In Southeast Asia, Britain has surrendered to the Japanese. This then is the story of a British battalion commander and the Japanese commandant of a prison camp that is deep in the jungle of Siam. Our Brit is arrogant and bullheadeda categorical military snob. The camp commandant is inept, inefficient, and brutalalso an unequivocal military snob. The Japanese mission: to build a railway bridge over the River Kwai. They lock horns; each must save face before their respective troops. The bridge is built, finally: a crowning achievement in the eyes of the British commander. Unknown to all, the British have set in motion an operation to destroy the bridge. The impact of this on the Japanese can be discerned easily. But, what will be the impact upon the Brit? An interesting psychological study.
This is the book that inspired the movie. "Unique, ironic, overwhelming. The amazing story of the prisoner of war whose passion for duty led him to pwerform an almost impossible feat of military genius for the Japanese army he hated."
1963 Bantam Pathfinder edition.
