Sorry about the delay
Here's what it would be like without so much editing. Does anyone feel up to reading these regularly?
Far East
The Japanese Imperial General Headquarters establish the Southern Army, an Army consisting of 11 infantry Divisions that is to be used in a war of conquest to expand the Empire of Japan, gain control of desperately needed natural resources and to establish a forward defensive perimeter in the Pacific and the South China Sea to defend the Home Islands. General Terauchi Hisaichi is selected by the IGHQ to take operational command of the Southern Army, providing him with a headquarters at Saigon in the recently occupied French colony of Indochina. It is learnt in mid-October that the British are planning to heavily reinforce their Malayan garrison, which is a crucial objective for the Imperial Japanese Army. The IGHQ compensates for the heavier British presence by detaching the 4th Army, the 10th Infantry Division and the 23rd Tank Regiment from the Kwantung Field Army in Manchukuo and assigning them to General Hisaichi’s Southern Army.
General Jun Ushiroku, a highly capable commander with over 15 years experience in Manchukuo, is dispatched to Saigon to conduct the invasion of Thailand. He has Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama’s 4th Army with the 1st, 14th and 57th Divisions, and the 15th Army under Lieutenant General Iida Shojiro with the 29th, 33rd and 55th Infantry Divisions. To provide these troops with additional support, the 2nd and 23rd Tank Regiments and the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade are also sent to Indochina. The task of seizing Malaya from the heavily reinforced British garrison is given to General Tomoyuki Yamashita and the Japanese 25th Army. This invasion force is made up of the Imperial Guards Division and the 5th and 18th Infantry Divisions, with support from the 1st, 6th and 14th Tank Regiments. The 4th, 15th and 25th Armies are to be given support by the 3rd Air Group under Lieutenant General Sugawara Michita and the 2nd Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō, both of which will initially be operating from bases along the southern coast of Indochina. General Hisaichi keeps the 17th, 21st and 56th Infantry Divisions and the 21st Independent Mixed Brigade in reserve in southern Indochina, where they can rapidly be dispatched to bolster the forces fighting in the three major theatres: Malaya, the Philippines and Thailand.
Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma and the 14th Army are tasked with driving the Americans from the Philippines: a blow which will throw the United States back across the Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands. His army is centred around the 16th and 48th Infantry Divisions, with the 65th Independent Brigade, the 4th and 7th Tank Regiments and additional support from the Special Naval Landing Forces and Imperial Army Air Force formations. IGHQ expects to meet the fiercest resistance in their initial offensive here in the Philippines, where the United States and Philippines Armed Forces will outnumber the 14th Army by as many as 50,000 men. The IJN 3rd Fleet under Vice Admiral Ibō Takahashi and the 5th Air Division under Lieutenant General Obata Hideyoshi, both operating from Formosa, are made available to support Lieutenant General Homma’s campaign.
General Hisaichi also has operational control of the attack upon the British colony of Hong Kong. The Japanese 38th Division under Lieutenant General Sakai Takashi is detached from the Japanese 23rd Army and sent southeast to capture the most vulnerable British overseas possession, the isolated Crown Colony of Hong Kong. The British have established defensive lines in the New Territories on the mainland and the island of Hong Kong itself is well suited for a defensive campaign, but Lieutenant General Takashi believes that the attack will not take longer than a few days to attain a victory.
Finally the Japanese 16th Army under Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, with the 2nd Infantry Division and the 35th and 56th Infantry Groups, has been slated for the conquest of the Dutch East Indies. These solders are initially held back in reserve in Indochina since this operation is dependent upon the 14th Army gaining control of island of Mindanao, or more importantly, the city of Davao.
Major General Alexander Christison is appointed as the British Military attaché to the Kingdom of Thailand to help co-ordinate a joint-campaign between the British forces in Burma and Malaya on the one hand and the royal Thai Army on the other. He assists Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram and the Thai General Staff, with the help of Sir Crosby and one of his translators, in formulating a defensive campaign against the Japanese. Making a stand in Battambang Province is considered, but it soon becomes clear that this province cannot be adequately defended with the limited resources available and the troops committed would be vulnerable to being cut off and encircled. Instead units are positioned along the western edge of Khao Banthat Mountains, were it is hoped that the Royal Thai Army can delay the Japanese advance long enough for the British to bring their forces to bear. In order to keep the strategic picture simple, each Thai Division is numbered.
The Thai Isaan (North-eastern) Army, with the Surin (2nd), Ubon Ratchathani (4th) and Udon Thani (5th) Infantry Divisions, will take up defensive positions around Poipet and Aranayaprathet. The Phayap (10th) Division will defend the town of Khlong Hat and the strategically placed crossroads to the south. The 28th Infantry battalion is placed in reserve at Sa Kaeo and finally the 31st Infantry Battalion, 300 policemen and two Artillery Batteries are positioned to the north to defend the Khorat Pass and the flanking Khao Ta Leo and Khao Lamang Mountains. The Burapha (Eastern) Army is sent to defend Chantha Buri Province, and is divided into two to occupy two important defensive positions. The Aranayaprathet (3rd), Lopburi (8th) and Prachin Buri (9th) Divisions are deployed within the towns of Khlung and Makham and along the Khao Sabap Hills. The Watthana Nakhon (7th) and Chanthaburi (12th) Divisions are positioned further to the north along the Khao Soi Dao Mountains.
