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

by Lt Col Charles Kappe

They had faced the indignity of surrender and the squalor of Changi prison, so the spirits of the British and American troops lifted when they were told that they would be transferred to another 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, the men being told that they would not be compelled to work. As there were not that number of fit men at Changi, many weak and unwell soldiers formed part of the group that was designated ‘F’ Force.

From the outset, the prisoners realized that none of the promises the Japanese had made would be fulfilled. Herded into trucks, they were transported on a nightmare rail journey into Thailand and then marched for hundreds of miles along a jungle track through the torrential monsoon rains to miserable camps where there was little in the way of cover or accommodation.

Despite 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 soon fell prey to terrible and fatal diseases and soon hundreds had died. Despite the protests of the British and Australian officers, conditions in the malaria and cholera infested camps were utterly horrific. As Lieutenant Colonel Kappe wrote, the ‘barbarism’ they experienced at the hands of the Japanese had never ‘been equaled … in history’.

Kappe, therefore, set himself the task of documenting the atrocities the men of ‘F’ Force endured from May to October 1943, which resulted in more than 3,000 men losing their lives. His report is reproduced here in full – every disturbing episode in this almost unbelievable drama, told as he saw and experienced it at first hand. Rarely has there been such a document produced in a prisoner of war camp, its survival being as monumental as the sufferings of the men described in its pages.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published February 28, 2022

Reviews

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently visited part of the railway and have become very interested in the history. This was a very heartwarming story and it has been an honour to read.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lt Col Charles Kappe was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) at Singapore in 1942. He an all of the men from both the Australian and British services were then transported to Northern Malaya. They were split into different groups that were taken into Burma to help build infrastructure (like the Bridge over the River Kwai) of roads and railways.

This book was produced from Kappe's notes about his time of captivity in 1942, that were never published. there are very detailed notes as to how the prisoners were mistreated, and how they received starvation rations and little or no medical care. Most prisoner's clothing and shoes eventually deteriorated so that they were mostly naked. During their time in Burma, over 60% of the British and 40% of the Australian troops died.

Though it's sometimes like reading an accounting ledger, it's very detailed as to the failings and the sadism of the IJA.

[Meradith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Death Railway is an accurate account of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Kappe. He experienced the atrocities of the PsOW that the Japanese forced to build a railway through Western Thailand to Myanmar.

The terrain of this area was rugged, the temperature was hot, and the treatment of these men was abysmal. What these prisoners underwent was horrific and unimaginable.

I had the luxury of being able to ride on the Death Railway in Thailand and visit Kanchanaburi, where a lot of museums and history surround this railway. I think this book would have been more brutal to understand without supplementing what I was reading with what I was experiencing in the museums and my surroundings.

If you are interested in WWII history that is more obscure and less talked about, this is a great book to read! It was very educational but also truthfully graphic.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read on the horrifying treatment of POWs forced to work on the railroad in Burma in WW2. The story was good, but I also found the constant use of statistics on the number sick etc, to detract from the story. What they had to endure and survived was inspirational, but I felt the narrative could have done better to tell the story, then just reciting numbers.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.