What do you think?
Rate this book
Long Way Back to the River Kwai: Memories of World War II
Loet Velmans was seventeen when the Germans invaded Holland. He and his family fled to London on the Dutch Coast Guard cutter Seaman’s Hope and then sailed to the Dutch East Indies—now Indonesia—where he joined the Dutch army. In March 1942, the Japanese invaded the archipelago and made prisoners of the Dutch soldiers. For the next three and a half years Velmans and his fellow POWs toiled in slave labor camps, building a railroad through the dense jungle on the Burmese-Thailand border so the Japanese could invade India. Some 200,000 POWs and slave laborers died building this Death Railway. Velmans, though suffering from malaria, dysentery, malnutrition, and unspeakable mistreatment, never gave up hope. Fifty-seven years later he returned to revisit the place where he should have died and where he had buried his closest friend. From that emotional visit sprung this stunning memoir.
Long Way Back to the River Kwai is a simply told but searing memoir of World War II—a testimonial to one man’s indomitable will to live that will take its place beside the Diary of Ann Frank, Bridge over the River Kwai, and Edith’s Story.
Long Way Back to the River Kwai is a simply told but searing memoir of World War II—a testimonial to one man’s indomitable will to live that will take its place beside the Diary of Ann Frank, Bridge over the River Kwai, and Edith’s Story.
256 pages, ebook
First published May 18, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 26, 2018
This is a most unusual memoir. The author, Mr. Loet Velmas, provided an excellent account of his up-brining in Holland. He describes his idyllic life until the Germans invade. He, his family and a few friends find a boat and head to England. His mother decides it best that he go to Java and get out of the wars way. The family packs and moves right into the wave of Japanese expansionism. He enlists, is captured and starts his tour of torture for the next three and-a-half years. He is sent to many camps, but the most notorious for him, is the Spring Hill Camp on the Burma-Thai railroad. He talks about the cruelty of the captors and their sport in killing POW’s. Nothing new here.
The real change is his physiological analysis of his captors during and after the war. This is what separates it from all other stories. He attempts to understand the Japanese people and their culture but is still at a loss at to why, even to this day, they are a closed society and DO NOT, talk about World War Two as freely as we do in the West. His observations are, it didn’t happen and if it did, we, the Japanese, were forced into the conflict by the West.
He also touches on the elitism of the old Colonial Powers in Indonesia and the contempt they had brought upon themselves, not just from the indigenous people, but also the rank and file. And how the old system wasn’t going to work in the new world no matter how much the Old Guard wanted it to.
Highly recommend to all World War Two buffs.
Five Stars
February 18, 2015
I have read several books about POW's of the Japanese who worked on the building of the railway along the River Kwai. This one was different from the others in part because it is the story of a young Dutchman who also happens to be an agnostic Jew. He escaped from Holland shortly after the Germans overran Holland then sailed to the Dutch East Indies (as did his parents)where he joined the Dutch army. He was captured in 1942 and spent three and a half years as a POW. He faced many horrors in that time period and these are not unfamiliar to those who have done any reading on this time period.
I was interested to read that statistics gathered after the war showed that the Dutch POW's had a better survival rate than the Australians who in turn were more likely to survive than the British. This was felt to be in part because the Dutch army had more men of Eurasian background who were better able to adapt to the primitive lifestyle of the jungle. The Australians were deemed to be the most fit at the outset of the war and were also more organized and disciplined which probably contributed to their survival rate.The British were young and unprepared to deal with rain forest heat and humidity. Documents found after the war showed that the Japanese ranked prisoners by their endurance and usefulness with the ranking as follows: 1. Australians 2. British 3. Americans 4. The Dutch. The Dutch however, outranked all the other groups by far when it came to survival.
Velman's described one occasion when one of their greatest comforts was removed from them: "The Coconut Grove (theatre) had become an integral part of our lives. The anticipation of distraction through laughter, the excitement of the performances themselves, and their relaxed aftermath - all brought a lift to our morale that could last for days. When they closed down our theater,the Japanese administered a massive dose of communal depression by depriving us of a form of nourishment that was needed just as badly as food."
The author claimed to be an agnostic Jew and really did not know much of his Jewish heritage when he arrived at the camp and yet over time he gravitated to a group of Jews who met under the leadership of Chaim Nussbaum. One of the parts of the book that really touched me came shortly after they had been liberated when a British officer of Jewish origin was flown in and spoke to the Nussbaum congregation telling them of the Nazi extermination camps in Europe.After everything they had been through, all the people they had lost in the camps along the way only to survive themselves and suddenly come to the realization that for some there would be no family to go back to, it must have been devastating. Velman was luckier than some. His parents had also been prisoners of the Japanese and suffered terribly, but at least they had not been sent to the ovens.Many of his other relatives had.