The Nakhon Si Thammarat (1st) and Songkhla (11th) Divisions are ordered to maintain their current positions along the Kra Isthmus in order to counter any Japanese landings here, and finally the Bangkok Army with the Thonburi (6th), Saraburi (13th) and Phetchaburi (14th) Divisions is moved to Chon Buri, where they can be used as a central reserve for reinforcing both the Burapha and Isaan Armies.
Intelligence reports reach Malaya from Hong Kong on the 1st of December, revealing that the Japanese 1st Air Fleet departed its anchorage in the Kurile Islands on the 26th November. Sir Mark Young, the Governor of Hong Kong, orders Major General Christopher Maltby to place the British and Commonwealth forces stationed there on standby. Sir Shenton Thomas, the Governor-General of the Straits Settlements, declares a state of emergency to be in effect throughout Malaya and Singapore on the same day.
Lieutenant General Auchinleck has command of the bulk of the British and Commonwealth forces, totalling four divisions, which are stationed around Jitra. If the matador signal is given, then British forces will move up to strengthen the defences around Songkhla and Patani, as agreed upon in advance with the local Thai commander, Major General Luang Senanarong. The 6th and 28th Indian Brigades will advance northwards to Songkhla with the 22nd and 137th Artillery Regiments to link up with three battalions of Thai infantry, whilst the 5th Indian and 22nd Infantry Brigades with the 155th Field Artillery Regiment will move north to Patani from Pasir Mas using the railway to speed up their advance. Securing the ports also secures the flank of the British advance up the Isthmus of Kra, which is separated into two strong thrusts up both the western and eastern flanks of the Phuket Mountain Range. The 22nd Armoured Brigade led by Brigadier John Scott-Cockburn will support an advance by the 8th Australian Division and the 1st Support Group into Phatthalung Province in the east. The 2nd Armoured Brigade under Brigadier Raymond Briggs will do the same for Major General Ramsden’s 50th Infantry Division and Brigadier William Carpendale’s 28th Indian Brigade into Satun Province in the west.
The defence of Singapore is left to Major General Percival from the 4th December, who is ordered by Lieutenant General Auchinleck to ensure that the Japanese cannot simply sneak behind his forces and occupy the strategically vital British Naval Base. The garrison for Singapore and the city of Johore Barhu is provided by the 18th Infantry Division, the 12th Indian Brigade, the Straits settlement Volunteers and three artillery regiments around. Lieutenant General is left to defend Khota Barhu with the 9th Indian Division, the 22nd Indian Brigade and several batteries of the Royal Artillery.
On the 6th December, Flight Lieutenant John Ramshaw of the Royal Australian Air Force and his crew encounter a convoy of 18 Japanese merchantmen with a heavy escort of destroyers and cruisers. They transmit the position of the fleet and then return to base after the Japanese launch several seaplanes to try and down their Lockheed Hudson bomber. The RAF sends out a reconnaissance force of two Catalina’s over the Gulf of Thailand, and early on the morning of the 7th December, they locate the large Japanese fleet near Kao Rong Bay off the coast of Battambang Province in Thailand. Seaplanes are sent up to knock out the British aircraft, and all three of the Catalina’s are lost before they are able to escape.
One of the desperate crews manages to get out a radio message before their plane is shot down, announcing the presence of twenty Japanese warships and roughly an equal amount of merchantmen entering the Gulf of Thailand. The RAF listening station at Changi on Singapore receives the message and Colonel Gordon Grimsdale, the Director of Military Intelligence, informs Air Chief Marshal Brooke-Popham and Lieutenant General Auchinleck. The GOC, Malaya doesn’t overly consider the matter before issuing orders. He is well aware that a failure to act now whilst the Japanese are still at sea could very well doom any efforts to defend Malaya, and not being unduly concerned by potentially vast political ramifications, he decides to risk his career on a throw of the dice. At 14:10 on the 7th December, Malayan time, he telephones Lieutenant General Anderson over the scrambler, ordering him to launch Operation Matador. At 15:00, the M3 Stuart Tanks of the 1st Armoured Division lead the Indian III and British XIX Corps across the border into Thailand.
The 8th December is one of the most eventful days of the war, and sees the transformation of a European conflict into a truly global war. The Imperial Japanese Army will begin assaults upon Hong Kong, Malaya, the Philippines and Thailand, with airstrikes also pounding the US bases on Wake Island and Guam. In the early hours of the morning, Japanese bombers operating from bases in Saigon and Thu Dau Mot issue a declaration of war upon the British Empire by bombing military facilities upon the island of Singapore. The airfields at Tengah and Seletar and the dockyards of Keppel Harbour are the most heavily hit targets, which 23 fighters and bombers being destroyed whilst on the ground. The fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force stationed here go into action for the first time, and 12 Japanese bombers are shot down. 61 civilians are killed and over a hundred more are also wounded in these raids.
The damage inflicted has a significant side effect, in that the damage to the main radio tower prevents the British from sending word of the attack to the American forces in the Philippines. Admiral Thomas Philips orders the Far East Fleet to put to sea as soon as possible once news of the attack on Pearl Harbour reaches Singapore. The Admiral fears that the Japanese might attempt a similar strike against the British naval yards on the island, which could completely cripple the smaller British naval presence in the South China Sea.
The Imperial Japanese Navy is the next force to go into action, bombarding the British defences covering the Badang and Sabak beaches near Khota Barhu, as well as the RAF base outside of the town. The Japanese 56th Infantry Regiment begins an amphibious assault shortly afterwards. The 3rd Guards and 125th Infantry Regiments come ashore at Songkhla and the 42nd Regiment does likewise at Pattani. Every landing is greeted with the launching of flares and a sudden eruption of artillery, machine gun and rifle fire that inflicts heavy casualties and prevents the Japanese from establishing any beachheads. The two infantry regiments are withdrawn before dawn, but the 3rd Guards repeatedly tries to overrun the Indian and Thai defenders. By morning, the Imperial Guardsmen brought ashore have been all but annihilated. 5,500 Japanese soldiers are killed in these abortive landings, with the majority from the 3rd Guards Regiment.
General Yamashita is forced to completely alter his strategy in the light of the failed amphibious landings, and decides to bring his troops ashore further to the north. Later that morning early the 21st and 41st Infantry Regiments land near Na Thong. General Yamashita sends two regiments from the 5th Infantry Division south as soon as they have landed, in order to halt the British advance and buy time for the rest of the Army to come ashore. Meanwhile the British have begun their advance into the Satun and Phatthalung Provinces, with the Motorised 12th Royal Lancers reaching Tha Nang Prom by midday. On the western side of the Phuket Mountains, the 69th Infantry Brigades enters the town of Chalung around the same time.
To the north the Japanese 143rd Infantry Regiment make amphibious landings along the Isthmus of Kra to cut the British forces in Malaya off from the Royal Thai Army to the north. The regiments 1st Battalion lands at Chumphon in the early hours of the morning, only to be engaged by the 38th and 52nd Battalions of the Royal Thai Army, with 170 police officers supporting the defence. The Japanese are pinned down for four hours until the 14th Infantry Battalion from the 4th Independent Brigade is landed to support the 1st Battalion, and finally a beachhead is established. The Thai battalions withdraw southwards towards the island of Phuket, where the Thai 6th Army is to rally and form its final defensive line. Further south the 3rd Battalion of the 143rd Infantry Regiments comes ashore at Pak Nakhon, where it engages the Thai 17th and 39th Battalions. By late afternoon, the Japanese 3rd Battalion has occupied Nakhon Si Thammarat and fought its way inland to Mai La.
Across the Pacific and the international dateline, the Empire of Japan launches a surprise attack upon the US naval base at Pearl Harbour. The damage inflicted by the Japanese aircraft is horrific, with nearly 3,000 men being killed and thousands more wounded. 5 battleships, 2 light cruisers and 3 destroyers are sunk in the attack, leaving the US Pacific fleet gutted. The Japanese 1st Fleet withdraws that evening, having inflicted heavy damage on the US Pacific Fleet but having also failed to accomplish one of the most vital goals. The Japanese only discover during the assault that none of the US carriers were in port at the time of their attack, and therefore they have failed to achieve one of the mission’s most crucial goals. It is later discovered that the Japanese government declaration of war was not delivered before the attack.
The opening move of the Philippines Campaign is made by 500 soldiers from the Japanese 2nd Special Naval Landing Forces, who occupy the Batanes Islands to the north of Luzon on the 8th December. The 25th Airfield Battalion follows them to improve the islands airstrip so that fighters can be based there, whilst another 400 men from the 2nd Special Naval Landing Force is sent to seize Camiguin Island.
Out to sea, Fortune seems to smile on Admiral Philips when a Pair of Fulmars from HMS Ark Royal locates two isolated Japanese warships sixty-three miles to the northwest of his fleet on the 10th December. They are identified as the cruiser Chokai and the destroyer Sagiri. These two ships are under the command of Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa, who is sailing southeast to link up with Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō and the rest of the Japanese 2nd Fleet. Rear Admiral Palliser is ordered to dispatch a flight of Fairey Swordfish to intercept the warships, and both the Chokai and the Sagiri are both sunk in the ensuring attack that kills hundreds of Japanese sailors including Vice Admiral Ozawa.
