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1941
Lt Col Orde Wingate, after a successful campaign in Ethiopia, in July 1941, was transferred to Malaya under the command of Lt General Arthur Perceval. General Perceval was charged with the defence of British interests in the Far East, including Singapore, the “Gibraltar” of the Far East. Wingate is promoted to Colonel and made a member of Perceval’s Staff to assist in the preparation of the British Far East against the impending Japanese attack.
When Wingate reported to Perceval upon his arrival, the two managed to strike an unlikely friendship and the two discussed the defence of the Far East. Perceval, intrigued and won over by Wingate’s ideas, appointed him to prepare troops in jungle warfare as well as setting up outer defences to repulse the Japanese invasion. Wingate set about the task with the knowledge that there was very little time before the Japanese began their offensive. He quickly set about a training camp outside Kuala Lumpur, where he began the process of training Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in the jungle warfare.
Within four months, a substantial portion of the NCOs of the Australian 8th Division and British 18th Division were passing on their knowledge to the members of their units. Wingate continued his training with units from the Indian Army Corps stationed in Malaya. Wingate, believing that units should use local terrain to their advantage instructed NCOs on how to use local terrain and camouflage to their advantage in small guerilla actions. A network of forward operating bases created a loose network from which forward units could stage attacks against the Japanese, thus negating the need for expensive, permanent land defences that Perceval could not afford.
Perceval, meanwhile, continued to prepare British forces for impending invasion. British intelligence were aware of a number of rumours on the impending Japanese offensive although it could never say with any certainty. Perceval wanting to be cautious made preparations for a full scale Japanese invasion. Perceval was primarily concerned with supremacy of the air, having seen how air superiority during the Battle of Britain prevented German invasion of the British Isles. He communicated directly with Churchill and General Wavell on the importance to British Imperial interests that Malaya be held and in order to do so, air superiority was of the utmost importance. Perceval commented to Churchill of the dire state of the Far East Air Command, of outdated aircraft and that the Japanese outnumbered their air forces by a fact of four-to-one. Perceval told Churchill that unless more forces were spare, Singapore would fall in a matter of weeks.
Churchill and Wavell, both concerned at the potential loss of Singapore in the East transferred some six squadrons of the latest Spitfire Mk. VBs and two squadrons of Westland Whirlwinds to the Far East Air Command. The aircraft sent boosted Far Eastern Air Command from a force of 158 aircraft to a little over 300. Although Perceval continued to be outnumbered by the Japanese Air Forces, he now had a substantial number of the latest fighters, superior to the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter.
December 8th 1941 saw the start of Japanese attack with landings in Kota Bharu and Thailand. Air Chief Marshal Brooke-Popham, Commander-in-Chief (CINC) of British Far East Command ordered that Operation Matador be put into immediate effect to counter the Japanese on the beaches.
The RAF engaged Japanese aerial forces for control of the skies, denying the Japanese valuable air superiority placing their amphibious forces at the mercy of coastal defenders from the III Corps of the Indian Army. Amphibious forces suffered heavy losses during their landings as Japanese fighters continued to battle with RAF fighters for control of the skies. Obsolete Brewster Buffalos found themselves outmatched and were quickly shot down by Japanese Zeros. British Spitfires fared significantly better, denying Japanese air superiority.
Force Z, comprising of the Battleship HMS Prince of Wales and Battlecruiser HMS Repulse and four destroyers intercepted the Japanese landings. Lack of Japanese air superiority allowed the Royal Navy to sink the IJNAytosan Maru before withdrawing due to enemy attack. The Royal Navy lost 2 destroyers and HMSRepulse in the attack but managed to eliminate a portion of Japanese landing forces before reaching the beaches.
Although inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese during their landings, the III Corps were forced to withdraw, thus giving the Japanese a foothold in Malaya. As Japanese forces advanced, they faced stiff resistance from British Forces operating in the jungle. Japanese Forces were forced to battle small units that infiltrated their lines as well as regular British Forces in the jungle. Continued RAF operations denied the Japanese to use their aerial forces to fullest effect. Japanese forces were halted at Kuala Trengganu and Kuala Kampar. British success in fighting the Japanese encouraged Plaek Pibulsonggram, military dictator of Thailand to resist Japanese invasion. This contributed to Japans inability to obtain air superiority, denying them air bases to attack British troops in Malaya. Yamashita, facing Thai troops to the North and British troops to the south, despaired at his impending peril.
Japanese forces found success elsewhere, during their invasion of British Borneo. Japanese forces were able to sweep aside Allied forces, ill prepared to fight off the superior numbers, equipment and training of Japan. With the fall of Borneo looking certain, Japan would be able to secure a vital area rich in natural resources and oil. Brooke-Popham, however, ordered the destruction of important infrastructure on the eve of Japanese attack in the Pacific that would delay the ability of the Japanese to utilise the vital resources of Borneo.
The Japanese struck Pearl Harbour on the 7th December 1941, achieving a major tactical victory against the United States although American Carriers were at sea at the time of the attack. The Philipines, Shanghai, Guam, Wake Island and Midway were attacked by Japanese forces, with Guam falling on the 10th December 1941. General MacArthur seeing little hope of victory began a withdrawal of US forces to Bataan where they maintained a defensive perimeter and holding off the advancing Japanese forces. On the same day, Wake Island fell to the Japanese, although US Marines inflicted heavy losses.
Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day, a setback for British Forces.
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