NOSTALGIA MALAYA - TIME LINE

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Thread ini bertujuan untuk mengimbau kembali denyut nadi serta suka duka kebangkitan sebuah negara bernama Malaysia. Ianya dimulakan  dengan peristiwa Pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu 64 Tahun lalu....Sebarang penambahbaikan adalah dialu-alukan....

1941
6 November

The Asama Maru evacuates about 450 Japanese men and women from Singapore. The Japanese Consul-General is at the harbour to wave them good-bye.



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19 November 1941

The Straits Times reports Japanese troops movements southwards in Indochina and the arrival of more troops in Indochina.



30 November 1941
         
Samah Harbour, Hainan, Southern China -

A coded message is handed to Lt-Gen Tomoyuki Yamashita commanding officer of Japan's 25th Army, aboard his 10,000-ton headquarters ship, Ryujo Maru.

It reads: ``X-day December 8, Proceed with plan." Tokyo has set the date for the invasion.

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1 December 1941
         

Samah Harbour, Hainan -

Yamashita plans his campaign with the aid of maps supplied by Japanese born Malay Planters, these detailed tracks and roads that could be used, Yamashita marked with pencilled crosses the approximate positions of airfields. Yamashita begins and ends each day with a prayer, bowing reverently towards the Emperor's palace in Tokyo.

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2 Dicember 1941
Singapore -

The arrival of the battleship, HMS Prince of Wales, and the battle cruiser, HMS Repulse, proves a psychological shot-in-the-arm for flagging British colonial morale. The two capital ships in with four escort destroyers, HMS Electra, HMS Express, HMS Tenedos and HMAS Vampire


3 Dicember 1941
Samah Harbour, Hainan -

Yamashita decides he'll attempt to capture Singapore on February 11th, Japan's National Day and the 2,600th anniversary of Emperor Jimmu's coronation.


4 Dicember 1941
Samah Harbour, Hainan -

As dawn breaks the Japanese invasion fleet nudges into the open sea and sets course south. For the first time in several days Yamashita emerges from his cabin and, scanning the skies, notes that the sun and moon are together visible. A good omen, he reassures himself. He writes a short poem to mark the occasion.

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5 December 1941
Singapore -

Air Chief Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, Britains Commander-in-Chief, Far East receives authority to launch the top secret, pre-emptives operation `` Matador" without prior reference to London.


6 December 1941
Kuala Lumpur -

Lt-Gen Arthur E.Percival, Britain's General officer Commanding Malaya, is in conference with Lt-Gen Sir Lewis Heath, 3rd Indian Corps Commander, when first reports of an approaching Japanese fleet are received. Percival orders transmission of the pre-desnigated emergency codeword ``Raffles" to all units. Immediately all British forces within Malaya Command are brought to ``action alert." Percival makes preparatory moves for launching ``Matador", then flies back to his Malaya Command Headquarters at Fort Canning in Singapore.

Singapore -
Evening discussions take place between Sir Shenton Thomas, the Governor, Brooke-Popham and Percival, Brooke-Popham hesitates over ``Matador" then decides it is premature to launch the operation. The moment is lost.



7 December 1941
Singapore -

At another top level Malaya Command conference, called at 10.30pm in the Naval Base's War Room, Brooke-Popham again hesitates over ``Matador". He decides to delay the operation, at least for the night.

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8 December 1941
Kota Bahru - Singora - Patani -

Shortly after midnight troops from Japan's 25th Army make co-ordinated landings and ultimately establish beach-heads at these three east coast points. At Singora and Patani the Japanese 5th Division comes ashore unopposed. But at Kota Bahru units of the invading 18th division meet stiff resistance and suffer resistance and suffer heavy casualties.

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9 December 1941
       
Kota Bahru Airfield -
Advancing Japanese, now backed by freshly landed tanks, hurl back the British Indian defenders and swing south to capture Kota Bahru township by 2pm.


Singora -
Yamashita prepares for an all out drive to seize the northern Kedah township of Jitra, a strategically important road and railway junction commanding approaches to Britain's key northern airfields at Alor Star and Sungei Patani to the south. He despatches the Saeki Detachment and the Kawamura Brigade down the Singora - Jitra road. After repelling weak British Indian resistance at Sadao, the lead units of this second front cross the border into Malaya by midnight.

