Changes

On 5 February 1942, down to 18 tanks and lacking ammunition and food, a small force commanded by Lieutenant General [[Tomoyuki Yamashita]] attacked the island of Pulau Ubin off Singapore’s northeast coast. This diversion deceived General Percival, commander of the forces in Singapore, who moved his major ammunitions stores to the east. The main Japanese attack came later from the northwest.

On 5 February 1942, down to 18 tanks and lacking ammunition and food, a small force commanded by Lieutenant General [[Tomoyuki Yamashita]] attacked the island of Pulau Ubin off Singapore’s northeast coast. This diversion deceived General Percival, commander of the forces in Singapore, who moved his major ammunitions stores to the east. The main Japanese attack came later from the northwest.

On 8 February, the actual attack on Singapore started with the landing of troops on the northwest coast. Australian troops fought well initially, inflicting heavy casualties on the invaders. However, the Australian defenders retreated unnecessarily amidst the confusion of battle, allowing the Japanese to establish a beachhead.<ref>"During the night of 8 February after a fifteen-hour artillery bombardment the Japanese landed on the western shores of Singapore island. The sector was guarded by Australian troops, but most deserted their posts and refused orders to stand firm." The Second World War: Ambitions to Nemesis, Bradley Lightbody, p. 132, Psychology Press, 2004</ref>Subsequent landings by the Japanese were unopposed. The military situation for the British and Indian defenders under Lieutenant-General [[Arthur Percival]] worsened.

On 8 February, the actual attack on Singapore started with the landing of troops on the northwest coast. Australian troops fought well initially, inflicting heavy casualties on the invaders. However, the Australian defenders retreated unnecessarily amidst the confusion of battle, allowing the Japanese to establish a beachhead.<ref>"During the night of 8 February after a fifteen-hour artillery bombardment the Japanese landed on the western shores of Singapore island. The sector was guarded by Australian troops, but most deserted their posts and refused orders to stand firm." The Second World War: Ambitions to Nemesis, Bradley Lightbody, p. 132, Psychology Press, 2004</ref> Subsequent landings by the Japanese were unopposed. The military situation for the British and Indian defenders under Lieutenant-General [[Arthur Percival]] worsened.

==Loss of HMS ''Repulse'' and HMS ''Prince of Wales''==

==Loss of HMS ''Repulse'' and HMS ''Prince of Wales''==

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.

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.

By midnight, the two Australian brigades had lost communications with each other, and the 22nd Brigade carried out a premature withdrawal according to Professor Brian P. Farrell in the documentary ''No Prisoners'' (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Four Corners series, 2002). In the same documentary Major John Wyett, an 8th Division staff officer, claims the commander of the Australian 22nd Brigade, Brigadier Harold Burfield Taylor cracked under the pressure and says, ''"Taylor was wandering around rather like a man in a sleep walk. He was utterly, utterly, you know, shell-shocked and not able to do very much."''<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/specials/noprisoners/transcript.htm 4C Special: No Prisoners]</ref>, and other witnesses reporting that many other deserters were drunk, raping the local Malay and Chinese women. Clifford Kinvig, a senior lecturer at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, also points the finger of blame at Brigadier Duncan Maxwell, commander of the Australian 27th Brigade for his defeatist attitude and for not properly defending the sector between the Causeway and the Kranji River.

By midnight, the two Australian brigades had lost communications with each other, and the 22nd Brigade carried out a premature withdrawal according to Professor Brian P. Farrell in the documentary ''No Prisoners'' (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Four Corners series, 2002). In the same documentary Major John Wyett, an 8th Division staff officer, claims the commander of the Australian 22nd Brigade, Brigadier Harold Burfield Taylor cracked under the pressure and says, ''"Taylor was wandering around rather like a man in a sleep walk. He was utterly, utterly, you know, shell-shocked and not able to do very much."'',<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/specials/noprisoners/transcript.htm 4C Special: No Prisoners]</ref> and other witnesses reporting that many other deserters were drunk, raping the local Malay and Chinese women. Clifford Kinvig, a senior lecturer at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, also points the finger of blame at Brigadier Duncan Maxwell, commander of the Australian 27th Brigade for his defeatist attitude and for not properly defending the sector between the Causeway and the Kranji River.