The author soon discovered that some of the worst scars for the survivors were not physical but mental. "Two British medical studies from 1990 reported that even after 45 years, former prisoners had above average levels of psychiatric illness and significantly higher rates of admissions to hospital. Thousands were suffering from psychological disorders from which they would never recover."
Velman ultimately worked in the field of Public Relations and throughout his career there were many times when he had to visit Japan and work with the Japanese. Very few Japanese officers or prisoners were arrested or indicted as war criminals and less than fifty were convicted which no doubt seemed like a slap in the face to those who had suffered so much.No one apologized and there was not the slightest concession of guilt. The authors take on the outlook of the Japanese through the years was very interesting, including thoughts on their overall sense of isolation from others including the very low number of outsiders allowed to gain Japanese citizenship..
This book is very interesting read both for it's wartime history and for the author's lifetime perspectives as one who maintained contact with the Japanese throughout his working life. It is well worth reading for those with any interest in the subject.
One drawback to the Kindle version is that the pictures included were so small that they really weren't very legible to me at any rate. perhaps this is not the case in other versions.
I was interested to read that statistics gathered after the war showed that the Dutch POW's had a better survival rate than the Australians who in turn were more likely to survive than the British. This was felt to be in part because the Dutch army had more men of Eurasian background who were better able to adapt to the primitive lifestyle of the jungle. The Australians were deemed to be the most fit at the outset of the war and were also more organized and disciplined which probably contributed to their survival rate.The British were young and unprepared to deal with rain forest heat and humidity. Documents found after the war showed that the Japanese ranked prisoners by their endurance and usefulness with the ranking as follows: 1. Australians 2. British 3. Americans 4. The Dutch. The Dutch however, outranked all the other groups by far when it came to survival.
Velman's described one occasion when one of their greatest comforts was removed from them: "The Coconut Grove (theatre) had become an integral part of our lives. The anticipation of distraction through laughter, the excitement of the performances themselves, and their relaxed aftermath - all brought a lift to our morale that could last for days. When they closed down our theater,the Japanese administered a massive dose of communal depression by depriving us of a form of nourishment that was needed just as badly as food."
The author claimed to be an agnostic Jew and really did not know much of his Jewish heritage when he arrived at the camp and yet over time he gravitated to a group of Jews who met under the leadership of Chaim Nussbaum. One of the parts of the book that really touched me came shortly after they had been liberated when a British officer of Jewish origin was flown in and spoke to the Nussbaum congregation telling them of the Nazi extermination camps in Europe.After everything they had been through, all the people they had lost in the camps along the way only to survive themselves and suddenly come to the realization that for some there would be no family to go back to, it must have been devastating. Velman was luckier than some. His parents had also been prisoners of the Japanese and suffered terribly, but at least they had not been sent to the ovens.Many of his other relatives had.
The author soon discovered that some of the worst scars for the survivors were not physical but mental. "Two British medical studies from 1990 reported that even after 45 years, former prisoners had above average levels of psychiatric illness and significantly higher rates of admissions to hospital. Thousands were suffering from psychological disorders from which they would never recover."
Velman ultimately worked in the field of Public Relations and throughout his career there were many times when he had to visit Japan and work with the Japanese. Very few Japanese officers or prisoners were arrested or indicted as war criminals and less than fifty were convicted which no doubt seemed like a slap in the face to those who had suffered so much.No one apologized and there was not the slightest concession of guilt. The authors take on the outlook of the Japanese through the years was very interesting, including thoughts on their overall sense of isolation from others including the very low number of outsiders allowed to gain Japanese citizenship..
This book is very interesting read both for it's wartime history and for the author's lifetime perspectives as one who maintained contact with the Japanese throughout his working life. It is well worth reading for those with any interest in the subject.
One drawback to the Kindle version is that the pictures included were so small that they really weren't very legible to me at any rate. perhaps this is not the case in other versions.
November 22, 2018
This is the story of Loet Velmans who worked on the railway that would include the Bridge over the River Kwai. He tells his story of being driven from his homeland and finding refuge in England and then going to school before being drafted into the army. Not long after his entry into the army, it surrenders to the Japanese and spends the next years working in slave labor camps for the Japanese. He tries to understand why his captors treat him so viciously and he tells how he was able to survive. After the war he worked for newspapers and businesses. His biggest problem occurred when he had to deal with Japanese businessmen. They seemed to have no problem with their war crimes and the way they treated prisoners. He continued to struggle with his wartime experience but eventually came to terms. I read the book to see how it compared to the movie. The movie really didn't address the abuse suffered by the slave labor like this book did. I found the book very informative and much more like the book "Unbroken". I'd recommend it.