Unfortunately the Imperial Japanese Air Force are roughly aware of the British Far East Fleets position, as they were located and shadowed by a submarine the previous night which sent word to the Japanese naval base at Poulo Condore. Three waves of twin-engine bombers are dispatched from Thu Dau Mot and Tan Son Nhut airfields in Indochina to knock out the British capital ships. The first and second waves are intercepted by the CAP, but have to be recalled back to the carriers shortly afterwards to be refuelled. The Swordfish sent to sink the Chokai and Sagiri return at the same time, temporarily causing a gridlock in the air and on the decks of the HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious. It is in these moments, before the next CAP can be launched, that the final wave of bombers over flies the British warships and crews are called to action stations. The attack lasts 8 minutes, during which time HMS Repulse and HMS Isis are sunk, and HMS Prince of Wales takes heavy damage to both her forward and aft decks. A worried Admiral Philips decides to withdraw after bringing on survivors, rather than risk another attack. 427 men are rescued, though both Captain William Tennant on board the Repulse and Commander Casper Swinley aboard the Isis died in the attack.
With a forward airbase on the Batanes Islands secured, the Japanese turn their efforts to establishing further toeholds in the Philippines. On the 10th December, The 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Formosan Infantry Brigade and two additional infantry companies under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kanno, land at Vigan and Gonzaga on the island of Luzon. They secure nearby airfields, and the 16th Light Air and 50th Air Regiments are moved from Formosa to these newly occupied airbases in order to support the forthcoming landings by the Imperial Japanese Army.
The 10th of December also sees the Japanese land 5,000 men of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces and the 55th Infantry group upon the island of Guam, which has been bombed several time by the Imperial Army Air force since the 8th December. These formations move swiftly to occupy the Orote Peninsula, where the United States Marine Corps has a barracks near the town of Sumay. After sporadic and ineffective resistance, Governor George McMillin and the surviving members of the US garrison surrender at 06:00.
General Ushiroku orders the 29th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General Toshimichi Uemura to enter Thailand’s Battambang Province, with the aim of capturing the provincial capital and the port-city of Kampong Saom. The 50th Infantry and 29th Mountain Artillery Regiment cross the Mae Khong River on the 11th December and occupy Phnom Penh, whilst the 38th Infantry and 29th Cavalry Regiments under the command of Colonel Ichiro Sakamoto take Kampot on the 12th and Kampong Saom on the 13th of December. The Japanese advance is opposed by a force of 1,000 policemen, who manage to delay the advance of their enemies but cannot halt it. The Kampong Saom-Aranayaprathet railway line is taken intact, and the Japanese now have a means to rapidly build up their forces opposite the city of Aranayaprathet.
The Japanese 38th Division launches its main offensive upon the colony of Hong Kong and makes a head-on attack against the British positions along the Gin Drinkers Line. The crucial Shing Mun Redoubt, on the left flank of the British frontlines and defended by the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment, is overrun by the 228th Infantry Division. By the 11th December, it becomes clear that the New Territories cannot be held with the limited forces available, and so General Maltby orders a withdrawal to Hong Kong Island. The Royal Scots are evacuated along with the 1st Battalion of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, the 5th Battalion of the 7th Rajput Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Punjab Regiment by the evening of the 13th December. Lieutenant General Takashi of the Japanese 38th Division orders the defenders to surrender, but both Governor Young and Major General Maltby refuse.
The Japanese 21st Infantry Brigade launch a surprise attack upon the 12th Royal Lancers at Ban Mae Khiri on the 11th December, and manage to completely overwhelm the disorganised British soldiers and forcing them back and inflicting horrendous casualties. Within an hour of the battle starting, Brigadier Scott-Cockburn’s 22nd Armoured Brigade and the 27th Australian Brigade under Brigadier Duncan Maxwell enter the fray, and the tide of battle is completely reversed. General Yamashita commits the rest of Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe’s 5th Infantry Division into the battle, and Lieutenant General Anderson commits the 22nd Australian Brigade under Brigadier Harold Taylor and the 28th Indian Brigade under Brigadier Carpendale. The Japanese attempt to halt the British advance with their artillery between the 13th and 14th of December, but the Japanese Artillery Regiment is eventually smashed aside and Tha Mot is captured. The 5th Division loses nearly 4,500 men from the three regiments committed to the battle, the first in the opening stages of the Matador Offensive. To the west, the 50th Division has secured Satun Province and advance as far as the towns of Trang and Sikao.
Though the Japanese advance has stalled in Malaya, they continue to push east and south in the Pacific. Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka departs Formosa with the 18th Cruiser Division, the 29th Destroyer Division and two transports carrying Special Naval Landing Forces. On the 11th December, he attempts to provide support for an attempted landing on Wake Island. The US Navy garrison manages to inflict a surprising reversal upon the Imperial Japanese Navy, when they sink the destroyers Hayate and Kisaragi with a combination of air power and land-based US coastal batteries. Rear Admiral Kajioka decides to withdraw and gather more landing forces rather than risk any more of his warships.
