[14][15] This was virtually simultaneous with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which precipitated the United States' entry into the war. In seeking help LEUT Bull and two others eventually made Java where they became POWs. Lionel Wigmore, the Australian official historian of the Malayan campaign, wrote, Only one of the Indian battalions was up to numerical strength, three (in the 44th Brigade) had recently arrived in a semi-trained condition, nine had been hastily reorganised with a large intake of raw recruits, and four were being re-formed but were far from being fit for action. [120] That day, military police executed Captain Patrick Heenan for espionage. [71] The initial fighting cost the Australians many casualties, the 2/20th, losing 334 men killed and 214 wounded. Another well-known escape was of 65 Australian nurses aboard HMS Vyner Brooke which sailed on 12 February. [173], Commando raids were carried out against Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour in Operation Jaywick (1943) and Operation Rimau (1944) to varying success. With copies of charts supplied by CMDR Robinson they picked their course past minefields but suddenly, late at night when navigating reefs, they went aground. Japanese land-based aircraft found and sank the two capital ships on 10 December,[24] leaving the east coast of the Malayan Peninsula exposed and allowing the Japanese to continue their amphibious landings. Stalag Luft I was a German World War II prisoner-of-war (POW) camp near Barth, Western Pomerania, Germany, for captured Allied airmen. Heenan was shot at Keppel Harbour, on the southern side of Singapore and his body was thrown into the sea. The British destroyed the causeway, forcing the Japanese into an improvised crossing of the Johore Strait. For the first time this momentous 20th century battle, and its equally dramatic aftermath, will be told from a multi . The surrender of Singapore was the largest single wartime tragedy that shook the morale of Australians. During the 70-day campaign in Malaya and Singapore, total Commonwealth casualties amounted to 8,708 killed or wounded and 130,000 captured (38,496 United Kingdom, 18,490 Australian of whom 1,789 were killed and 1,306 wounded, 67,340 Indian and 14,382 local volunteer troops), against 9,824 Japanese casualties. Under the command of Major General Gordon Bennett, the force initially established its headquarters at Kuala Lumpur. No hero's welcome greets them in Ceylon -- just some red tape. [d] The Japanese overran cities and advanced toward Singapore, which was an anchor for the operations of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM), the first Allied joint command of the Second World War. After sailing for one day she was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-4with no known survivors. He was indeed a hero. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly. While we do not have a crew and passenger list, LTCOL McKerron and LCDR Whitaker were both serving in Colombo in 1942 and it is assumed they arrived in Perak. [102] In the early hours of 11 February, the Japanese, who had concentrated significant forces around the Tengah airfield and on the Jurong Road, began further offensive operations: the 5th Division aimed its advance towards Bukit Panjang, while the 18th Division struck out towards Bukit Timah. [153][136] Yamashita, the Japanese commander, laid the blame on the British "underestimating Japanese military capabilities" and Percival's hesitancy in reinforcing the Australians on the western side of the island. The Armys strength was further limited by a lack of tanks, armoured cars and a shortage of anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. [11], Japanese oil reserves were rapidly depleting due to its military operations in China and by industrial consumption. The British troops left in the city of Singapore were basically garrison troops. As Kedahs engines could not be repaired she was towed by Dragonand both safely reached Colombo. Arrival was on Sunday 22 February; while this was only a week after leaving Singapore, it felt like a lifetime. [52], Most of Singapore's BL 15-inch Mk I naval guns could be traversed north and were used to engage the Japanese. : When ordered to leave Singapore she was heavily laden with 14 crew and 62 passengers. . From Michael Pether (Pether 2018) we also know the auxiliary HMS Scott Harleysafely made its destination of Tanjung Priok. Malaya and Singapore had an ample supply of defending forces, with a British Army supported by Australian and Indian troops, however, many of these had been hastily put together and quantity was not matched by quality. Wah Suiembarked a further 300 wounded, plus nurses, and sailed on 10 February. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. With that in mind, thoughts of evacuation were therefore unnecessary. The number of Japanese killed and wounded is disputed. Print This Page. [157] About 5,000 men were killed or wounded, a majority of whom were Australian. Japanese troops were closing in on the British island of Singapore and it was only a matter of hours, if not days, before the embattled island would be forced to surrender. They carried 2 x 4-inch guns, 1 x 3.7-inch gun and 8machine guns, with a crew of 75 officers and men. According to author Alan Warren, the Fall of Singapore shattered "the British Empire's illusion of permanence and strength", ultimately making "European empires in Asia unsustainable beyond the short term" and presaging the end of colonialism in the region in the post war period. HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites, Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications, Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT, 81st. [82] The Hurricanes shot down six Japanese aircraft and damaged 14 others for the loss of a Hurricane. [157] While impressed with Japan's quick succession of victories, Adolf Hitler reportedly had mixed views regarding Singapore's fall, seeing it as a setback for the "white race" but ultimately something that was in Germany's military interests. For the rest of December there were false alerts and several infrequent and sporadic hit-and-run attacks on outlying military installations such as the Naval Base but no raids on Singapore City. They fell upon X Battalion, which had camped in its assembly area while waiting to launch its counter-attack, and two-thirds of the battalion was killed or wounded. HMS Panjiwas also sunk by enemy gunfire at Singapore. Many of those aboard the ships perished. A younger and energetic Dalforce officer, Wyatt Smith, commandeered a small motor boat to ferry them to Kembong. McKerron, P.A.B., Escape from Singapore Dalforce, Journals 65-67 of the Overseas Services Pensioners Association (OSPA) April 1993 April 1994, London. With the ships engines irreparable and taking on water the Captain ordered abandon ship. Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. (Brooke 1989). It therefore took some while to get everyone onboard and after the final trip the motor boat sank. : Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Fairmile Motor Launches (MLs) were versatile small craft produced in their hundreds and served in most theatres during WWII. On 10 December both capital ships were lying on the sea bed off the east coast of Malaya with 840 dead and 2000 survivors seeking help from the beleaguered garrison. Search the history of over 778 billion Thailand resisted landings on its territory for about 5 to 8 hours; it then signed a ceasefire and a Treaty of Friendship with Japan, later declaring war on the UK and the US. The lower deck was taken up with refrigeration equipment and brine tanks. The British outnumbered the Japanese but much of the water for the island was drawn from reservoirs on the mainland. Commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. Be the first one to, Escape from Singapore, 1942; the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Langford, Geoffrey Alexander Rowley-Conwy, Baron, 1912-, urn:lcp:escapefromsingap0000skid:lcpdf:bf2d9dfa-0c20-45fe-97ed-d4c56878c7fe, urn:lcp:escapefromsingap0000skid:epub:a253b070-87ef-4c4e-a760-97c84d59027b, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The escape from Singapore is perhaps best summarised by Lieutenant General Percival who wrote (Brooke 1989): I regret to have to report that the flotilla of small ships and other light craft which left Singapore on the night of 13-14 February encountered a Japanese naval force in the approaches to the Banka Straits. Escape from Singapore, 1942: the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters. He felt it was a disgrace. Further fighting followed in the early morning of 9 February and the Australians were pushed back further, with the 2/18th being pushed out of Ama Keng and the 2/20th being forced to pull back to Bulim, west of Bukit Panjong. [66] The bombardment of the Australians was not seen as a prelude to attackMalaya Command believed that it would last several days and would later switch its focus to the north-east, despite its ferocity exceeding anything the Allies had experienced thus far in the campaign; no order was passed to the Commonwealth artillery units to bombard possible Japanese assembly areas. To compound matters, Percival had ordered the Australians to defend forward so as to cover the waterway, yet this meant they were immediately fully committed to any fighting, limiting their flexibility, whilst also reducing their defensive depth. Much less is known about the planned escape of thousands of servicemen, civilians and women and children over the last few days leading up to the surrender. When the first Japanese came ashore on Singapore Island on 8 February the thinly spread Australians defending the northwestcoast failed to halt the attack and the Argylls were send to help stem the tide in the brief Battle of Singapore. Singapore 1942: End of Empire: With Lisa Huynh, Andrew McFarlane, Shuang Hu, Tony Nixon. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. 4 Bill Reynolds, later working for American Intelligence, was landed behind enemy lines in Malaya in November 1943. This is without a doubt the most boring WWII book I've come across. Previous ed. The war establishment, the paper strength, of an infantry division from 1941 to 1944, was 17,298 men. Born into a lively Iraqi-Jewish family who rose from humble beginnings to create a thriving business, Rosie's days are filled with the love of her amusing and exasperating relatives and servants. Print This Page. A least one ship put up a gallant fight against overwhelming odds, she was the converted ferry cum armed patrol boat, HMS Li Wo, under command of Temporary Lieutenant Thomas Wilkinson RNR. To prevent the remaining ships falling into enemy hands the senior naval officer, Rear Admiral Ernest Spooner, decreed that these must sail by 13 February. She suffered air attacks with some damage but then sailed directly into a convoy of enemy transports escorted by warships. [39][f] Of this figure, 15,000 men were employed in supply, administrative, or other non-combatant roles. In the early hours of 1 March, while crossing the Indian Ocean, she was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-159. All these had considerable armed forces at their disposal, so a move by the Japanese to gain control of their oil, rubber and minerals was a dramatic undertaking without guarantee of success. [126], The following day, the remaining Commonwealth units fought on. [53][54][g] Percival incorrectly guessed that the Japanese would land forces on the north-east side of Singapore, ignoring advice that the north-west was a more likely direction of attack (where the Straits of Johor were the narrowest and a series of river mouths provided cover for the launching of water craft). [160], The loss of Singapore, along with other defeats in Southeast Asia in 1942, reduced British prestige in the region. The bombers struck the city centre as well as the Sembawang Naval Base and the northern airfields. He had been arrested on 10 December and court-martialled in January. More than 15,000 Australian soldiers were captured. Early on 8 December 1941, Singapore was bombed for the first time by long-range Japanese aircraft, such as the Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nell" and the Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty", based in Japanese-occupied Indochina. [67], Shortly before 20:30 on 8 February, the first wave of Japanese troops from the 5th Division and 18th Division began crossing the Johor Strait. [89] Bennett decided to form a secondary defensive line, known as the "Kranji-Jurong Switch Line" facing west between the two rivers, with its centre around Bulim, east of Tengah Airfieldwhich subsequently came under Japanese controland just north of Jurong. [115] Elsewhere, the 22nd Brigade continued to hold a position west of the Holland Road until late in the evening when it was pulled back to Holland Village. The infantry positions were reinforced by the recently arrived Australian 2/4th Machine-Gun Battalion. The presence of the prison camp is said to have shielded the town of Barth from Allied bombing. I could not help wondering why such an outflow of civilians, Europeans as well as Asians, should have been allowed at this late hour. [70], Fierce fighting raged throughout the evening but due to the terrain and the darkness, the Japanese were able to disperse into the undergrowth, surround and overwhelm pockets of Australian resistance or bypass them exploiting gaps in the thinly spread Commonwealth lines due to the many rivers and creeks in the area. The Japanese advance continued and the Allies began to run out of supplies. With a makeshift crew Li Wo cast off with 84 passengers and crew and made for the Banka Strait. , Publisher Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. An element of some 6000 men departed Sydney in the liner Queen Maryas part of Convoy US9 on 4 February 1941, arriving in Singapore two weeks later on 18 February. Russell-Roberts, Denis, Spotlight on Singapore, Times Press, Douglas, IOM, 1965. The