Facts, information and articles about the Battle Of Singapore, a battle of World War II

Battle Of Singapore Facts Dates 8–15 February 1942 Location Singapore, Straits Settlements Generals/Commanders Allies:

Arthur Percival (POW)

Gordon Bennett

Lewis Heath (POW)

Merton Beckwith-Smith (POW)

Japanese:

Tomoyuki Yamashita

Takuma Nishimura[1]

Takuro Matsui

Renya Mutaguchi Soldiers Engaged Allies: 85,000

Japanese: 36,000 Outcome Japanese victory Casualties Allies:

5,000 killed or wounded

80,000 captured

Japanese:

4,485

1,713 killed

2,772 wounded Battle Of Singapore Articles Explore articles from the History Net archives about Battle Of Singapore » See all Battle Of Singapore Articles

The Trigger Of War

After being imposed a trade embargo due to its Chinese campaigns, Japan had to look for an alternative source of supplies for its war against the allies in the Pacific War. As a result Japan invaded Malaya.

The Malaya Invasion

Japan’s 25th Army invaded Malaya coming from Indochina moving northwards towards Thailand. This invasion was done simultaneously with the attack on Pearl Harbor in an effort to try and stop the U.S. from interfering in Southeast Asia. The Japan government had persuaded the Thai government to let them use Thai military bases for defense against invasion from the southeast by other nations.

The Japanese 25th Army faced resistance in north Malaya from III Corps of the Indian Army. Although the Japanese were outnumbered they consolidated their forces and were far superior in air support and war techniques. The British constantly allowed the Japanese army to outflank them as they believed that the Malayan jungle was impossible to pass.

Japanese Air Force Supremacy

The air force of the Empire of Japan had more men and was well trained and better equipped than the Malayan pilots who had inferior equipment without any good training. The Japanese air fighter plane the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero helped the Japanese forces gain an upper hand. The Japanese aircrafts managed to sink the British capital ships thus leaving the Malayan peninsula exposed giving room for more Japanese landings. The Japanese made good use of bicycles and light tanks which made it possible for rapid movements in the jungle.