In 1924, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had written that there was “not the slightest chance of war with Japan” in his lifetime. He could not have been further from the truth. His attitude and that of the British forces resulted in calamitous consequences in the defence of Singapore. Although 60 million pounds had been spent between the two World Wars on fortifying Singapore, the planned number of fortifications was ultimately reduced.

Right after Pearl Harbor was attacked, Japanese warplanes sank the HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales off the east coast of Malaya. Led by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita, troops from the 25th Army attacked the northern coast of Malaya at Kota Bharu and moved down the east coast. The Japanese 5th Division landed in Thailand, then moved into the west of Malaya. 

The Malaya campaign was dominated by land battles between the Japanese Army and British Commonwealth troops, comprising British, Indian, Australian and Malayan forces. From the start, the Japanese had air and naval supremacy and soon, with their light tanks and bicycles, were able to move quickly over land. 

The campaign was a complete disaster for the defence forces. By the end of January 1941, the remaining Allied army retreated across the causeway into Singapore, blowing up a hole in the bridge to slow down the Japanese.

The British had not considered that the Japanese would be able to cross the jungle terrain of Malaya easily. They had concentrated their efforts on defending Singapore, then the most important British military and economic colony, from their naval base in Sembawang. 

Despite the damage to the causeway, the 30,000-strong Japanese forces advanced across the Straits of Johor at the north-west of Singapore and attacked the weakest parts of the British defences. They began advancing towards the city, where supplies were beginning to dwindle. General Yamashita demanded unconditional surrender, and British Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, who had 85,000 Allied troops under him, conferred with his senior commanders and agreed.

The capture of Singapore remains the largest British surrender in its entire history, and Churchill himself has named it the worst disaster of the British military. Ultimately, Singapore’s fall and other defeats suffered by the British, badly dented their prestige and morale, contributing to the end of British colonial rule after the war.