papers included information about the weakness of the Singapore base. But help was at hand. Of the defensive forces only one British regiment and the Indians were prepared for operational service against a superior battle hardened force. He invited me to accompany him in his pram-dinghy, a flat-bottomed boat about 12 feet long, bermuda-rigged with bamboo mast and boom, and designed for racing in the sheltered waters of . A further requirement was that the Japanese Rising Sun Flag be hoisted over the Cathay Building, the tallest building in Singapore. Fighting courageously, they were amongst the last to pass from the mainland over the Causeway and retreat into garrison Singapore. There's nothing particularly thrilling or gripping in the whole book, and it's time poorly spent. For Australia too, the fall of Singapore was a disaster. Please try again. Possessing only the 2/26th and 2/30th, following the transfer of the 2/29th Battalion to the 22nd Brigade, Maxwell sought to reorganise his force to deal with the threat posed to the western flank. [88] Throughout the day, the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade, still holding its position on the coast, began to feel pressure on its exposed flank and after discussions between Percival and Bennett, it was decided that they would have to retire eastwards to maintain the southern part of the Commonwealth line. Major Geoffrey Rowly-Conwy of the Royal Artillery refuses to obey an order to surrender to the Japanese as they close in on Singapore. Brooke, Geoffrey, Singapores Dunkirk, Leo Cooper, London, 1989. One young Indian prisoner with a Bengaluru connection was. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Select a location to see product availability. After receiving news of the surrender, Bennett handed command of the 8th Australian Division to the divisional artillery commander, Brigadier Cecil Callaghan andalong with some of his staff officerscommandeered a small boat. [59] Also in support was a light tank brigade. After some boring to-ing and fro-ing, a small band of some twenty or so British officers are selected to escape to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) on a dubious native craft. Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters [Skidmore, Ian] on Amazon.com. Life on the Line Podcasts Fortunately a perceptive captain holds his fire, and permits them to board. Lieutenant Geoffrey Brooke served in the battleship Prince of Waleswhich sank on 10 December 1941. The escape was not well thought of by other senior Army officers, and in parliamentary circles it was politely termed unwise. Singapore was the foremost British military base and economic port in SouthEast Asia and had been of great importance to British interwar defence strategy. Padang was an important town serving the southwest coast of Sumatra, and the adjacent port was known as Emmahaven. It consisted of a senior staff officer, the colonial secretary and an interpreter. Government authorities had been tardy and inefficient in the evacuation of civilians until only a few days before and now, as the last vessels that could be remotely called ships prepared to leave, chaotic scenes were taking place at the Singapore wharves as dozens of European and Eurasian civilian men, together with hundreds of servicemen from the UK, Australia, India and New Zealand scrambled onto any vessel departing that would take them. Communication and leadership failures beset the Allies and there were few defensive positions or reserves near the beachhead. Available copies. [12], The Japanese 25th Army invaded Malaya from Indochina, moving into northern Malaya and Thailand by amphibious assault on 8 December 1941. [29] Of over 3,000 men from these units only around 500 men escaped. [128][i], On 14 February 1942, the Japanese renewed their assault on the western part of the Southern Area's defences near the area that the 1st Malayan Brigade had fought desperately to hold the previous day. Please try again. They get split up en route, but make it to Sumatra, where there are loads of other escapes and refugees. web pages They were whimsically known as the Plymouth Argylls (Plymouth Argyle is a football club). The General, accompanied by his ADC, Lieutenant Gordon Walker, and staff officer Major Charles Moses3plus some Malaysian officers arranged to hire a junk. Trouble signing in? This edition doesn't have a description yet. [99] On the evening of 10 February, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, cabled Wavell, I think you ought to realise the way we view the situation in Singapore. Reynolds had other ideas and as a skilled sailor and engineer he borrowed a vessel. Twenty-two others escaped the island