Betong, Southern Siam -
Driving south down the Patani - Kroh road, the Ando Detachment of the Japanese 5th Division wipe out Indian troops rushed north across the frontier to Betong.

Butterworth -
All but one in a squadron of British Blenheim bombers are wiped out by a Japanese air raid on Butterwortli airstrip moments before the lumbering craft are due to take off for an attack against Singora. The surviving RAF pilot, Sqd-Ldr A. S. K. Scarf, decides to fly alone to Singora and drop his bombs. Mortally wounded in the attack on the Japanese-held airfield, Scarf crash-lands his Blenheim at Alor Star, reckoning he will be unable to stay conscious for the trip back to Butterworth. The lives of his crew are saved but Scarf dies a few hours later in the Alor Star hospital. He is posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's top medal for valour, and becomes the first VC in the Malayan campaign.

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KEGAWATAN KETIKA PRINCE OF WALES DIBOM OLEH KAPAL TERBANG JEPUN

10 December 1941
       
South China Sea, off Kuantan -
Japanese Navy bombers sink HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse in an action lasting one and a half hours. Britain is dealt her greatest ever naval disaster.



Singapore -
Britain's Cabinet Representative in the Far East, Mr A. Duff Cooper, inaugurates a War Council of which he becomes chairman. Australia's top military commander, Maj-Gen Gordon Bennett, is not invited to sit on the council but is informed he may attend meetings if he wishes.



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Iin Jitra the Murray-Lyon had placed the 15th Brigade on the right, 6th Brigade on he left and 28th Brigade in reserve, the front line covered 24,000 yards and 6th Brigade had to hold three-quarters of that. Two batteries of 155th Field Regiment, 22nd Mountain Regiment and the 8th Antitank Regiment supported the infantry, and 1/14th Punjab supported the main position. At 0800 hours on the 11th December the Punjab unit came under attack and were soon over run and two ant-tank guns were lost. They then started to withdraw but at 1500 hours were told to hold Nangka, two miles before Jitra. Before they could do this the Japanese had caught up the rear guard and carried on though the column causing the unit to break up and run for cover leaving ant-tank guns that had not even been fired. When the Japanese came up against the 2/1st Gurkhas  at Asun  they were held but the Gurkhas were soon over run by the larger forces and had to withdraw. After dark the outpost troops of 6th Brigade were withdrawing to the main Jitra positions with seven ant-tank guns and four mountain guns, when they approached a bridge ready for demolition a officer thinking they were Japanese blew the bridge, there were no engineers or materials to repair it so the guns had to be abandoned to the oncoming Japanese.

Saeki decided to attack the troops at Jitra during the night of the 11th and in doing so suffered heavy losses by the allied positioning of their machine guns. Saeki then decided to throw everything he had at the centre of the British defences and succeeded in driving a deep wedge into their positions before he came up against the Leicesters and the 2/2nd Gurkhas who stopped the Japanese attack, the 2nd East Surreys then counterattacked to help the Leicesters. By the 12th December Major-general Kawamura commanding the 9th Infantry arrived at Jitra and sent his 41st Regiment down the eastern side of the main road and the 40th Regiment down the western side to assist Saeki who was still being held by the Leicesters. Murray-Lyons ordered the Leicesters to withdraw behind a stream called the Sungei Jitra, the Leicesters had fought bravely and their good positions were argued but they had to obey the order. Later that evening with rumours about positions being over run he signalled Heath that he wanted to withdraw to behind the Sungei Kedah at Gurun. Heath and Percival who were still in Singapore agreed and Percival gave the order:

慖t is decided that your task is to fight for the security of North Kedah. It is estimated that you are opposed by only one division. Consider the best solution may be to hold up the advance of enemy tanks on good obstacles and dispose your forces to obtain considerable depth on both roads and to obtain scope for your superior artillery. Reserves for employment in the divisional area are being expedited.'

Murray-Lyon was therefore given permission to withdraw at his discretion, so at 2200 hours he sent the orders to go back fifteen miles south behind the Sungei Kedah. The moral now amongst the troops was very low, practically the Leicesters who thought they had been in a good position. The withdrawal was not planned at all and it was left to unit commanders to get their men back. Hundreds of men and guns were lost at Jitra and the moral of the troops was low and their faith in the command took a heavy knock.

