Prisoner's Sketch of Workers on the Death
Railway.
In Hell There is
a Place Called Death's Railway
Allied Prisoners of War and Asian Laborers constructed the Death Railway between June of 1942 and October of 1943, at the height of World War II. It is estimated that from 20% to 40% of the approximately 61,000 POWs involved in construction died during this time, along with more than 80,000 of the 250,000 Asian laborers employed.
POW's portrait of another sick and weary
POW (Click for larger view).
To the
Kwai and Back: War Drawings 1939-1945
Although the POWs building the rail line dubbed it the Death
Railway because of the death rate listed above and the extreme hardship
that all of the POWs involved endured, the Japanese named it the Burma-Siam
railway. By connecting Ban Pong, Siam (now Thailand) to Thanbyuzayat,
Burma, the railway provided a vital supply route for the Japanese army
fighting the British in Burma and eliminated the need for the longer and
more dangerous sea route that had previously been the only way to reinforce
the Japanese army in Burma.
This website seeks to explore various aspects of the railroad project,
and it is designed to generate thought on this complex issue by fairly
portraying all parties. The toolbar on the left-hand side can be used
to move around this site and to examine different aspects of the construction
of the railroad, as well as its causes and effects.
This exhibit was researched and designed by Hill Davis.
This exhibit and museum were created during an introductory seminar on the Asia-Pacific War, taught at Wake Forest University during the spring semester 2002.
The material and opinions are those of their respective authors and do not represent the views of the University or the Department of History.