after rebuilding a native vessel but were captured and returned to Singapore as POWs. Shortly afterwards Percival allocated the composite 6th/15th Indian Infantry Brigade to reinforce the Australians from their position around the Singapore racecourse. It was attacked by light naval craft and by aircraft. That afternoon the Admiral called a meeting in his office at Fort Canning and told us that the decision that Singapore could not hold out had been agreed and orders had been given for the remaining naval and Air Force personnel, as well as selected Army technicians, to leave that evening (Pool 1987). They get buzzed by a Zero that inexplicably doesn't fire, they get fired upon by a Zero who inexplicably doesn't finish them off, they meet a drunken Dutchman, they eat poorly (but not _that_ poorly), tempers fray, etc. The Japanese were at the limit of their supply line and their artillery units were also running out of ammunition. It was also the greatest defeat of Australian forces, but much closer to home in South East Asia, our near north. [58], As the landing craft closed on the Australian positions, machine gunners from the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, interspersed amongst the rifle companies, opened fire. About 40,000, mostly conscripted, Indian soldiers joined the Indian National Army and fought with the Japanese in the Burma campaign. influencers in the know since 1933. Naval Historical Review, Ship histories and stories, WWII operations, History - WW2 Singapore, Ship losses, Australian Naval History Podcasts When the Japanese stormed the island with an all-out. Retrieve credentials. Bennett, Lt General Henry, Gordon,Why Singapore Fell, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1944. As the wreck of Kung Wowas still afloat bombers returned and sank her. After seeking cover in mangrove river estuaries he worked with local Dutch officials in helping rescue many other evacuees from sunken ships who had become stranded on remote islands. [79] The lack of an effective air early warning system throughout the campaign meant that many Commonwealth aircraft were lost in this manner during Japanese attacks against airfields. The Buffaloes were operated by one Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and two Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons. HMSYin Ping was a WWI vintage coal burning unarmed tug requisitioned into the local naval forces under the command of an Australian planter, LEUT Patrick Wilkinson SSRNVR. [56] This was encouraged by the deliberate movement of Japanese troops in this sector to deceive the British. [44] The rest of the force was of mixed quality, condition, training, equipment and morale. A little after 7.30 pm Kembongs engines were coaxed into life and at 8 pm the anchor was raised. Another unfortunate consequence leading to confusion was that naval personnel responsible for coding and decoding signals were approved to leave the island aboard HMS Jupiterin the early hours of 12 February. Here she was acquired by the Australian Government, renamed Krait, and shipped back to Australia as deck cargo before taking part in her famous commando operations against Japanese shipping in Singapore (Silver 1990). The Jurong Line eventually collapsed after the 12th Indian Brigade was withdrawn by its commander, Brigadier Archie Paris, to the road junction near Bukit Panjang, after he lost contact with the 27th Brigade on his right; the commander of the 44th Indian Brigade, Ballantine, commanding the extreme left of the line, also misinterpreted the orders in the same manner that Taylor had and withdrew. 64 Sentai lost three Ki-43s and claimed five Hurricanes. Commandeering a small launch and a junk, he and some fellow British soldiers head for Dutch Sumatra, where -- in return for a commission to operate a Dutch craft -- they rescue survivors of Japanese bombings. [77] Operated by the four squadrons of No. They also bombed the other vessels which were set on fire and sank, suffering numerous casualties. ORIGINAL NOTEBOOK AND REPORT WRITTEN BY WO2 FISHER OUTLINING THE ESCAPE FROM SINGAPORE ON 15 FEB 1942 OF MEMBERS OF THE UNIT UNDER LT K R KING, THEIR PASSAGE TO SUMATRA, EVENTUAL DEPARTURE FOR CEYLON ABOARD THE S S DE-WIERT AND RETURN TO AUSTRALIA ABOARD THE "STIRLING CASTLE". [103] After brushing aside elements of the 6th/15th Indian Brigade, the Japanese again began attacking the 22nd Australian Brigade around the Reformatory Road. Or gripping in the battleship Prince of Waleswhich sank on 10 December and court-martialled in January, majority! Serving the southwest coast of Sumatra, and sailed on 12 February 1 March, while the! 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