Sem 2 Military history, case study: Battle for singapore and malaya

Who were the two sides at war?

Axis vs Allies

Why did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbour?

1. Destroy the American fleet units to prevent the Pacific Fleet from interfering with the Japanese conquest of Southeast Asia

2. To buy time for Japan to consolidate its position and increase its naval strength before the Americans began to increase their fleet size

3. To deliver a blow to America’s ability to mobilise its forces to the Pacific via its navy

4. To undermine American morale such that the U.S. would drop its demands contrary to Japanese interests and seek a compromise peace with Japan.

Why did Japan want to conquer southeast asia? (reason 1)

“The conquest of Malaya and Singapore was central to the Japanese aim to end British colonialism in the Far East. They wanted to set up the ‘Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’, an economic system independent of the rest of the world, with Japan herself, of course, as its leader. Singapore was to be the capital of the Sphere’s Southern region.”

Why did Japan want to conquer southeast asia? (reason 2)

‘By the 1930s, with much of the swamps and jungles cleared to dredge for tin and rubber planting, Malaya had developed a well-integrated system of roads, railways and ports. Japan was invading China, and in need of vital commodities such as rubber and tin for its war effort. Japan, therefore, wanted Malaya, especially after the United States of America threatened to impose a strategic blockade.’

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Ideal/concept and reality)

Ideal/Concept: To create

• A self-sufficient bloc of Asian nations

• Led by the Japanese

• Free of Western powers

Reality

• To promote the idea of Japanese as superior over other Asian states

Efforts made by the British to depend Singapore

1. Naval Base was built B

2. Underground bunkers/forts U

3. Interspersed Military Airfields around Singapore I

4. Lined Singapore’s seacoast with artillery guns L

5. Deployed Force Z to Singapore D

→ The ‘Impregnable Fortress”

1. Naval Base was built. Which one? Elaborate.

Sembawang Naval Base was built.

What was the world’s largest drydock?

King George VI Dock was the world’s largest dry dock when it was unveiled on 14 February 1938. At 1,000 feet (305m) long, 130 feet (40m) wide and 35 feet (11m) deep, the dock could accommodate the largest capital naval ship of the time - the Dreadnought class battleships - for resupply or repairs

2. What underground bunkers/forts were built?

Battle Box (Fort Canning)

• e.g. (some features)

• Labrador Battery - has a 7-inch muzzle-loading gun

• Casemate: Ammunition store for the guns

• Malta Crescent Bunkers at Sembawang

3. Interspersed Military airfields around Singapore (where and what are they called the airfields)

• RAF Sembawang Airbase (Northern)

• RAF Seletar Airbase (North eastern)

• RAF Kallang Airbase (South eastern)

• RAF Tengah Airbase (western)

4. Lined Singapore’s seacoast with Artillery Guns

North Eastern Coastal Defence

Southern Coastal Defence

Western Coastal Defence

Eastern Coastal Defence

5. Deployed Main Fleet to Singapore

The HMS “Prince of Wales”

n the 4 escort destroyers of Force Z

• HMS Electra

• HMS Express

• HMS Vampire

• HMS Tenedos

What was the battle called for the Japanese advance through the Malay Peninsula? (date + elaborate)

The Battle of Malaya

• The Japanese advance through the Malay Peninsula?

• 8 Dec 1941 → 31 Jan 1942

What would happen to ships with no air support?

Ships will sink. Such ships are HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were British battleships sunk by Japanese warplanes on 10 December 1941. Their escorts and the two large battleships were attacked by Japanese airplane.

Johor Bridge (how big of a gap was created with the destruction of the causeway?

70 feet or 21 meters

What was used (or who was utilised) for the repair of the causeway?

