二战期间，向来见风使舵的泰国与日本沆瀣一气，允许日本借道泰国攻打当时仍被英国殖民的缅甸。为了方便向缅甸运输军需物资，日本计划在泰缅边境的德那沙林山脉修建一条军用铁路。为修铁路，他们必须开山。开山没有机械，他们便强迫盟军的战俘以及东南亚的苦力人工凿山。其中一段山体的开凿尤为艰巨，最终凿出一条长75米、深25米的陡峭切口。战俘和苦力一个个瘦骨嶙峋，他们夜间点着火把凿山的场景，酷似地狱之火，所以这段切口取名为“地狱之火隘口”。
澳大利亚、英国、荷兰和其他盟军战俘被强迫每天工作18个小时，用最原始的工具手工凿开岩石。在短短六周内，69名战俘被日本看守殴打致死，此外，还有许多人因霍乱、痢疾、饥饿和过度劳累而丧命。
这条铁路建造质量很差，在缅甸战役期间经常遭到英国皇家空军的轰炸。
During World War II, the Japanese wanted to build a railway through the Tenasserim Hills between Burma and Thailand to transport supplies for their fight against Britain in Burma. A section called Hellfire Pass was especially hard to build. It was a steep cutting about 75 meters long and 25 meters deep. It was called Hellfire Pass because the sight of emaciated prisoners labouring by burning torchlight resembled a scene from Hell.
Australian, British, Dutch, and other Allied prisoners of war were forced to work 18 hours a day to dig through the rock. In just six weeks, 69 men were beaten to death by Japanese guards, while many others died from diseases like cholera and dysentery, as well as from starvation and exhaustion.
The railway was poorly constructed and often damaged by Royal Air Force bombing during the Burma Campaign.
