Malaysia
General Percival was an expert on clandestine warfare, ever stressing the importance of surprise and offensive action, intelligence gathering, maintaining security and co-operation between the security forces. His ideas were sweet music to the ears of Blair Mayne, Sidney Paine and Orde Wingate. They believed this gave them the freedom to do whatever was necessary to defeat the enemy in the jungle.
For the last 3 months Commandoes from the 8RMLI, 9RMLI, and 11RMLI, had the Japanese lines of communication disrupting the Japanese command and control system. The Marines were now able to consolidate themselves in the wide area between Thailand and Japanese forces besieging Singapore and Penang Boxes. With outposts set up, standing patrols instituted and intelligence gathered and collated. All this information was relay back to Governor Sir Shelton Thomas, Admiral Sir Alban Thomas Buckley Curteis, Air Marshall Robert Brooke-Popham, and Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival at Singapore. They were now setting up as a blocking force to prevent Japanese reinforcements advancing to Singapore; and now the time had come to prevent their escape.
They has destroyed 24 Perry fighters, 33 Nick, 45 Babs light bombers 37 Nell bombers 43 Sally bombers and 22 Ann bombers. Added to the 80 shot down during the campaign and a further 38 non-operational due to mechanical problems. Kinoshira’s 3rd Air Army still had 89 aircraft operational, 6 more than the RNAS had available. Yamashita's forces though were now effectively cut off from supplies, void of air superiority and cut off from their chain of command.
Three Tiger patrols were engaged with reconnaissance in depth, on road watch duties at any one time, with one four man patrol watching the roads south for a week to 10 days, another would be en route to relieve them and the third was returning to Penang.
04:30 The 9th Australian, 18th British, 9th Indian and 11th Indian divisions Supported by the Canadian Brigade crossed the Straits of Johor in Operation Ironman, landing in Puteri Harbour and the estuary of the Pulai River. The assault was spear headed by the 14tt Canadian Tank Battalion ‘The Calgary Regiment’ with 29 Valentine medium tanks, 12 Tetrarch light tanks, 6 Bishop SPG’s, 6 Valentine Crocodile flame tanks 6 AVRE and 6 Snakes mine clearance tanks.
Japanese and British troops first clashed at Pekan Nina’s. From the sea, carrier aircraft from HMS Formidable and HMS Fortitude attacked the airfield and the port of Johor.
05:45 The three troops of RMASG Matilda tanks, led the breakout from the Butterworth box. Each troop now consisted of 4 Matilda’s armed with 3” howitzers and the fifth tank was a Frog flame tank. The advance by the 28th Indian brigade. The 1st and 2nd Gurkha Rifles and the 3/16 Punjab Regiment proceeded cautiously forward. Their had been much hand to hand combat defending the box. They new the high casualty rate they had inflicted on the Japanese foe and did not wish the statistics reversed. So far 365 troops had been killed and 1,208 had been wounded, though thankfully almost have that number were able to perimeter defensive duties. 9 Gurkha Rifles were to form a reserve and the 5/14Punjab and the 10th Indian Mountain Battery were given the responsibility of the box garrison.
08:30 A force of twenty Sonia dive bombers escorted by nine Zero fighters were jumped by four Grendel fighters from HMS Formidable. Twelve Sonia’s and one Zero, though three of the RNAS fighters.
11:45 A dozen Whirlwinds attacked Japanese positions north of Pekan. Eight Japanese Oscar fighters were also airborne. The dual lasted 53 minutes with the RNAS using ‘slash & run’ tactics, successfully destroying Japanese ground fortifications and shooting down seven fighters for the loss of only one aircraft.
13:00 Gallants from fortitude engaged another flight of Japanese 14 dive bombers with 6 Zero fighter escorts. Again the RNAS fighters came out on top shooting down five bombers and a Zero for the loss of two Gallants.
16:30 forty-six crated RAAF P40’s Tomahawks, that arrived on Friday and now been rebuilt and the engines given 10hrs run-in. Ground crews had now classed them as passed to fly. Repair work on Tengah airfield was also complete and the Australia pilots were very keen on payback.
