WW2/Battles of WW2/Date-by-Date/Southeast Asia – Japanese Invasion • Curated by Admin Timeline.sg
The week-long battle for the "impregnable fortress" of Singapore, ending in the largest surrender in British military history. (8–15 February 1942)
Chronological Storyline (18 Milestones)
Feb 8, 1942 CE
Percival expects attack in northeast
Lieutenant-General Percival maintained that the main Japanese crossing would come in the northeast sector near the naval base, keeping reserves there rather than reinforcing the northwest. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Percival
Lieutenant General Percival leaving a plane on his arrival in Singapore as the new GOC Malaya By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph K 652 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 4700-10), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=193396562
Feb 8, 1942 CE
Japanese artillery bombards Singapore island
General Yamashita's 25th Army opened a massive artillery barrage on Singapore's northern coast from Johor, softening defences ahead of the imminent crossing of the Johor Strait. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344Fall of Singapore - Pacific War #12 Animated DOCUMENTARY
Feb 8, 1942 CE
Australian 22nd Brigade sector probed
Japanese reconnaissance parties crossed the Johor Strait at night to probe the Australian 22nd Brigade's positions along the northwestern coast, identifying weak points for the main assault. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 9, 1942 CE
Japanese 5th Division lands at Sarimbun
Before midnight on the 8th and into the 9th, the Japanese 5th and 18th Divisions crossed the Johor Strait at Sarimbun Beach in the northwest, overrunning the Australian 22nd Brigade's positions. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 9, 1942 CE
RAF Kallang and Tengah bombed
Japanese aircraft intensified raids on RAF airfields at Kallang and Tengah, rendering them unusable and completing the elimination of British air superiority over Singapore. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 9, 1942 CE
Imperial Guards Division crosses westward
The Japanese Imperial Guards Division crossed the Johor Strait west of the Causeway, adding a third assault axis and stretching Allied defences beyond their breaking point. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 10, 1942 CE
Japanese advance toward Tengah airfield
Yamashita's forces pushed inland toward Tengah airfield and the Bulim area, encountering disorganised Australian and Indian units struggling to hold a coherent defensive line. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 10, 1942 CE
Bennett's 8th Brigade counterattack falters
Major-General Gordon Bennett's Australian 8th Brigade launched a counterattack toward the Causeway sector but was repulsed with heavy losses, failing to halt the Japanese advance. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Bennett_(general)
Portrait of Lieutenant General Gordon Bennett, who commanded the Australian 8th Division during the Malayan Campaign By Not stated at source - This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing for more information., Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15799677
Feb 11, 1942 CE
Yamashita demands unconditional surrender
General Yamashita dropped surrender ultimatum leaflets over Singapore city, demanding unconditional capitulation; Percival rejected the demand outright despite dwindling supplies and mounting casualties. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 11, 1942 CE
Japanese reach Bukit Timah reservoir area
Japanese forces advanced to the Bukit Timah area, threatening Singapore's vital reservoirs and cutting off the island's main water supply lines from the Johor mainland. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 12, 1942 CE
Allied forces retreat to final perimeter
Percival ordered all Allied units to withdraw to a final defensive perimeter around Singapore city, a contraction that packed troops and civilians into a dangerously small area under relentless bombardment. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 12, 1942 CE
Mass civilian casualties in city
Japanese artillery and air strikes on the densely populated city centre killed hundreds of civilians, while water and food supplies ran critically low across the besieged garrison. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 13, 1942 CE
Japanese capture Alexandra area
Japanese troops pressed into the Alexandra and Pasir Panjang sectors, putting them within striking distance of the city centre and the last Allied ammunition and fuel depots. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 13, 1942 CE
Percival's war cabinet advises surrender
With water supplies failing and troops exhausted, Percival's senior commanders advised that continued resistance was futile, though Churchill had earlier cabled insisting that surrender was not to be contemplated. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Percival
Lieutenant General Percival leaving a plane on his arrival in Singapore as the new GOC Malaya By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph K 652 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 4700-10), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=193396562
Feb 14, 1942 CE
Reservoirs fall under Japanese control
The last of Singapore's reservoirs and pumping stations were destroyed or captured by Japanese forces, eliminating the garrison's water supply and making prolonged resistance physically impossible. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 14, 1942 CE
Churchill cables no thought of surrender
Churchill sent Percival a message instructing that there must be no thought of surrender and that fighting should continue to the last man, even as the military situation became hopeless. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill
Karsh called this picture "The Roaring Lion" at the Wayback Machine By Yousuf Karsh - Flickr: Sir Winston Churchill, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=181137175
Feb 15, 1942 CE
Percival surrenders at Ford Factory
Lieutenant-General Percival signed the unconditional surrender of all British, Indian, and Australian forces at the Ford Motor Factory in Bukit Timah; approximately 80,000 Allied troops became prisoners of war. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
Feb 15, 1942 CE
Churchill calls it worst disaster
Winston Churchill later described the fall of Singapore as the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British military history, a blow that shattered British prestige across Asia. · Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Singapore
Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1] By Photographer not identified. "Official photograph". Post-Work: User:W.wolny - This photograph HU 2781 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums(collection no. 5707-03), Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=639344
![Lieutenant-General Percival and his party carry the Union flag on their way to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Left to Right: Major Cyril Wild (carrying white flag) interpreter; Brigadier T. K. Newbigging (carrying the Union flag) Chief Administrative Officer, Malaya Command; Lieutenant-Colonel Kazushi Sugita; Brigadier K. S. Torrance, Brigadier General Staff Malaya Command; Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding, Malaya Command. [1]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Surrender_Singapore.jpg/500px-Surrender_Singapore.jpg)