The Japanese 12th, 13th and 15th Infantry Battalions land at Chumphon on the 12th December and begin marching towards the Burmese border, with the intention of capturing the town of Kawthaung and the Victoria’s Point Airfield. Major General Stephen Irwin has been placed in charge of the defence of the airfield and the nearby town of Kawthaung, with Brigadier Eric Goddard as his second in command. Early in the morning of the 14th December, they engage the British forward line of defence at Marang, which is held by the
1st Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, the 4th Battalion of the 9th Jat Regiment and a field battery of the 23rd Indian Mountain Artillery Regiment. Four hours of bloody fighting follow, after which the British defenders are finally ousted from the village with 650 casualties, of whom 146 are dead. The Japanese lose nearly 1,100 men trying to storm the strong defensive positions, though they have forced their opponents as far south as Maliwun.
On the 12th December, the Japanese begin the next stage of their invasion of the Philippines when Major General Kimura Naoki lands on the Picol Peninsula near Legaspi on the island of Luzon with 2,000 men from the 16th Infantry Division. Major General Naoki then begins advancing northwest towards the city of Manila. On the northern tip of Luzon, Colonel Tanaka Toru lands at Gonzaga with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Formosan Infantry Brigade, and links up with Lieutenant Colonel Kanno and his battalions. Leaving 400 men to secure the beaches, the Japanese begin advancing southwards along the western coast of Luzon.
Rear Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto escorts a convoy of troop transports across the South China Sea with the 12th Destroyer Division between the 12th and 15th of December. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 124th Infantry Regiment and the 750 men of the 2nd Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force under Major General Kawaguchi Kiyotake land at Miri and Seria in Sarawak and Brunei respectively in the early hours of the 16th of December. There are only 650 men of the North Borneo Armed Constabulary to resist the attack, and though they do detonate explosives throughout the oilfields, they are quickly driven south by the Japanese infantrymen. The landings are not carried out without cost however, as the Japanese destroyer Shinonome is torpedoed and sunk on the 18th December by HMS Turbulent. The 3rd Battalion of the 124th Infantry Regiment then comes ashore at Sandakan in North Borneo on the 19th December, and with this the sway of the battle turns completely against the British and Governor Charles Smith is forced to surrender the colony on the same day. With the northernmost British positions on Borneo overrun, Major General Kiyotake and the 1st and 2nd Battalions re-board their landing craft and sail for Kuching in Sarawak.
The Japanese 5th Infantry Division has been decimated in the four days of fighting against the 8th Australian Division, but they have delayed the British advance long enough General Yamashita to bring the rest of his army ashore. Realising that he must act swiftly to stand any chance of taking Malaya, he begins preparing a counterattack and moves the 18th and Imperial Guards Divisions south so that they are facing the 50th British and 8th Australian Divisions respectively. However General Auchinleck, unwilling to lose the momentum of his troops advance, throws the 8th Australian and 11th Indian Divisions into an offensive on the 14th December and commits all the artillery he can spare to support his soldiers.
The 8th Australian Division 11th Indian Division begin their advance just after dawn and despite far heavier losses than anticipated, they overrun the forward Japanese positions and advance as far as Tha Nang Prom. Realsing that the British are throwing the bulk of their strength behind this attack, General Yamashita has to send half of the 18th Division and the remnants of the 5th Division into countering it. Lieutenant General Mataguchi sends the 1st and 6th Tank Regiments, supported by the 55th and 114th infantry Regiments, into battle near Khao Chaison in an effort to outflank the Australian advance, and dislodge the 6th Indian Brigade from the town after two hours of bitter fighting. The 15th Indian Brigade and the newly arrived 22nd Infantry Brigade, supported by the bulk of the 2nd armoured Brigade, launch a counterattack and once again break through the Japanese lines. The British operated M3 Stuarts have a slight edge over the type 95’s and type 97’s, and 32 Japanese tanks are destroyed in exchange for 13 British armoured M3’s.
The 27th Australian Brigade under Brigadier Maxwell takes Tha Mot on the 16th December, with the 22nd Australian Brigade advancing on their right to support them. Just before nightfall, the three Gurkha Rifle battalions of the 28th Indian Brigade with support from the 8th Divisions Machine-Gun Regiment succeed in retaking Khao Chaison from the Japanese 11th Infantry Regiment and the 22nd Infantry Brigade under Brigadier Erskine seizes Laem Chong Thanon.
