Japan’s Only Pacific “Ally” - Phibun’s Thailand - WW2 Biography Special

[@WorldWarTwo]

There are lots of stories or perspectives that we don't get to cover in our regular series, specials and biography episodes. To fill in some of the gaps, we follow World War Two Day-by-Day on Instagram and Facebook. There, we broaden the context of WW2 by sharing new stories or expanding on the ones we covered here. Follow @ww2_day_by_day on Instagram - instagram.com/ww2_day_by_day/ or Facebook - facebook.com/TimeGhostHistory/ Please read our Community Guidelines before commenting: community.timeghost.tv/t/rules-of-conduct/4518

[@QuizmasterLaw]

I was shocked when I saw Indy's shirt, because it looks all too similar to the uniform worn by inmates of a concentration camp. I am surprised no one else seemed to notice. I must be mistaken, right?

[@SirWhiskersThe3rd]

Sorry BUT Germany WAS socialist Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP National Socialist German Workers Party) NOT Fascist.

[@WorldWarTwo]

@Diamond Dino kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3mkf2CIha-Hn6c&t

[@QuizmasterLaw]

TIK versus WW2! Cage fight! two go in! one comes out! two go in! one comes out!

[@SirWhiskersThe3rd]

@@WorldWarTwo Well sir I tip my hat to you.

[@lillyie]

1940: Go Japan! 1945: I have never heard of this man in my entire life

[@sidnyt]

Spoiler alert!!

[@rmcl7583]

hahaha

[@alisonlaw8768]

lol

[@nad40]

Hahahaha

[@StrideRunner68]

1946 The Germany bloodline 🇩🇪 King dies and America 🇺🇸 bloodline King 🤴 comes to power... So The Never Heard 👂 thing works ...

[@paulphanachet]

I’m Thai and I love it! I joined the Time Ghost army when you guys covered the Franco-Thai war last year. I was a fan since your WW1 series. This is awesome team!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks!

[@EE-wx1ow]

@@WorldWarTwo indy could you do video about turkey in world war 2

[@JhnGMN30]

Thai here as well, glad the team focused on our country as well

[@jrpanoy6407]

พี่ปปปปปป

[@vladimpaler3498]

My company has several branches in your country. Everyone we work with there is very good and super nice. I have to give Thailand triple thumbs up. 👍👍👍

[@jonbaxter2254]

Thailand really avoided the worst of both sides of the war.

[@davethompson3326]

A game they had needed to play for a Century, with assorted nations

[@jabbatheslutt3603]

@Mickey Mouse volunteer engineers or colonial conscripts (conscripted by Britain). Subjecting oneself to western empire, warrants the most inventive forms of retaliation from the east.

[@johnye4433]

@Mickey Mouse no, tell her to stop or else go back to the Indian treatment

[@ajsimo2677]

I'm not sure really. Some 180,000 to 250,000 South Asian civilian labourers were forced to build Thai-Burma railway for the Japanese and 90,000 of them perished under the extremely harsh conditions (compared with 60,000 Allied POW labourers and 12,000 deaths). These slave labourers included Thai civilians. I don't know what proportion of the victims were Thai, but I wouldn't say Thailand entirely escaped some of the horrors of that war.

[@ajsimo2677]

@Mickey Mouse Except the majority of the slave labourers were South Asian civilians, not British (plus Australian, Indian, etc) POWs.

[@cuber5003]

Nice no one talks about Thailand during the World wars.

[@cuber5003]

@@Marinealver true

[@morisco56]

Or cold war

[@Erde_midget770]

...Or befor 1918

[@chocolatedumdum2]

As a Thai American I really appreciate this video as I cannot understand my grandfather who was alive during ww2

[@johnye4433]

Thai doing the fascist salute, still no talking?

[@StickWithTrigger]

Dude said "brb" and then logged off

[@pnutz_2]

went for a piss when everyone was readying up

[@SobaYatai]

He forgot to check his gameplay in Call of Wars

[@maciejkamil]

I loved that portrait disappeared when the Phibun did.

[@johnnypatrickhaus890]

Lol I didn't twig that 😅

[@anita_skye2051]

In true that was NOT a colour picture in true it's black&white picture

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

Thailand : declare war on America Thai ambassador : suck it

[@hisaspher4519]

Thai ambassador Seni Pramoj he became Free Thai Lol

[@Saipan2297]

@@hisaspher4519 Gotta give you some warnings for that user name bro 😳

[@miyamotosachiko4694]

@Daleh LS5302372 It means Europe sucks. LOL

[@North29TH]

@@hisaspher4519 เปลี่ยนชื่อเหอะ

[@SobaYatai]

@@hisaspher4519 nice english you got there white boy

[@thomasaffolter4386]

To their credit, Thailand did a good diplomatic balancing act that kept foreign powers out for years.

[@BangFarang1]

The Thai did nothing. They were just in between French and British territories. If the French had moved in, they would have been at war with Britain. If the British had moved in, they would have been at war with France. So both parties remained still to avoid a clash between themselves.

[@mabeSc]

@@BangFarang1 Yeah , that was a good job. They did avoid getting completely conquered and avoided some of the worst that WW2 had to give.

[@davidpeters6536]

@@BangFarang1 The British had already kicked the French out of Thailand for the Thais and to keep the "buffer zone" free.

[@BangFarang1]

@@davidpeters6536 The British took over some Malaysian territory occupied by Siam and the French took over some Laotian and some Cambodian territories occupied by Siam. It was a win-win agreement, nobody has been kicked out.

[@user-jf8sg1ye6p]

@@BangFarang1 I think you forgot the part about Russo-Siamese ties.

