Return from the River Kwai

The famous movie "Bridge on the River Kwai" (which I have not seen) tells a somewhat fictionalized account of the British and Australian POW soldiers who were forced to build the "Railway of Death" during WWII for the Japanese. "Return From the River Kwai" tells the harrowing tale of about 2200 of those soldiers who were selected because they were healthier than the others to be sent to Japan for work in the factories there. While en route the ships they sailed on, the Kachidoki Maru and Rakuyo Maru, were torpedoed and sunk by American submarines who weren't aware that they carried human cargo. The men who survived spent as much as a week floating in the ocean before being rescued by those same submarines. This book tells the firsthand accounts of their experiences and the hardships they endured, from the terrible conditions in POW camps and the difficulties of staying afloat and sane in a vast ocean, to the joys of being rescued and returned to society. The Blairs have done a terrific job of putting together the individual accounts and historical documents that form one of the extraordinary stories of surviving the brutal conditions of war. Written nearly 30 years ago, I didn't expect the writting to be as engrossing as it was, but by interviewing dozens of the survivors it gave a sense of what it might have been like to have been there. Unpleasant details are not left out either, although they are told with a sense of dignity that is sometimes lacking in other books. Intertwined with the record of the survivors is the story told by the men on the submarines, who played such an important role in rescuing the stranded men. Overall a great book that details a story that ought not be forgotten, and gives a greater sense of appreciation for the struggles and sacrifices of that earlier generation.

The story that is told here should be made into a movie so more people could know what happened. My father, Lt jg Jos. C. Bates, served as CDC operator on the USS Sealion that torpedoed the Japanese vessel carrying the prisoners of war. There was no way of knowing it was a ship full of Australian and British POWs. The USS Sealion and the USS Pampanito rescued as many as they could carry within the limited confines of WWII submarines. My dad had nightmares of this incident the rest of his life, still hearing the shouts of the men in the water calling out to them "Over here! Over here!" He took the photograph that was used to design the jacket of the book, although the artist's rendering is somewhat different than his snapshot.

this story is great true follow up to what happened to many of the prisoners of war that built the bridge over the river kwai. it deserves a shot at being made into a movie as it is an exciting true life drama. i should know, my father is 1st. class torpedoman robert bennett of the u.s.s. pampanito