Chapter 31 - Soon to the Three Pagodas Pass

Summary

It was at the end of August that we drew near the Pass. Since our advance from Kinsaiyok in June the second extension of railtrack-head, accompanied in its progress by roadbed construction, gradually approached Thā Khanun. The railtrack-head on Burma-side, too, was nearing the frontier and all the roadbed in the Nikki area was in mid-construction. At this juncture the section of railtrack to be completed was about 100 km plus, and the situation was that the railway could not be completed by the scheduled end of August. Five months after rush-construction had been pushed ahead in earnest, that five months had proved insufficient. The whole railtrack made a railwayline about 300 km long, and a third more work on construction was calculated to be needed. Once the line was open to traffic a base was needed for complete equipment for rolling stock in the running of trains, with necessary equipment for security, for engine-shed equipment, for water-supply equipment and so on. Firewood, too, for engines had to be stockpiled. To complete what was left there were 100 km of railtrack to be finished within about a couple of months.

In mid-August Major-General Takasaki was completely confined to his sickbed (with malarial fever) and had to hand over command. His successor, Major-General Ishida Hideguma, took up his post as GOC, Thai-Burma Railway Construction. From his HQ at Kamburi he reported to his superior at Southern Army HQ his determination to complete the railway in a planned period of about two months. The connecting-up point for the Thai-side and the Burma-side regiments was definitely laid down as to be Konkuita at 262 km, and the regiments were instructed to push the work ahead.

On Thai-side the CO of 9 Railway Regiment advanced his effective command to Tamuron Part, and the regiment disposed their entire force on the gap up to Konkuita, putting their maximum effort on hastening the work on the remaining roadbed construction. On Burmaside, 5 Railway Regiments established their HQ at Kyandaw, and from the Three Pagodas Pass at the frontier there was a section of track of about 40 km into which they threw the total strength of the Regiment and hurried on the work.