Fall of Singapore

After being imposed a trade embargo due to its invasion of China, Japan began looking for an alternative source of supplies for its war machine. As a result Japan attacked the British fortress of Singapore.

Japanese invasion

Japan’s 25th Army invaded Malaya coming from Indochina moving northwards towards Thailand. This invasion was done simultaneously with the attack on Pearl Harbor in an effort to try and stop the US Navy from interfering in Southeast Asia. The Japanese government had persuaded the Thai government to let them use Thai military bases for defense against invasion from the southeast by the Allied nations.

The Japanese 25th Army faced resistance in north Malaya from the British officered 3rd Indian Corps. Although the Japanese were outnumbered they consolidated their forces and were far superior in air support and war techniques. The British constantly allowed the Japanese army to outflank them as they believed that the Malayan jungle was impossible to pass. The Japanese made good use of bicycles and light tanks which made it possible for rapid movements in the jungle.

By 31 January 1942, all British Empire forces had withdrawn from the Malay peninsula onto Singapore Island. On 8 February, the Japanese landed in the north-west of the island and within six days they were on the outskirts of Singapore city, which was also now under constant air attack.

The Australian defenders were battle-weary, having lost nearly 700 men fighting in Malaya since 14 January, with hundreds of others wounded or sick.

Singapore falls

The Japanese had prepared for the invasion of Singapore with a heavy bombardment. They began their amphibious landings on the north-west of the island, where the Strait of Johore is narrowest. This area was held by the Australian 22nd Infantry Brigade but late on the night of 8 February the Japanese made their way through undefended sections. Twenty-four hours later a second Japanese landing force struck between the Causeway and the mouth of the Kranji River, an area held by the Australian 27th Infantry Brigade. By the morning of 10 February there were Japanese troops on most of north-west Singapore.

The British, Indian and Australian troops tried to hold the Japanese at various defensive lines but after two days many of their depleted battalions had to be reorganized into composite units. A counter-attack on 10-11 February failed and on 12 February General H Gordon Bennett, the Australian commander, began moving his battle weary 8th Division AIF units into a perimeter just a few kilometres out of the city. By the next day the Japanese were within five kilometres of the Singapore waterfront. The entire city was now within range of Japanese artillery.

Air battle

The Japanese Air Force had more men and was well trained and better equipped than the British Commonwealth pilots who had inferior equipment without any good training. The main Japanese fighter, the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero helped the Japanese forces gain an upper hand. The Japanese warplanes managed to sink the British capital ships thus leaving the Malayan peninsula exposed giving room for more Japanese landings.