Does the Burma Railway still 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.

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 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.

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.

How many POWs died on 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.

How true is the movie 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.

How many Australian POWS died working on the Burma Thailand Railway?

The railway has entered the Australian consciousness as a byword for courage and resilience in the face of extreme hardship and cruelty. About 2800 Australians died building the railway.

Is the movie bridge over the River Kwai a true story?

Although the film uses the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943, the plot and characters of Boulle’s novel and the screenplay are almost entirely fictional.

Is the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai a true story?

What happened on the Thai Burma Railway?

How accurate is the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai?