrific conditions – starved, overworked, sick and mistreated.

Who bombed the bridge over the river Kwai?

Corporal Andrew Hocko Jr., a ball turret gunner, who lives in Mt. Airy, was in the lead bomber nicknamed “Double Trouble” on the day his B-24 came roaring down the river at treetop level and dropped four bombs at the base of a concrete pier holding up the center spans of the railway bridge known only as “Bridge 277.”

How many people worked on the Thai Burma Railway?

The railway was to run 420 kilometres through rugged jungle. It was to be built by a captive labour force of about 60,000 Allied prisoners of war and 200,000 romusha, or Asian labourers. They built the track with hand tools and muscle power, working through the monsoon of 1943.

How many Australians died building the Thai Burma Railway?

Australian prisoners of war: Second World War In all, 9,500 Australian prisoners of war worked on the construction of the Burma-Thailand Railway, which ran from Bampong, Thailand, to Thanbyuzayat, Burma . Building commenced at each end of the railway. Altogether, 2,646 Australians died working on the railway.

Who won the battle of Burma?

Allied victory
Burma campaign

Date	14 December 1941 – 13 September 1945 (3 years, 11 months, 4 weeks and 1 day)
Location	Burma and India
Result	Allied victory
Territorial changes	Dissolution of the State of Burma and restoration of British Rule

Is there a real River Kwai?

The River Kwai, more correctly ‘Khwae Noi’ (Thai: แควน้อย, English small tributary) or Khwae Sai Yok (แควไทรโยค), is a river in western Thailand, near, but not over the border with Myanmar.

Who Is The railway Man based on?

Eric Lomax
The Railway Man (film)

The Railway Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jonathan Teplitzky
Screenplay by	Frank Cottrell Boyce Andy Paterson
Based on	The Railway Man by Eric Lomax

What was the original name of Burma?

The choice of names stems from the existence of two different names for the country in Burmese, which are used in different contexts. The official English name was changed by the country’s government from the “Union of Burma” to the “Union of Myanmar” in 1989, and still later to the “Republic of the Union of Myanmar”.

What Burma means?

Definitions of Burma. a mountainous republic in southeastern Asia on the Bay of Bengal. synonyms: Myanmar, Union of Burma. example of: Asian country, Asian nation.