Major general Bennett and Major General Murray-Lyon commit their battered divisions to a final all-or-nothing battle on the 16th December. A day of desperate fighting see the Japanese lines, bend, crack and finally snap before the British advance. The 8th Australian Division manages to wrest Kong Ra and Phang King from the Japanese 18th Division, whilst the 11th Indian Division advances to within four miles of Phatthalung. The 150th Infantry Brigade under Brigadier Cecil Haydon takes part in some of the bloodiest fighting against the 114th Infantry Regiment beneath the slopes of Khao Ron. After six hours, the Yorkshiremen of the 4th and 5th Green Howard Battalions punch a hole in the Japanese line and drive them from Na Wong, whilst the 2nd Armoured Division and the 69th Infantry Brigade push forwards and manage to reach Huai Yot.
Fortunately for the Japanese, this is the last breath of life in the British offensive, which has to be halted shortly afterwards due to heavy casualties, and only a few small engagements take place during the rest of the month. The situation is still growing increasingly dire for the 25th Army. Lieutenant General Mataguchi died defending Phatthalung and, though the 18th Division has held its ground and managed to stall the British advance, it has suffered heavy losses. The 5th Division under Lieutenant General Watanabe has also managed to avoid a complete collapse, but has been bought to the brink of annihilation by the sweeping advance of the British and Indian troops facing them.
Overall, the three-day Matador offensive has resulted in 9,500 British casualties, of whom 2,700 have been killed. The Japanese 25th Army has suffered 15,700 casualties of whom 6,100 have died. Following the failure of the 25th Army to achieve a swift victory , the Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō relieves General Yamashita from his command on the 30th December and replaces him with Lieutenant General Takuyo Matsui, the commanding officer of the 5th Infantry Division. General Hisaichi decides to transfer the 4th Infantry Division from the Southern Army’s reserve to the 25th Army in order to support General Yamashita.
Forced back to Hong Kong, Major General Maltby splits the six regular battalions under his command into a Western and Eastern Brigade on the 16th December. The Western Brigade consists of the Royal Scots, the Winnipeg Grenadiers, and the Punjab regiment and is under the command of Brigadier John Lawson, and the East Brigade is centred upon the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Rajput Battalions and is commanded by Brigadier Cedric Wallace. The British defenders at Hong Kong refuse another Japanese ultimatum on the 17th December, and Lieutenant General Takashi launches his attack upon the 18th December. The 228th and 230th Regiments land near North Point, capturing Braeman Hill and the two crucial peaks of Mount Parker and Mount Jardine’s Lookout by the morning of the 19th December. The Japanese 229th Regiment captures Sai Wan Hill and commits the first in a series of war crimes by executing 20 British soldiers manning the gun battery here. Mount Butler is also captured in the afternoon after three hours of fighting between the Japanese 229th Regiment and a company-strength formation of the Winnipeg Grenadiers under Company Sergeant Major John Osborn.
General Maltby tries to launch a counterattack, but after several hours it becomes clear that the defenders have little chance of holding the Japanese advance without first regrouping. The GOC, Hong Kong therefore orders the Eastern Brigade to retreat to a secondary line of defence running from Repulse Bay to Palm Villa from which he hopes to organise a counterattack, but this divides the British Eastern and Western Brigades and the Japanese move quickly to keep them apart. The islands defence now consists of two separate engagements, with Brigadier Lawson and the Western Brigade putting up a stubborn defence
around Mount Parish and the
Wong Nei Chong Gap in the west and the Eastern Brigade holding Stanley Mound, Sugar Loaf Hill
and Stone Hill against the 2nd Battalion of the Japanese 229th Infantry Regiment on the Stanley Peninsula in the south.
In Burma, the 4th Independent Brigade continues to advance upon Victoria’s Point and divides into two columns, with the 15th Battalion and two batteries of the 56th Field Artillery Regiment heading west towards the main coastal road whilst the 12th and 13th Battalions drive south towards the next British defensive line at Maliwun. The
1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire
Regiment guards the coastal road at a position called Bacon Hill, two miles to the north of the Talou Uza. The Japanese 15th Battalion launches its attack on the 19th December, and nearly overruns the British positions. A determined counterattack by Major Victor Morton manages to shore up the defences for several hours, but by evening the defenders being enveloped if they remain in their positions. Colonel Charles Bagot leads the 570 surviving men of the battalion in a successful breakout, and they retreat down the coast to the next defensive line held by the 5th Battalion of the 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles .
On Hong Kong, the Japanese 3rd Battalion from the 228th Infantry Regiment assaults the positions held by the surviving Winnipeg Grenadiers on Mount Butler on the 19th December, and finally manages to overrun the defenders and force them to surrender. The invaders push west and overrun the Western Brigades headquarters at the Wan Chai Gap. Brigadier Lawson leads a final stalling attack against the advancing Japanese infantrymen with the few soldiers he still has to commit, and dies leading the attack. The Wong Nei Chong Gap is also finally overrun on the 22nd December, and the remaining British soldiers withdraw to a final defensive line along the slopes of Mount Cameron and Bennett’s Hill.