The 13th December saw the 11th Indian Division falling back to behind the Kedah at Alor Star with 28th Brigade providing rearguard action. Many of the troops had lost their weapons in the rush and confusion at Jitra and were in a state of shock trying to find their units, the Japanese did not help the situation as they had infiltrated the Allied ranks with snipers dressed as Malays. To slow up the Japanese advance the bridge across the Kedah was blown up and charges were laid that night. On the 14th December while waiting for the last stragglers to cross Murray-Lyon was confronted by two Japanese motorcyclists, these were shot and the road and rail bridges were blown. At this time more Japanese arrived and tried to cross the river but the 2/9th Gurkhas drove them back,



Indian_Troops Looking at his troops Murray-Lyon decided they were not in any condition to withstand the Japanese and to give them time he would retreat twenty miles to Gurun, and the expected reinforcements might arrive. So again they retreated in the monsoon weather to Gurun only to find no defensive positions had been set up, they had to carry out exactly the same hurried defences as at Jitra. Murray-Lyon set up his positions astride the main road three mils north of Gurun and hoped thinking he would have time for his troops to recuperate. This hope was dashed when soon after midday on the 14th December Japanese transport were seen approaching, the Japanese engineers had repaired the bridges in only thirty hours. Antitank gunners knocked out the first tank, the Japanese infantry then attacked the Punjabis to the left of the road and after two hours of fighting the force of the attack was telling, Brigadier Lay knew something had to be done and he counterattacked, the Punjabi position was stabilised.

At a meeting just south of Gurun, Murray-Lyon told General Heath that his troops were not in condition to withstand another retreat but if they had to a strong defensive position should be chosen  and a concentrated defines should be planned, with transportation for his troops. General Heath agreed that the 11th Division should hold Gurun and the 12th Brigade would hold the Japanese to the east at Kroh and Grik. After a conversation on the phone that night with Percival, Heath got his way and it was agreed that the 11th would retreat a further sixty mile to a defensive position beyond the Perak River delaying the Japanese as long as possible so Penang could be evacuated.



That night the Japanese attacked in numbers and drove a gap in the Punjabi defences and reached the 2nd East Surrey headquarters and then the 6th Brigade headquarters, killing everyone there, when Murray-Lyon saw the damage he immediately ordered a seven mile withdrawal, but finding the numbers of troops left, sent more orders to withdraw behind the Muda River. The remaining troops had some luck as the Japanese had been hit hard as well and they did not follow up on the action giving the remains of the 11th Division time to fall back, giving the British time to evacuate Penang.

There were many reasons for the Jitra defeat, the wide area for the troops to cover allowing the Japanese to out flank them, the confusion when Matador was called off and not having any defines of Jitra ready to fall back on. There was too many mistakes and poor judgement which caused this long retreat back towards Singapore by the demoralised troops.

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In Malaya, under heavy rain, Japanese troops reach the Jitra
Line, which the British have been buiding for six months. Barely
500 Japanese troops attack the 11th Indian division amid the
downpour, crumpling all but the Leicesters and the 22nd Gurkhas.
The 11th Indian Divison flees in panic. 15th Brigade loses a
fourth of its men, 28th Brigade more than 700 men. More than
3,000 British and Indian troops surrender. The Japanese capture
50 field guns, 50 heavy machine guns, 300 trucks and armored
cars, and three months provisions, ammunition, and fuel, to the
great relief of Japanese supply officers. The Japanese lose
barely 27 killed and 83 wounded. Historians describe the battle
of Jitra as "a major disaster, a disgrace to British arms."
     The cause of this debacle is the poor training of the
British and Indian troops for jungle warfare, poor equipment
(British guns can only fire 12 rounds a day) and weak British
leadership. Lt. Gen. Sir Lewis Heath, leading the 3rd Corps has a
"withdrawal complex." Australian Maj. Gen. Gordon Bennett is only
concerned with providing snappy quotes for reporters and his own
escape. Lt. Gen. Arthur Percival, the army commander, is an
unimaginative staff officer who refuses to build entrenchments on
Singapore Island because it would be "bad for morale." Sir
Shenton Thomas, the senior civilian, refuses to break civilian
rules of long lunch breaks and weekends off. And the overall
commander, Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, is "near
nervous collapse."


