Air raid on Pearl Harbor

On 07/08 December 1941 Japanese troops landed at Kota Bharu in Malaya and southern Thailand at the same time as the Japanese Navy aircraft carrier-borne launched a surprise attack on the U.S. fleet and air forces at Pearl Harbor. The attack was carried out to enable Japan to advance through the Asia Pacific region without restriction. Japanese planes sank or damaged most of the US Pacific fleet. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2402 personnel killed and 1282 injured. Japan lost 29 planes and five midget submarines. America declared war on Japan the next day.

Day of surrender at the Ford Factory

The room where Let-Gen Yamashita and Lt-Gen Percival met was a simple office in the Ford Motor Factory. The Four British officers, led by Percival who was white as a paper, sat before a large meeting table. Yamashita and other Japanese officials were at the opposite side. Next these questions and answers were exchanged:

Yamashita: unconditional surrender. Yes or No?

Percival: Answers will be given tomorrow morning.

Yamashita: Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? Our army will make a night attack tonight.

Percival: Please wait until 11.30 p.m. (Japan time)
Yamashita: Up to 11.30 p.m. our soldiers will attack until that time 



Percival ... ..

Yamashita: I asked clearly. Unconditional surrender. Yes or No!

When Lieutenant General Yamashita banged his clenched fist on the table with a hard voice, Percival said: "Yes" and signed the surrender document.

That was 7:50 p.m. on February 15, 1942 .Britain's 100 years dream of a far eastern empire is broken.

This is now a deeply emotional moment for the Japanese, who would later rename Singapore "Syonan" (Southern Light). 

Causeway destroyed

Japanese troops finally entered the city of Johor Bahru on 31 January 1942 after moving south in 55 days of monsoon rains. They are closer than ever before and they can see Singapore in the area opposite from the top of the tower. The British Naval Base in Singapore is now right in front across the narrow Straits of Johor.

The British military engineers had detonated an explosive in the middle of the Causeway 50 meters from the city of Johor Bahru. There is no boat in the Straits of Johor. All is quiet. There is no sound of firing of weapons at all. British and Japanese were equally anxious to wait for the final battle.

Human bridge

The Japanese army's engineer brigade formed a human bridge across the river in the jungle. They built such bridges to help the army cross the river quickly. The bamboo logs on their shoulders felt heavy whenever the soldiers walked over them. In 55 days the Japanese engineer brigades had repaired or built 250 bridges along 1100 kilometer road from Singora to Johore Bharu. This means that the average repair was 4 bridges per day. That's why Japan's Malayan campaign is said as the battle against jungles and bridges.

Previously in the Western Front in 1939-40, a company of German army's engineer brigade had the ability to improve a 9-meter bridge in a day. In the Malayan front, the Japanese engineer brigade repaired more such bridges and in worse condition. Without the work of these engineer brigades, their advance of 20 kilometers per day would not be possible. The efforts of these engineer brigades was one of the main factors in the Japanese victory in Malaya.

The General and the White Flag

                                                           
At 6.40 p.m on the evening.of 15th February 1941, Lt-Gen Arthur Percival, the General-Officer-Commanding, Malaya Command climbed the slope of the 348-meter hill north of the Bukit Timah junction. With the white flag is Captain Wilde, with Brigadier-General Torrance, who carried the British flag.slowly fluttering in the wind. On the right is the sullen-faced Lt-Gen Percival, with Major-General Newbiggins. The defeated Percival and his equally dejected staff officers were being led by Colonel Sugita and a few Japanese soldiers to the Ford Motor Factory to surrender to the Japanese army's commander, Lt-Gen Yamashita.

Nobody had expected this 'Impregnable Fortress' would collapse so easily, let alone Percival. After 70 days since the Japanese army invaded northern Malaya on 8th December 1941 and mere 7 days since they crossed the Johore Straits, Singapore, the mighty British stronghold, had collapsed easily. A new chapter started in World History, when the setting sun of the British Empire bathed by the red Rising Sun of the rapidly expanding Japanese Empire.