Unit 5: Did Singapore have to fall to the Japanese in world war II?
Was Singapore An Impregnable Fortress?
By late 1930s, many people had thought of SG as an impregnable fortress
British Defence Plans:
The Rising Threat of Japan
In 1920s, British realised Japan was a possible threat
Japan had ambitions to create its own empire in asia
Affects British’s empire in East Asia
Japan would target Singapore and Malaya due to
the rich natural resources of SEA
control over Straits of Melaka
Malaya’s tin and rubber
Singapore’s port and location
The “Singapore Strategy”
British had been exhausted by World War I
British Public were unwilling to keep up military spending
British power declined, no longer able to maintain large permanent army to protect colonies in Asia
British constructed large naval base at Singapore for its location
In the event of a war, British would send a fleet of warships to asia
Singapore would have to depend on local strategies while the fleet was on its way
By 1941, naval base was complete
military airfields were constructed at tengah, sembawang and seletar
gun positions were set up to defend Singapore against attacks from the sea
East and South coasts were well fortified, yet the north coast lacked defences
The singapore strategy was unrealistic because:
Assumed that situation in Europe would remain peaceful so that a powerful fleet of warships could be sent to Singapore
Rise of Germany, outbreak of WWII, needed all defences in Britain
Assumed Japanese would attack from the South coast
Japan attacked from the North
The Defence of Malaya
For ‘Singapore Strategy’ to work, SG had to be well defended until British war fleet arrived
British realised defence of Singapore was linked to defence of Malaya
Malaya became an issue of importance to British military planners
At first, British assumed that Singapore would not be attacked by the North due to the monsoon season and thick jungles in Malaya
The naval base, its defences, and the natural protection of the Malayan jungles led the British to believe that Singapore was as strong as a fortress
By 1930s, British Military commanders had realised that their assumptions were untrue
The improvement of equipment could allow japanese troops to land despite the monsoon rains and winds
the construction and improvement of roads and railways could allow japanese army to move through Malaya without going through the Jungle
The british drew up plans to prevent enemies from landing in northern Malaya
Military airfields were built in many parts of Malaya to provide bases for aircraft to defend it from hostile landings
The british hoped to deter potential enemies from invading their colonies
British Forces