AESTHEHumanities! Weekly

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1 ISSUE 4: Term 1 Week 7, 15 February 2017 AESTHEHumanities! Weekly Exclusively brought to you by the AES Humanities Department I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people. ~ Maya Angelou~ ALL ABOUT THE BIG WORLD WE LIVE IN EXCLUSIVE NEWS TODAY Fall of Singapore Chronology of the Japanese invasion in 1942 February 8, 1942: The Japanese Army invasion of Singapore Island begins with the crossing at Lim Chu Kang. February 9, 1942: Tengah Airfield was in the hands of the invading Japanese Imperial Army. The Jurong-Kranji Line: A futile blockade called the Jurong Line stretching east of Tengah Airfield was formed to try and contain the Japanese forces within the western sector of Singapore. By evening time, the Jurong Line had collapsed completely due to miscommunication. The main Australian 22nd Brigade retreated, resulting in a domino effect leading other units to retreat as well. 10th Feb 1942: The capture of Bukit Panjang and the massacre at Bukit Batok. It was the first encounter with Japanese tanks in Singapore by the British.

2 By the early afternoon, Bukit Panjang Village had fallen to the Japanese. The Japanese Commander, Gen Yamashita, had ordered both his 5th and 18th Division to take Bukit Timah Village and Bukit Timah Hill by the 11th Feb. Thus, both units were in a frenzied rush to capture the strategic high point. By midnight of 10th Feb, Bukit Timah Village was ablaze and effectively conquered by the invasion force. 11th February 1942: The Fall of Bukit Timah Hill and the Tragedy at Sleepy Valley (West Bukit Timah, now Bukit Batok). By the time Gen. Yamashita s army crossed into Singapore, he was critically short of supplies, fuel, ammunition and even food for his troops. His strategy was thus to conduct a tropical blitzkrieg hit them fast hit them hard to capture Bukit Timah. To raise morale of his troops, he set Feb 11 as the day to capture Bukit Timah Hill. The significance of Feb 11 was that it was the Japanese Kigensetsu, the day they celebrate the ascension of the 1st Emperor and the founding of the Japanese Empire. By early morning of the 11th, the Japanese had secured Bukit Timah Hill. Meanwhile back at Bukit Batok, the senior commander of 15th Brigade, Brigadier Coates, who was to lead the retaking of the Jurong Line, knew that the Japanese had surrounded his position. Forming 3 columns consisting of 1500 men from the British, Indian and Australian units, they 2

3 proceeded from Bukit Batok to cross an area called Sleepy Valley. Unknown to them, the Japanese 18th Division was already waiting to spring their trap on the British soldiers. The firefight that took place at Sleepy Valley took the lives of 1100 allied soldiers out of the 1500 who entered that valley of death. Throughout the day, the British sent in reinforcements to try and re-take Bukit Timah. However, both Tomforce and Massey Force could do little to dislodge the Japanese. When Bukit Timah Hill fell, Gen Percival moved his HQ from Sime Road to Fort Canning. 3 12th Feb 1942: Yamashita s Ultimatum. Tomforce s attempt to retake Timah Bukit and Bukti Panjang ended in futility. Unknown to them, they were up against the battle hardened Japanese 56th and 114th Regiments of the 18th IJA Division, Yamashita s crack troops, who had fought all the way from China. Sporadic fighting occurred throughout the day along the line. Elated with the capture of Bukit Timah, Gen.Yamashita was still faced with logistical problems including a critical

