As it starts, it's not really obvious whether it's a novel or narrative, since it's all told third person. Six of the United Kingdom battalions (in the 54th and 55th Brigades of the British 18th Infantry Division) had only just landed in Malaya, and the other seven battalions were under-manned. A yarn of adventure in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. 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. This left Rear Admiral Spooner with three river gunboats, Dragonfly, Grasshopper andScorpion, under the command of retired Commander J. Hoffman RN and a squadron of seven motor launches (MLs) under the command of Lieutenant Commander H.Campey, RANVR, plus sundry other small craft. 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. Since then further interesting information has come to light. 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. In December 1940, the Germans handed over copies of the papers to the Japanese. She sustained casualties, was soon on fire and had to be abandoned before she sank. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. The once proud naval base, HMS Sultan,was evacuated at the end of January and set on fire with personnel relocated to a hutted camp at Seletar. The artillery and air bombardment strengthened, severely disrupting communications between Commonwealth units and their commanders and affecting preparations for the defence of the island. [160], The loss of Singapore, along with other defeats in Southeast Asia in 1942, reduced British prestige in the region. He could only say "The bloody bastards will never think of looking for me in the open, and I want to see a bloody plane brought down". Attacks would be made against the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor as well as landings in the Philippines and attacks on Guam, Wake Island and the Gilbert Islands. [58][4][65] The British had the means to conduct counter-battery fire opposite the Australians that would have caused casualties and disruption among the Japanese assault troops. The Japanese were at the limit of their supply line and their artillery units were also running out of ammunition. Kung Wowas able to disembark personnel on Pompong Island and afterwards found their two companions Kualaand Tien Kuanganchored close inshore. An ambush was sprung by the 2/30th Australian Battalion on the main road at the Gemenceh River near Gemas on 14 January, causing many Japanese casualties. Here there was a small Dutch Customs Station who advised them to proceed about 12 hours up river to Pekanbaru where there was an RAF Base. Copyright 2023. [152] According to another source, Taylor cracked under the pressure. In early December 1941 Malayan Police rounded up about 1200 Japanese and impounded their fleet of fishing vessels. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. On 16 February a small Dutch steamer Tandjong Pinangarrived and embarked the women and children and those who were critically injured, but it was sunk about 12 hours later with only 15 persons reaching land. It was also the greatest defeat of Australian forces, but much closer to home in South East Asia, our near north. The documents were delivered to the German Embassy which provided copies to Japanese authorities. Taking effect from 8.30 pm, control of this mighty fortress and its garrison was handed over to the Imperial Japanese Army. No community reviews have been submitted for this work. As they had destroyed all code books the Rear Admiral Malaya was thereafter unable to read signals. [82] The Hurricanes shot down six Japanese aircraft and damaged 14 others for the loss of a Hurricane. He was attempting to escape with several others of the Platoon who had been trapped behind Japanese lines. In seeking help LEUT Bull and two others eventually made Java where they became POWs. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Uploaded by Although the 25th Army was outnumbered by Commonwealth forces in Malaya and Singapore, they did not take the initiative with their forces while Japanese commanders concentrated theirs. The book is insignificant, but unobjectionable, and, fortunately, free from gratuitous outbursts of patriotic zeal. The three set off in a motor car bearing a Union Jack and a white flag of truce toward the enemy lines to discuss a cessation of hostilities. On paper the escape plan seemed straightforward, a 20-mile passage over the Singapore Strait at night, and then laying up under cover of one of the numerous Netherlands East Indies islands, before island hopping to cover the next 60 miles and crossing the Banka Strait to the large island of Sumatra. Air cover was in a worse state with 158 obsolete aircraft, including four RAAF squadrons, two of Brewster Buffalo fighters and two of Lockheed Hudson bombers. [50][51] Although his military advisors judged that Istana Bukit Serene was an easy target, Yamashita was confident that the British Army would not attack the palace because it belonged to the Sultan of Johor. Military analysts later estimated that if the guns had been well supplied with HE shells the Japanese attackers would have suffered heavy casualties but the invasion could not have been prevented by this means alone. The Japanese let the other survivors go ashore and the wreck was used for occasional bombing practice. On passage she met the armed merchant cruiser HMS Kedahwhich had sailed two days previously laden with evacuees. on the Internet. The AIF was given a disproportionately small allocation of 100 places to all ranks. 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. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. 