Twenty-four hours later a second Japanese landing force struck between the Causeway and the mouth of the Kranji River, and made rapid progress. By the morning of 10 February there were Japanese troops on most of north-west Singapore.  

Twenty-four hours later a second Japanese landing force struck between the Causeway and the mouth of the Kranji River, and made rapid progress. 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. According to Peter Elphick's book ''Singapore The Pregnable Fortress'', the 2/18th Australian Infantry Battalion had lost more than half of its personnel, killed, wounded, captured or through desertions. 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.  

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. According to Peter Elphick's book ''Singapore The Pregnable Fortress'', the 2/18th Australian Infantry Battalion had lost more than half of its personnel, killed, wounded, captured or through desertions. 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.  

By 14 February the Japanese had captured Singapore's reservoirs and pumping stations. The air attacks, fighting and artillery bombardments continued; many of the troops, separated from their units, wandered around aimlessly and the hospitals and bars were crowded and overflowing.<ref>"There was a complete breakdown of military discipline, with wild scenes of drunken Allied troops refusing orders, looting shops and bars, stealing boats and fighting their way onto any ship leaving Singapore harbour." The Second World War: Ambitions to Nemesis, Bradley Lightbody, p. 132, Psychology Press, 2004</ref>Some troops were deserting and others had become separated from their units. Private Duncan Ferguson of the ''Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment'', claims Australian deserters were pushing women off the gangways to get aboard the departing ships evacuating the European civilians<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/specials/noprisoners/transcript.htm 4C Special: No Prisoners]</ref>, and other witnesses reporting that many other deserters were drunk, raping the local Malay and Chinese women.<ref>"'The greater part of the Australian infantry were undisciplined,' observed Bradell, who say swarms of deserters, many drunk, struggling to get on to the ships that would take them away. Other witnesses reported Australians bullying their way on to boats, looting and raping Malay and Chinese women. These reports were read by Churchill and then withheld from public scrutiny for fifty years, no doubt to satisfy Australian sensibilities. Churchill and Empire, Lawrence James, Hachette, 2013</ref>  

By 14 February the Japanese had captured Singapore's reservoirs and pumping stations. The air attacks, fighting and artillery bombardments continued; many of the troops, separated from their units, wandered around aimlessly and the hospitals and bars were crowded and overflowing.<ref>"There was a complete breakdown of military discipline, with wild scenes of drunken Allied troops refusing orders, looting shops and bars, stealing boats and fighting their way onto any ship leaving Singapore harbour." The Second World War: Ambitions to Nemesis, Bradley Lightbody, p. 132, Psychology Press, 2004</ref> Some troops were deserting and others had become separated from their units. Private Duncan Ferguson of the ''Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment'', claims Australian deserters were pushing women off the gangways to get aboard the departing ships evacuating the European civilians,<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/specials/noprisoners/transcript.htm 4C Special: No Prisoners]</ref> and other witnesses reporting that many other deserters were drunk, raping the local Malay and Chinese women.<ref>"'The greater part of the Australian infantry were undisciplined,' observed Bradell, who say swarms of deserters, many drunk, struggling to get on to the ships that would take them away. Other witnesses reported Australians bullying their way on to boats, looting and raping Malay and Chinese women. These reports were read by Churchill and then withheld from public scrutiny for fifty years, no doubt to satisfy Australian sensibilities. Churchill and Empire, Lawrence James, Hachette, 2013</ref>  

Nevertheless, hard fighting continued but on 15 February Lieutenant-General [[Arthur Percival]], the British commander in Singapore, called for a ceasefire and made the difficult decision to surrender. He signed the surrender document that evening at the Ford Factory on Bukit Timah Road. After days of desperate fighting, all British Commonwealth troops were to lay down their arms at 8.30 PM. More than 100,000 British, Indian, Australian and Malayan troops became prisoners of war together with thousands of Singaporean Chinese from  ''Dalforce'', the local militia.<ref>"Unlike Dunkirk, there was no 'miraculous' evacuation at Singapore and 100,000 British, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops were captured when it fell on 15 February 1942, Britain's blackest day of the war. Britain in the Twentieth Century, William B. Hopkins, Page 208, Routledge, 2013</ref>The entire 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles were among the almost 140,000 British Commonwealth prisoners taken in the Japanese invasion.<ref>"When Singapore surrendered  to a Japanese force inferior only in numbers that February, the entire 2d Battalion of the 2d Gurkhas were among the almost 138,000 British prisoners taken." World War II in the Pacific: An Encyclopedia, Stanley Sandler, p. 365, Routledge, 2003 </ref>About 40,000 defenders had already surrendered in Malaya in the earlier fighting that took place from December 1941 to February 1942.

