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118 THE WIDENING WAR 1942

Japanese forces commanded by General Tomoyuki Yamashita

had invaded British Malaya on December 8, 1941 (see pp.112–113).

Through superior tactics and mobility they defeated the British and

Commonwealth forces, and by January 30, 1942, had reached the

Johore Strait at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. The

exhausted Allied troops crossed to Singapore Island via a causeway,

which they then partially destroyed in the hope of delaying Japanese

progress. By this time though, the Japanese had reliable intelligence

on the weak state of “Fortress Singapore,” and invaded on February 9.

Outgunned, outmaneuvered, and with inadequate air support—yet

with more than twice the number of troops that the Japanese had—

the British and Commonwealth forces were soon pushed back into

Singapore city itself. They were forced into a humiliating surrender

on February 15. It later became clear that while the British were

running out of supplies in the last days of the battle, so were the

Japanese, who were low on ammunition for their artillery. However,

had the British commander Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival

decided to fight on, victory would have been unlikely.

THE BRITISH NAVAL BASE IN SINGAPORE

“My attack on Singapore was a bluff—

a bluff that worked.”

GENERAL TOMOYUKI YAMASHITA

Completed in 1939 at a staggering cost of $500 million, Singapore’s

naval base boasted what was then the largest dry dock in the world, the

third-largest floating dock (below), and enough fuel tanks to support the

entire British navy for six months. It was defended by heavy 15-in naval guns

and also by airforce squadrons stationed at Tengah Air Base. Winston

Churchill touted it as an impregnable fortress, the “Gibraltar of the East.”

SURRENDER

AT SINGAPORE

The fall of the British colony of Singapore to the

Japanese in February 1942 led to the largest surrender

of British-led personnel in military history. It was

described by prime minister Winston Churchill as the

worst disaster ever to befall the British in wartime.

Feb 9 The first Japanese

landings take place on

Sarimbun Beach.

Feb 10 The second

Japanese landings take

place in the north.

THE CAPTURE OF SINGAPORE

The Japanese attack on Singapore began

on February 9, 1942, and ended with the

surrender of British and Commonwealth

forces six days later. The Japanese then

held the island until their own surrender

in September 1945.

KEY

British air bases

British naval base

Roads

Railroads

Japanese gains by Feb 9

Japanese gains by Feb 11

Japanese gains by Feb 15

British territory, Feb 15

Japanese forces

Allied forces

Battles

Built-up areas

Japanese landings Feb 9–10

Japanese advance Feb 9–11

Allied retreat

THE JAPANESE ATTACK

FEBRUARY 9–11, 1942

After a 15-hour artillery barrage, Japanese troops

landed on two beaches in the north-west of

Singapore in the early hours of February 9. This

was followed by another attack in the early hours

of February 10. The invaders first encountered the

numerically inferior 22nd Australian Brigade,

which was soon pushed back. After a series of

aerial dogfights, the remaining Allied planes and air

force personnel were withdrawn to Sumatra.

2

JAPANESE PREPARATIONS

JANUARY 31–FEBRUARY 7, 1942

The last British and Commonwealth forces

had withdrawn to Singapore by January 31. On

February 3, the Japanese began to shell and attack

the island by air for five days; on February 7, they

launched a feint attack to fool Lieutenant-General

Arthur Percival, commander of the British

garrison, into thinking that the main attack

would come from the north-east.

1

Japanese feint attack

JAN 1942 FEB MAR

3

4

5

1

TIMELINE

2

Johor Bahru

Mandai

Sarimbun Beach Kranji Woodlands

Nee Soon

Seletar

Sembawang

Paya Lebar

Kallang

Sa Ranggong

Bedok

Changi

Tengah

Jurong

Pasir Panjang

Bukit Timah

Choa Chu

Kang

Singapore

Peirce

reservoir

MacRitchie

reservoir

Si

ng

ap

or

e

St

r

a

it

Joh or e

St

ra

it

Pulau Ubin

SINGAPORE ISLAND

MALAYA

27th Australian

Brigade

53rd British

Brigade

54th British

Brigade

22nd Australian

Brigade

1st Malaya

Brigade

18th Infantry

Division

28th Indian

Brigade

5th Infantry

Division Japanese Imperial Guards

Kr

an

ji

US_118-119_The_british_surrende_at_Singapore.indd 118 24/05/19 1:16 PM