The Fall Of Malaya And Singapore (Images Of War - Rare Photographs From Wartime Archives)

The British High Command and its Government from the Prime Minister down believed Singapore Island to be impregnable and Malaya impossible to invade or use armour in.They were wrong on all counts.This latest title from Pen & Sword Books is written by the Military Historian Jon Diamond as a direct sequel to his earlier work on the occupation of Burma by Japan. In this new work he examines and graphically illustrates the loss of Malaya and Singapore due chiefly to a deadly mix of British Incompetence at the highest of levels, and the most deadly of all military afflictions - Hubris. In the process he shows how the mainly British, Scottish, Australian, Aotearoa, Indian, Netherlands and Canadian forces did their level best to hold out against insurmountable odds in the air and on the ground; while recording starkly the clear failures of the British High Command and their Government in London to adequately understand or appreciate the onerous task expected of them. He also details the growing antipathy and mistrust in the Australian and Aotearoa Governments that ultimately found its expression in the now infamous arguments over Troopship destinations. The Australian Government and its High Command wanted its forces returning from North Africa to return to Australia, The English Prime Minister wanted them in Singapore which was just about to surrender. It all came to a head in 1942 when the Australian Prime Minister contacted the Australian Naval Escort Commander and ordered him to ignore all orders to the contrary, and to bring the Australian Division back home. Churchill was predictably furious and ordered the convoy to change course. It didn't, and not long afterwards the Australian Prime Minister made his now famous speech in which he said his country would now look look toward America for assistance. As well as these kinds of issues, the Author also covers Japanese War Crimes during the invasion and their resulting Trials after the war. “This photo essay produces a very effective picture of the defeat of British forces in Malaya and Singapore by the Japanese . . . Highly recommended.”—Firetrench In just 10 weeks from 8 December 1941 to mid-February 1942, British and Imperial forces were utterly defeated by the numerically inferior Japanese under General Yamashita. British units fought hard on the Malayan mainland, but the Japanese showed greater mobility, cunning and tactical superiority. Morale was badly affected by the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse to Japanese aircraft on 19 December as they sought out enemy shipping. Panic set in as military and civilians withdrew south to Singapore. Thought to be an impregnable fortress, its defenses against land attacks were shockingly deficient. General Percival’s leadership was at best uninspired and at worst incompetent. Once the Allied troops withdrew to Singapore it was only a matter of time before surrender became inevitable. To make matters worse reinforcements arrived but only in time to be made POWs. The whole catastrophe is brilliantly described in this highly illustrated book. “The powerful story of a tragedy illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs, this is a highly enlightening text on the Forgotten War.”—The Bulletin of The Military Historical Society “Contains an interesting set of well captioned archive photos showing a period that was among the darkest days for the British Commonwealth during WW2.”—Military Modelling In just 10 weeks from 8 December 1941 to mid February 1942, British and Imperial forces were utterly defeated by the numerically inferior Japanese under General Yamashita.British units fought hard on the Malayan mainland but the Japanese showed greater mobility, cunning and tactical superiority. Morale was badly affected by the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse to Japanese aircraft on 19 December as they sought out enemy shipping. Panic set in as military and civilians withdrew south to Singapore. Thought to be an impregnable fortress, its defences against land attacks were shockingly deficient. General Percival's leadership was at best uninspired and at worst incompetent.Once the Allied troops withdrew to Singapore it was only a matter of time before surrender became inevitable. To make matters worse reinforcements arrived but only in time to be made POWs.The whole catastrophe is brilliantly described in this highly illustrated book. [Elib] In just 10 weeks from 8 December 1941 to mid February 1942, British and Imperial forces were utterly defeated by the numerically inferior Japanese under General Yamashita. British units fought hard on the Malayan mainland but the Japanese showed greater mobility, cunning and tactical superiority. Morale was badly affected by the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse to Japanese aircraft on 19 December as they sought out enemy shipping. Panic set in as military and civilians withdrew south to Singapore. Thought to be an impregnable fortress, its defences against land attacks were shockingly deficient. General Percival's leadership was at best uninspired and at worst incompetent. Once the Allied troops withdrew to Singapore it was only a matter of time before surrender became inevitable. To make matters worse reinforcements arrived but only in time to be made POWs. The whole catastrophe is described in this highly illustrated book