[@aaa00705]

I live in southern of Thailand where those Japanese armies landed on the beach, a kilometer away from my home. I’ve heard about them from elderlies when I was a child, yet it was unclear for the whole context. Until I realized that it was a part of the world-scale warfare (technically, my home was where the operation for Malaya began, as he explained in the video)

[@mint8648]

hi

[@modvangarma]

The only thing that I didn't really like about Phibun's strategy is that he chose to deploy Junior Soldiers Regiments during the initial part of the invasion , those youths deserved to live instead of being 15 yrs old and know how to kill :(

[@goodputin4324]

You're from Sg. GOLOK

[@modvangarma]

@Hitler gaming yt Yes the fact that they are intetionally and fully volunteered to die for Siam is even more depressing I just wanna point out that kids should live their lives man 😔

[@ideensamalle597]

I come from Pattani, Thailand. Along the shores where Japanese troops landed, stories have been told about incidents before, during and after the landings by eyewitnesses, the stories that usually ended up with endless sadness, glory, humor and other feelings

[@daveirwin6903]

I love how Time Ghost covers all the countries and leaders of the war, and not just the major players. And, as a side bonus, I got to learn why we are given Western style eating utensils at Thai restaurants.

[@Zen-sx5io]

This is why I love Time Ghost.

[@657449]

Dave Irwin I was in Bangkok fifty years ago. The food is normally impossibly hot and they add pepper flakes. The beer is fifteen percent alcohol.

[@kadecase7470]

657449 Man, that must’ve been a trip.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

@@657449 Drink the beer first. Then the food is not so spicy until the next day.

[@MandalorV7]

Forks are fascist! 😆

[@CUL8TR]

Japan: Are you our ally? Thailand: Well yes, but actually no.

[@vzrxn]

Thats how they survived from being colonised.

[@anita_skye2051]

They just do that for survive(i'm Thai)

[@waterz2415]

@@anita_skye2051 Yes(i'm thai)

[@nam1nam241]

555

[@e21big]

"if you won"

[@joepalooka2145]

I've been reading and studying WWII history for over 50 years, and there are always new chapters to learn that you never discovered before. Thailand is one of those stories that is rarely discussed. Thanks for such a great educational video which expands our knowledge of WW2.

[@Epsa_]

Thailand is one of the most underrated nations in history, survived colonisation while being surrounded by both Britain and France. Played a relatively important part in WW2 and had good relations in WW1. Their previous kingdoms, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Thonburi, Rattanakosin. Ayutthaya was even the biggest city in the world at one point, before it’s destruction. Great nation, great people, great culture.

[@XiaoMao_1]

Thx you

[@andezong9565]

Ayutthaya is underrated as hell, especially when media focuses a ton on Sengoku/feudal Japan and even Joseon Korea via K-Dramas. While Japan was waging the Imjin Wars, Ayutthaya fought against Burma to secure and solidify independence after Naresuan’s declaration a decade prior. I don’t think that gets enough attention compared to Japanese media surrounding the Sengoku era.

[@abian36]

"A greater Thailand" Boy I got some news for you

[@rkka1989]

Want Brian Blessed to read this line🤣

[@adude8424]

Thailand did annexed some Malaya's territory. I still wish we got to annex Songkhla, Narathiwat, Satun, Pattani back to Malaysia

[@madiaw5553]

@@adude8424 That malays?? (care to share the story)cause the pre war map shows those belong to thailand from the get go.

[@adude8424]

@@madiaw5553 Islamic Sultanate used to exists in southern thailand. Siam wanted to expand their sphere of influence so they invaded and annexed those area (Pattani Kingdom) while some surrendered (Satun sultanate) . The Siamese even tried to invade Sultanate of Kedah but failed. Anglo-Siamese treaty of 1909 was final nail in the coffin that sets the modern border of malaysia - thailand.

[@yobitchcantfindme5288]

@@madiaw5553 even today, idk should i call them terrorists or not but these people are fighting to take back those territories back.

[@RandomRetr0]

Had no idea of Thailand’s role during the Pacific escalation. This is something you just don’t read in books. Thank you for this

[@WorldWarTwo]

You're welcome!

[@bangscutter]

Thailand in South East Asia is like Sweden in Europe during World War 2. Surrounded on all sides by greater powers and effectively becoming a buffer state between greater powers. Both have to carefully navigate diplomacy to maintain neutrality, by playing all sides. The difference being that Thailand at that time had nationalistic expansionism agenda on top of maintaining the status quo.

[@tvgerbil1984]

Unlike Sweden, Thailand was a formal member of the Axis. The bases it provided to the Japanese were critical to the Japanese success in the Malayan Campaign of 1941.

[@404Dannyboy]

More like Norway than Sweden tbh.

[@orestisbe6978]

Eh, Finland was in a far more difficult position than Sweden. They ended up fighting both sides.

[@0ldCat]

Sure.. Navigating diplomacy carefully whilst having its own expansionist desires. Everyone tries to come out of WWII as victims, or innocent bystanders, like their shït don't smell as bad. In fact it smells of lavender and coriander 🤭 Fact is, everyone was as predatory as the circumstances and means allowed. That's the wicked nature of hoomans, no matter the nationality. Cower and snivel if you're overwhelmed, conquer and rape if you're in superiority. That's the way of the world. Has been for millenia past, continues to this day, and will continue in the future until the end of it all. Which will come. And sooner than we anticipate 🥴

[@anantachonnambat6701]

@@orestisbe6978 Yeah, there was a time Churchill addressed Thailand as "Finland of the East" just because we later exit Axis just like Finland did. Tho we didn't try to stand ground against Japan because unlike the Fins we have neither manpower nor help from anyone.

[@elwin38]

I LOVE THAILAND!! Had the opportunity to go to Pattaya Beach in March, 1987 while i was in the US Navy. One of my favorite port visits ever.

[@chaling8448]

I hope u will come to Thailand again, always welcome!

[@meowmaggie277]

Pattaya? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@majorblitz3846]

Well shit, You might as well just lie and said you were going to Chiangmai instead, at least people will not assume it's yet another sex touring.

