The Fall of Singapore

ayla made this yay

When did the British forces surrender in Singapore?

15 February 1942

Why were Singapore and Malaya important targets of the Japanese?

They would give Japan access to the rich natural resources of Southeast Asia and control over the vital shipping route of the Straits of Melaka. Malaya’s tin and rubber industries would supports Japanese industries and war production, while Singapore’s port and important location made it an ideal base for Japanese attacks on the Dutch-East indies (Indonesia) and possibly Australia. It would also be a great boost to Japan’s national pride.

What is the Singapore Strategy?

Reasons to have a strategy:

British were exhausted by World War I

British public were unwilling to keep up military spending after war

British power had declined

British were no longer able to maintain a large permanent military force to protect its colonies in Asia

To solve the problem (the STRATEGY)

constructed a large modern naval base in Asia

Singapore chosen because of its good location ad importance as a port

IN event of war, British would send warships to the base to protect its large overseas empire

Singapore would then rely on local defences built by the British

Which area of Singapore was used as the naval base constructed by the British and what was placed there?

Sembawang was chosen as the area for the naval base, which was completed together with its defences by 1941. Military airfields were constructed at Tengah, Sembawang and Seletar, and gun positions were set up to defend Singapore against  attacks from the sea.

What were some assumptions the British had about the Japanese and what actions did this lead to?

The British thought that Singapore could not be attacked from the north, as they believed that it was difficult to land troops in Malaya during the monsoon and advance through the thick jungle.

This led the British to only build defences in the naval base to protect Singapore from sea attacks from the south and the east but not an attack from Malaya in the north.

By the 1930s the British realised that their assumptions were untrue.

What did the British do when they realised that they needed defences from the north and not only the south and east?

They drew up plans to prevent an enemy army from landing in northern Malaya. They also built military airfields in many parts of Malaya to provide bases for aircraft to defend it from hostile landings. They hoped that in this way, they would deter potential enemies from invading their colonies.

Why were there not many British forces (few people basically)?

The British were resisting German invasion in Europe and also fighting in North Africa and supporting the Soviet Union in its struggle against Germany. This left the British with very little forces to spare for Malaya and Singapore. The British were also outnumbered by Japan’s modern Zero fighters.

What did British’s lack of soldiers lead to in the end?

During the fight against Japan, most of teh British fighters were destroyed and the remainder evacuated to the Dutch East Indies or Australia. There were also not enough troops to protect the many military airfields all over Malaya. This resulted in the Japanese eventually being able to capture many of the airfields and use them to attack other parts of Malaya and Singapore.

Apart from the lack of soldiers, what was another reason why British lost to the Japanese?

The forces defending Malaya and Singapore came from many different parts of the British empire, including Scotland, India and Australia. Thus, it was difficult for them to understand and work with one another. This resulted in many of the soldiers not feeling like it was their duty to fight hard and sacrifice themselves in the defence of the colonies.

British were also reluctant to call on the locals to contribute to the defence

the small number of locals that were raised to fight were only given minimal training and equipment

there were no tanks and very few anti-weapons

there were not enough officers to lead the men

British could only afford to send a very small fleet of ships to SG (due to war in ِEurope) - this fleet was called Force Z

What caused Force Z to be destroyed?

On 8 December 1941, Force Z sailed out of the naval base in SG and went to Kuantan

British thought Japanese forces would be landing there

10 December - fleet was spotted by Japanese

They bombed and sank the ships

Name the main events that caused the British to lose to the Japanese.

lack of soldiers and lack of training

lack of weapons and ships

Defences only in the south and east, and not in the north

Underestimating the Japanese

How did the Japanese get intel about Malaya and Singapore?

Japanese spies disguised as tourists or barbers to gather information for the military

Japanese’s army set up a special research unit to look into techniques for jungle fighting and soldier training

They wrote a pamphlet on the useful tips they found out for the soldiers to read before the invasion

Who was the head of the special research unit of Japan and what was his plan that helped Japan win?

COLONEL MASANOBU TSUJI

when he learned about SG’s defences, he decided not to attack from sea and instead from land

Planned for forces to land on beaches of southern Thailand and advance down Malaya then attack SG from north

This plan was actually carried out in the end

Why were the Japanese forces more well-prepared than the British forces?

experienced

Battle-hardened

Well-supported with weapons, aircraft, warships, tanks, etc.

Led by GENERAL TOMOYUKI YAMASHITA (very highly-regarded and very great)

What were some things that the Japanese did to aid them during the invasion? (and some other pre-factors if that’s a word)

brought light tanks and bicycles to move around quickly

Lightly equipped so they could move fast, catch enemy by surprise

Fighters from the air supported troops on ground and dropped bombs on defending forces

Japanese controlled Indo China (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) so could launch more attacks and supply troops without interference from British

What was one disadvantage the Japanese had and what did yamashita do as a result to allow the Japanese to win?

Japanese were severely outnumbered

Yamashita depended on speed and surprise - kept on attacking them by surprise

British retreated in haste to avoid being cutoff from behind

Left behind large amounts of supplies, equipments, weapons, so Japanese could take it for their own use