The Death Railway: The Personal Account of Lieutenant Colonel Kappe on the Thai-Burma Railroad

The British and American troops were transferred to a healthier location, but were forced to work on the road and rail links the Japanese needed to carry supplies and reinforcements. Conditions in the malaria and cholera infested camps were horrific, and Lieutenant Colonel Kappe documented the atrocities the men of F Force endured, resulting in more than 3,000 men losing their lives.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2022
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

After enduring the indignity of surrender and the squalor of Changi prison, the spirits of the British and American troops soared when they were informed that they would be transferred to a healthier location, where conditions would be more benign and food far more abundant. A total of 7,000 men, approximately half British and half Australian, were to be moved, with the assurance that they would not be compelled to work. However, due to the lack of fit men at Changi, many weak and unwell soldiers formed part of the group designated as F Force. From the outset, the prisoners realized that none of the promises the Japanese had made would be fulfilled. Herded into trucks, they embarked on a nightmare rail journey into Thailand, enduring the torrential monsoon rains as they marched for hundreds of miles along a jungle track to miserable camps that offered little in the way of cover or accommodation. Despite their utter exhaustion, upon arrival at the camps, the men were forced to work on the road and rail links the Japanese needed to carry supplies and reinforcements for their assault upon British-held India. With precious little food or medical supplies, the men quickly fell prey to terrible and fatal diseases, with hundreds dying within a short period. Despite the protests of the British and Australian officers, conditions in the malaria and cholera-infested camps were utterly horrific. Lieutenant Colonel Kappe, in his report, described the barbarism the men of F Force experienced at the hands of the Japanese as unparalleled in history. Determined to document the atrocities the men endured from May to October 1943, Kappe's report resulted in more than 3,000 men losing their lives. His report, reproduced here in full, is a chilling account of the suffering and sacrifices made by the men of F Force during World War II.

Weight: 470g
Dimension: 164 x 241 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399017770