[@FOOJFOOJIYAMA]

The 5$ hookers are something else....

[@thedreadtyger]

Fascism With Thai Characteristics: The Thoughts of Leader Phibun

[@angelusvastator1297]

Lmaooo.

[@davidbrennan660]

“We eat rice with a spoon “ as I was once told by a Thai person.

[@hsc894]

@@davidbrennan660 Bold of the Thai person to say that. We Filipinos also eat rice with a spoon.

[@Saipan2297]

@@hsc894 Have you ever eaten rice *with your hands?*

[@hsc894]

@@Saipan2297 I did, but eating with a spoon is also common.

[@azamshahuddin781]

No wonder when I was living in Thailand in the early 1980s as a Malaysian Diplomat's son, Japanese Pop Culture was very popular like a lot of Anime were shown on the local tv stations and the many Japanese department stores.Many years later as an adult, I came to know the reason why-Thailand had a long friendship with Japan dating back to World War 2 when the 2 countries were Allies.

[@azamshahuddin781]

My Father also quoted what the Thais may have said to the invading Japanese Military during World War 2-Mai Pain Rai.Chern Kap(It's ok.Carry on)

[@azamshahuddin781]

@@PiKangNa Just like the Japanese investments in Malaysia started during the 1970s.

[@bakabon114]

Now, many Thais, and other Southeast Asians, grew up from those 1980's era are weebs till this day, in the same way Korean-Pop's influence in the last 2 decades

[@ricardoabs15]

Every video in this channel is wonderful to watch, so much details and great explanations. Greetings from Brasil 🇧🇷

[@AnarchHive]

World: Ok Siam, time to decide! With whom would you prefer to ally? Axis or Allies? Siam: It's a thai!

[@jodgo26metal]

Haha

[@gordonliu3972]

Axis and Allies is an amazing board game.

[@zolafuckass8606]

I don't know why, but that quick zoom on the line "that is not the case though" was pretty darned funny.

[@luxembourgishempire2826]

Interesting. I think Thailand's participation in WW2 is kind of underated tbh.

[@du0305]

As well as Lëtzeburgs

[@vilimivankovic6125]

@@du0305 what's that?

[@du0305]

@@vilimivankovic6125 Luxemburg in the local language

[@overlord165]

I have heard less about Thailand during the ww2 than I've heard of Luxembourg.

[@QuizmasterLaw]

underexamined for sure, but underrated maybe not. there's not much there, and just about none of it is secret.

[@fortis3686]

Thailand must’ve felt how Abyssinia felt before Italy conquered it

[@jonbaxter2254]

Yeah, but they pushed the Italians out like 3 years after. Still got some prestige for what they did

[@marcobonesi6794]

@@jonbaxter2254 well the english army pushed the italians out. After the conquest and pacification the resistance had been wiped out by 1940.

[@inamacalin1]

@@jonbaxter2254 no they didn't push the italians out. The british did it and to be precise it was the Nigerian askaris who did it. But the itiopiàns get the glory.

[@juniatapark54]

@@marcobonesi6794British, British East & West African, Indian, South African and even some Belgian Congolese.

[@j.m.f5451]

@@jonbaxter2254 Have you not been watching this series? The British and Commonwealth forces took Ethiopia.

[@andyrbush]

I live most of the year in Thailand. It is a fascinating country with wonderful people. They have a way of getting around all problems, big and small, with relative ease , calm and ingenuity. You have to live there to understand that, because from the outside a lot of things that do work well here, initially make no sense to a westerner. Good luck with the western cutlery though in the countryside. Spoons and chopsticks reign. The food is fabulous though. Excellent video thank you.

[@Rickinsf]

Odd coincidence, the other day I was wondering where and when "Siam" became known as "Thailand."

[@torquemada4327]

By this Pleak dude not long before joing Axis

[@robertheisenberg6867]

His name means “Strange”. In Thailand, the fist name is what you call the person therefore you call him Pleak or Mr.Strange. Lung Wichiwathagan is a title means “Minister of Public Relations Department” as Pleak’s title is “Lung Phibunsongkram” means ‘Knight of artillery’

[@BangFarang1]

Yes, Plaek, that's probably the reason everybody in Thailand called him only by his initial *Marshall P* (Jomphon Por in Thai). He was already an adult when Siam implemented the use of family names, he probably chose his by himself then.

[@wasantube]

Real life dr. Strange!

[@BangFarang1]

@@JoeSmith-op6qf What they call today "nicknames" were the official ID given names up to the 1950-60s. Now the Thai choose sofisticated names for their birth certificates (to avoid beeing perceived as illiterate), but in daily life they still use the name their mums gave to them (the so-called nickname).

[@JoeSmith-op6qf]

@@BangFarang1Yes, that history is true, yet nicknames do not appear on any official documents, they are exactly the same as nicknames in the West and have nothing to do with your given name. In Thai we call them cheu len or ชื่อเล่น. They do not appear on any birth certificate or other official document. Lek, Noi, Jit, Gai, Daeng, Gop etc are "nicknames" real first name examples are Aphisit, Kasem, Malee, Panthep and the like.

[@BangFarang1]

@@JoeSmith-op6qf Maybe I was not clear in my explanation. Before the 1950s Lek, Noi, Jit, Gai, Daeng, Gop were the names given by the parents and they were the legal names on the birth certificate and IDs. Only aristocrats had sofisticated names. After the 1950s Lek, Noi, Jit, Gai, Daeng, Gop are STILL the names given by the parents, but for the birth certificate and IDs they choose a more "bourgeois" legal name like Aphisit, Kasem, Malee, Panthep, Orawan, Umaporn, Siriporn, Kittiporn, all the porn you want to choose. That is how the given names became called nicknames, because the *paternalistic administration* doesn't want them to be registered on any documents anymore, to show that the Thai are "civilized". But for your mom you're still Lek, Noi, Jit, Gai, Daeng, Gop, she will never call you Aphisit. In the western world, nicknames are a completely different thing.

