The Fall of Malaya and Singapore

Author: Jon Diamond
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473845580
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 210

Book Description
In just 10 weeks from 8 December 1941 to mid February 1942, British and Imperial forces were utterly defeated by the numerically inferior Japanese under General Yamashita. British units fought hard on the Malayan mainland but the Japanese showed greater mobility, cunning and tactical superiority. Morale was badly affected by the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse to Japanese aircraft on 19 December as they sought out enemy shipping. Panic set in as military and civilians withdrew south to Singapore. Thought to be an impregnable fortress, its defences against land attacks were shockingly deficient. General Percival's leadership was at best uninspired and at worst incompetent. Once the Allied troops withdrew to Singapore it was only a matter of time before surrender became inevitable. To make matters worse reinforcements arrived but only in time to be made POWs. The whole catastrophe is brilliantly described in this highly illustrated book.

The Defence and Fall of Singapore

Author: Brian Farrell
Publisher: Monsoon Books
ISBN: 9814423890
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 594

Book Description
Shortly after midnight on 8 December 1941, two divisions of crack troops of the Imperial Japanese Army began a seaborne invasion of southern Thailand and northern Malaya. Their assault developed into a full-blown advance towards Singapore, the main defensive position of the British Empire in the Far East. The defending British, Indian, Australian and Malayan forces were outmanoeuvred on the ground, overwhelmed in the air and scattered on the sea. By the end of January 1942, British Empire forces were driven back onto the island of Singapore Itself, cut off from further outside help. When the Japanese stormed the island with an an-out assault, the defenders were quickly pushed back into a corner from which there was no escape. Singapore’s defenders finally capitulated on 15 February, to prevent the wholesale pillage of the city itself. Their rapid and total defeat was nothing less than military humiliation and political disaster. Based on the most extensive use yet of primary documents in Britain, Japan, Australia and Singapore, Brian Farrell provides the fullest picture of how and why Singapore fell and its real significance to the outcome of the Second World War.

Malaya and Singapore 1941–42

Author: Mark Stille
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472811240
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 100

Book Description
For the British Empire it was a military disaster, but for Imperial Japan the conquest of Malaya was one of the pivotal campaigns of World War II. Giving birth to the myth of the Imperial Japanese Army's invincibility, the victory left both Burma and India open to invasion. Although heavily outnumbered, the Japanese Army fought fiercely to overcome the inept and shambolic defence offered by the British and Commonwealth forces. Detailed analysis of the conflict, combined with a heavy focus on the significance of the aerial campaign, help tell the fascinating story of the Japanese victory, from the initial landings in Thailand and Malaya through to the destruction of the Royal Navy's Force Z and the final fall of Singapore itself.

Guns of February

Author: Henry P. Frei
Publisher: NUS Press
ISBN: 9789971692735
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 232

Book Description
This is an account of the fall of Singapore and Japan's 1941 military campaign in Malaya through the eys of Japanese soldiers who took part, based on interviews, memoirs, war diaries and other Japanese-language sources.

The Battle For Singapore

Author: Peter Thompson
Publisher: Piatkus
ISBN: 0748122338
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 364

Book Description
The Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942 is a military disaster of enduring fascination. For the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the island, Peter Thompson tells the explosive story of the Malayan campaign, the siege of Singapore, the ignominious surrender to a much smaller Japanese force, and the Japanese occupation through the eyes of those who were there - the soldiers of all nationalities and members of Singapore's beleaguered population. An enthralling and perceptive account, which never loses sight of the human cost of the tragedy - Yorkshire Evening Post. An insightful and dramatic analysis - The Good Book Guide

A Great Betrayal

Author: Brian Farrell
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd
ISBN: 9814435465
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 294

Book Description

Singapore Burning

Author: Colin Smith
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141906626
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 969

Book Description
Churchill's description of the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, after Lt-Gen Percival's surrender led to over 100,000 British, Australian and Indian troops falling into the hands of the Japanese, was no wartime exaggeration. The Japanese had promised that there would be no Dunkirk in Singapore, and its fall led to imprisonment, torture and death for thousands of allied men and women. With much new material from British, Australian, Indian and Japanese sources, Colin Smith has woven together the full and terrifying story of the fall of Singapore and its aftermath. Here, alongside cowardice and incompetence, are forgotten acts of enormous heroism; treachery yet heart-rending loyalty; Japanese compassion as well as brutality from the bravest and most capricious enemy the British ever had to face.

The Fall of Malaya and Singapore

Author: Jon Diamond
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473854474
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331

Book Description
“This photo essay produces a very effective picture of the defeat of British forces in Malaya and Singapore by the Japanese . . . Highly recommended.”—Firetrench In just 10 weeks from 8 December 1941 to mid-February 1942, British and Imperial forces were utterly defeated by the numerically inferior Japanese under General Yamashita. British units fought hard on the Malayan mainland, but the Japanese showed greater mobility, cunning and tactical superiority. Morale was badly affected by the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse to Japanese aircraft on 19 December as they sought out enemy shipping. Panic set in as military and civilians withdrew south to Singapore. Thought to be an impregnable fortress, its defenses against land attacks were shockingly deficient. General Percival’s leadership was at best uninspired and at worst incompetent. Once the Allied troops withdrew to Singapore it was only a matter of time before surrender became inevitable. To make matters worse reinforcements arrived but only in time to be made POWs. The whole catastrophe is brilliantly described in this highly illustrated book. “The powerful story of a tragedy illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs, this is a highly enlightening text on the Forgotten War.”—The Bulletin of The Military Historical Society “Contains an interesting set of well captioned archive photos showing a period that was among the darkest days for the British Commonwealth during WW2.”—Military Modelling

Bicycle Blitzkrieg: The Malayan Campaign And The Fall Of Singapore

Author: LCDR Alan C. Headrick
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1782897305
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 44

Book Description
Japan's December 1941-February 1942 invasion of Malaya and culminating conquest of Singapore is analyzed from an operational perspective. Although overshadowed by better known Pacific Theater actions in World War II, the campaign was Japan's most successful example of joint warfare and replete with lessons for the modern operational commander. Approached from the level of the commander and staff, the background and decision making processes are reviewed, with applicable areas identified for today's leaders. The need for aggressive leadership, accurate intelligence, flexible application of power, adjustment of force based on environmental conditions, and the value of logistics are the major lessons from the Japanese victory. Poor leadership and futility of trying to defend too much are among those lessons from the defeated British.

The Fall of Singapore 1942

Author: Timothy Hall
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317431618
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 September 1942, but in 1941 Europeans on the island felt still untouched by war, lulled into security by the belief that Singapore was impregnable from the sea. However, the Planning Chief of Imperial Army Headquarters in Tokyo had realised a successful invasion could come from the north, down the Malay peninsula... Requests from less naive members of the allied forces for more men, arms and equipment were not filled. Authorities were unwilling to reveal to the civilian population the true situation. And so through accident or miscalculation, Singapore was totally unable to repel the Japanese attack. This accessible book, illustrated with black and white photos charts the course of these events.