The battle
of Singapore also known as the fall of Singapore was fought in South East Asia.
The battle in Singapore lasted from the 8th to the 15th
of February 1942 when the Japanese Empire invaded the British stronghold of
Singapore. Singapore was a considered to be vital part of the British Empire,
the British saw it as the “Gibraltar in the Far East”.
The Japanese attacked Singapore from both land and sea. Japanese soldiers advanced through the Malay jungle whilst Japanese aircraft bombed Singapore. The Japanese were allies with Vichy French who allowed them access to naval facilities and supplies in French Indochina. This is how they were able to amass their forces for invasion. Singapore expected that the Japanese would attack from the sea. The Japanese navy bombers began bombing Singapore at 4:00. Britain had promised to provide a naval fleet to help stop a Japanese invasion by sea. However when the threat became a reality Britain was already heavily committed to fighting in Europe. This meant that Britain did not have near enough ships to help defend Singapore. The air force was also under strength and could not meet the sheer numbers that the Japanese had. The Singapore allied forces made up of British, Indian and Australian troops could not repel the Japanese invasion.
The fall of Singapore ended on the 15th of February and resulted in the capture of Singapore by the Japanese and the largest surrender of British led military men in history. This defeat is considered one of the greatest defeats in the history of the British Army. The surrender of Singapore showed to the world that the Japanese army was a force to be reckoned with. The defeat also impacted Australian foreign policy with Australian Prime Minister John Curtin predicting “the battle for Australia “would soon follow. Australians believed that the lack of British support in Singapore led to the defeat. The Australian government decided to turn away from Britain and focus on strengthening an alliance with America. This alliance continues to this day.
Despite official evacuations beginning in January of 1942 and continuing right up until the official surrender many troops and civilians were left to face the bitterness of defeat. The troops that were left behind were taken as prisoners of war by the Japanese and sent to POW camps. Many thousands of European civilians were also interned in war camps and died or survived under horrendous conditions.
The Japanese attacked Singapore from both land and sea. Japanese soldiers advanced through the Malay jungle whilst Japanese aircraft bombed Singapore. The Japanese were allies with Vichy French who allowed them access to naval facilities and supplies in French Indochina. This is how they were able to amass their forces for invasion. Singapore expected that the Japanese would attack from the sea. The Japanese navy bombers began bombing Singapore at 4:00. Britain had promised to provide a naval fleet to help stop a Japanese invasion by sea. However when the threat became a reality Britain was already heavily committed to fighting in Europe. This meant that Britain did not have near enough ships to help defend Singapore. The air force was also under strength and could not meet the sheer numbers that the Japanese had. The Singapore allied forces made up of British, Indian and Australian troops could not repel the Japanese invasion.
The fall of Singapore ended on the 15th of February and resulted in the capture of Singapore by the Japanese and the largest surrender of British led military men in history. This defeat is considered one of the greatest defeats in the history of the British Army. The surrender of Singapore showed to the world that the Japanese army was a force to be reckoned with. The defeat also impacted Australian foreign policy with Australian Prime Minister John Curtin predicting “the battle for Australia “would soon follow. Australians believed that the lack of British support in Singapore led to the defeat. The Australian government decided to turn away from Britain and focus on strengthening an alliance with America. This alliance continues to this day.
Despite official evacuations beginning in January of 1942 and continuing right up until the official surrender many troops and civilians were left to face the bitterness of defeat. The troops that were left behind were taken as prisoners of war by the Japanese and sent to POW camps. Many thousands of European civilians were also interned in war camps and died or survived under horrendous conditions.