The Fall of Hong Kong and Singapore

1. The Fall of Hong Kong and Singapore Defeat and Disgrace at the Twilight of the British Empire By: Andrew Bratcher

2. Introduction • On 8 December, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded the British New Territories and Malaya. Though 1,440 miles apart, their goal in each place was the same: To drive the British off mainland Asia, and then launch assaults on the island strongholds of Hong Kong and Singapore. Once these British garrisons were destroyed, the Japanese could take resource-rich territory almost unchallenged. • British commanders hoped that at Hong Kong they could slow the Japanese down and inflict high casualties. Hopes were even higher for “Fortress Singapore,” which some thought could hold indefinitely. Less than three months later, both were in the hands of the Japanese…

3. the Battle of Hong Kong 13,800 men 60,000 men

5. Fighting on the Mainland Dec. 8 – Dec. 13 • The Japanese 23rd Army crossed from China into the British New Territories on December 8. British engineers destroyed bridges and blocked roads before retreating south to the Gin Drinker’s Line. • The Line was undermanned. A few thousand British troops defended a front of over 9 miles. General Maltby hoped the Line could hold for three weeks. It fell in two days. On December 9, the Japanese infiltrated the line by night and breached it. • The British were caught off guard because they thought the Japanese all had poor vision and couldn’t fight in the dark. The British evacuated to Hong Kong. By December 13, the Japanese controlled Kowloon and were ready to attack Hong Kong Island.

6. Battle of Hong Kong Dec. 13 – Dec. 25 • The only thing between northern Hong Kong and the Japanese 23rd Army was half a mile of water. Maltbydid not think the Japanese would attack the northern coast because he had impressive fortifications there. He weakened his forces by dividing them around the island. • 7,000 Japanese invaded the northern coast on the rainy night of December 18. They crossed the narrow Ly Mun Passage by boat. Early reports of the invasion were ignored by British commanders. They believed the Japanese had poor balance and would be too seasick to cross in stormy waters. • Within a day, the Japanese 23rd Army wedged the island in half and routed isolated British units in the East. Then, they turned on the West. Six days of fighting for high ground ensued. • By December 24, most of the island was in Japanese hands. Maltby knew the situation was hopeless. The British surrendered on December 25: “Black Christmas.”

7. The St. Stephen’s Massacre: Angry at the British’s stubborn defense of the town of Stanley, Japanese soldiers broke into the nearby unguarded hospital and murdered dozens of wounded soldiers, some helpless in their beds, before forcing themselves on nurses.

8. Why Hong Kong fell General Maltby made a tactical error by splitting his forces, and racism in the British ranks made them complacent. However, Hong Kong was doomed from the start: • The Japanese had air supremacy. Hong Kong Island’s air force of five biplanes was destroyed by bombing on December 8. The British had few anti-aircraft guns. • Maltby’s troops were outnumbered and poorly supplied. Many of their weapons were obsolete, and artillery ammunition was scarce. • Hong Kong was expected to fall. Winston Churchill wrote in early 1941: “Whether there are two or six battalions at Hong Kong will make no difference.” British commanders did not want to send quality planes, troops, or supplies to a doomed island in the Pacific.

9. The Malayan Campaign • Concurrent with the invasion of the New Territories was the Japanese invasion of Malaya. Here, too, the British were materially outmatched. • The Japanese drove the British off the mainland and forced them to retreat to the Island of Singapore after seven weeks of fighting. • The British suffered 50,000 casualties and were left isolated in Singapore without air cover or naval defense. When they learned of the crippling of the American Fleet at Pearl Harbor, even the hope of relief was gone.

11. The Malayan Campaign Dec. 8 1941 – Jan. 31 1942 bicycles • Japanese infantry used bicycles to devastating effect in their drive down the Malayan peninsula. Bicycles allowed Japanese soldiers to move quickly to the front (or past it) with less exhaustion than marching. Bicycles required no fuel. Rivers and jungle impassable to vehicles could be crossed by dismounted bicycle infantry. • The rough terrain sometimes damaged their rubber tires; when this happened, they kept riding on their metal rims. Some British soldiers mistook the sound of bare-rimmed bikes in the distance for tanks.

12. The Malayan Campaign Dec. 8 1941 – Jan. 31 1942 Tanks • Japanese tanks were not of exceptional quality or used with particular imagination. However, the Japanese employed 300 tanks in the Malayan Campaign. The British had none. • The British also had few anti-tank guns and little ammunition for them. Most British infantry had no way of combating tanks unless they came very close. • British commanders claimed that the jungle was too thick for tanks, but the Japanese made good use of roads in Malaya and Singapore.