4 shortage of ammunition. He knew he wouldn t be able to last out in a war of attrition and thus resorted to his plan to bluff the British into surrendering, by dropping ultimatum notes into the British lines. To the High Command of the British Army, Singapore I, the High Command of the Nippon Army have the honour of presenting this note to Your Excellency advising you to surrender the whole force in Malaya. My sincere respect is due to your army bravely defending Singapore which now stands isolated and unaided..futile resistance would only serve to inflict direct harm and injuries to thousands of non-combatants.give up this meaningless and desperate resistance If Your Excellency should neglect my advice, I shall be obliged, though reluctantly from humanitarian considerations to order my army to make annihilating attacks.. (signed) Tomoyuki Yamashita Getting no response to his ultimatum message, Yamashita sent his units on probing incursions along the line. These took place mainly at Sime Road and Pasir Panjang near Normanton. He had no intention to enter the city as he knew he did not have the resources to fight a street to street battle. 13th Feb 1942: The noose tightens around Singapore City. With the core of Singapore Island firmly in the hands of the Japanese Army, Gen.Yamashita moved his HQ from Tengah to the Ford Motors factory at Bukit Timah. This allowed Gen Percival to continue finalising his last line of defence. From Kallang Airfield to Paya Lebar, Paya Lebar to Braddell, Thomson Village to Adam Park, Adam Road to Farrer Road to Tanglin Halt, from Buona Vista across Pasir Panjang ending at Pasir Panjang Village. Gen.Yamashita had actually feared that Gen.Percival would dig in and fight to the last. In order to continue his feint, 4

5 despite running low on ammunition and men, he launched attacks to give the British the appearance of Japanese strength. Alexandra Barracks was the main British Army Ordnance Depot, where most of their equipment, stores and fuel storage, as well as the main Alexandra Military Hospital. The attack on Alexandra Barracks began from Pasir Panjang (Kent Ridge) after 2 hours of heavy shelling at noon. Fighting was vicious and often hand to hand. The Malay Regiments were slowly overpowered with the Japanese winning height after height. 14th February 1942: Prelude to Capitulation At daylight 8.30am at Pasir Panjang Ridge, the Japanese charged up for a final assault on Hill 226 and Opium Hill facing heavy resistance from the 1st Malay Regiment. Bitter hand to hand combat lasted till 1.00pm in the afternoon when the Japanese gained control of the hills and in the process annihilating the Malay Regiment. The Japanese advanced along Ayer Rajah in pursuit of Indian troops towards the British Military Hospital. It was then that the tragic incident occurred at the BMH with the senseless slaughter of wounded patients and medical staff. At British HQ in the BattleBox at Fort Canning, Gen.Percival conferred with his field commanders. Brigadier Simson advised that the water situation was extremely grave with the threat of epidemic. Gen Heath, commander of British Forces, and Gen Bennett, commander of Australian Forces, urged Gen Percival to surrender. Percival refused to yield, having direct orders from Churchill via Gen.Wavell, the Commander in Chief based at Java, not to surrender and to fight to the last man. 15th Feb 1942: Chinese New Year. 5

6 There was absolutely no joy in celebrating Chinese New Year in The country was in shambles. A Japanese flag could he seen flying from the top of the Cathay Building! Was this the end? Morning of 15th Feb saw the opposing forces holding most of their ground, with infiltration mainly by the Japanese within the eastern sector reaching Kallang Airfield. In the west, Japanese troops reached Mount Faber. Gen. Percival convened his most senior officers at the Battlebox at 9.30am for the latest status reports. At the junction of Farrer Road, they proceeded on foot with Union Flag and a white flag across the defence line for 600 yards where they were met by the Japanese soldiers. Gen.Percival was to personally surrender to Gen.Yamashita. To acknowledge this condition, the British were to fly a Japanese Flag from the top of the Cathay Building. At 5.15pm, the British surrender party drove up to the Bukit Timah Ford Motors factory. The delegation was made up of Lt-Gen AE Percival, Brigadier Newbigging, Brigadier Torrance, Gen Staff Officer Malaya Command, and Major Wild, the interpreter from III Corps. Though Gen.Percival tried to negotiate for some terms for his men, Gen Yamashita thought that he was playing for time and pressed Percival for an unconditional surrender, telling him that a major attack on the City was scheduled for 10.30pm that night and any delay, he might not be able to call off the operation in time. The time for the night attack is drawing near! Is the British Army going to surrender or not? Banging the table he shouted in English Answer YES or NO. 6

7 At 6.10 pm. Gen.Percival signed the surrender document, handing Singapore over to the Japanese Empire. That s why, on 15 Feb every year, we commemorate Total Defence Day. HUMANITIES PASSPORT: Sources: Question: What can you learn from the battles that lead up to the fall of Singapore in 1942? Second Article: html 7