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12 DECEMBER 1941
       
Singapore -
Malaya Command issues orders for the retreat to Kuala Krai and the secret withdrawal of the defeated Kota Bahru force down the rail line to Kuala Lipis.

Kroh -
Japanese launch a heavy attack on the 3/16th Punjab Regiment. British war planners fear the invaders are attempting a bold pincer movement to eliminate the entire north-western defence link in one dramatic action.

Penang -
Eighty-five Japanese dive-bombers direct massive air raids on Penang inflicting 2,000 casualties on the islands civilian population.


. Bicycles were an important factor behind the quick advance of the Japanese forces through Malaya. The three divisions of the Japanese Army engaged in the campaign were equipped with about 18,000 bicycles.

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13 December 1941
North-western Front -

The British north-western front-line is in full retreat south of Jitra. Japan's unopposed airforce compounds the confusion with relentless bombing and strafing raids on the fleeing, exhausted defenders. Advancing Japanese ground forces have taken to bicycles and disguise themselves in local dress as they infiltrate south.

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14 DECEMBER 1941
Singapore -
Britain's Far East War Council decides that as Penang can only be held another three to four days at best, it will be abandoned.

Northwestern Front-
As the British retreat from Alor Star to the south, the Japanese enter from the north. The invading troops first swarm onto the Alor Star airfield and find it virtually intact. Bombs are stacked in neat piles waiting to be loaded. In an adjoining rubber plantation are 1,000 drums of high octane aviation fuel. In the main RAF officers mess, porridge, still hot and ready to serve, sits amid the polished silver on the long dining table. By midday the Japanese begin flying their aircraft in from Singora and Patani. By evening a squadron of Japanese light bombers, fuelled by British gasoline and loaded with British bombs, departs Alor Star air base to attack the retreating defenders who forgot their demolition-before-departure drill.




TINGGALAN KUBU-KUBU (PILL BOX) YANG DIBINA ASKAR BRITISH SEKITAR BUKIT PINANG DAN AIRPORT KEPALA BATAS, ALOR SETAR

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15 DECEMBER 1941
       

Alor Star - Yamashira moves his HQ to Alor Star and that evening he and his senior staff officers gather in the abandoned RAF officers' mess for dinner to celebrate the first stunning phase of their Malayan campaign.

Butterworth - British abandon the RAF Butterworth air base after a week of intensive Japanese air raids.

North-western  Front -  Remnants of the demoralised Indian 11th Division are scattered in groups between the Muda River and Bukit Mertajam, having suffered crippling losses in men and weapons.

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16 DECEMBER 1941
       
Penang -
British evacuate Penang Island. Article: Penang

North-western  Front -
Heath's frontline is in complete disarray. His British Indian troops are exhausted by lack of sleep and food. They are rattled by persistent Japanese air attacks. They have no answer to the invaders' superior ground tactics that highlight encirclement, infiltration and outflanking moves. Huge casualties add to their demoralisation. With the Japanese now clearly thrusting the main body of their Patani landing force down the mountainous back road from Kroh, Heath orders a desperate withdrawal, first to the Krian River, 30 miles (48 kin) from the key road junction at Kuala Kangsar, then beyond to the Perak River.

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The island of Penang was known by the British as Fortress Penang but in reality it had four anti-aircraft guns and a garrison of 500 untrained troops. The first air raid against the island took place on 11th December, with twenty-seven Japanese bombers flying in a V-formation. The civilians took to the streets to watch not knowing what was to come. After flying over the town the planes turned and bombed in groups of three. The bombs dropped included heavy demolition, light anti-personal and incendiary, nearly all the bombs were dropped on the densely crowded native quarters in Georgetown.

The emergency services were mainly run by untrained Chinese and although they tried their best, they were under increasing pressure as many of the local population who had decided to take to the hills got in the way. It was a scene of utter confusion, and a direct hit on the fire station meant there were no fire fighting equipment, fires went on burning for days with corpses left littering the streets, after a few days the smell from these became unbearable. Law and order broke down and looting of the shops began. The next two days saw heavier action as the Japanese increased the number of planes, but they did meet with some opposition from the RAF from Butterworth on the mainland.

