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3. Singapore Capitulates and the INA Blossoms
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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34 CHAPTERTHREE SingaporeCapitulates andtheINABlossoms I BRITISHBASTION IN 1824 Sir Stamford Raffles succeeded in effecting the transfer of theislandofSingaporetotheBritishEastIndiaCompany.Fromthat timeonSingaporebecamethebastionofBritishdominationofAsia. FortificationoftheislandhadnotbeenrestrictedbytheWashington NavalConferencequotasof1921-2,andBritainhadsubsequentlyspent manymillionsofpoundssterlingmakingthedefences“impregnable”. SincetheoutbreakoffightinginChinain1937Britainhadcompleted the naval port and further consolidated its strength with Australian andIndiansoldiers.Asanisland,Singaporehadnaturaldefencesas well.Britainboastedthefortresscouldneverbecapturedbysea.There was,however,anAchillesheelnotedbyJapaneseintelligence:therear defencesnearJohoreBahruacrossthestraittothenorth.TheBritish discounted the possibility of the JapaneseArmy reaching Singapore overland through the jungles ofThailand to approach from the rear. Britishmilitaryintelligencereportsfailedeventomentionthelackof fortificationsforthedefenceofSingaporetotherearuntil19January 1941.1 Britishstrategyreliedentirelyonthedefenceofthesea-front, countingonBritain’straditionalnavalsupremacy. Prime Minister Churchill was dumbfounded to hear of the vulnerability ofSingaporetothenorth.HetelegraphedGeneralWavell, Supreme Commander ofAllied Forces in the Southwest Pacific, on 20 January 1942, a month after the invasion of Malaya: “I want to 03IndNatArmy.indd34 3/26/0810:30:40AM 35 makeitabsolutelyclearthatIexpecteveryinchofgroundtobedefended , every scrap of material or defences to be blown to pieces topreventcapturebytheenemy,andnoquestionofsurrendertobe entertained until after protracted fighting among the ruins of Singapore City.”2 But for Churchill there was an even more critical objective than holding Singapore, as he indicated in a communiqué to General Ismay the same day: keeping open the Burma Road as theavenuetoChinesetroops,whohadbeenmoreeffectivethanany others against the Japanese.3 Despite Churchill’s belated concern, however, little was done to strengthen the defences of Singapore to the north between 20 January and the night of 7 February when the first Japanese landing barges wove their way through dense mangroveswampsacrosstheJohoreStrait. The pivotal point of the defences was the narrow causeway connecting Singapore with Johore Bahru to the rear. To the east of the causeway were the crucial Seletar ‘naval port defences. Further east still was Ubin Island guarding the eastern entrance to the strait. II JAPANESEATTACK Salient points of the Japanese strategy of attack were to destroy theenemynorthofthestraitinJohore,tomakefeintsandblockthe sectoreastofthecauseway,andthentomountthemainattackfrom thewestsideofthecauseway.SincetheBritishhadnoinklingfrom whichsideofthecausewayGeneralYamashita’smainassaultmight come if from the rear, the strategy of feints from the opposite side was well calculated. The Japanese assault was to be a co-ordinated air force, naval, and artillery operation, and three divisions were deployedfortheattack:the5th,18th,andthecrackKonoeImperial Guards Division. Small motor-boats and collapsible launches were preparedbytheengineersforeachdivision. General Yamashita’s command headquarters moved into the Johore Imperial Palace from which all preparations and movements inthestraitcouldbecloselywatched.Thepalaceonthepromontory wassoclearlyvisiblefromallsidesthattheBritishdidnotevensuspect itwasbeingusedastheJapanesecommandpost.Itwasagrand deception. 03IndNatArmy.indd35 3/26/0810:30:41AM [18.213.110.162] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 12:04 GMT) 36 Atmidnighton7Februaryasmallforceoftwentymenhadbeen readied under orders of Mohan Singh and Fujiwara to help decoy BritishattentiontoUbinIslandandtheeastofthecauseway.Theparty was under command of CaptainAllah Ditta and included three men fromtheFKikan.Thiswasthefirstcrucialco-operativeventureofthe INAandFKikan.Itwasasuccess.TheAllahDittapartymanoeuvre was also co-ordinated with the action of the Konoe Division on the nightsof...