[@cliffcox7643]

Though he basically let them walk all over Thailand, this actually saved the country from destruction.. My mom who is thai, said at the time, "what can we do, we cannot fight Japan", so must do as they say.. It did save the country from destruction.

[@gravity-san9781]

He got himself a big seat in Thailand's History though Marshall P. as we call him did many things and bring much change to Thailand some are a success but some are pretty much weird events in Thai people's eyes. It is good to have an episode about my country I love it.

[@noxDOTevolvedDOTgmai]

Thailand: Let's side with the winner.

[@99somerville]

Always a good idea!

[@Minkung555]

The Italy of Asia

[@yobitchcantfindme5288]

@67schueppi 29schueppi that Monument didnt built out of Ww2 Victory but the war with the Frenchie in Vietnam.

[@quadeong7453]

@@yobitchcantfindme5288 minus the horrific casualties

[@moladiver6817]

While trying to gain something from the situation. Quite opportunistic and not something to be proud of if you ask me. Thai leaders have been lacking morale for a long time and it hasn't gotten any better. Thai people are crying for democracy but I'm afraid they'll never really get it.

[@kyawsanmin2424]

Burmese in 1942: *laughs nervously*

[@TheDirtysouthfan]

Burma was happy at the time. Their future independence leaders were trained by Japan and helped them drive out the British. The ones who really suffered were the Rohingya and Muslim minorities.

[@TheDirtysouthfan]

@lati long Well the province they're from is Arakan, or Rakhine as it's known nowadays. It wasn't originally part of Burma/Myanmar. It suffered from depopulation due to war with the Burmese Kingdom, so when the British took it over they settled it with British Indians to repopulate it. Its history has always been one of Myanma people coming in from the East and Indians from the West. Myanma are a huge portion of the population of Myanmar, but the country is large and diverse. It's struggled ever since independence with secessionist movements.

[@mtha7796]

@DANIEL BIN OMAR - His daughter even married to a British man, hahaha.

[@ZAXERIKI]

The only thing the Burmese are proud of in their lives is defeating us in the past a few times. Then they enjoyed the British and Japanese colonial eras and WW2 LOL

[@OleLeik]

Thailand had spent some time before being the only none colonized nation in the region by playing a careful game of one power against the other. This time was no different and given their position and situation, I think they played their cards right.

[@JoachimLarsen101]

Impressive how you can make something interessting even more interresting and entertaining with such high quality and empathy, and dare I say a great sense of humour! Thank you, and please keep'em coming.

[@بوفارسبونورا-ص7ه]

The war between France and Thailand ended with the victory of Thailand and France ceded territory in favor of Thailand.

[@adude8424]

7:06 "We can't just randomly pass through a neutral country to attack another country" Germany : *laugh in passing through belgium to avoid maginot line*

[@johnlowell5905]

The Thai are pretty good at being diplomatic. When I visited one palace, the guide showed us fire damage from a air raid by a "unknown" bomber. Happened to be the first B-29 raid of the war.

[@gary1477]

It was a raid by US B24 bomber based in Burma.

[@johnlowell5905]

@@gary1477 Maybe, the palace is pretty far from the main rail yards, which was the target for the B-29 raid.

[@gary1477]

@@johnlowell5905 In the National Library of Australia, they have WW2 USAAF maps of Bangkok. On one map, I saw Hua Lampong Railway Station (which was bombed) and a site on the opposite side of the river from the Royal Palace which was marked as a POW camp for allied servicemen (which was not bombed). In the same library, there are WW2 Thai newspapers which are not available in Thailand. In these newspapers, several now prominent Thai families were enthusiastic supporters of the Japanese war effort. B29 bombers were not introduced to the Pacific theatre until the middle of 1945. In the early part of the Pacific War, B17 bombers were withdrawn in favour of B24 bombers which had greater range. Later in the war, B17 bombers were used to bomb Japan.

[@johnlowell5905]

@@gary1477 Sounds like you have spent some time in Thailand. June 1944 was the first B-29 raid, target was rail yards in Bangkok. I would surmise the huge facility at Makkasan is the most logical target. This raid was from China. The poor results of this and early raids to the Yawata works led to the B-29's redeployment to the Marianas. BTW, I've been to Kanchanaburi numerous times and think the death railway museum is world class. I sensed a very strong Australian presence there.

[@wjameszzz186]

​@@gary1477 "there are WW2 Thai newspapers which are not available in Thailand" What the hell are you talking about?

[@patchanonsoontarodom3364]

Hey you just gave me my history lesson better than any teacher in my school. That was very clear and informative, thank you very much.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@jamesevans1897]

>When you declare war on the US and they don't declare war back Dunno if that's shade or just laughable

[@gonachietomo2839]

Another reason is that the Thai ambassador to the United States refused to deliver the declaration of war in the first place because he was pro-allies and hated Phibun for having taken part in the overthrowing of absolute monarchy years ago. (The ambassador "Seni Pramoj" was a staunch royalist)

[@kyngo550]

@@Marinealver I know what country you’re talking about. It was Montenegro. The country declared war on Japan in 1904, as an ally of Russia. Japan did the same thing when Poland declared war on the country in 1941. Tojo said that Poland only declared war on Japan because “it was pressured to do so by the United Kingdom”.

[@billh230]

Sort of like "The Mouse That Roared".

[@juniatapark54]

How do you say in Thai? "Those bombs dropping on us are from countries we're not officially at war with."

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@billh230 *Peter Sellers wants to know your location*

[@edwardballard1333]

I was stationed in Thailand with the US Army in Sattihip and there was an Japanese aircraft hanger from ww2 close to where I was stationed

[@rsuriyop]

I had a Thai uncle who was old enough to have served during WWII. I'm glad he didn't get caught in the middle of a possible fight with the Imperial Japanese and managed to live until his 70s. I'm happy for all my Thai family who were alive during that time actually.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for sharing your Uncle's story, it's comments like this that really bring history to life!