64 Sentai lost three Ki-43s and claimed five Hurricanes. The escape from Singapore Creator Gough, Richard, 1956-Subject Great Britain. Hitler reportedly forbade Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop from issuing a congratulatory communique. Commanders and senior officers should die with their troops. The Locust class river gunboats were relatively new steam turbine ships of 585 tons capable of 17 knots. With the aid of a Dutch pilot they then followed Kembong in convoy. Also on hand was the elite Indian manned Hong Kong and Singapore Regiment of Royal Artillery (HK&SRRA) and the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force. [52], Most of Singapore's BL 15-inch Mk I naval guns could be traversed north and were used to engage the Japanese. Roberts, Janet I., The Yachties Australian Volunteers in the Royal Navy 1940-45, Master of Arts Thesis University of Melbourne, October 2007. [135] Little work had been done to build air raid shelters, and looting and desertion by Commonwealth troops further added to the chaos in the area. 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. By this time, Kallang Airfield was, according to author Frank Owen, "so pitted with bomb craters that it was no longer usable". Bennett, Lt General Henry, Gordon,Why Singapore Fell, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1944. [155] At Gemas, Bakri and Jemaluang, "they achieved the few outstanding tactical successes" of the campaign in Malaya and although the Australians made up 13 per cent of the British Empire's ground forces, they suffered 73 per cent of its battle deaths. [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. Weintraub, Robert, No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog & Their Extraordinary Story of Courage & Survival in WWII, Little Brown & Company, Boston, 2016. Print length 198 pages Language English Publisher Scribner Publication date January 1, 1974 Colonels and brigadiers, civilians and civilservants,battle-hardenedwarriorsandarmy deserters intent on escape at any price, left in launches, junks, rowing boats, naval craft, in fact anything that floated. : Special Operations Executive--History World War, 1939-1945--Secret service--Singapore Singapore--History--Siege, 1942 Wars History Publisher Raffles, 2000 Digital Description application/pdf, 39236 KB, 264 p. : ill., maps, port. In January 1941 a large component of the Australian Armys recently raised 8th Division was posted to Malaya. 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. Within hours, with a small naval escort Perak was amongst the last Allied ships to sail from Batavia. Over the course of two hours, the three Australian battalions that had been engaged sought to regroup, moving back east from the coast towards the centre of the island, which was completed mainly in good order. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Crowds now formed at the embarkation areas, some with passes and others without. 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. [8][9] The basic plan for taking Singapore was worked out in July 1940. Army officials were instructed that passes should go to men of outstanding ability with the intention of integrating this nucleus with Javanese troops in Batavia. The "1942" appears to have been added to the title to avoid confusion with a book by the same name written by S.C. George in 1946. The "Southern Area", including the main urban areas in the south-east, was commanded by Major-General Frank Simmons. Singapore a bastion of the British Empire, an impregnable fortress, fortified to withstand attack and prevent siege. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Carew, Tim, The Fall of Hong Kong, Anthony Blond, London, 1960. The rest of the crew, with little seafaring experience, were from Dalforce. Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack, Sydney Harbour in War and Peace: Bradleys Head Tour, Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour, Night of the midget subs Sydney under attack, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 1, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 2, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 3. Like the Buffalos the Hurricanes began to suffer severe losses in dogfights. [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. Can you add one? There were 49 infantry battalions21 Indian, 13 British, six Australian, four Indian States Forces assigned to airfield defence, three Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, and two Malayan. Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack, Sydney Harbour in War and Peace: Bradleys Head Tour, Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour, Night of the midget subs Sydney under attack, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 1, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 2, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 3. 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. Alices nephew is CMDR Mike Storrs RAN Rtd. The next day, as the situation worsened for the Commonwealth, they sought to consolidate their defences; during the night of 12/13 February, the order was given for a 28mi (45km) perimeter to be established around Singapore City at the eastern end of the island. Financial constraints had hampered construction efforts during the intervening period and shifting strategic circumstances had largely undermined the key premises behind the strategy by the time war had broken out in the Pacific. The book starts by recounting the events leading up to the Japanese conquest of British Singapore. [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. As part of the Singapore strategy, the base formed a key part of British interwar defence planning for the region. There's nothing particularly thrilling or gripping in the whole book, and it's time poorly spent. Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters [Skidmore, Ian] on Amazon.com. [158] Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". War finally came with Japanese forces attacking the northern beaches of Malaya on 8 December 1941 because of the dateline, one hour ahead of Pearl Harbor.Within days their attacks had extended to the Philippines and Hong Kong and through a pincer movement, down both sides of the Malay Peninsula. Produced by the Naval Studies Group in conjunction with the Submarine Institute of Australia, the Australian Naval Institute, Naval Historical Society and the RAN Seapower Centre. published under title: Escape from the rising sun. [149] Many British units were reported to have been similarly affected. It was attacked by light naval craft and by aircraft. He felt it was a disgrace. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. [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. station45.cebu [38] Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, commander of the garrison, had 85,000 soldiersthe equivalent, on paper at least, of just over four divisions. The escape was not well thought of by other senior Army officers, and in parliamentary circles it was politely termed unwise. [10] On 11 November 1940, the German raider Atlantis captured the British steamer Automedon in the Indian Ocean, carrying papers meant for Air Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, the British commander in the Far East. In the early hours of 1 March, while crossing the Indian Ocean, she was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-159. The men were detailed to help the undermanned crew and the women assisted in the galley and saloon. Her captain is unknown and she sailed with 4 crew and 25 passengers. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! [41] The newly arrived 18th Infantry Division (Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith)[42][43]was at full strength but lacked experience and training. 1942 World War II battle; Japanese victory Fall of Singapore Part of the Pacific Warof the Second World War Lieutenant-GeneralArthur Percival(right), led by Ichiji Sugita, walks under a flag of truceto negotiate the capitulation of Commonwealth forces in Singapore, 15 February 1942. Since 2015, the timing for the sounding of the sirens has been shifted to 6.20 p.m., corresponding with the actual time of the surrender of Singapore in 1942. Britain responded, sending the battleship HMS Prince of Walesand the battlecruiser HMS Repulseplus four destroyers to intercept the invasion force. [143], Under the terms of the surrender, hostilities were to cease at 20:30 that evening, all military forces in Singapore were to surrender unconditionally, all Commonwealth forces would remain in position and disarm themselves within an hour, and the British were allowed to maintain a force of 1,000 armed men to prevent looting until relieved by the Japanese. [16], The 25th Army was resisted in northern Malaya by III Corps of the British Indian Army. Escape from Singapore, 1942: the story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters. [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. 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 . Denis Russell-Roberts (Russell-Roberts 1965), an Indian Army officer and later POW in Singapore, whose wife Ruth died on Banka Island, provides an analysis of 47 vessels that escaped from Singapore. With the Russians fighting as they are and the Americans so stubborn at Luzon, the whole reputation of our country and our race is involved. This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 01:56. The Commonwealth having thought the terrain made them impractical, had no tanks and only a few armoured vehicles, which put them at a severe disadvantage. The ship later sailed to Colombo and served as a hospital ship in Burma. [11], Japanese oil reserves were rapidly depleting due to its military operations in China and by industrial consumption. The situation had become so desperate that one British soldier took to the middle of a road to fire his Vickers machine gun at any aircraft that passed. When ordered to leave Singapore she was heavily laden with 14 crew and 62 passengers. The war establishment, the paper strength, of an infantry division from 1941 to 1944, was 17,298 men. My attack on Singapore was a bluffa bluff that worked. A month later they were washed ashore having returned to within a hundred miles of their departure point. The June 2019 edition of this magazine contained an article The Naval Evacuation of Singapore February 1942 which lists MV Kembong amongst forty-five vessels that escaped. While particulars of all vessels involved in the exodus are incomplete the following participated. Dutch officials were appalled at their unruly behavior and could not wait to be rid of their unwelcome guests. Of the Australian battalions, three had drawn heavily upon undertrained recruits, new to the theatre. There must at this stage be no thought of saving the troops or sparing the population. The number of Japanese killed and wounded is disputed. Dragonflyand Grasshoppersailed in company on 13 February with about 325 troops, bound for Sumatra. [129][117] At about 13:00, the Japanese broke through and advanced towards the Alexandra Barracks Hospital. 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. Fortunately a perceptive captain holds his fire, and permits them to board. Please try again. Planners determined a broad scheme of manoeuvres that incorporated simultaneous attacks on the territories of Britain, The Netherlands and the United States. 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. This perimeter would be used to block Allied attempts to regain the lost territory and defeat their will to fight. [156][148] Coates argues that the real reason for the fall of Singapore was the failure of the Singapore strategy, to which Australian policy-makers had contributed in their acquiescence and the lack of military resources allocated to the fighting in Malaya. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. 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. Michael Pether (Pether 2018) has identified another twenty or so small craft which attempted the treacherous crossing. These recordings can be accessed through Apple iTunes or for Android users, Stitcher. [126], The following day, the remaining Commonwealth units fought on. The next day the cruiser HMS Danae arrived from Batavia and took onboard about 80 officers and 500 men. Conventional British military thinking was that the Japanese forces were inferior and characterised that the Malayan jungles as "impassable"; the Japanese were repeatedly able to use it to their advantage to outflank hastily established defensive lines. No amount of toing and froing with the engines would shake her free and with a falling tide they were stuck fast. 4 Bill Reynolds, later working for American Intelligence, was landed behind enemy lines in Malaya in November 1943. The report also contained an order of battle for the defence of Singapore and the roles to be played by Australian and New Zealand forces should Japan enter the war. This boat was badly holed and with constant bailing could only accommodate four passengers at a time. 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. [173], Commando raids were carried out against Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour in Operation Jaywick (1943) and Operation Rimau (1944) to varying success. Others were wounded or were forced ashore and were subsequently captured. These Dalforce officers were keen to attempt an escape to Sumatra where they might reform. Available copies. Malaya Tribune: Colombo Man as Deputy Master Attendant, 24 November 1936. The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,[c] took place in the SouthEast Asian theatre of the Pacific War. Categories: Most were damaged and many sunk with large numbers of casualties. Kembong stopped and luckily remained undiscovered. [122][123], The Australians occupied a perimeter of their own to the north-west around Tanglin Barracks, in which they maintained an all round defence as a precaution. During this time a number of witnesses claim that Australian deserters were involved in widespread looting, while others were alleged to have pushed women off the gangways to get aboard the departing ships evacuating the civilians. Percival made plans of his own for the counter-attack, detailing a three-phased operation that involved the majority of the 22nd Brigade, and he subsequently passed this on to Bennett, who began implementing the plan, but forgot to call X Battalion back. They were supported by seven obsolete aircraft, one elderly destroyer, two gunboats and eight motor torpedo boats (MTBs). The surviving garrison was marched into Japanese prison camps, some never to return. A little after 7.30 pm Kembongs engines were coaxed into life and at 8 pm the anchor was raised. In the first encounter, the last ten Hurricanes were scrambled from Kallang Airfield to intercept a Japanese formation of about 84 aircraft, flying from Johor to provide air cover for their invasion force. [114] The withdrawing troops received harassing attacks all the way back. The Captain anchored near the mouth of the Siak River, a large estuary on the east coast of Sumatra, where she was sheltered from prying eyes. Padang was an important town serving the southwest coast of Sumatra, and the adjacent port was known as Emmahaven. With the prevailing primitive instincts of escape and survival there were few heroes, with the exceptions of LEUT Thomas Wilkinson VC of HMS Li Wofor fearlessly engaging the enemy, and the courageous Captain Bill Reynolds4with his ironically named Kofoku Maru. A British lieutenantacting as an envoy with a white flagapproached Japanese forces but was killed with a bayonet. The British destroyed the causeway, forcing the Japanese into an improvised crossing of the Johore Strait. For his leadership in the fighting withdrawal, Anderson was awarded the Victoria Cross. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. [124] For the most part, there was limited fighting around the perimeter, except around Pasir Panjang Ridge, 1mi (1.6km) from Singapore Harbour, where the 1st Malaya Brigadewhich consisted of a Malayan infantry battalion, two British infantry battalions and a force of Royal Engineersfought a stubborn defensive action during the Battle of Pasir Panjang. He was convicted and hanged in the Philippines on 23 February 1946.[176]. The first embarkation was to be made as soon after dark as possible in order to allow all craft to clear Singapore and its approaches before daylight the following morning. Silver, Lynette R., KRAIT The Fishing Boat that went to War, Cultured Lotus, Singapore, 2001. Of those forces that had seen action during the previous fighting, the majority were under-strength and under-equipped. NONFICTION. - News Of The World - February 10, 1942 - Gordon Skene Sound Collection - Ominous day, this February 10th in 1942. 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. Escape from Singapore, 1942;: The story of an incredible voyage through enemy waters Hardcover - January 1, 1974 by Ian Skidmore (Author) 1 rating See all formats and editions Hardcover $8.00 6 Used from $8.00 Survival at sea after the fall of Singapore. [92] During the initial assault, the Japanese suffered severe casualties from Australian mortars and machine-guns and from burning oil which had been sluiced into the water following the demolition of several oil tanks by the Australians. 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