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Battle Of Malaya The Battle of Malaya began when the 25th Army invaded Malaya on 8 December 1941. The Japanese forces were superior in close air support, armour, co-ordination, tactics and experience as the Japanese units had fought in China, unlike the British forces that consisted of mostly young men who were conscripted and did not receive much training. The Japanese fighter aircraft were superior to the British's and were able to achieve air superiority. The British had no tanks as they did not believe tanks could be used in the dense forests of Malaya and this put them at a severe disadvantage. Furthermore, they did not have many anti-tank weaponry to deter or stop the Japanese tanks. The Japanese also used bicycles which allowed swift movement of their forces overland through the thick forests. The naval Force Z, consisting of the battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, together with four destroyers, and commanded by Admiral Tom Philips, had arrived right before the outbreak of hostilities. However, Japanese air superiority led to the sinking of the capital ships on December 10 1941, leaving the east coast of Malaya exposed, allowing the Japanese to continue their landings. The Japanese advanced swiftly down the Malayan Peninsula. By the end of the first week in January, the entire northern region of Malaya had been lost to the Japanese. The Japanese entered and occupied the city of Kuala Lumpur unopposed on 11 January 1942. By mid-January the Japanese had reached the southern Malayan state of Johore and further landings took place at Endau on January 20. On 27 January 1942, Percival received permission from General Wavell to order a general retreat across the Johore Strait to the island of Singapore. The last organised Allied forces left Malaya on 31 January and Allied engineers blew up the causeway to delay the Japanese advancement onto Singapore.
In less than two months, the Battle for Malaya had ended in defeat for the British and resulted in their retreat from the Malaya Peninsular. Nearly 50000 Allied troops had been captured or killed during the battle. The retreat from the Malaya Peninsular marked the end of the Battle of Malaya and the beginning of the Battle of Singapore as the Japanese now focused their attention onto the fortress island. |