February 28, 2015
The author tells his story of growing up in Holland. He jumped on a small boat with a few friends to leave Holland for England after the Germans invaded. He sent a message to his parents to let them know he was going and before they could take off they showed up and joined him. His family left England for Indonesia where eventually he was drafted into the Dutch military. His unit was captured by the Japanese (without a fight) and he was sent to work on the Burma railway project where tens of thousands of European prisoners were abused, killed, and worked to death with little food and care. The author tells about one time a guard walked up and slammed a hammer into the small of his back just because he could. Hundreds of thousands died building the Japanese railroad including many people around the author. He talked about burying his best friend when he died.
The author also talks about his life after the war. He said he spent years trying to understand the Japanese people after the war. He ended up working for a public relations company in New York and worked with several Japanese companies. Whenever he would bring up the war with anyone from Japan they would change the subject and avoid talking about it at all. He talked about going back to the site he worked on the Railway and finding the area. He and his wife stayed where one of the surviving brides on the railway is set up as a memorial. Oddly enough, it's mostly visited by the Japanese who are taught that the point of the railway was to help the people of Burma improve their economy (when actually it was to assist them move troops and material to attack India).
The author talks about making efforts to understand the Japanese and how they could do what they did to all those thousands of people. But I get the feeling he doesn't know the answer to his questions despite years of working with Japanese companies. Only couple weeks ago it was in the news that a 93 year old German man was arrested and charged based on his past as an SS guard during WWII. Most of the Japanese guards went back to Japan and nothing was ever done to bring them to justice. The author mentions there were about 50 trials based on Japanese war crimes from the railway. But there could have been many hundreds for their atrocities.
Japan refers to our atom bombs dropped on them as atrocities. Perhaps before they spend much energy pointing fingers they should clean their own house.
The author also talks about his life after the war. He said he spent years trying to understand the Japanese people after the war. He ended up working for a public relations company in New York and worked with several Japanese companies. Whenever he would bring up the war with anyone from Japan they would change the subject and avoid talking about it at all. He talked about going back to the site he worked on the Railway and finding the area. He and his wife stayed where one of the surviving brides on the railway is set up as a memorial. Oddly enough, it's mostly visited by the Japanese who are taught that the point of the railway was to help the people of Burma improve their economy (when actually it was to assist them move troops and material to attack India).
The author talks about making efforts to understand the Japanese and how they could do what they did to all those thousands of people. But I get the feeling he doesn't know the answer to his questions despite years of working with Japanese companies. Only couple weeks ago it was in the news that a 93 year old German man was arrested and charged based on his past as an SS guard during WWII. Most of the Japanese guards went back to Japan and nothing was ever done to bring them to justice. The author mentions there were about 50 trials based on Japanese war crimes from the railway. But there could have been many hundreds for their atrocities.
Japan refers to our atom bombs dropped on them as atrocities. Perhaps before they spend much energy pointing fingers they should clean their own house.
September 14, 2026
In the fall of 1967 as a sophomore at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota I was privileged to participate in the Term in Thailand with 25 other students. We studied at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok - Buddhism, Southeast Asian history, art, literature, and political science. On the way to Bangkok we visited Japan and Hong Kong. Coming home included stops in Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Guam. We were the only undergraduate study group in Southeast Asia - the closest program was in Japan. I have been an avid reader of World War II history and literature for many years. My father and most of my uncles served in the war in many roles - as a tank driver in Patton's army, a tail gunner who was killed over Germany, and a medic in the Pacific Theatre. My reading, however, has largely been within the European Theatre of operations. About 3 years ago I had a "DUH" moment. Why was I not reading about the Pacific War when I had visited so many important sites in the history. I am trying to make up for my lack of knowledge........................ Two events in my 5 months in Asia heightened my interest in the Thai - Burma Railroad also known as the "Death Railroad"........ I has seen the film "Bridge Over the River Kwai" starring Sir Alec Guinness an William Holden. It was a smash hit on release, the highest-grossing film of 1957, and earned seven Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. This film is based upon an novel and is no way a documentary though it does depict the suffering of POW's building the railway. The largely fictitious plot is based on the building in 1942 of one of the railway bridges over the Mae Klong river—renamed Khwae Yai in the 1960s—at a place called Tha Ma Kham. It also gives the impression that the soldiers were all British - not the case. ( As an aside I also heartily recommend "Railway Man" starring Colin Firth (2013). )........ The theme song from the first is "The Colonel Bogey March". My friend and I awakened after our first night in Tokyo to that music. As we looked out our hotel window we saw Japanese workers doing exercise on a rooftop to this music. The irony was amazing. While studying in Bangkok, the university took us on a number of field trips. One was to Kanchanaburi the site of the "Bridge over the River Kwai"
