On the 31st December 1941 , Percival assumed command of the 95,000 troops on Singapore Island, these consisted of thirteen British battalions, six Australian, seventeen Indian and two Malay, giving him nearly a total strength of a total three divisions. With another three machine guns battalions , it looked impressive but in reality , most of the troops were freshly ready for combat and the troops that retreated from Malaya had been badly cut up by the Japanese.
Sources -->Wikipedia
Monday, 18 February 2013
Battle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in South-East Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East". The fighting in Singapore lasted from 8–15 February 1942.
It resulted in the fall of Singapore to the Japanese and the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.[2] About 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the Malayan Campaign. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the ignominious fall of Singapore to the Japanese the "worst disaster" and "largest capitulation" in British history.[3] In just seven days, Singapore, the "Impregnable Fortress", had fallen.
Sources --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
It resulted in the fall of Singapore to the Japanese and the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.[2] About 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the Malayan Campaign. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the ignominious fall of Singapore to the Japanese the "worst disaster" and "largest capitulation" in British history.[3] In just seven days, Singapore, the "Impregnable Fortress", had fallen.
Sources --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
How did the Japanese treated us?
When the Japanese ruled us,they set rules and the person who disobey the rules would be punished cruely.The Japanese perceived the Chinese as a threat to their rule. This is because the chinese had tried to face with the China but the resistance was too strong to outbreak.They treated us unfairly because in the Sook Ching operation, they picked all the innocent chinese mans and some which who had a family to undergo the unreasonable operation. They also went around the neighbourhoods and when they didn't get what they demanded , the innocent people will either be stabbed or shot with a gun .
Sources: Textbook(Singapore from settlement to nation. Marshall Cavendish.)
How and When the British Surrendered
On 5 February 1942,which was the Chinese New Year,the British had a final conference at the fort canning bunkers.Lieutenant-General PErcival wanted to discuss ways to counter-attack but his commanders were against the idea. they felt that there were too many problems and the soldiers were tired.More men would be killed if they were to engaged the Japanese in street fightrting.Furthermore,their supplies of food and water were running out. To prevent further bloodshed,the British opted for surrender.On 15 February 1942 Japanese Lietenant-Colonel Sugita led Percival and his delegation to the Ford Motor Factory to negotiate the surrender terms.
Sources: Textbook(Singapore from settlement to nation.Marshall Cavendish)
Operation Clean Up (Sook Ching Operation/Massacre)
These are the list of people that are considered as "undesirables":
- Activists in the China Relief Fund
- Wealthy men who had contributed generously to the China Relief Fund
- Adherents of Tan Kah Kee, leader of the Nanyang National Salvation Movement
- Hainan people, perceived to be communists
- China-born Chinese who came to Malaya after the Second Sino-Japanese War
- Men with tattoos, perceived to be triad members
- Chinese who joined the Singapore Overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army
- Civil servants and those who were likely to sympathise with the British, such as the Justices of the Peace, and members of the Legislative Council
- People who possessed weapons and were likely to disrupt public security
There are a few sites where the operation took place, the more easier to recall is Changi Beach, Punggol Beach, and Sentosa. During the op. , the massacre then spread to Malaya. The total number of deaths was about an estimate of 40000-50000 people killed in Singapore
After the end of WWII, the operation has ceased, and the British authorities in Singapore held a War Crime trial to the 7 Japanese officers who are involved in Operation Clean Up. Two of them was sentenced capital punishment, while the other five are sentenced to life imprisonment. Takuma Nishinuma was later executed following convicting for his role in the Parit Sulong massacre by an Australian military court. The court accepted the defense statement of "just following orders" by those put on trial.
Sources --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sook_Ching_massacre
Date accessed: 11th February 2013
More Information about World War II
World War II (WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war that was underway by 1939 and ended in 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million people serving in military units. In a state of "total war", the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant events involving the mass death of civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it resulted in 50 million to over 73 million fatalities. These deaths make World War II by far the deadliest conflict in all of human history.[1]
The Empire of Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and was already at war with the Republic of China in 1937,[2] but the world war is generally said to have begun on 1 September 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Germany and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and Britain. From late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany formed the Axis alliance with Italy, conquering or subduing much of continental Europe. Following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories between themselves of their European neighbours, including Poland. The United Kingdom and the other members of the British Commonwealth were the only major Allied forces continuing the fight against the Axis, with battles taking place in North Africa as well as the long-running Battle of the Atlantic. In June 1941, the European Axis launched an invasion of the Soviet Union, giving a start to the largest land theatre of war in history, which tied down the major part of the Axis' military forces for the rest of the war. In December 1941, Japan joined the Axis, attacked the United States and European territories in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific.
The Axis advance was stopped in 1942, after Japan lost a series of naval battles and European Axis troops were defeated in North Africa and, decisively, at Stalingrad. In 1943, with a series of German defeats in Eastern Europe, the Allied invasion of Italy, and American victories in the Pacific, the Axis lost the initiative and undertook strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the United States defeated the Japanese Navy and captured key Western Pacific islands.
The war in Europe ended with the capture of Berlin by Soviet and Polish troops and the subsequent German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. Following the Potsdam Declaration by the Allies on 26 July 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima on 6 August, and Nagasaki on 9 August. With an invasion of the Japanese archipelago imminent, and the Soviet Union having declared war on Japan by invading Manchuria, Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, ending the war in Asia and cementing the total victory of the Allies over the Axis.
World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world. The United Nations (UN) was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The great powers that were the victors of the war—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, and France—became the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.[3] The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers started to decline, while the decolonisation of Asia and Africa began. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to stabilise postwar relations.
Sources --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II
The Empire of Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and was already at war with the Republic of China in 1937,[2] but the world war is generally said to have begun on 1 September 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Germany and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and Britain. From late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany formed the Axis alliance with Italy, conquering or subduing much of continental Europe. Following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories between themselves of their European neighbours, including Poland. The United Kingdom and the other members of the British Commonwealth were the only major Allied forces continuing the fight against the Axis, with battles taking place in North Africa as well as the long-running Battle of the Atlantic. In June 1941, the European Axis launched an invasion of the Soviet Union, giving a start to the largest land theatre of war in history, which tied down the major part of the Axis' military forces for the rest of the war. In December 1941, Japan joined the Axis, attacked the United States and European territories in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific.
The Axis advance was stopped in 1942, after Japan lost a series of naval battles and European Axis troops were defeated in North Africa and, decisively, at Stalingrad. In 1943, with a series of German defeats in Eastern Europe, the Allied invasion of Italy, and American victories in the Pacific, the Axis lost the initiative and undertook strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the United States defeated the Japanese Navy and captured key Western Pacific islands.
The war in Europe ended with the capture of Berlin by Soviet and Polish troops and the subsequent German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. Following the Potsdam Declaration by the Allies on 26 July 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima on 6 August, and Nagasaki on 9 August. With an invasion of the Japanese archipelago imminent, and the Soviet Union having declared war on Japan by invading Manchuria, Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945, ending the war in Asia and cementing the total victory of the Allies over the Axis.
World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world. The United Nations (UN) was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts. The great powers that were the victors of the war—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, and France—became the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.[3] The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers started to decline, while the decolonisation of Asia and Africa began. Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to stabilise postwar relations.
Sources --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II
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