[@conned]

Ours died ..Sook Chin....

[@tkts6672]

One of my grandmas earliest memories was of american bombers bombing her town she was born in 1943

[@indianajones4321]

Glad someone is mentioning Thailand in WW2

[@wintermanthenforcer]

Thank you greatly for covering my country! This part of our history is almost never thought in schools.

[@porksterbob]

Correction on this video... While there are Shans in China, the biggest concentration of Shans is in Burma... in the part known as the "Shan States." The fear of Thai attack through the Shan states was a big part of complicating allied defensive plans.

[@cheeseman9481]

Marshal P. Was a true hero of Thailand even though he wasn’t perfect but there was a lot of thing he did for Thailand like making our country civilized.

[@corporalpunishment1133]

One of the best channel's on KZbin no doubt every episode is amazing. Thanks for all your efforts.

[@matthewgriffiths5005]

Big fan of the series, and this reminded me of the French-Thai campaign in Indochina. If I wanted to remind myself of that campaign, could you edit together all of the sections of the weekly videos on that campaign into a supercut/campaign video, and do something similar to that for say the east africa campaign, battle of france and/or similar. I followed the great war channel and now this one, thank you Indy and the team for more than 5 years of weekly entertainment.

[@EJ_Red]

This video was actually very interesting, probably my favorite biography videos so far

[@markgarin6355]

Interesting as the Japanese believed like Germany they were the master race and all others were considered worthy of being downtrodden... No room for Thailand at the big boy table.

[@Nolaris3]

I wrote my Master's thesis on this guy, very fascinating period in Thai history (pronounced Pee-boon though, if you see a "ph" in front of a Thai word, pronounce it with a normal "p", not like the Vietnamese one)

[@graysonguinn1943]

Pee balloon lol

[@jakapobp.8949]

@adum50 that should be close enough.

[@Dayvit78]

Thank you :) We can't expect Indy to pronounce every language correctly, but it's nice to have a gentle correction for those who are interested. With the Thai ph, you can say the p is aspirated - it means there will be a puff of air when you say it (it the normal way English speakers say p), whereas a regular p will be much softer and without the puff of air.

[@Nolaris3]

@adum50 yeah yours is probably more accurate

[@Nolaris3]

@@Dayvit78 I know about aspirations but I wasn't sure if anyone else would get it. But yeah that's what I would have meant

[@uranus9736]

ww2 Thailand and Japan choose to go hand in hand. to avoid the loss that will occur to both countries The Thai authorities knew that they could not resist the large Japanese army. And Japan also knows that defeating the Thai army is not easy, Because that may come at the huge expense of Japan as no one expected. So working together is the best solution. Win /Win The Japanese army was not much damaged in Thailand. and Thailand was not destroyed.

[@julkongkamerakate1085]

I'm Thai and i wish that all Thai learn our own history crystal clear as these days some people pick up historical disputes to prove whatever they want but cause hatred among us.i wish, hope, and prey for the day we will all unit and love once.

[@franciscofranco5739]

I’m curious. What is Plaek Phibun’s legacy like in Thailand today? Is he revered as a hero, or sorta a mixed bag (like Francisco Franco to the Spanish), or is he simply considered a leader that the Thais wish to forget about?

[@kerozokeroyama7564]

@@franciscofranco5739 Though I'm not representative of the Thai, judging from what have been taught. The sentiment is rather like leprechaun evil but not evil enough to be devil. He did bad and shading thing. From utilitarian point of view, intention or not his decision spare the country of hard destruction in expense of its bordered counties.

[@mickbotcast]

1 year late but he is a mixed bag, most educational material just said he is a Dictator ( well it just a surface explanation of every history, so we may know some important name but we didn't know exact details unless we got a good story-telling teacher ) A lot of those who research WW2 more or realize some of his legacy actually live on like "Pad Thai" or assimilate of Thai-Chinese to be a true Thai come from his ultra-nationalist policy start to view him in better light but some of his bad deed is still record.

[@divinelycursed768]

@@franciscofranco5739 I am currently in grade 9. All my friends view Plaek as some kind of hero. That's what our history books teach us.

[@019942939]

@@franciscofranco5739 it quite complicated, due to the inner politic of Thailand has to do with the survival of monarch and elitist, Pleak who oust the monarchy one are written out of Thai history text book.

[@TTonnum]

If Japan and Thailand win the war Thailand may return Laos and Shan State from European powers. And get some land from Malaysia and Cambodia

[@veronicianyveronica5290]

@Peach Peach hahaha you’re right

[@wertyuiw7264]

Never thought this day would come. Great gob Indy team's and Indy himself, keep up the great work!. Love the shows. PS: I'm Thai

[@tmack11]

"I'm playing both sides, that way I always come out on top"

[@declanoleary1]

Watching from Cambodia, yet another great episode, stay safe all at Time Ghost and all the TG army

[@graysonguinn1943]

When Thailand needed him most, he vanished

[@angelusvastator1297]

And now all of Thailand hates people like him lol.

[@alexlo7708]

He was at the end of tunnel then.

[@Nolaris3]

Because everything changed when the Fire Na- I mean Japanese attacked

[@ParseeAikoku]

@@angelusvastator1297 I didn't

[@unirax8628]

​@@Nolaris3อาชญากรรมสงครามที่ญี่ปุ่นมีกับประเทศไทยคือ การที่มีทหารญี่ปุ่นคนหนึ่งไม่พอใจพระสงค์อย่างแรงที่แอบนำอาหารไปช่วยเชลยศึกสัมพันธมิตรและได้ทำการตบหัวพระสงค์องค์นั้น จึงเกิดจราจลเล็กน้อย หลังจากนั้นกองทัพญี่ปุ่นลงโทษทหารคนนั้นและ ออกหนังสือแผ่นพับประกาศเรื่อง การปฏิบัติตัวในประเทศไทยเพื่อที่จะได้ไม่ถูกกล่าวหาว่าเป็นทหารเลว ซึ่งมีหลักฐานอยู่ทุกวันนี้ ส่วนไทยตำรวจได้ทำการจับกุมพระสงค์องนั้นขังคุกประมาณ3วันและปล่อยตัว จบเรื่องราว อาชญากรรมสงครามที่ญี่ปุ่นทำเมื่อเดินทัพล่ามาถึงประเทศไทย และ ณ วันนี้ คนไทยก็เรียกญี่ปุ่นว่าบ้านพี่เมืองน้อง

[@rexprestonstoner4612]

Fascinating video. Thank you.

[@TheEnergizer94]

In some cases, the incredible executive power associated with dictatorship is necessary for a country's survival. I don't think Thailand would have done so well for itself during WW2 with a constitutional monarchy or a democracy. That's what even the Romans did in times of great danger. Granted, the dictator needs to be competent. Ahemmussolini

[@regiltube7932]

Just found your channel, it's different than any other with your details, testimonials and emmersive Facts that the other channel do not relay. But I found it *LONG* lolll

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad you liked it :

[@DavidS_Tan]

So, according to the Germans, Chinese were 'Aryans of the East', whilst according to the Thais, the Chinese were 'Jews of the East'.

[@cass7448]

What is it with nationalists and Jews? Even when they're not persecuting Jews they still call them Jews!

[@conroypaw]

Uhm, no. Hitler referred to the Japanese as the Aryans of the East, when they joined the Axis powers, not the Chinese.

[@DavidS_Tan]

@@conroypaw the Chinese too

[@vultschlange]

@@conroypaw Hitler considered both the Chinese and Japanese the aryans of the East. He was even a bit undecided as to ally with whom (in East Asia). He ultimately chose Japan over China.

[@peechaichum5698]

@@vultschlange What about the Korean?

[@dangallagher8535]

I know you have limited time, but a follow on into how Thailand and this guy fared at the end of the war would be interesting as part of the wrap up to the series.

[@darthvitrisia1311]

If you wants to know more about the cultural "modernization" in Thailand during Plaek's regime, There's this movie called "The Overture" (โหมโรง). It's about A traditional thai instrument player facing the changing world which won't allow him to play what he loves anymore. It's a good movie which presents the tone of that era pretty accurately.

[@tdphonetdphone4748]

1. Thailand has been related for hundreds of years. And Thailand used to appoint Japanese people as governors in the Ayothaya period and the Thai and Japanese kings have a long relationship. 2. Thailand and Japan are nations with the same monarchy. ...from🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭❤️🎌

[@meen.artotzka]

As a thai, Phibulsongkram is still a controversial figure in Thailand there a lot of his policies are outright weird and nationalistic for examples, Make chicken as a Thai national symbol, planned to move capital city to Phetchabun (a small mountainous city that offers no strategic of economic values at all), etc. Anyway, great contents as always and I would love to see you guys talk about Pridi Banomyong and Free Thai Movement guerrilla warfare against Japanese troops though

[@TheBard1999]

If I may ask, why chicken?

[@golf_supa]

@@TheBard1999 He was born in the Chinese zodiac year of the Rooster (Despite his anti-Chinese policy, he is of Chinese descent) So he adopted a Chicken seal as his kinda personal "Coat of Arms" intermediating the King's Guruda (Mythical eagle) seal that has been use as the National emblem for centuries.

[@TheBard1999]

@@golf_supa thanks for the answer. I found it interesting because chicken is present all over the world and doesn't seem like something specific to Thailand.

[@Nolaris3]

My favorite was his language policies where he decided to simplify Thai spelling while the war was going on, presumably to increase Thai literacy. But in the present, they just look super weird now (dis is dee eekwivalent of rahyting Inglish laik dis)

[@hub6490]

History is written by the victors. many of weird stories was result of slander from royalist side.at the time it was pivot point of competition between fascist and monarchy. Compare to Marshal Sarit (monarchy side, the winner side) who well known for absurd corruption by peoples in that time but way less in negative mentioned from domestic mainstream history .

[@patriotadam4091]

I was waiting for this, made my day

[@Fiberous_Pulley]

This was really interesting I am intrigued by the Pacific war and this was great to learn about

[@motorcop505]

I definitely recommend that you watch the 4-part series on KZbin called "Hell in the Pacific." It includes people from all sides of the conflict, including both civilian and military Japanese, British, American, Australian, people, as well as from many other nations. It also includes a number of interviews with very famous people such as: Col. Paul Tibbitts, the pilot that dropped the first A bomb, the singer Dame Vera Lynn, the actor Rod Steiger, and others. Furthermore, I encourage you to watch the related series that focuses on the experiences of Dr. Eugene B. Sledge called "With the Old Breed." Its companion book is one of the most highly acclaimed books by a regular service member (in this case a Marine), and it served as the basis for the HBO series "The Pacific."

[@liammcgovern2113]

Fun fact that is not well known but he was still leader of Thailand until the 50s and was back by the us

[@gunman47]

it's nice to see Southeast Asian (SEA) leaders and personalities being covered by Indy & team here. Often this part of the region tends to get less focus and is not very well known outside of Asia. Hopefully we might get a chance to see more SEA leaders covered too in the future, coming from a Southeast Asian myself here.

[@jakapobp.8949]

I have waited for this one for quite a while.

[@UnicornGamingRX03]

I was born in Thailand, live in Kanchanaburi during my early years of the 1990's. My father who was a writer and journalist for the Bangkok post introduced me to Nagase Takeshi and Trevor Dakin who were WWII veterans. The pacific theatre is part of my hobby as a interest of where I grew up near the rail line of the Thai-Burma track. I live in Australia now as I am more Australian than Thai, yes... my Thai is worse than my Japanese or German. The video is nice in a way how my two sides were on Japan and Allies so I am neutral in between. I have delved deep into history as a hobby as a better way to apricate history in not forgetting unlike the cancel culture.

