The real Bridge over the River Kwai is in Thailand, in Kanchanaburi province near the Burmese border. Kwai is actually pronounced “Kwae,” the “ai” being the “A” sound in “flat.” The river is usually spelled Kwae, too, except they keep it Kwai in town for tourist purposes.
In real life, the bridge was destroyed by aerial bombing, not by any commando team dropped in. The only person ever to have escaped from the place during the war was not an American, but rather a Brit, and he never returned. There are two Allied cemeteries – a big one in town and a smaller one across the river out of town or in the outskirts – filled with Allied soldiers who died at that time.
I was there several years ago and marveled at how small the bridge was compared to its history. Amazing story. Close to the bridge is the Jeath Museum which our guide said was actually the Death Museum, but that no one wanted to name a museum after death. Just looking it up on Wiki, I found the following:
I’ve not heard of Korean guards in Thailand during the War. As far as I know, they were Japanese.
Thailand must have been an okay assignment for most Japanese. Hotter than they were used to, but Thailand was ostensibly an ally, although in reality an occupied country.
Japanese headquarters was in the old Chinese Chamber of Commerce building on Sathorn Road. A neat old building, it’s beautiful now, as it was refurbished and turned into the Blue Elephant Restaurant, which you can see here.
Just so there’s no confusion, by “ally” I meant a Japanese ally. There was a small – very small – underground movement a la the French Underground, and Jim Thompson, "the Legendary American – even parachuted in for the OSS (precursor to the CIA) to help them (he’s a whole other story), but nothing much ever came of it.
As I recall, Korea was an occupied nation during WWII - Koreans were not real fond of the Japanese (who took away their Korean names, wouldn’t let them speak Korean in school). That doesn’t mean there weren’t Koreans who were cooperative with the occupying forces, but I wouldn’t imply to most Koreans that as a nation they activity participated in Japanese agression during WWII - they see themselves as victims of it.
I don’t know about that. My wife’s family fled the country and lived on a boat off the south coast of China for most of the duration of the occupation. The story goes that their family home in Songkhla was commandeered for use by Japanese officers.
Which is why I said it was really an occupied country. Thailand was an ally on paper. When the Japanese forces rolled in, Thailand rolled over and said, “Hey! We’ll be your ally.” The people weren’t happy about it, and it was clear who was the boss, but Thailand and the Thai government were officially on the Japanese side. The small Free Thai Movement, a counterpart to the French Underground, was so ineffective as to be nonexistent.
Japan gave huge chunks of Laos and Cambodia back to Thailand at that time, too. After the War, Thailand had to give them back. Britain and France wanted Thailand to pay war reparations as punishment for being on the Japanese side, but it was the US that came out on Thailand’s side and said no, that’s not right, Thailand was not REALLY a Japanese ally.
EDIT: The Thai ambassador in Washington, a future prime minister, refused to deliver the Thai government’s declaration of war against the US. He remained nominally the head of the Free Thai Movement, directing what little “operations” occurred from the comfort of his cozy Washington home.
It’s a common misconception that “Thai” means “free,” so it wasn’t the “Free Free” Movement
Another interesting thing about Thailand in WWII: their Marshal Petain (if not Quisling, given the number of his countrymen he handed over to the Japanese to be worked to death), Plaek Pibulsonggram was put back in power.
Plaek was quite an interesting man and remains a controversial figure to this day. A real strongman type. He was one of two or three PMs who kept leap-frogging over each other into the premiership both before and after the War. After the War, he actually tried to claim that he was REALLY on the Free Thai Movement’s side and in fact had actually used his position to coordinate with them, which was utter bollocks. His son (or maybe grandson) remains an influential figure behind the scenes today; his name does not crop up too often, but often enough and in certain contexts that you know he’s pulling a string or two.