The Johor causeway was repaired using civilians from Johor Bahru (NOT ACTUALLY THEIR BODIES. THEY USED THEIR SKILLS GOD DAMMIT)

Timeline in the Battle for Singapore

December 1941

• 8 December 1941 - The Japanese landed in northern Malaya

• 10 December 1941 - the sinking of the British warships (they lost control of the sea)

January 1942

• 31 January 1942 - The fall of Johor and the blowing up of the Causeway

February 1942

• 11 February 1942 - The Battle at Bukit Timah Hill (Japanese took control of the water supply)

• 13 February 1942 - Fall of Pasir Panjang (Troops were demoralised and exhausted)

• 15 February 1942 - First day of the Chinese New Year (the fall of Singapore to the Japanese Empire)

Why were the Japanese successful in the Battle for Malaya and Singapore?

Better planning

Effective and able Leadership

Awesome intelligence services of the Japanese

Solidly trained and experienced personnel

Technologically more advanced

(BEAST)

Why did the British lose the Battle for Malaya and Singapore?

• Blame the Poor planning

• Overestimated themselves

• Allotted an ineffective and incapable leader

• Sent inexperienced and poorly trained soldiers

• Technologically inferior weapons

Japanese assessment vs British assessment (better planning vs poor planning)

Japanese Assessment:

• The planning chief at Imperial Army HQ in Tokyo was convinced that the attack from the sea was impossible.

“Attack is possible only from the Johore Strait, north of Singapore.” He wrote.

British Assessment:

• The British assumed that swamps and jungles would obstruct any overland invasion. This was a grave mistake as it ignored the highly developed communications network that the British themselves had constructed throughout the peninsula.

To be practical, what did the Japanese do?

They rode on bicycles and used motor boats, faster than the British retreating troops

Quality of Japanese Leadership:

Lieutenant-General Yamashita, Commander-in-Chief of the 25th Japanese army, had studied the science of modern warfare. Before taking command, he had spent 6 months in Germany exchanging ideas with Adolf Hitler’s military experts.

The highly trained and battle-hardened 25th army, led by the Imperial Guard Division and elite troops of the 5th Division, were well exposed to jungle warfare

He was nicknamed: The Tiger of Malaya

Ineffective and incapable leader of the british

Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival

• “something of a damp squib”

• an ineffective “staff wallah”

• Percival had difficulties with his subordinates

• Britain’s defence, the Middle East and the Soviet Union had all received higher priorities in the allocation of men and material

Japanese Intelligence (services) in Malaya and Singapore (what did they provide, examples.)

Provided the Japanese with information on British defence and readiness

Examples

1. Observed the construction of the Naval Base and coastal defences

2. Conducted surveys of Malayan coastal areas

3. Took pictures of key strategic places

4. Undercover agents in many important locations

How did the british underestimate themselves?

When the Japanese did land at Kota Bharu aerodome in Malaysia, Singapore’s governer, Sir Shenton Thomas is allged to have said “Well, I suppose you’ll (the army) shove the little men off”

The soldiers said

“I do hope we are not getting too strong in Malaya because if so the Japanese may never attempt a landing”

Soldiers (british vs japanese)

The British were

• Inexperienced

• Used to desert warfare (trained)

• Had communications and coordination problems

The Japanese were

• Used to Jungle warfare (trained)

• Experienced

War machines the Japanese had then

The Brewstar Buffalo

The Japanese ‘zero’ fighter

Lanchester Armoured Car

Type 95 Ha-Go

The comparison of military superiority (Britain vs Japan)

Airforce

Japan

• 459 army planes

• 169 naval planes

Britain

• 167 Frontline aircraft

• 14 serviceable aircraft

Training & Experience of troops

Japan

• Combat experience in China (60,000 soldiers)

Britain

• Varying degrees of training and experience (86,000 to 130,000 soldiers)

Armoured vehicles

Japan

• 200 Tanks

Britain

• 23 tanks

• 30 Lanchester armoured cars

Navy

Japan

• 5 submarines

• 1 cruiser

• 5 destroyers

Britain

• 2 battleships

• 0 cruisers

• 4 destroyers