Uncategorised Thai "Victory" Medal, World War 2

[Obergefreiter]

I thought Thailand sided with Japan during WW 2. What's the story with their so-called "Victory" Medal. Wishful thinking or rewriting history? Is this thing for real, or are they cranked out in some garage in Singapore?

[paul wood]

Thailand was occupied by Japan in 1941, in 1943 serious resistance took place which lasted until the final defeat of Japan. The medal looks as if it might be OK to me.

Paul

[JBFloyd]

It's meant to be a service medal rather than a victory medal. These are rather cheaply made, but as issued.

The Thais take great pride in never having been occupied, so the presence of the Japanese in World War II presents some semantic problems for them. Officially, the Thai government permitted the Japanese access through Thailand to move troops to Malaya and Burma. Throughout the war, Thailand retained control of its government and armed forces, although with obvious Japanese guidance. Ultimately, Thailand did declare war on the Allies (although the declaration was never delivered to the United States), but never really added much to the Japanese cause. The declaration of war was ruled to be unconstitutional and therefore void, so Thailand never had to surrender. As Paul notes, there was a real resistance movement, which provided intelligence to the Allies, and did some sabotage, but mostly tied down a number of Japanese troops.

[Obergefreiter]

Thanks for the info, Gentlemen. I'm guessing that running for political office in Thailand would be interesting.

[Brian Wolfe]

I've purchased one of these a few years ago and can't add any more to the post of historical value, however these tend to be quite fragile and are often found needing repair to the suspender attachment. A little epoxy works wonders.

Regards

Brian