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| Death Railway, built by the slaves of the Imperial Japanese Empire |
One of the horrors of war is to be enslaved for hard labour.
In 1942, the Japanese saw a need to connect the territories of Burma (now Myanmar) and Thailand by rail. Pre-war, the British saw this task as unfeasible due to the numerous hills and thick greenery. However, the Japanese were willing to do what the British were not.
Impressing the local populace (with false promises of good pay and rewards) and enslaving prisoners-of-war (POWs), the labour started on the Burma-Siam Railway (or Death Railway)16 September 1942, and finished on 25 October 1943. The Japanese were extremely motivated by the need to supply their forces in Burma by land, since they had were suffering losses by Allied submarines.
Some of the first workers were 3000 Allied POWs from Singapore. Having no say in their destination, they were forced to work under horrific conditions. They slept in cramped huts, had little in rations and were left to die if they were too unwell to work. Those workers who were deemed to be "lazy" were often beaten by the Japanese guards. This was the price for failing losing the Battle of Singapore.
Quoting Romanus and Sunderland (1953), "For every mile completed, 325 men died."
For more reading:
Pacific War Encyclopedia
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