RSS Feed
December 30th, 2015 
Awake Goy If the British ran the rest of the Empire as they had run things recently in Singapore, then they did not deserve to have an empire at all.’ ~ Ian Morrison, London Correspondent of the Times (Spring 1942)
Despite being aware that America’s pre-war blockade of Japan was designed to provoke war, Britain’s Singapore was left virtually defenceless. The invading Japanese Army, mostly mounted on push-bikes, early in February 1942, cycled into the city’s approaches. Despite the city having been bombed, there was no one on duty to sound the sirens. Street lights were still blazing because no one could find the key to the master switch. Regulations insisted that telephone calls be limited to three minutes; telephone communications were cut when the caller’s three minutes were up.
Dubbed the Pearl of the Orient, a last minute attempt to build Singapore’s defences was delayed for ten days while they argued over how much the coolies should be paid. The secretary of the golf club insisted that no guns could be mounted on the links until he had consulted with the committee.
Airfields had been set up without a thought to their defence. It never occurred to anyone that the army should be consulted. As a consequence, the airfields were abandoned on the run. British troops retreated from positions that were not being attacked and England’s finest disobeyed orders to counter-attack. As morale collapsed the army’s deserters swarmed into Singapore and added to the chaos.
Finally, on February 14 1942, the British Army, buckling at the knees with ample munitions, surrendered to the Japanese. The Japanese army was barely one-third of the British Army’s strength and was down to its last 100 rounds per man. Just three days before the fall of Singapore the European population still refused to believe in their imminent fate.
“In front of the Raffles Hotel cars are depositing patrons to the daily tea dance,” wrote Yates McDaniel of the Associated Press. “Outside, the people are queuing to see Joel McCrea and Ellen Drew in the film Reaching for the Sun. One can only wonder at the irony in the film’s title.”
The largest vessel to flee Singapore before the Japanese arrival was the MV Empire Star. The liner was packed with wives, children, and services personnel who had no contribution to make to the ‘battle’. When 140 Australian deserters stormed up the gangway, Captain Atkinson, a Royal Navy officer tried to turn them back. He was shot dead where he stood. Military Police arrived, but by then the deserters were levelling their weapons with the full intention of using them. Because women and children were milling about the Military Police (MP) dared not respond. When the liner liberated itself from the fallen city the deserters were still on board. What happened to these 140 men is cloaked in mystery. It was said that one in five were randomly selected and shot as a reprisal. Other stories suggest that the figure for those shot was 1/10. This was another dark secret of World War Two.
When asked later to explain the ignominious fall of Singapore to the House of Commons the normally eloquent unelected premier Winston Churchill searched uselessly for an answer. Such was the debacle of the humiliating Fall of Singapore.
Source Article from http://renegadetribune.com/thought-dunkirk-bad/
Related posts:
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
