The unexpected (or unexpectedly early) fall of Singapore, and the British position in the Far East generally in the months after Pearl Harbor has been attributed to the overall reality that it had been a quiet front in a hot war and therefore was garrisoned by either inexperienced or worn out units. Specific problems included weaknesses in plans, logistics and weapons. The emphasis on defending Singapore from sea rather than land attack was also a factor.
Were the factors that made for British defeats in Singapore, Malaya, Borneo and Burma from Dec 1941 on, factors that would have been less acute if the Japanese had attacked up to one year earlier (Dec 1940) or postponed until a year later (Dec 1942)?