Tag Archives: Yamashita

This week in the War, 9–15 February 1942: The Fall of Singapore

This week in the war, Singapore—often described as Britain’s ‘Gibraltar of the East’—fell to the Japanese. The British commander, Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, signed the unconditional surrender document on 15 February 1942. Over 120,000 British, Indian and Australian troops became prisoners-of-war. … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

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