The Eastern Brigade tries to break through the Japanese lines and re-establish contact with the Western Brigade on the 20th December. Two companies of the Royal Rifles of Canada move northwards along the coast of Repulse Bay in an attempt to reach the Wong Nei Chong Gap, and though they are able to retake the Repulse Bay Hotel, they cannot break through the Japanese lines upon the surrounding hills. Another company of Canadians manages to seize the crossroads south of the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir, but by the evening of the 21st December both of these advance positions have to be abandoned. The Japanese regain the initiative on the 23rd of December, when the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 229th Infantry Regiment assault and capture Sugar Loaf Hill and Stanley mound. The remnants of the Eastern Brigade are forced to retreat southwards onto the Stanley Peninsula, where they have no further line of retreat.
With overwhelming force now brought to bear by Lieutenant General Uemura, the 29th and 55th Divisions assault the city of Aranayaprathet near the border of Battambang Province. The Japanese manage to drive the Ubon Ratchathani Division from the city after three days of street fighting between the 21st and 24th of December. With a railway line connecting it to Phnom Penh, Aranayaprathet makes an excellent staging area for the Japanese 15th Army for the invasion of Thailand.
General Sakaguchi Shizuo lands on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines with 5,000 men from the 56th Infantry Group, with the 2nd infantry battalion of the 33rd infantry Regiment and a battalion of the 56th Field Artillery Regiment on the 20th December. His soldiers quickly take control of Davao City in the face of light opposition, and thereby seize an excellent base of operations for the upcoming campaign against the Dutch East Indies.
The main Japanese landing in Philippines by the 48th Infantry Division begins also begins on the 22nd December in the midst of a rainstorm and takes place in the Lingayen Gulf between the villages of Bauang and Caba. After linking up with Colonel Toru’s battalions, the men of the 16th and 48th Infantry Divisions engage the 11th and 71st Philippine Divisions led by Major General Jonathan Wainwright, whom are eventually routed by the Japanese assault and forced to retreat towards the Bataan Peninsula. The main drive of the 48th Infantry Division is southwards through the Pampanga Valley, but the advance is delayed by heavy fighting that takes place around the town of Rosario. The defending 26th Philippine Scouts Cavalry Regiment is left crippled by the battle and forced to withdraw during the night of the 23rd December.
The 4th Independent Brigade makes continues its efforts to seize Victoria’s Point Airfield with another attack on the 22nd December, this time attempting to encircle the soldiers defending Maliwun by gaining control of Hill 639 and Hill 234 to the southwest of the village. The Royal Garhwal Rifles and the Gloucestershire Regiment put up a strong defence between the 22nd and 24th of December however, and the Japanese are unable to break through. Major General Irwin is killed in action on the final day of the battle, when a shell strikes his forward headquarters. Brigadier Goddard takes command of the garrison, but is fully aware that Victoria’s Point Airfield cannot be defended indefinitely with the scant resources under his command.
On the 22nd December, the Japanese resume their offensive in Sarawak and begin advancing westwards towards the city of Kuching. The Imperial Japanese Air Force bombs Singkawang Airfield in order to prevent the Dutch from moving to intercepting their landing forces off of Cape Sipang, who land near the mouth of the Sarawak river on the 23rd December and begin to advance inland. A battalion of the 15th Punjab Regiment mounts a lengthy defence of the Kuching, but are forced to abandon the city and retreat on the 24th December. The advance continues and the Japanese capture Kuching Airfield on the 25th and Singkawang on the 29th, forcing the British and Dutch defenders into the mountainous interior of the island.
The Borneo campaign is renewed on the 23rd December when the Imperial Japanese Air Force bombs the Dutch-held Singkawang Airfield in order to prevent the Dutch from moving to intercepting their landing forces off of Cape Sipang. On the 24th December, Major General Kiyotake sends the 2nd Battalion under Colonel Akinosuke Oka ashore at Kuching, which is followed less than an hour later by the 1st Battalion. The 2nd Battalion of the 15th Punjab Regiment puts up considerable resistance, though the Japanese begin to encircle the defenders and by the early afternoon the British have retreated to the airfield south of the city. By the 25th December, this too has fallen and the 2nd Battalion has suffered heavy casualties. The Sarawak Rangers and the surviving Indian troops are forced to withdraw to Singkawang further south, with the Japanese 124th Regiment in a heated pursuit.
Rear Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto, Having gathered additional troops, leads his fleet south for a second time and launches another assault upon Wake Island on the 23rd December. This time the attack is proceeded by a lengthy bombardment and the Japanese beach several of their ships in order to get large numbers of men ashore. Despite inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese landing forces throughout the morning, the US marines defending the island are forced to surrender later that afternoon. 840 American and 120 Japanese marines lose their lives in the battle.
