The Death Railway of World War II

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Abstract

The saying of, "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it" is one that deserves more focus. One might ask, "Why?" The answer is the fact that countless events in history have been overlooked and forgotten. Such is the case of the Thai- Burma Railway also known as the "Death Railway", a line between Bang Pong and Thanbyuzayat. This, in and of itself is a tragedy. The inhuman conditions of thousands of POW's as they labored in the Thai-Burma jungle during World War II is something that should never be forgotten. Those who survived and those who did not deserve commendation for their strength, and reverence as heroes. Thus, why does no one know their story, their suffering, and their past? This past, this history, needs to be revealed so those who suffered so severely do not go unforgotten.

Introducing the Death Railway

It was the year 1942, and World War II was raging. For Japan, the year was turning out to be one of success. The invasion they made into the East Indies brought the capture of Kuala Lumpur. Then, shortly after, Japan's success was elevated by the seize of Singapore, Java, Rangoon, and the new residency of southern Burma (Grun, 1991). The taste of victory was becoming addictive, and the Japanese found they were getting closer and closer to their ultimate goal, their final victory.

This success had been born out of the perplexity of economic sanctions placed upon Japan by the United States and supported by her Allies. The export of iron, steel, and most importantly, oil, had been stopped, and the result was disastrous to Japan. This lack of trade was one of the major forces behind the movement of Japan (Pitt & Mason, 1993).

Even though these victories were stimulating, the success of the...

... middle of paper ...

...42-1945. Delaware: A Scholarly Resources Inc.

Lee, Loyd E. (Ed.) (1998). World war II in Asia and the Pacific and the wars aftermath, with general themes: A handbook of literature and research. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

Murray, S. (1994, April). Death railway. Character, stories, & q and a's from Thailand and Indochina. Retrieved March 15, 2002 from the World Wide Web: www.scottmurray.com/bridge.htm

Pitt, Barrie. and Mason, David. (Eds.). (1993). Death railway. London: Clifford Kinvig.

Private 5776807: Royal northfolks 4Th battallion 18Th division. (1997). East anglia net. Retrieved April 8, 2002 from World Wide Web:

www.ean.co.uk/Bygones/History/Article/WW2/Private_5776807

Ransdell, E. (1990, December 3). Bridge on the river kwai. U.S. news & world report, Vol. 109, Issue 22. Retrieved Match 20, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis Library database

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