Fall Of Singapore

[Dave]

Newly Arrived Indian Troops in Singapore

Singapore was Britain's largest military base in South East Asia. The Japanese had recently kicked the British out of Malaya, and taken 50,000 prisoners in the process. Then, on February 15th 1942, general Percival was forced to surrender Singapore, and a further 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops were made captive.

It was the largest British surrender in history.

Japanese Troops March In Singapore

[Jim]

I remember reading something about this debating Percival's early and easy surrender to the Japanese, the debate was about whether he should have taken more defensive actions and at least should have taken a fight to them!It end with a conclussion he did the right thing as he was under equipped to fight the local villages never mind the Japanese army.. Something along these lines anyway ..

Nice post Dave..

[Dave]

I know there was at least a hell of a fight before surrendering Malaya. But the Indian III Corps, Australians and British were eventually overwhelmed. Maybe they knew the same would happen in Singapore...

[10cents]

Hmmnnn, almost everybody in Asia were overwhelmed. But every day paid for in blood bought another day for the Allies to prepare for a counter offensive. Let's just say the Japs were right on schedule in Singapore.

[Spitfire XIV-E]

Percival was in a hopeless situation I feel. Had he not surrendered then the cost would've been much greater in lives lost. However you do have to consider that most of the prisoners taken were used as Slave Labour on the construction of the Burma - Thailand Railway where many did not survive the brutality of the Japanese during it's construction.

[liowkc]

The British were helpless in the face of Japanese assault. When they return to accept Japanese surrender in 1945, they knew that they were no longer Singapore's colonial masters; in short, the Brits have lost all their authority when they lost Singapore to the Japanese. The Singapore Chinese, having put up strong resistance suffered the most during the Japanese occupation. Who can forget the infamous sook-ching campaign against the Chinese?