"It's easy to say that General Percival was responsible for the surrender of Malaya and Singapore. 29058". World War II - World War II - The fall of Singapore: Meanwhile, on February 8 and 9, three Japanese divisions had landed on Singapore Island; and on February 15 they forced the 90,000-strong British, Australian, and Indian garrison there, under Lieutenant General A.E. "As a young country, we are now getting to appreciate that history, and to have General Percival's son come here on the tour and say that he felt that this was an impartial history - it was really good hearing that from him.". Additionally, by 1940, WWII had already begun and Britain was engaged in a desperate struggle with the forces of Nazi Germany. Had these two places fallen, Japanese aircraft could have dominated the Coral Sea. Three Chinese armies were rushed to the Burmese frontier, since the Burma Road was the only land route whereby the western Allies could send supplies to the Nationalist Chinese government. In the Aleutians, the Japanese bombed Dutch Harbor effectively and on June 7 occupied Attu and Kiska. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Americans, however, had the incomparable advantage of knowing the intentions of the Japanese in advance, thanks to the U.S. intelligence services’ having broken the Japanese Navy’s code and deciphered key radio transmissions. The Japanese, meanwhile, were still fiercely shelling Singapore with their artillery pieces. When an event like this takes place, it's human nature that someone has got to be responsible for that. The Japanese carriers were still able to launch their aircraft against Midway early on June 4, but in the ensuing battle, waves of carrier- and Midway-based U.S. bombers sank all four of the Japanese heavy carriers and one heavy cruiser. Percival, enlisted in the army during World War 1, worked his way up the ranks to become an experienced soldier. Top image from Ng Eng Hen's Facebook page. The U.S. Pacific Fleet had only three heavy carriers, eight cruisers, 18 destroyers, and 19 submarines, though there were some 115 aircraft in support of it. It would also shape the principles influencing Singapore's defence position. Far more important were the consequences of the U.S. intelligence services’ detection of Japanese plans to seize Port Moresby and Tulagi (in the southern Solomons). The Allies’ desperate attempt to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet was defeated in the seven-hour Battle of the Java Sea on February 27, in which five Allied warships were lost and only one Japanese destroyer damaged. Unit Histories. Although Percival was in a tough situation, he did not know that Yamashita was almost as desperate as he was for the fighting to end.
On Feb. 15, 1942, Percival decided to surrender the "impregnable" island fortress of Singapore. If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates. Henceforth, the naval strengths of the Japanese and of the Allies were virtually equal. Millions of Indonesian parents abandoned a measles vaccine in 2018 when it was declared haram. Until we resolve the issues, subscribers need not log in to access ST Digital articles. PHOTO: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF SINGAPORE, "The portrayal of the campaign is infinitely better now than it was when I was here before. Australian soldiers had fought Yamashita's Imperial Guards to a standstill at Kranji, while Lieutenant Adnan Saidi and his Malay Regiment inflicted high casualties on Japanese forces at the Battle of Bukit Chandu.
Mr Ayadurai said: "When we took on the task of reorganising the Battlebox, the intent was to be as impartial as possible and let history do the talking, and ensure that Singaporeans get a truer appreciation regarding the incidents that led to the fall of Singapore. In the first eight weeks after Pearl Harbor, however, the major achievement of the Chinese was the definitive repulse, on January 15, 1942, of a long-sustained Japanese drive against Ch’ang-sha, on the Canton–Han-k’ou railway. The U.S. Pacific Fleet bombed the Marshall Islands on February 1, 1942, Wake Island on February 23, and Marcus Island (between Wake and Japan) on March 1. Both the soldier and the civilian population had their morale depleted.
The 75-minute tour, titled The Battlebox Tour: A Story Of Strategy And Surrender, details the primary reasons for Malaya and Singapore's fall to the Japanese, as well as the roles and functions the various key rooms in the Battlebox played in the war. Percival, to surrender. In the event, after U.S. aircraft on May 3, 1942, had interfered with the Japanese landing on Tulagi, U.S. naval units, with aircraft, challenged the Japanese ships on their circuitous detour from Rabaul to Port Moresby. When ABDACOM was dissolved on February 25, 1942, only Java remained to complete the Japanese program of conquest. By Jan. 31, 1942, Percival and all his troops had retreated to Singapore. By the end of 1942 all of Burma was in Japanese hands, China was effectively isolated (except by air), and India was exposed to the danger of a Japanese invasion through Burma. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Yamashita had ordered continued artillery bombardments to make the British believe that he had endless supplies of shells, when they were, in fact, close to running out. In June 1942, one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, U.S. naval airplanes stopped the advance of the Japanese Imperial Navy near Midway Island. The Japanese landed at three points on Java on February 28 and rapidly expanded their beachheads. From “The Second World War: Allied Victory” (1963), a documentary by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation. The Battle of Midway was probably the turning point of the war in the Pacific, for Japan lost its first-line carrier strength and most of its navy’s best trained pilots. Mr Percival, 81, was accompanied by his wife Ann, 75, as well as his daughter and son-in-law, on a personal visit to the historical site built in 1936 and located 9m under Fort Canning Hill. He said of his father, who died in 1966: "I've always been sad, throughout my life, that my father had to bear all the brunt of the surrender. Sulaiman Daud Chiang Kai-shek’s government on December 9, 1941, formally declared war not only against Japan (a formality long overdue) but also, with political rather than military intent, against Germany and Italy. 2 February 1915. pp. On January 3, 1942, Chiang was recognized as supreme Allied commander for the China theatre of war; and a U.S. general, Joseph W. Stilwell, was sent to him to be his chief of staff. Some British and Allied troops were under-trained and unfamiliar with fighting in a jungle environment. By then, Percival was running low on food, supplies, water and ammunition.
Percival, to surrender. The Fall of Singapore was the climax to the Malayan campaign in the Far-East which lasted from the 8th December 1941 – 31 January 1942. Get unlimited access to The Straits Times and more at S$ 0.99/month. Chinese line the streets of K'un-ming as the first supply convoy reaches the city over the Allied-controlled Burma-Ledo road during World War II.
Advertise with us It would be a race to see who ran out of essential supplies first.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 07, 2019, with the headline 'Percival back in S'pore, 77 years after surrender'.
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