Is the film The Bridge Over the River Kwai a true story?
Is the film The 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.
What happened at Hellfire Pass?
Kanchanaburi, Thailand (CNN) — The steep rock walls of Thailand’s Hellfire Pass symbolize the slavery, starvation, torture and lost lives of thousands of POWs and Asian civilians during World War II, when Japan forced them to build the infamous Death Railway to boost its invasion of Burma.
How many died on Burma railway?
90,000
During the railway’s construction, around 90,000 Southeast Asian civilian forced laborers died, along with more than 12,000 Allied prisoners….Prisoner of war workers and deaths on the Burma Railway, 1942–1945.
| Country of origin | Netherlands or Dutch East Indies |
|---|---|
| POWs | 17,990 |
| Number of deaths | 2,782 |
| Death rate | 15% |
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 did the prisoners of war build the 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 people died on the Burma Railway?
By late spring 1942, with the surrender of Allied strongholds in Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies, an estimated 140,000 Allied prisoners of war had fallen into Japanese hands. In addition, approximately 130,000 civilians—including some 40,000 children—were captured by the Japanese.
Who was the Australian prisoner of war in Burma?
(Includes force and fate). Casualty information compiled by Lieutenant-Colonel J M Williams, Australian Army Medical Corps, of Australian prisoners of war, Burma – Thailand and Japan, including section on 2/2 Pioneer Battalion. AWM Official record AWM127 77 The following resources are available on the Memorial’s website.
Who are the Asian laborers of the Burma railroad?
Asian Laborers, known in Japanese as romusha, consisted of people from Burma, Thailand, China, and Indonesia and ethnic communities such as the Tamil, Java, and Karen peoples. Due to its proximately to Thailand, the largest Romusha percentage came Burma and Malaysia (formerly Malaya) with estimates being 90,000 and 75,000 respectively.