13. The Malayan Campaign Dec. 8 1941 – Jan. 31 1942 Aircraft • The Japanese achieved air superiority in Malaya in a matter of days. Their fighter aircraft, including the famous “Zero,” were higher in quality and number than the obsolete planes sent by the British government to Malaya. British airfields lacked sufficient anti-aircraft weaponry and many fighters were destroyed on the ground by Japanese bombers. • Control of the air meant Japan could easily harass British troops on the ground with strafing and bombing runs. • The battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiserRepulse were sunk by Japanese bombers on December 10, 1941. The British Eastern Fleet withdrew to Java, leaving Singapore with no naval force.

14. the Battle of Singapore 75,000 men 30,000 men

16. The guns of Singapore were famous even before the war. Among them were five 15-inch guns, whose shells made craters in the ground 15 feet deep and 50 feet wide. The guns were intended for firing on warships, though they did bombard the Japanese 25th Army during the battle. They were supplied mostly with armor-piercing shells that did little damage to enemy infantry (apart from a direct hit). The guns had little effect, though their thunderous discharges could be heard miles away, encouraging British soldiers.

17. The Battle of Singapore Feb. 8 – 15, 1942 • Like General Maltby at Hong Kong, General Percival thought that Singapore would be invaded from the sea. He spread his troops around the island to try and protect the entire coast from invasion. • Like at Hong Kong, the Japanese invaded (at night) from the northern mainland. On February 8, General Yamashita’s 25th Army crossed the Straits of Johore. Though the Japanese were greatly outnumbered, the defenders were spread so thin that they were easily surroundedand destroyed. • Fighting continued for seven days in a manner similar to the Malayan campaign. Small British units were quickly overwhelmed by fast-moving Japanese troops, defenseless against Japanese tanks, and at the mercy of Japanese aircraft.

18. On February 15, Percival surrendered to Yamashita, and famously dithered… Yamashita: “Are you willing to surrender? Yes or no?” Percival: “Would you give me until tomorrow morning?” Yamashita: “Tomorrow? Absolutely not. Otherwise, Japanese troops will carry out a night attack. Do you understand?” Percival: “Could you wait till eleven thirty tonight?” Yamashita: “Eleven thirty? We might well engage in an attack before that time.” Percival: (no answer) Yamashita: “Do you accept the proposition? Let me ask you. Will you accept unconditional surrender, yes or no?” Percival: “Yes.” Source: http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-08192005-082911/unrestricted/tsuruya_etd2005rev.pdf

19. Who’s to Blame? • The surrender at Singapore was the greatest single defeat in British history. A force of 30,000 Japanese captured over 130,000 British soldiers and army noncombatants. Those British faced many harsh years as POWs. • Churchill had ordered Percival to fight to the last man. This ignominious defeat was an outrage. Churchill and other historians blamed Percival for not fortifying the northern coast and for surrendering before the battle was truly over. Yamashita later admitted that he was considering retreat because he was almost out of ammunition.

20. The Scapegoat • Percival was not a rogue. His decision to spread his forces around Singapore’s coastline went unchallenged by his superior, General Wavell of ABDA Command. Wavell was aware of the decision and had the power to replace Percival. • With the loss of Repulse and Prince of Wales, Percival had good reason to fear the Imperial Japanese Navy and prepare for invasion from the sea instead of the mainland. • By February 15, Singapore City’s civilians were without water. Many thousands more would have died had fighting continued. • Most importantly, the British forces in Singapore were poorly equipped, trained, and supplied. North Africa was the primary destination for quality men and weapons. Russia was second for material. Singapore was last in line.

21. Bibliography • Fortress: The Story of the Siege and Fall of Singapore, Kenneth Attwill. • Leadership and Responsibility in the Second World War, Brian P. Farrel. • The Damned, Nathan M. Greenfield. • The Fall of Hong Kong: Britain, China, and the Japanese Occupation, Philip Snow. • Not the Slightest Chance: The Defense of Hong Kong, 1941, Tony Banham. • Japan's Greatest Victory, Britain's Worst Defeat: The Capture of Singapore, Tsugi Masanobu. • Shameful Flight, Stanley Wolpert. • 17 Days Until Christmas, Leo Paul Berard. • China at War, 1901-1949, Edward L. Dreyer. • Seventy Days to Singapore, Stanley L. Falk. • World War II in Asia and the Pacific and the War's Aftermath, with General Themes, Loyd E. Lee. • Hong Kong, Empire and the Anglo American Alliance at War, 1941-1945, Andrew J. Whitfield. • Final Hours in the Pacific, Donald J. Young. • Singapore: The Battle That Changed the World, James Leasor. • Six Years of War, C. P. Stacey.