This is bridge 277 of the Burma-Siam Railway and spans the Khwae Noi River. Before visiting the bridge we stopped at the death railway War Cemetery which contains 6,982 graves of British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war of which 6,858 have been identified. ( As far as is known, all American POW's who died building the railroad were returned to the United States. ) We confronted the waste of a war when had ended 22 years earlier. The graves are immaculate and the tropical flowers, especially the bougainvillea, were beautiful. I remember one marker had the inscription: "There’s some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England" from the Rupert Brooke who died of dysentery and blood poisoning aboard a troop ship during World War I. While we were standing at the bridge a very rustic locomotive and train crossed. The most devastating event of that hour was while we stood in the beauty and history of the site, three American fighter jets made a low pass over the bridge on the way to bomb in Vietnam. WE NEVER LEARN!!!!!!!!!! ****************** Review: This book is told from the perspective of a Dutch POW who was transported from current Indonesia to Changi prison in Shanghai and then north to be part of the slave labor building the Thai-Burma railroad. The ultimate purpose was to transport military supplies to the eventual capture of India. ( The Japanese representative SIGNED the Geneva convention which seeks to have respectful care for POW's, but the agreement was never ratified by the Japanese government. ) Loet was so young when he was brought into the Dutch fight against the Japanese. His story of survival amid so many deaths is poignant and informative. As an adult after the war he expresses opinions with which I agree. First that the colonial era should end with countries achieving independence. Secondly Loet and I agree that Japan has never really acknowledged or atoned for the atrocities committed ( beginning with the deaths of millions of Chinese in the 1930's and later ). Young people are not taught what was done in the name of the emperor god. "After the war, Japan denied the existence of comfort women, refusing to provide an apology or appropriate restitution. After numerous demands for an apology and the revelation of official records showing the Japanese government's culpability, the Japanese government began to offer an official apology and compensation in the 1990s. However, apologies have been criticized as insincere by victims, advocacy groups, and scholars. Many Japanese government officials have continued to either deny or minimize the existence of comfort women. The Japanese government admits that girls and women suffered, but denies evidence that they were taken against their will during wartime." Chang, Jae (May 4, 2019). "Apology Politics: Japan and South Korea's Dispute over Comfort Women". The Cornell Diplomat. Argibay, Carmen (2003). "Sexual Slavery and the Comfort Women of World War II". Berkeley Journal of International Law. I fell in love with Kyoto ( I turned 19 there in 1967 ), Nara, and the gracious people. It is difficult for me to resolve this with Japanese crimes. As a psychologist, I should know that brainwashing can be 100% effective over a very short period of time. If a country does not acknowledge culpability, can the future generations really change??? I recommend this very readable book about one very young man's journey through hell. Kristi & Abby Tabby
This is bridge 277 of the Burma-Siam Railway and spans the Khwae Noi River. Before visiting the bridge we stopped at the death railway War Cemetery which contains 6,982 graves of British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war of which 6,858 have been identified. ( As far as is known, all American POW's who died building the railroad were returned to the United States. ) We confronted the waste of a war when had ended 22 years earlier. The graves are immaculate and the tropical flowers, especially the bougainvillea, were beautiful. I remember one marker had the inscription: "There’s some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England" from the Rupert Brooke who died of dysentery and blood poisoning aboard a troop ship during World War I. While we were standing at the bridge a very rustic locomotive and train crossed. The most devastating event of that hour was while we stood in the beauty and history of the site, three American fighter jets made a low pass over the bridge on the way to bomb in Vietnam. WE NEVER LEARN!!!!!!!!!! ****************** Review: This book is told from the perspective of a Dutch POW who was transported from current Indonesia to Changi prison in Shanghai and then north to be part of the slave labor building the Thai-Burma railroad. The ultimate purpose was to transport military supplies to the eventual capture of India. ( The Japanese representative SIGNED the Geneva convention which seeks to have respectful care for POW's, but the agreement was never ratified by the Japanese government. ) Loet was so young when he was brought into the Dutch fight against the Japanese. His story of survival amid so many deaths is poignant and informative. As an adult after the war he expresses opinions with which I agree. First that the colonial era should end with countries achieving independence. Secondly Loet and I agree that Japan has never really acknowledged or atoned for the atrocities committed ( beginning with the deaths of millions of Chinese in the 1930's and later ). Young people are not taught what was done in the name of the emperor god. "After the war, Japan denied the existence of comfort women, refusing to provide an apology or appropriate restitution. After numerous demands for an apology and the revelation of official records showing the Japanese government's culpability, the Japanese government began to offer an official apology and compensation in the 1990s. However, apologies have been criticized as insincere by victims, advocacy groups, and scholars. Many Japanese government officials have continued to either deny or minimize the existence of comfort women. The Japanese government admits that girls and women suffered, but denies evidence that they were taken against their will during wartime." Chang, Jae (May 4, 2019). "Apology Politics: Japan and South Korea's Dispute over Comfort Women". The Cornell Diplomat. Argibay, Carmen (2003). "Sexual Slavery and the Comfort Women of World War II". Berkeley Journal of International Law. I fell in love with Kyoto ( I turned 19 there in 1967 ), Nara, and the gracious people. It is difficult for me to resolve this with Japanese crimes. As a psychologist, I should know that brainwashing can be 100% effective over a very short period of time. If a country does not acknowledge culpability, can the future generations really change??? I recommend this very readable book about one very young man's journey through hell. Kristi & Abby Tabby
November 26, 2014
Excellent reading, highly recommended.