At Stanley on Hong Kong Island on the 24th December, 50 wounded British, Canadian and Indian soldiers are killed by the Japanese at St Stephens College Emergency Hospital, and the overall strategic situation on Hong Kong is grim for the defending British and Commonwealth troops. Once he is informed that further resistance would be futile, Governor Young surrenders the Crown Colony of Hong Kong Island to the Japanese at 15:15 on Christmas day. The British have put up a determined resistance and there are only 6,500 survivors from an original garrison of 13,000 men, whilst the Japanese have taken only 2,200 casualties.
Another 7,000 men, consisting of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 20th Infantry Regiment and the 2nd and 4th Companies of the 22nd Artillery Regiment from the 16th Japanese Infantry Division, land in Lamon Bay on the 24th December to link up with the 5,000 men under Major General Naoki and strengthen the southern drive against the US and Filipino Armies. The 41st and 51st Philippine Divisions under the command of Brigadier General George Parker are unable to halt this drive coming up from the Picol Peninsula, and on the 25th December, these men link up with the rest of the 16th Division and are merged back into it. Brigadier General Parker is relieved of his command by General Douglas MacArthur, who tasks him with shoring up the defences along the Bataan Peninsula.
Lieutenant General Shojiro arrives in Aranayaprathet on the 24th December, and he dispatches two assault columns in opposite directions to occupy key positions that the Royal Thai Army might use as staging points for counterattacks or defensive positions to halt the 15th Army’s advance. He sends Major General Ayumu Sugiyama and the 112th Infantry and 55th Mountain Artillery Regiments, along with the 2nd Battalion of the 114th Regiment, southwest on the 27th December to take the northernmost Thai defensive positions along the Khao Soi Dao Mountains. The 213th Infantry and the 33rd Mountain Artillery Regiments, under the leadership of Colonel Koshiro Takagi, are sent north to seal establish a base of operations at Ban Khok Udom. From here they will occupy positions above Khao Lamang Mountain and Khao Ta Leo Mountain, in order to seal the pass into Khorat Province.
The Japanese 48th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General Tsuchihashi Yuitsu engages the 91st Philippine Division at Cabanatuan between the 27th and 28th of December, mauling the Division and forcing it to retreat southwards to San José. Further north the 41st and 51st Infantry Philippine Divisions manage to halt the Japanese advance near Tarlac for several days before being forced back towards San Fernando. General McArthur is using the time these divisions buy him in order to stockpile supplies upon the Bataan Peninsula to support a defending force of 40,000 infantrymen for the next six months.
Major General Sugiyama takes the town of Khlong Hat and its crossroads after heavy fighting on the 26th December, but is killed leading an attack against Thai infantrymen from the Surin Division at Ban Thung Kanan the following day. Colonel Hotaka Iwahashi takes command of the detachment, and manages to gain control of Hill 808 on the 28th December. 800 Thai soldiers are killed in exchange for 500 of the Japanese invaders. The 7,000-strong Udon Thani Division engages Colonel Tagaki and his men on the 27th December, who are attempting to move south through the valley that the 213th Infantry Regiment has been dispatched to guard. The Japanese eventually repulse the Royal Thai Army Division with nearly 1,100 dead after five days of bloody fighting around the town of Thung Faek, with the Japanese death toll around 850 men
The Japanese 4th Army has not been idle throughout the month, and on the 29th launches it own offensive against the Royal Thai Army. Lieutenant General Yokoyama has moved his Divisions overland through Battambang Province, having been provided with additional Motor Transport Battalions from the 15th Army. The Japanese make a two-pronged offensive into Trat Province, where the five divisions of the Burapha Army have been positioned. Lieutenant General Michisada Osako leads the 57th Division along the coastal road to the south of the Khao Banthat Mountains and assaults the forwards positions of the Watthana Nakhon Division at Ban Chamrung, whilst the 14th Division under Lieutenant General Mitsu Kawanami bypasses the town and moves towards Ban Laem Khaw which it captures by late afternoon despite losing over 1,000 men killed.
This assault, despite two-thirds of the 15th Army being committed to it, is a diversion from the real attack. The troops transports Bordeaux Maru, Tamagawa Maru, Kurama Maru and Kosei Maru anchor offshore of Ao Trat Bay and from here the 1st Reconnaissance and 49th Infantry Regiments come ashore at Ban Laem Pho and march directly upon Trat, which falls the following morning. The Lopburi, Watthana Nakhon and Aranayaprathet Divisions withdraw northwest to Ban Khlong Phlu, but are forced to retreat once again when the 14th and 57th Infantry Divisions renew the attack and drive them from their positions around the village. The Japanese rolling offensive continues to sweep up the southern coast, and the Burapha Army retreats to its next defensive line along the Khao Sabap Hills in Chantha Buri Province.
In the three days of fighting between the 29th and 31st of December, the time that it takes the Royal Thai Army to stabilise the frontline around the town of Khlung, over 2,500 Japanese and 1,900 Thai soldiers are killed.