[@HootOwl513]

Thailand was provided by the IJAAF with some Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' OSCAR fighters. I remember building a model of one in 1/72 scale with Elephant* decals back in high school. [ * Rampant White elephant in Red rectangle.]

[@stoneruler]

During ww2 Thailand: Japan is our bff! After ww2 Thailand: Never heard of him.

[@peechaichum5698]

And today Thailand: I love Japan

[@niceyoureadmycomment323]

To day Thais : IM WEEB

[@asiandoge2088]

@@niceyoureadmycomment323 indeed we are pure weebs 😂

[@jetthanawut5436]

@@peechaichum5698 yes today we love japan

[@ZetsubouGintama]

@@niceyoureadmycomment323 We are proud to be weeb. At least we hide it better than western weeb.

[@AstaPalladium]

I am from Thailand and I'm really proud of it

[@piwat33539]

Fun fact: The Leader Phibun invented the famous dish of Pad Thai.

[@aaa00705]

I would call it as edible nationalism

[@gggbbb6841]

@@Kskskskskskskdkdmfjfhdb No it is true

[@Kskskskskskskdkdmfjfhdb]

Really?

[@Kskskskskskskdkdmfjfhdb]

It's called bami goreng in Indonesia...

[@piwat33539]

@@Kskskskskskskdkdmfjfhdb I looked up couples of Thai sources and found that you're partially correct. His relative said that the Leader never said he invented the dish but rather originated from a Chinese stir fired noodle. The Thai version of the dish uses different ingredients, notably rice-based noodle instead of wheat-based noodle. Bami Goreng also originated from the Chinese dish too but it still uses wheat-based noodle, definitely not Pad Thai.

[@lek1223]

Honestly this guy sounds like one of the most competent national leaders in the ww2 era, the only real screwup it sounds like was judging the american and british out too early and acting on it. not that he is one of the good guys of course.

[@Nolaris3]

Eh, not entirely. Neutrality and diplomatic opportunism was always the standard approach of the Thai government since they knew that fighting Britain and France was a lost cause. Phibun certainly has a lot of Mussolini-style ideas for modernizing Thailand, and it can be quite bizarre. He famously mandated all citizens to wear hats to "behave" more modern and named one of the ceded Indochinese provinces after himself. Could have been worse though.

[@lek1223]

@adum50 i didnt refer to him as a 'nationalist' in the sense of political views, just in the sense of being a national leader, to distinguish it from a military or industry leader. that said, copying facist tendencies from italy definately made him a facist.

[@Nolaris3]

@adum50 Big debate on whether Phibun is a fascist, though a lot of clues point to his admiration of Fascist economic policy. As with race, while he didn't encourage violence on any particular ethnic group, he still promoted the idea of Thai superiority over its neighboring ethnic groups. The framing of 'integrating' other ethnic groups as 'helping' is quite a stretch given the condescending and forceful nature of it, destroying the Northern Kam script and disemboweling Southern Malay culture that would factor into the Southern insurgency today. 'Helping' the Chinese is also a super massive stretch. Phibun's economic and cultural policies had always been about disenfranchising the Chinese economically, closing their businesses and schools. The Chinese were seen as an obstacle to his Thai nationalist project because of their economic dominance and large neighbor to the north. Even during his Second premiership, he would insist on such policies under the front of anti-Communism. Luang Wichit was even more extreme, conflating the Chinese with Jews and hinting that Thailand should have tried similar policies to Germany. My end point is that 'race' as viewed in Thailand is not necessarily viewed as ethnic, but culture. Similar to Imperial Rome or France, making other people part of your culture is enough to make them like you to some extent. But perhaps we shouldn't fool ourselves into believing that this process was any bit compassionate or consensual.

[@barney10240]

@adum50 He has some hatred towards Chinese minority and Christian minority in siam

[@kingzod8536]

@adum50 "integrating" them into thai culture, or doing a cultural genocide by forcing thai culture into ministry groups and cultures. There is a big difference between these things.

[@bratwurst1999]

Thank you for this nice video which explains Thailand and Phibun in 1941. Why Phibun disappeared shortly before Japanese Army came to/invaded Thailand? If you would live in this country for several years, you could understand it easily as "a normal way of life. I have been living in this kingdom to know the people here always avoids to be responsible to anything. At crucial moments they always disappear, even though they are nice friends. By his absence from Bangkok Phibun gained pretexts to the both sides, to Japanese and to British: To Japanese he could say, he did nothing against Japanese Army, just local forces (military, boys soldiers, police and others) fought against them. To British he could say, his country resisted against Japanese but without the aid of British Army they couldn't defeat Japanese... At the end of the war they said that the war declaration against Britain and the USA in 1941 was invalid because of lack of the signatures...

[@mahatmagamgee1831]

brilliant episode, this is all new to me. brilliant!

[@mxd-1990asn]

In Ayutthaya ,not that far from bangkok is place called ''JAPANESE VILLAGE'' i think its some type od museum ( not sure if its has anything to do with this though ) and i think ayutthaya is also one of the places with the most japanese ppl in thailand besides bangkok (my cousin is also from ayutthya and mixed with thai&japanese , her grandpa was a japanese who came to live in thailand long ago but i think the reason was just bcs he thought its easier to live in thailand, at least thats how he saw it. Anyhow she and her siblings are the only thai-japanese mixed in our family, the rest of my fam is just thai and thai-chinese which is a typical and the most common mix in thailand )

[@KurtisCardwell]

Great content guys!

[@GeneralSmitty91]

It's all fun and games until the trees start whispering Thai

[@brrrrrtenjoyer]

_They never got Thailand_

[@thesunriseintheeast8342]

Wait...Thai?