This is a first person account of the war in South East Asia with Japan. I have always been more aware of the details of the second world war in the Atlantic and Europe with Germany. This book makes clear the devastation brought to the many countries of South East Asia and the horrors of the treatment of both civilians and POW's during the war with Japan and the occupation. You also see the part the war played in ending Colonial rule by both the Dutch and Great Britain in these countries. This book is a must read if your knowledge of the second world war in the Pacific with Japan begins and ends with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan and the bombing of Japan by America.b
This is a first person account of the war in South East Asia with Japan. I have always been more aware of the details of the second world war in the Atlantic and Europe with Germany. This book makes clear the devastation brought to the many countries of South East Asia and the horrors of the treatment of both civilians and POW's during the war with Japan and the occupation. You also see the part the war played in ending Colonial rule by both the Dutch and Great Britain in these countries. This book is a must read if your knowledge of the second world war in the Pacific with Japan begins and ends with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan and the bombing of Japan by America.b
December 14, 2011
It was very good- personal and warm without being self indulgent or whiny. I think it helped the memoir that this was written by an older man from the distance of 50 years, and it gave me a perspective on a part of WWII that I have often ignored.
April 6, 2026
I was surprised by how interesting this book was. I wasn't looking forward to reading war history. But the book was really a personal telling of the author, Loet Velmans, memories of World War Ii.
He was a seventeen year old boy in Holland. When the Germans captured Holland, Loet and his family got on a small boat and headed to England. From there traveled to the Dutch West Indies to escape the war.
Japan soon invaded and Loet began his 3 1/2 years as a POW. The Japenese did not follow the Geneva Convention and the POW were treated badly.
Loet spent years working on the Railway thru dense jungle along the Burmese-Thailand border. He describes the hard labor, the sickness. including getting malaria.
It was hard to imagine all the cruelty of his imprisonment.
He ended with his life after the war. in America and in business overseas.
An informative, personal account on a difficult subject.
He was a seventeen year old boy in Holland. When the Germans captured Holland, Loet and his family got on a small boat and headed to England. From there traveled to the Dutch West Indies to escape the war.
Japan soon invaded and Loet began his 3 1/2 years as a POW. The Japenese did not follow the Geneva Convention and the POW were treated badly.
Loet spent years working on the Railway thru dense jungle along the Burmese-Thailand border. He describes the hard labor, the sickness. including getting malaria.
It was hard to imagine all the cruelty of his imprisonment.
He ended with his life after the war. in America and in business overseas.
An informative, personal account on a difficult subject.
October 26, 2021
A Triumph of the Human Spirit
Loet Velmans has a story to tell, and we are the beneficiaries of his story. This story is wrapped in mystery for so many of us in the West. The movie, The Bridge Over the River Kwai detailed the bridge-building story. The story of the men, their backgrounds and their suffering is another matter.
The brutal treatment of allied prisoners by the Japanese exposes the awful truth of Japanese war crimes. To this day the disgraceful lack of any accountability by the Japanese people of the role played by the Japanese Army during WWII in the Eastern Asia theatre deserves much more attention by the people and historians alike.
The author does his story justice, because, the strength of character and spirit of these men, in the end, is what defeated the Japanese.
Loet Velmans has a story to tell, and we are the beneficiaries of his story. This story is wrapped in mystery for so many of us in the West. The movie, The Bridge Over the River Kwai detailed the bridge-building story. The story of the men, their backgrounds and their suffering is another matter.
