Prisoner on the River Kwai

After the failed Operation U-go in which the Japanese failed to take Imphal and Kohima, the Allies launched a counter allowed to return to Burma from the north. Thanks also to the support of the Anglo-Indian and Chinese-American partners, Japan began to lose the war in Southwest Asia in late 1944 and early 1945, as is happening on other fronts. In his long retreat south of Burma, the once powerful Japanese armies left behind, traces of decay, as wounded, maimed, weapons, sick, evidence of mass suicides or murders of prisoners, and other typical aberrations war, which would merit an extensive review. Knowing that the war was lost, the Japanese High Command in Southwest Asia, is only limited to rethink their procedures and strategies to help overcome the difficulties with the lowest possible casualties.

What it meant to be a Japanese prisoner of war
But every war, is marked by events, regardless of the great battles, generate certain acts of heroism, endurance or valuation. On the front Southwest Asia, probably the most popular event, which represent a handful of captured soldiers, who became workers on the River Kwai.

Their experiences were popularized by the film The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957, directed with David Lean and whose main protagonist Alec Guinness Sir. The story was inspired of course, what it meant to be a Japanese prisoner of war at the front as inclement weather and time. It all started when the Allies left Singapore and were captured about 28,500 British, 18,000 Australians, 67,000 Indians and 14,000 native volunteers. Obviously everyone should be kept and fed, respecting what was said in the Geneva Convention. This was followed Burma and Japanese troops could not cope in resources to maintain such a large number of prisoners. Also watch them time and dedication required. The Japanese before the war had not thought about this, because for them the surrender was shameful, and thought that the Allies would commit suicide or be thrown to typical banzai attacks. In this situation, the only thing that occurred to the Japanese was forcing prisoners of war necessarily work for them as free workers, in situations that could reach the real slavery in some cases, without distinction between officers and privates other ranges. So the first Allied prisoners were taken to camps in Changi, with only the clothes on their backs, being fed with water and rice, which soon made them suffer physical weakness. Many were on the verge of starvation.

Obviously such a sudden change in diet changed life of allied prisoners. So then the Japanese decided to use such a free hand as something for the benefit of the war effort Tokyo work. To strengthen communication lines and supplies in Southwest Asia, the idea of ​​building a railway line that linked Bangkok in Thailand with Moulmein in Burma, creating an advantage for Japan in the war that was fought in Burma eliminated the difficulties was proposed between Pacific and Indian Ocean. So then began the construction of railways at the cost of thousands of lives not only Western but also of Malay coolies. Obviously the work was unbearable, insufferable, very close to be considered practically slave. Maybe it was the closest to Nazi concentration camps, prisoners being transported in tight spaces and fed rations ridiculous. The first organized for the construction of the work camp was in Ban Pong, between 1942 and 1943, where many groups of prisoners streamed from Singapore. There began the tracks and ran the first 30 km to the city of Kanchanaburi or Kanburi between the rivers Mar Mekhong and Kwai Noi. The first river mentioned a bridge was built and then the tracks continued for an old road up the valley of the Kwai through the mountains to the border with Burma. Despite how difficult it could become the ground, the Japanese realized that the hand of allied work had completely changed this conception making possible the hypothetical construction.

Immediately the Japanese staff was divided into two groups, one to seek direct the project and was composed by engineers and relevant technical with respect to rail, and the second charge of monitoring, feed, clothe and treat prisoners although the latter at least it was only in theory. So then, prisoners were moved from other areas to start the ambitious project. To accommodate them, camps were built in the valley of the Kwai and Thanbyuzayat to the border at Three Pagodas Pass. Many were taken on foot and tied, being treated in aberrant circumstances as if they were beasts of burden. The camps were composed of rods made of bamboo or attap that could house up to 200 men, 60 cm space for everyone, ie all slept huddled. Usually the workday began at about eight o'clock, but could be before, after a tea and rice based breakfast. The next break came at noon and lasted an hour. Lunch consisted of more rice. After this came again work until four in the afternoon, when all returned to camp without bathing most of the time. Finally came the dinner and silent. Sometimes, if he had orders to expedite the work, he worked nights. On Sundays all rested. Gradually the Japanese were entering their customs and even the language when giving orders principal and numbers. The British, Australian and other prisoners were forced to learn some basic words to communicate.

The start of construction of the railway opened a space of nine meters beating the dense vegetation. Usually a man should prepare a cubic meter of space, and this included removing soil and stones by hand, to finally towed with a small truck. Obviously all projects, and build galleries, redoubts and viaducts, wooden bridge across the Sea Mekhong River, not far from Kanchanaburi, which tradition has called erroneously bridge over the River Kwai, it was from the point of Japanese view an important undertaking. But from another perspective was actually useless, which committed hundreds of men and ultimately had to be replaced by a cement and iron that was later flown by the Allies at the end of the war. So then, in late 1943 and after months in which even the smallest tasks made them sick soldiers, the train could make his first run and start joining the route between Burma and Thailand. With this, the Japanese engineers earned great admiration for his level of improvisation and quick to act.

Despite finishing the great work climate in Thailand was so hard that the prisoners did not fare well at all. Mosquitoes do not leave them alone, and these bugs and the environment caused many diseases such as malaria, dysentery, beriberi, septicemia, ulcers, hookworm, sleeping sickness, and cholera ... about this last disease that ravaged Japan and allies have been numerous stories of unspeakable suffering, until finally given the enormous amount of dying and dead everywhere in just a few days, the Japanese were forced to renounce their political disinterest and implement an anti cholera serum at least reduced deaths on the rise. This epidemic was introduced in mid-1943.

Usually Allied prisoners went ragged and already quoted did not have a good diet, so his physical weakness was obvious, in addition to that, physical abuse were an everyday occurrence, and his clothes, simply because hardly existed, and You could say that worked almost naked or in rags. The replacement clothing that once the Japanese had not lasted more than 15 days. For there to remedy this, some later chronicles tell us that the natives formed a sort of black market coming to sell or exchange with allied soldiers some commodities. So sorry gave them, which eventually ended send as gifts sometimes simply because they disagreed with the Japanese occupation. The little money they had allied prisoners was because, ironically, the officers received about 30 tical, the 20 NCOs and privates between 10 and 25. At the end of 1944 after abuse by Japanese guards who seemed real demons, and a detestable climate, began to make some concessions, such as allowing the Red Cross to bring food and medicine, forming choirs in the camps and care for some patients. At the end of the fields and work areas would remain mostly until August 1945 when the Japanese surrendered unconditionally. It is estimated that of all men for hard labor, the Allies had about 12 000 492 who died in captivity being buried in cemeteries in Thailand, Singapore, Burma. Many of them perished specifically on the banks of the River Kwai. Others did not even have the honor of being buried as they were burned from cholera, which puts into question the numbers of victims who settled further investigations. A sad episode, with epic ingredients, was that of Allied prisoners of war in Southwest Asia.