The British started evacuating on the 13th but the orders included only British born personnel and civilians, this caused a feeling of despair among the Asiatic population, and anger towards the British for leaving them to fend for themselves at a time when they wanted leadership. Not all the British left Penang, Dr. Evens of the General Hospital stayed to look after his patients and was later allowed to the Japanese to continue his work.

On the 17th December the Kobayashi Battalion of the Japanese 5th Division landed on Penang from small boats and the island was theirs without a single casualty. The British had not applied the scorched-earth policy very well and left the Radio Station working. The Japanese did not waste any time in broadcasting  proper gander to Malaya and their opening words were:

慔ello, Singapore. This is Penang calling. How do you like our bombing.

Some Japanese troops tried to claim their spoils of war, taking anything they wanted and killing anyone who got in their way. Tamashita heard about this and swiftly dealt with three soldiers convicted of rape by a court martial, he had them executed by a firing squad and their commanding officer, Lt-Col Kobayashi put under thirty days close arrest.

The Asiatic was losing confidence in the British to defend them, especially when the British left them to fend for themselves on Penang, up till now the British were their masters and above reproach, they now would be viewed in a different light.



KUBU TINGGALAN BRITISH DI BALIK PULAU PULAU PINANG

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17 DECEMBER 1941

Alor Star -
The advance party of the Imperial Guards Division including the divisional commander, Lt-Gen Takuma Nishimura, and his Chiefof-Staff, Maj-Gen Imaye, arrive by rail from Bangkok. Immediately animosity and suspicion erupt between Yamashita and the two Imperial Guards' generals. Yamashita finds Nishimura arrogant and aloof. From Imayc, formerly a lecturer at the Tokyo War College, there radiates an air of intellectual superiority. Yamashita finds Imaye even more insufferable than Nishimura. The High Command tension, germinated here, becomes a major thorn in the 25th Army commander's side for the entire campaign.

HangPC2

ader saper tau pasai masa perang dunia kedua..

pertempuran udara yg terhebat '' BATTLE OF JITRA'' kat kedah..

maser aku balik kampung lalu di kawasan kuala ketil banyak bunker (Kubu Pertahan Udara) milik britsh banyak kat ladang kelapa sawit.. dan kesan bekas kawasan lapangan terbang jepun masih ader lagi...

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18 DECEMBER 1941
       
Ipoh -
Percival flies to Ipob for an important strategy meeting with Heath. The two British generals recognise the pointlessness of attempting any protracted defence effort across the terrain north of Ipoh. Malaya's second largest population centre will be given up without a fight. Before driving south together for a reconnaissance of likely defence positions, Percival and Heath patch-up Britain's badly-mauled front-line units. The Indian 6th and 15th Brigades become the Indian 6/15th Infantry Brigade. Two brigades of the 16th Punjab Regiment are amalgamated and the separate British battalions

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20 DECEMBER 1941
       

Perak River -
Switching tactics, Japanese troops take to rafts on the Perak River and infiltrate south to attack the British at Lenggong and drive them back to Kota Taman. For the next 24 hours, however, the Argylls turn the tables on the Ando Detachment at Kota Tampan and inflict severe casualties before being ordered to withdraw south.

21 DECEMBER 1941
       
Grik to Kuala Kangsar Road -
Expanding the raft infiltration technique, Japanese field commanders. begin floating troops down Chenderoh Lake which lies east of the Grik to Kuala Kangsar road. While some rafts are detected and sunk, sizeable numbers of invading troops under cover of early morning darkness, slip behind British front lines, by-passing Kuala Kangsar completely Their targets: the key road and rail bridges south of Kuala Kangsar. Sensing another disaster in the making, Maj-Gen D.M. Murray-Lyon, commander of all British troops west of the Perak River, orders an immediate general withdrawal this night.

22 DECEMBER 1941

Grik Road -
Retreating down the Grik Road the 3/2 nd Punjab Regiment blunts the Japanese advance briefly with two well engineered ambushes. These inflict heavy casualties on the invaders. But they are the final British actions west of the Perak River.

Kuala Kangsar Area -
Japan's Imperial Guards Division arrives from Bangkok to relieve the tired Ando Detachment which has been fighting without rest since landing at Patani (Siam) on December 8.