The brutal treatment of allied prisoners by the Japanese exposes the awful truth of Japanese war crimes. To this day the disgraceful lack of any accountability by the Japanese people of the role played by the Japanese Army during WWII in the Eastern Asia theatre deserves much more attention by the people and historians alike.
The author does his story justice, because, the strength of character and spirit of these men, in the end, is what defeated the Japanese.
January 5, 2023
Loet Velmans was a Dutch Jewish POW in a Japanese labour camp during WW2. His memoir is a firsthand look into the life of the prisoner camps who were forced by the invading Japanese military to build the Burma-Siam railway. It is estimated that 60,000 European prisoners and 200,000 local prisoners worked on this railway. It was interesting to explore what was happening in the East Asian frontier of WW2. It was also hard to sympathise with any of the coloniser prisoners because the elephant in the room is why were you there in the fist place? There is a Dutch discomfort at the idea of being history's villains which I sensed from Velmans.
However, 300 years of oppression towards Indonesians during the Dutch East Indies era paled in comparison to 3 years of Japanese occupation. 20,000 Western prisoners of war died and ten times as many from the indigenous population between 1939-1945.
However, 300 years of oppression towards Indonesians during the Dutch East Indies era paled in comparison to 3 years of Japanese occupation. 20,000 Western prisoners of war died and ten times as many from the indigenous population between 1939-1945.
August 31, 2017
Easy read, not in an entertaining way, rather having a sense that you are "there" with the author, overlooking everything that he is writing about. I do take exception to the secondary title, 'A Harrowing True Story of Survival in World War ', the author wrote about the atrocities, he didn't visualize them for the reader. It is a good read, written from the point of view of a young boy from the Netherlands that quickly matured into a man in the jungles of Thailand, and a mature adult in how he dealt with his experiences later in life, especially on his many business trips back to the area, and Japan.
December 31, 2021
An interesting and shockingly educational story
While some parts of this book describe experiences that are difficult to read, I found the book exceptionally educational and engaging. As a reader born well after the end of WWII, the author intimately describes scenes that haven't been covered as effectively as the Pearl Harbor experience or the German episodes of the war. I recommend this as an interesting memoir and a fascinating story that takes the reader through WWII from a unique perspective and then explores the author's ability to overlook his treatment as a POW to leverage that experience and rise to become a leader in the world of international business.
While some parts of this book describe experiences that are difficult to read, I found the book exceptionally educational and engaging. As a reader born well after the end of WWII, the author intimately describes scenes that haven't been covered as effectively as the Pearl Harbor experience or the German episodes of the war. I recommend this as an interesting memoir and a fascinating story that takes the reader through WWII from a unique perspective and then explores the author's ability to overlook his treatment as a POW to leverage that experience and rise to become a leader in the world of international business.
November 19, 2024
This seems to be an accurate account of the incarceration but the Japanese in WW2 of a Dutch national who had joined the Dutch East Indies Military. The account describes his time prior to capture, time spent in a POW camp in Java, incarceration in Changi and attachment to the work gangs of the Burma Railway construction by the Japanese, which he miraculously survived.
Following the War he describes his employment by a US Law Firm and time variously spent in overseas posts including Japan. He clearly harbours resentment for the Japanese that is reflected in his post-war dealings and opinions generally regarding the Japanese nation (the one content of the book I found distasteful).
Following the War he describes his employment by a US Law Firm and time variously spent in overseas posts including Japan. He clearly harbours resentment for the Japanese that is reflected in his post-war dealings and opinions generally regarding the Japanese nation (the one content of the book I found distasteful).
March 18, 2021
Amazing story of survival!!!
Beautifully written, this is quite the tale of surviving the Japanese invasion of Indonesia and the deadly work on the construction of the Burma railroad as a POW. The author struggled with forgiving the Japanese and seems to have reached a place of peace. Not easy after all he went through and after losing so many friends through inhumane treatment during the war.
Beautifully written, this is quite the tale of surviving the Japanese invasion of Indonesia and the deadly work on the construction of the Burma railroad as a POW. The author struggled with forgiving the Japanese and seems to have reached a place of peace. Not easy after all he went through and after losing so many friends through inhumane treatment during the war.
September 17, 2023
E-book How did a 17 yr old Dutch boy end up on the Bataan Death March and building the infamous bridge?? An incredible story of survival, both himself, his fellow prisoners, AND the memory of his notes he made during his ordeal - those lost in at some point in his imprisonment. To relive that horrific era of his life to have it recorded for his children & grandchildren and ultimately for all of us, lest we forget that Freedom is NOT Free!!
