Sandakan

Sandakan

From Australian Military History by Warwick O'Neill

March 17, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 86

About this episode

This episode discusses the plight of British, Indian, and Australian troops who became POWs under the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, focusing on their suffering in Sandakan and subsequent forced march to Renau.

After the fall of Singapore 80 000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of the Japanese Imperial Army. Many of these men would be subjected to the horrors of the Thai Burma railway, but around 2 500 were to suffer and even worse fate. They would be sent to Borneo to build an airstrip for the Japanese near the village of Sandakan. After years of brutality, with the fear of an Allied landing somewhere on Borneo, the Japanese authorities decided to move the prisoners over 250 km to the village of Renau, signaling a new level of suffering for the POWs. https://www.australianmilitaryhistorypodcast.com/ https://www.patreon.com/c/u46029761?view_as=patron&vanity=u46029761 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Warwick O'Neill

Topics covered

  • POWs
  • Japanese occupation
  • Sandakan Death March
  • World War II
  • military history

Keywords

  • Sandakan
  • POWs
  • Japanese Imperial Army
  • World War II
  • military history
  • Borneo
  • Renau
  • Thai Burma railway

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Japanese Imperial Army

Places: Singapore, Borneo, Sandakan, Renau, Australia, British, Indian

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