General Percival was an expert on clandestine warfare, ever stressing the importance of surprise and offensive action, intelligence gathering, maintaining security and co-operation between the security forces. His ideas were sweet music to the ears of Blair Mayne, Sidney Paine and Orde Wingate. They believed this gave them the freedom to do whatever was necessary to defeat the enemy in the jungle.
For the last 3 months Commandoes from the 8RMLI, 9RMLI, and 11RMLI, had the Japanese lines of communication disrupting the Japanese command and control system. The Marines were now able to consolidate themselves in the wide area between Thailand and Japanese forces besieging Singapore and Penang Boxes. With outposts set up, standing patrols instituted and intelligence gathered and collated. All this information was relay back to Governor Sir Shelton Thomas, Admiral Sir Alban Thomas Buckley Curteis, Air Marshall Robert Brooke-Popham, and Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival at Singapore. They were now setting up as a blocking force to prevent Japanese reinforcements advancing to Singapore; and now the time had come to prevent their escape.
They has destroyed 24 Perry fighters, 33 Nick, 45 Babs light bombers 37 Nell bombers 43 Sally bombers and 22 Ann bombers. Added to the 80 shot down during the campaign and a further 38 non-operational due to mechanical problems. Kinoshira’s 3rd Air Army still had 89 aircraft operational, 6 more than the RNAS had available. Yamashita's forces though were now effectively cut off from supplies, void of air superiority and cut off from their chain of command.
Three Tiger patrols were engaged with reconnaissance in depth, on road watch duties at any one time, with one four man patrol watching the roads south for a week to 10 days, another would be en route to relieve them and the third was returning to Penang.
04:30 The 9th Australian, 18th British, 9th Indian and 11th Indian divisions Supported by the Canadian Brigade crossed the Straits of Johor in Operation Ironman, landing in Puteri Harbour and the estuary of the Pulai River. The assault was spear headed by the 14tt Canadian Tank Battalion ‘The Calgary Regiment’ with 29 Valentine medium tanks, 12 Tetrarch light tanks, 6 Bishop SPG’s, 6 Valentine Crocodile flame tanks 6 AVRE and 6 Snakes mine clearance tanks.
Japanese and British troops first clashed at Pekan Nina’s. From the sea, carrier aircraft from HMS Formidable and HMS Fortitude attacked the airfield and the port of Johor.
05:45 The three troops of RMASG Matilda tanks, led the breakout from the Butterworth box. Each troop now consisted of 4 Matilda’s armed with 3” howitzers and the fifth tank was a Frog flame tank. The advance by the 28th Indian brigade. The 1st and 2nd Gurkha Rifles and the 3/16 Punjab Regiment proceeded cautiously forward. Their had been much hand to hand combat defending the box. They new the high casualty rate they had inflicted on the Japanese foe and did not wish the statistics reversed. So far 365 troops had been killed and 1,208 had been wounded, though thankfully almost have that number were able to perimeter defensive duties. 9 Gurkha Rifles were to form a reserve and the 5/14Punjab and the 10th Indian Mountain Battery were given the responsibility of the box garrison.
08:30 A force of twenty Sonia dive bombers escorted by nine Zero fighters were jumped by four Grendel fighters from HMS Formidable. Twelve Sonia’s and one Zero, though three of the RNAS fighters.
11:45 A dozen Whirlwinds attacked Japanese positions north of Pekan. Eight Japanese Oscar fighters were also airborne. The dual lasted 53 minutes with the RNAS using ‘slash & run’ tactics, successfully destroying Japanese ground fortifications and shooting down seven fighters for the loss of only one aircraft.
13:00 Gallants from fortitude engaged another flight of Japanese 14 dive bombers with 6 Zero fighter escorts. Again the RNAS fighters came out on top shooting down five bombers and a Zero for the loss of two Gallants.
16:30 forty-six crated RAAF P40’s Tomahawks, that arrived on Friday and now been rebuilt and the engines given 10hrs run-in. Ground crews had now classed them as passed to fly. Repair work on Tengah airfield was also complete and the Australia pilots were very keen on payback.
Last edited: