THE THAI BURMA RAILWAY What is the Burma

THE THAI BURMA RAILWAY

What is the Burma railway The Thai Burma railway was built in 1942 -43. it was used to supply the Japanese forces in Burma, bypassing the sea routes that were made vulnerable when Japanese naval strength was reduced in a battle. Once the railway was completed the Japanese planned to attack the British in India, and in participator the roads and airfields used to supply china by the allies over Himalayan mountains.

Who was involved with the Burma railway 180, 000 south east Asians, 60, 000 allied prisoners of war built the Burma railway through forced labour by the Japanese. Javanese, Malaysians, Burmese, Chinese, Thai, allied prisoners of war( British, Australians, Dutch and Americans) died during the construction of the railway, with very few surviving, its estimated 12, 000 prisoners of war died and 100, 000 Asians.

Where did the Burma railway occur The Burma railway was a 415 km railway running from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. It was built by Japan using slave labour, the railway was used to support the Japanese army during the Burma campaign in world war 2.

Why did the Burma railway happen in world war 2 In 1942 the Japanese invaded Burma colony from the United Kingdom. The Japanese used the sea to get all of their supply's, the route went passed Malay peninsula which was to dangerous and the allied submarines could easily attack the Japanese supply boats. So the Japanese built the railway to supply their army in Burma.

When did the Burma railway occur The Burma railway was built in 1942 -43, the Japanese planned to use to railway to attack the British in India and the roads and airfields used to supply the Chinese by the allied forces. The British had planned to build a railway connecting Thailand Burma before the Japanese started to but the idea was quickly discarded because of the challenges it posed such as thick jungle and diseases.

What changes did the Burma railway bring After the war had finished the Burma railway was used to transport prisoners of war and Japanese soldiers from Burma to Thailand Malaysia. They also used the railway to search for the remains of prisoners of war and retrieved there bodies to be buried. The British wanted to keep the railway as it was strategically valuable but they faced a few problems, first it would be extremely hard to keep maintained and it was built of poor quality. The Allied forces decided to removed the Burma half of the railway but leave the Thailand half, the Thailand side of the railway was sold to the government for 1. 5 million, the money was used as compensation for the countries that had there materials taken to construct the railway.

Bibliography http: //hellfirepass. commemoration. gov. au/building-hellfirepass/ https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Burma_Railway http: //hellfirepass. commemoration. gov. au/after-thewar/destruction-of-the-railway. php