Nevertheless, hard fighting continued but on 15 February Lieutenant-General [[Arthur Percival]], the British commander in Singapore, called for a ceasefire and made the difficult decision to surrender. He signed the surrender document that evening at the Ford Factory on Bukit Timah Road. After days of desperate fighting, all British Commonwealth troops were to lay down their arms at 8.30 PM. More than 100,000 British, Indian, Australian and Malayan troops became prisoners of war together with thousands of Singaporean Chinese from  ''Dalforce'', the local militia.<ref>"Unlike Dunkirk, there was no 'miraculous' evacuation at Singapore and 100,000 British, Australian, New Zealand and Indian troops were captured when it fell on 15 February 1942, Britain's blackest day of the war. Britain in the Twentieth Century, William B. Hopkins, Page 208, Routledge, 2013</ref> The entire 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles were among the almost 140,000 British Commonwealth prisoners taken in the Japanese invasion.<ref>"When Singapore surrendered  to a Japanese force inferior only in numbers that February, the entire 2d Battalion of the 2d Gurkhas were among the almost 138,000 British prisoners taken." World War II in the Pacific: An Encyclopedia, Stanley Sandler, p. 365, Routledge, 2003</ref> About 40,000 defenders had already surrendered in Malaya in the earlier fighting that took place from December 1941 to February 1942.

==Air battle==

==Air battle==

==Aftermath==

==Aftermath==

Despite his instruction to Australian troops to stay at their posts, Major-General [[Henry Gordon Bennett]] and three of his staff officers escaped from Singapore on the night of the surrender and eventually reached Australia. Bennett's justification for leaving Singapore was that he wanted to return to Australia to give first-hand information of Japanese invasion. In all, 20,000 Australian soldiers were reported to have been captured.<ref>"The fall of Singapore saw the loss of more than 20,000 highly trained volunteers of the Australian Imperial Force, when most of Australia's 8th Division was taken prisoner of war in Malaya. The Pacific War: The Strategy, Politics, and Players that Won the War, William B. Hopkins, Page 96, Zenith Press, 2009</ref><ref>[http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/299/ Return to the Burma Railway]</ref> <ref>[https://hq22brigade.wordpress.com/about-us/ # Return to the Thai-Burma Railway# Jump up ^ 22nd Brigade Headquarters Association]</ref>  

Despite his instruction to Australian troops to stay at their posts, Major-General [[Henry Gordon Bennett]] and three of his staff officers escaped from Singapore on the night of the surrender and eventually reached Australia. Bennett's justification for leaving Singapore was that he wanted to return to Australia to give first-hand information of Japanese invasion. In all, 20,000 Australian soldiers were reported to have been captured.<ref>"The fall of Singapore saw the loss of more than 20,000 highly trained volunteers of the Australian Imperial Force, when most of Australia's 8th Division was taken prisoner of war in Malaya. The Pacific War: The Strategy, Politics, and Players that Won the War, William B. Hopkins, Page 96, Zenith Press, 2009</ref><ref>[http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/299/ Return to the Burma Railway]</ref><ref>[https://hq22brigade.wordpress.com/about-us/ # Return to the Thai-Burma Railway# Jump up ^ 22nd Brigade Headquarters Association]</ref>  

Corporal [[Walter Ernest Brown]] from the [[Australian 2/15th Field Regiment]] was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for his service in World War I and World War II. He went missing soon after the fall of Singapore; he was last sighted walking towards Japanese positions with hand grenades.<ref>[https://www.awm.gov.au/people/P10676378/ Gunner Walter Ernest 'Wally' Brown]</ref>  

Corporal [[Walter Ernest Brown]] from the [[Australian 2/15th Field Regiment]] was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] for his service in World War I and World War II. He went missing soon after the fall of Singapore; he was last sighted walking towards Japanese positions with hand grenades.<ref>[https://www.awm.gov.au/people/P10676378/ Gunner Walter Ernest 'Wally' Brown]</ref>