Fall of Singapore

Introduction - British complacency

Singapore was Britain's foothold in South East Asia, a formidable trading post and fortress at the tip of the Malayan Peninsula. The total of British and Commonwealth forces stationed on the Malayan Peninsula and Singapore was over 130 000 troops. See image 1

The British assumed that this vast number of soldiers would hold off any invader, particularly the Japanese.

The British assured the world that if Japan attempted to invade Singapore, the campaign would require a siege of at least four months, enough time for even more British defence forces to rally. The governor of Singapore intended to 'shove the little men off', should the Japanese invade. See animation

In January 1942, the Japanese seized Malaya. By 15 February, the British surrendered Singapore after only a week of fighting. The defence of Singapore was mismanaged. A sense of complacency replaced the very real danger posed by invading Japanese troops.

As Singapore burned, war was brought to Australia's doorstep. The inadequate defence of Singapore proved to the Australian government that Britain no longer provided Australia with the defence she needed. Being a dominion of Britain did not automatically entail protection.

When Singapore fell, over 130 000 Allied troops were taken prisoner, including 15 000 Australians.

Japanese descent through Malaya

The Japanese entered World War II when she bombed the American fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December, 1941. The bombing was part of a strategic campaign to create the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere.

On 8 December 1942, Japanese forces landed at Kota Bharu on the border of Thailand and Malaya. In two columns, the Japanese advanced down the east and west coasts of Malaya, seizing British strongholds and taking prisoners as they marched.

In the first few weeks of the invasion, the Japanese 25th army marched more than 500 kilometres from the Thai border to Malacca and Johor on the southern and eastern coast of Malaya.

Despite the superior numbers of British and Indian troops, the Japanese brushed them aside, the Allied forces being poorly trained. Allied troops repeatedly fell behind Japanese lines, engulfed by the onslaught. Those who were not prepared for the Allied retreat were taken prisoner, or killed, by the Japanese.

The major obstacle in the Allied defence of Malaya was the lack of local air superiority. From the first day of invasion, the Japanese had complete control of the air. There were only 161 aircraft available to the British and these were stationed in Singapore. Only one-third of the planes were in operational use - too few to provide adequate protection.

There was also a division among the Allied commanders. The Commander of the Australian 8th Division, Gordon Bennett, refused to co-operate with the British commander General A. E. Percival.

By 31 January 1942, the causeway linking Singapore to mainland Malaya at Johor was blown up, severing Singapore's link with Malaya.

The invasion of Singapore

General Percival could call up 266 field guns and over 80 000 troops, including 17 Indian, 14 British, seven Australian, two Malay, and two volunteer battalions. In contrast, the Japanese commander Yamashita had only three divisions.

The naval guns defending the harbour were facing the ocean, anticipating that any invasion of Singapore would come from the sea. The guns were capable of being turned 360 degrees but had a flat trajectory - that is, the guns could not be pointed upwards to fire over the large defensive wall behind them. The Japanese rendered these weapons useless by invading Singapore not from the sea but from the land.

The Japanese crossed the strait and invaded Singapore on the evening of 8 February 1942.

Surprisingly, there was little alarm in Singapore on the night of invasion. There were 8000 ex-patriots (Europeans working and living in Singapore), and over 600 000 Malays and Chinese living in Singapore.

The British stuck to their regular evening routine. They dressed in formal attire, sipped cocktails, ate sumptuous dinners, danced at the popular Raffles bar, and carried on as though war had never been declared. Some soldiers placed on air raid duty excused themselves to go to play tennis.

The British exercised censorship over the media in Singapore - few people had a clear understanding of what had happened in Malaya only days and weeks before.

British Command continued to put their faith in the massive fortifications and superior numbers of troops.

Within two days, the Japanese had seized one-third of Singapore. Bombing raids were frequent, the city was covered with smoke and dust.

Panic began to show itself among the civilian population. Hundreds of civilians and soldiers flocked to the waterfront and attempted to force their way on board ships docked in the harbour. Looting, drunkenness and chaos befell the population, which included Europeans and some Australians.

A few Europeans did board ships leaving Singapore harbour. The SS Vyner Brooke carried many women, children, and Australian nurses. It was pursued by Japanese ships. In the killings that followed, only one woman survived and was taken to a Japanese prison camp.

The Japanese attacked the cities in an air raid, igniting large fires and causing the destruction of the fresh water supply.

Facing an increasingly dire situation, General Percival decided to surrender Singapore to the invading Japanese forces on 15 February, 1942. The British fortress, which was thought impenetrable, had fallen in less than a week. See image 2

The surrender of Singapore

General Yamashita demanded the surrender of Singapore on 11 February, 1942. He needed a hasty ceasefire as his supply lines were increasingly strained, his troops were fatigued, and he was running low on ammunition.

General Percival was a humane man. He had genuine concerns for the wellbeing of the civilian population, both European and Asian.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill had ordered a 'last man, last round' defence 'around the ruins of Singapore City'. Percival, however, could not order the soldiers to fight an impossible battle. He did not obey Churchill's suicidal order.

At noon on 15 February, Percival surrendered Singapore to Yamashita. 130 000 British and Allied troops were taken prisoner, this included 15 395 Australian soldiers. The Japanese had over 10 000 casualties.

8000 Allied troops were killed in the defence of Malaya and Singapore. 1789 Australians were killed, 1306 were wounded.

Shock of the fall of Singapore, the cornerstone of imperial defence in the Far East for nearly 20 years, was immense. Singapore was a symbol of British imperialism. It was the final place to mount a defence of Australia. See image 3

Australian Prime Minister John Curtin explained to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill that should the British evacuate Singapore, Australia would regard the act as an inexcusable betrayal.

When the Japanese occupied Malaya and Singapore, Curtin began to appeal to the Americans for assistance in the defence of Australia. The surrender was a tragic blow - a final demonstration than Australia could no longer rely on British protection:

'They grouped together about the chief,
And each one looked at his mate
Ashamed to think that Australian men
Should meet such a bitter fate!
And black was the wrath in each hot heart
And savage oaths they swore
As they thought of how they had all been ditched
By "Impregnable' Singapore".