[@ruins161]

Considering the Japanese troops got their asses kicked by highschool students with rifles in the early hour of invasion, I say this is pretty accurate depiction

[@maxdurk4624]

Thank you so much for this!!!

[@WorldWarTwo]

You're welcome!

[@muic4880]

There was a Greater Thailand which includes Laos, Cambodia, parts of Burma, and parts of northern Malaysia today. Those lands were ceded to the British and French in order to maintain core Thai territories and avoids the fate like that of the Burmese royal family.

[@gianniverschueren870]

That tie definitely has presence! Not sure about the combination with the shirt, but the tie does enough heavy lifting for me to barely notice. 4/5

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Gianni, a tie? I think you mean to say a Thai. 😁

[@ภูมิสิทธิสมวงศ์]

2:45 fun fact Phibun himself was Thai-Chinese.

[@จอมพลแปลก-ฑ3ผ]

จอมพลแปล พิบูลสงคราม

[@hs1koa]

@@จอมพลแปลก-ฑ3ผ "แปลก"

[@Game_Hero]

Hitler : "We must preserve the superior race of blue-eyed blonde people which I'm definitely a part of"

[@sdeitym]

to identify that someone is Chinese or not in Thailand they must 100% Chinese but you can tell that someone being jews just have a few jews on their gene

[@basedkaiser5352]

@@Game_Hero Hitler did have blue eyes though.

[@cpthippoO]

Fun fact: 'Sawasdee', a Thai greeting was officially announced as a formal greeting during Marshal P.'s regime as part of the cultural reform. Previously we Thai greeted each other 'Wai krab/ka'.

[@keatkhamjornmeekanon7616]

This video glosses over Thailand war with the British and KMT force in Shan state in 1942. Japan asked PM Pibun to help them to invade Shan state. After capturing part of Shan State, Thailand established United States of Tai as part of Thailand from 1942-1945.

[@bosstrokes]

(Fact) Phibun's person who created the famous food name in the world call "Padthai"

[@karnw8611]

Fun facts: Once "The Leader" got attempted coup. The rebel arrested him and lock him in a ship. Then, his subordinate in government sink the ship. "The Leader" had to swim for his life.

[@paulphanachet]

Sarit: gives puppy to Phibun says it symbolizes loyalty Also Sarit: ousted Phibun in a coup

[@AllPileup]

Manhattan rebellion.

[@paulphanachet]

@@AllPileup bruh the Navy was so wack pulling off the rebellion. Virgin Marines and Navy: resorted to terrorist tactics like kidnapping, can’t even capture a bridge, ship can’t leave the river without the bridge opening. Chad Army and Airforce: acted swiftly, destroying the rebels ruthlessly even if that meant sinking our own ship.

[@jonmcgee6987]

Considering the possible outcomes. I think Phibun took the best option for his country.

[@angelusvastator1297]

He's also the same guy responsible for replacing "Siam" with "Thailand".

[@user-bz5io6ph8w]

Wow, excellent research into an often glossed over part of WW2 history. Bravo!

[@Gewehr_36]

2:15 Luang(หลวง) is actually his nobility title in english it equivalent to lord

[@nestle6763]

Great video 😊

[@eedwardgrey2]

Thailand: Japan's only Pacific ally. Manchuko and Wang Jinwei regime: Are we just jokes to you? Everybody else: Pretty much, yes.

[@alexlo7708]

Manchuko was set up by japan. Its not a real country. Wang Jin Wei was Japan puppet in Japan occupied China's territory.

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

@Peach Peach whats the difference between fake puppet and real puppet??

[@QWERTY-gp8fd]

@@PiKangNa can u make example of fake puppet?

[@Tenchipioneer]

Whispering: "They never got Thailand..."

[@Teerapatkongrat]

There're a story from my hometown about a heroic person that participated in this scuffle when Japanese are trying to cross the border when Marshall P. disappeared and it become chaos from communication so the people decided to fight them. One local teacher called "Kru Lumyong" pick up a gun and using a shield (kinda like captain america lol) he manages to fight off a lot of japanese but died in the process before the ceasefire. To this day his dead become a ceremony day in my school and the whole school will reciting the spiritual psalm for his brave soul every years ever since. Sorry for my english btw. It just an interesting story that not much people knows about what happened that days even from the perspective of Thai people, whether it true or not, I find it facinating that one act of braverly is justifled his place in the history even for a small one.

[@MegaTang1234]

Ah, the italy of the east!

[@potato88872]

So much ignorance

[@lepmuhangpa]

@@potato88872 Happens when some are proud.

[@yobitchcantfindme5288]

Yeah, pretty much, but atleast they were play smart and get some few territories​ back with suffering a little less.

[@alexlo7708]

@@yobitchcantfindme5288 No , after war ending ,they were told by allies to return their colony.

[@asiandoge2088]

@@alexlo7708 Thailand never have colonies

[@annescholey6546]

Reminds me of the scene in Bangkok Hilton when Denholm Elliott has a wartime flashback facing Japanese soldiers...

[@TheCimbrianBull]

I remember that movie.

[@keatkhamjornmeekanon7616]

Here is a timeline of Thailand's involvement in war Myanmar during PM Pibun Songkram -9 March 1942 Japanese troop captured Yangon, the UK handed over Shan State to China's KMT force. -9 May 1942 Thailand's Northwest Army crossed the border to Shan State to fight KMT force. -4 June 1942 The Northwest Army captured Kentung and many Shan cities. The KMT force retreated to Yunnan Later on the Japanese handed over some part of Shan State to Thailand. PM Pibun sent a viceroy to govern this part and change its name to United State of Tai and annexed it to Thailand administrative system, Thailand set up courts, schools and governing bodies in this part and sent people, teachers, policemen, judges etc. until the allies force Thailand to return this part to the UK in the end of WWII.