March 24, 2023
Excellent. I did not know very much about the Dutch involvement in Thai/Burma railway. This is a first hand account from Loet Velmans, who escaped the Nazis only to find himself in Singapore just as the Japanese Army invaded. His story of survival is inspiring.
July 6, 2025
The ww2 memoires are well-written, compelling and a valuable piece of ww2 documentation. That part gets 4 stars. Unfortunately the book ends with a (imho) superficial and unnecesary pseudo analysis of Japan and its culture. That part gets 2 stars. So 3 stars it is!
August 25, 2018
It is an excellent book by Loet Velmans and his time spent in a Japanese Army during World War Two.
January 3, 2025
Excellent History
The author has done and excellent job of describing the background and reasons for the railroad. Also, the terrible circumstances they had to work under.
The author has done and excellent job of describing the background and reasons for the railroad. Also, the terrible circumstances they had to work under.
November 18, 2014
How do you come to terms with the past? How do you lay to rest all the ghosts created in a war officially won but personally lost? This autobiographical tale takes the reader back to the year 1943 and the forced struggle of thousands of allied POW’s. Loet Velman leaves Holland and travels to the Dutch East Indies just as the war was starting in Europe. Assumptions of being far away from and/or protected from the ravages of war are soon dispelled as the Japanese Imperial Army sweeps through Indonesia and other Dutch, English, American and French colonies. Loet and thousands of Europeans and Americans were taken prisoner and used a slave labor to construct the Thailand – Burma Railroad through some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world. Tens of thousands would die before the railway was finished and the war was over. The succeeding generations, on both sides of the conflict, after the war was over and the German Axis and Japanese surrender in 1945, look at World War II from another perspective. They see it as a done deal and only to be remembered as history whereas people that fought and/or just survived the conflict still feel and remember it personally. How can past suffering and wrongs be healed? Returning to the place that was remembered as Hell and meeting the people that were once the enemy and are now just regular citizens may prove the healing elixir to finally bring peace to the war weary.
August 14, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir of a Dutch citizen that had been interned in a Japanese prison camp in southeast Asia. The catch is that he worked for a number of years on the railroad that is the center theme of the book and movie "The Bridge Over the River Kwai". This book is much more than a recollection of his terifying experiences in a POW camp. It is the story of a young Dutch boy that escapes from Holland a few days after the Nazi invasion of that country during the early years of World War II. He and friends seize a samll boat and escape to England. He then travels to the Dutch East Indies to flee from Europe and to take residence in a Dutch speaking country. Unfortunately he escapes nothing; he is drafted and later surrenders to Japanese invaders. Much of the book relates his time working as a prisoner om the Thai railroad and the death and degradation inflicted by his Japanese captors. Following the war he became a succesful businessman that among other aspects has him working with the Japanese. The best part of the book, however, is his reflection on the cultures of the Germans, Emglish, Australians, Japanese, American and Indonesian people and cultures. A thought provoking and forgiving look at humanity at its best and worst.
Read
August 10, 2015Memoir of a survivor of a living hell!
Loet Velmans is a proud Dutch immigrant to our great country. In his book he details the long journey that led him here. It is an amazing story.
As a seventeen year old Jew, Loet escaped Holland with his parents as the Germans invaded his country. Almost all those friends and family who stayed were killed in the National Socialist Party's death camps.
Loet emigrated from Britain to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and eventually joined the Dutch Army. But he soon discovered that the war was everywhere as the Japanese Imperial Forces invaded the archipelago and took the Dutch into captivity.
Loet goes on to describe the unbearable conditions foisted upon those POWs. They were nearly starved, beaten, humiliated, and forced into slavery to build the Burma-Thailand railway.
The story of their captivity is enthralling, but Loet came to realize that even though 40% of his fellow captives died, The Holocaust in Europe was much deadlier.
This fascinating book ranks with others such as Unbroken, Tears in the Darkness, Dismounted Liberty, Undefeated, Captured Honor, Buckshot Pie, and Prisoner of Hope. All are highly recommended.
Loet Velmans is a proud Dutch immigrant to our great country. In his book he details the long journey that led him here. It is an amazing story.
As a seventeen year old Jew, Loet escaped Holland with his parents as the Germans invaded his country. Almost all those friends and family who stayed were killed in the National Socialist Party's death camps.
Loet emigrated from Britain to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and eventually joined the Dutch Army. But he soon discovered that the war was everywhere as the Japanese Imperial Forces invaded the archipelago and took the Dutch into captivity.
Loet goes on to describe the unbearable conditions foisted upon those POWs. They were nearly starved, beaten, humiliated, and forced into slavery to build the Burma-Thailand railway.
