This week in the War, 5–11 January 1942: The fall of Kuala Lumpur

Japanese troops advance into Kuala Lumpur, 11 January 1942 [Public domain, Australian War Memorial]

Japanese troops advance into Kuala Lumpur, 11 January 1942 [Public domain, Australian War Memorial]

Japanese forces were on the move throughout South-East Asia.

In the Philippines, they were advancing towards the Bataan peninsula. In Malaya, Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita’s troops crossed the River Slim on 7 January 1942 and were advancing, with armoured support, towards Kuala Lumpur. On 10 January, Japanese forces staged a landing on the (oil-rich) island of Tarakan in Borneo; American general Douglas MacArthur inspected Bataan’s defences; and the British finally abandoned Kuala Lumpur. The Japanese moved into the city almost immediately.

Japanese troops in a street in Kuala Lumpur, 11 January 1942 [Public domain, Australian War Memorial]

Japanese troops in a street in Kuala Lumpur, 11 January 1942 [Public domain, Australian War Memorial]

During this period, General Archibald Wavell arrived in Singapore to take charge of British defences and, in Washington D.C., President Roosevelt proposed to Congress a target of 125,000 planes and 8 million tons of shipping to be built within the next two years.

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