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Southeast Asian Countries and the Imperial Takeover (Part I)

3/11/2019

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by Nickii Wantakan Arcado
During World War II, various Southeast Asian countries were engulfed by the Imperial Japanese Military as part of their vision to create a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. This is Part I of a IV part series. Outlined below is a brief history of major events during the Singapore Campaign including the beginning of Japanese colonialism and the eventual conclusion of the war:
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Operation Singapore : 昭南島
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The successful occupation of Singapore by the Imperial Japanese army was a direct result of the fall of the British colony in Singapore on February 15, 1942. The Battle of Singapore (Feb 7, 1942 – Feb 15, 1942) as it was called, was fought between 85,000 British army men lead by Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, while Japan’s 36,000 men were headed by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita. The disadvantage was clear: compared to Tomoyuki’s men who fought in the Manchuria campaign, most of Percival’s men have never experienced combat. 
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On December 8, 1941, the Imperial Japanese 25th Army first began invading British Malaya (now Malaysia) from both Indochina and Thailand. Despite British forces clearly outnumbering the Japanese regiment, with military maneuvers such as flanking and Japan’s air superiority, the Japanese military was able to drive back British forces and sink their two main battleships, HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales. From there, the army moved through the peninsula using light tanks and bicycles. Japanese speed as well as their surprise tactics that prevented their enemies to re-group proved to be virtually unstoppable. By January 31st, the British army retreated to the island of Singapore.
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Beginning February 3, Japan unleashed attacks against garrisons on the island and by February 8, they landed on the northwest coast of Singapore near the Strait of Johore. While the areas were occupied by the Australian 22nd Infantry Brigade, the Japanese navigated at night around unoccupied areas of the coast. Within 24 hours, a second Japanese landing between the Causeway and Kranji River occurred, and the military was met with the Australian 27th Infantry Brigade. By January 10, Japanese forces completely occupied the northwest coast and forced the Australian troops to fall back and retreat.

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To counter the Japanese, Australian Commander General H Gordon Bennett chose to form a defensive line east of the Tengah airfield at Belem. On the north side of the island, Brigadier Duncan Maxwell's 27th Australian Brigade launched attacks against the Japanese army on the west side of the causeway. They managed to halt the Japanese progression momentarily, but when Maxwell was unable to communicate with the 22nd Australian Brigade on his left he was left with no choice but to fall back on their defensive position. This withdrawal allowed the Imperial Japanese army to land armed units on the island and outflank Bennett’s defensive Jurong Line. They then continued pushing their troops towards their city.
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Commander Bennet (left) and Duncan Maxwell (right)
“(i) Not only must the defence of Singapore Island be maintained by every means, but the whole island must be fought for until every single unit and every single strong point has been separately destroyed. (j) Finally, the city of Singapore must be converted into a citadel and defended to the death. No surrender can be contemplated, and the Commander, Staffs and principal officers are expected to perish at their posts.”
- Prime Minister Winston Churchill to General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India regarding Singapore
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The city center was in complete chaos. Allied anti-aircraft guns were almost out of ammunition, failing to disrupt Japanese air attacks and petrol to power military vehicles was exhausted. The water supply was also severely damaged. Officially at 9:30 February 15, Percival offered up the island’s surrender. Over 100,000 men were taken as POWs, with another 50,000 Chinese Singaporeans casualties. Many POWs were shipped to work on the Thai-Burma railroad. Despite the threat of death and retribution from the Japanese, many Chinese Singaporeans continued to assist Allied POWs during their imprisonment. Initially praising the island as an impregnable fortress, the British’s eventual surrender of Singapore is arguably one of the country’s worst defeats during World War II. With this new land acquisition, Japan included the country in their Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and renamed it Sonan-to, meaning ‘Light of the South Island’.​
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Following the surrender, Commander Bennett, escaped with his staff officers, commandeering a small boat. Bennett eventually made it back to Australia under intense scrutiny and controversy as officials and civilians alike claimed he was free while his men suffered in POW camps. A Royal Commission was issued to Bennet, finding that he was unjustified in his command and abandonment of his men. After the events of the Battle of Singapore, Bennett’s military career plunged and he never commanded troops in battle again. 

Following the Japanese surrender back on September 2, 1945, on September 12, the country returned to British colonial rule after Japanese General Seishirō Itagaki surrendered to Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command Lord Mountbatten, officially ending World War II in Singapore.
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Get our publication to learn more about the occupation of Singapore! 

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References:
Hays, Jeffrey. “JAPANESE INVASION OF SOUTHEAST ASIA IN WORLD WAR II.” Facts and Details, http://factsanddetails.com/asian/ca67/sub427/item2534.html
Blackburn, Kevin, and Karl Hack. Did Singapore have to fall?: Churchill and the impregnable fortress. Routledge, 2003.
Thompson, Peter. The battle for Singapore: The true story of the greatest catastrophe of World War II. Hachette UK, 2010.
Hickman, Kennedy. “World War II: Battle of Singapore.” Thoughtco., Dotdash, 11 Sept. 2017, www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-battle-of-singapore-2361472.
Trueman. “The Fall of Singapore.” History Learning Site, History Learning Site, 19 May 2015, www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/the-pacific-war-1941-to-1945/the-fall-of-singapore/.
“The Anzac Portal.” What Happened Here? | The Anzac Portal, http://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/history/conflicts/australia-and-second-world-war/events/japanese-advance-december-1941march-1942-3
Winston Churchill, The Hinge of Fate (London: Cassell and Co., Ltd., 1951), p. 42.
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  • Home
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      • The Undrowning Lotus: A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story of a Sexual Slavery Survivor
      • Taiwan- The Israel of the East: How China, Japan, and the United States Influenced the Forming of a New Nation
      • Three Years Eight Months
      • Philippines' Resistance
      • Siamese Sovereignty: Thailand's Strategy of Political Duality During World War II
      • Cannibalism Culture: The Bushido Horror of World War II
      • Fall of Singapore
      • Rising Sun
    • Audiobooks >
      • Unit 731
      • Cannibalism Culture: The Bushido Horror of World War II
      • Fall of Singapore
      • Rising Sun: The Innocent Fascist Symbol
      • Philippines' Resistance
      • Pinay Guerrilleras
  • Resource Page
    • Unit 731 - Supplementary Resource Guide >
      • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
      • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
      • Map of Unit 731
      • Personnel of Unit 731
      • Duties of Unit 731
      • Human Experimentation
      • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
      • Cover Ups After the War
      • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
    • Philippines' Resistance - Supplementary Resource Guide >
      • Philippines World War II Timeline
      • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
      • Bataan Death March
      • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
      • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Marking's Guerrillas
      • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
      • The Aetas
      • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
      • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
    • Rising Sun Flag - Supplementary Resource Guide >
      • History of the Rising Sun Flag
      • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
      • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
    • Pinay Guerrilleras - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
      • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
      • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
      • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
      • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
    • Fall of Singapore - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • Singapore World War II Timeline
      • History of World War II in the Pacific
      • History of Singapore
      • Japan's Conquest in Asia
      • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
      • Sook Ching Massacre
      • Double Tenth Incident
      • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
      • Voices from Syonan
      • Return to British Rule
    • Three Years and Eight Months - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • Hong Kong before WW2
      • Buildup to World War 2
      • The Battle of Hong Kong
      • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
      • Prisoners of War Camps
      • End of Japanese Occupation
      • War Crimes Trials
    • Siamese Sovereignty - Supplementary Resources Guide >
      • The Land of Smiles
      • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
      • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
      • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
      • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
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