The story of their captivity is enthralling, but Loet came to realize that even though 40% of his fellow captives died, The Holocaust in Europe was much deadlier.
This fascinating book ranks with others such as Unbroken, Tears in the Darkness, Dismounted Liberty, Undefeated, Captured Honor, Buckshot Pie, and Prisoner of Hope. All are highly recommended.
May 20, 2016
This book is about a young Jewish man who left the Netherlands after the fall to the Nazis. After a harrowing boat trip to England, he and his family eventually emigrated to Indonesia where he was captured after he had joined the Dutch army.
From Batavia he was sent to Singapore where he was a prisoner in the Changi Gaol before being sent to Thailand where he worked on the infamous 'Railway of Death' which connected Thailand and Burma. If you have seen "Bridge Over the River Kwai", you have some idea of the horrors the prisoners faced. Velmans lost many friends, but managed to keep to keep his sanity and will to live intact. Fortunately, he was sent back to Singapore in 1943 where he remained prisoner until liberation.
The last part of the book deals with post-war memories, good and bad. Ironically, Velmans achieved some business success and even worked in Japan for a time. His efforts to come to terms with the war years while there, show him to be a most unusual man in many ways. It is difficult to imagine how men survived such conditions, and is certainly a worthwhile book to read.
From Batavia he was sent to Singapore where he was a prisoner in the Changi Gaol before being sent to Thailand where he worked on the infamous 'Railway of Death' which connected Thailand and Burma. If you have seen "Bridge Over the River Kwai", you have some idea of the horrors the prisoners faced. Velmans lost many friends, but managed to keep to keep his sanity and will to live intact. Fortunately, he was sent back to Singapore in 1943 where he remained prisoner until liberation.
The last part of the book deals with post-war memories, good and bad. Ironically, Velmans achieved some business success and even worked in Japan for a time. His efforts to come to terms with the war years while there, show him to be a most unusual man in many ways. It is difficult to imagine how men survived such conditions, and is certainly a worthwhile book to read.
May 7, 2014
A good solid read, that mirrors many others from Japanese POW stories. Inhuman conditions and treatment that they went through and the perpetrators pretty much got away scot free. I have been to Kanchanaburi and taken a quick return trip on the train, extremely lucky enough to have a full tour through Changi prison in the early 1980's. Its hard to see the deprivations and squalor that these people went through and survived. More sobering is a trip through the war cemetries in Kanchanaburi and a little way out alongside the river
April 1, 2012
Heart wrenching story. Tough reading Loet Velman's WWII experiences as a prisoner of war. No human being should ever experience such abuse. Though I have heard many stories, watched movies about the Japanese treatment, it never ceases to grip my heart and boggle my mind that anyone can survive such mental and physical treatment. Yet, this story proves that one can persevere, contribute significantly to society and reach a state of forgiveness.
June 25, 2014
Stirring, absorbing memoir of a Dutch man who is a POW of the Japanese during WW II. His thoughtful epilogue shows his struggle to deal with the horrors he saw and suffered, with the total strangeness of the Japanese mentality to a westerner, and with the endless cruelty people have shown through their history. All this he balanced with the strong drive to live a happy life.
April 13, 2015
This was a fascinating personal account of the experience of a Dutch POW who was put to work building the railway, a part of which was the Bridge on the River Kwai made famous by the movie of that name. Loet Velmans spends a good deal of time in his book trying to understand the psychology of his captors who were brutal to the extreme in their treatment of Velmans and his fellow POWS.
August 14, 2015
A very bad time to remember.
Let was a young man when he started to learn about the bad people in the world. He wanted to help fight the enemy. He went to fight the German's, it was too late. He joined the Dutch army only his unit surrender. Now he was a prisoner of the Japanese. His life would never be the same.
Let was a young man when he started to learn about the bad people in the world. He wanted to help fight the enemy. He went to fight the German's, it was too late. He joined the Dutch army only his unit surrender. Now he was a prisoner of the Japanese. His life would never be the same.
July 17, 2016
This is the memoir of a Dutch man who found himself in the Dutch East Indies when it was invaded by the Japanese. It tells of his experience as a POW under Japan and then his later life where he tries to reconcile his feelings towards The people of Japan. Very interesting and different perspective on World War II.
May 24, 2016
L.p. As I participated in the removal of the Japanese Army from China at the eneek
End of World *War 2 I was very aware of the attitude of the Japanese Soldiers. They felt they had no wrong.
End of World *War 2 I was very aware of the attitude of the Japanese Soldiers. They felt they had no wrong.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews