From: Darrell Ramsell (daram@comcast.net)
Date: Tue Nov 16 2004 - 19:52:09 PST
I also learned that another deciding factor was that the 12 inch gun that
were on the island could not be turned around to fire to the north because
they assumed an invasion would come by sea.
Darrell
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack" <milveh@sbcglobal.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 9:21 AM
Subject: Re: [MV] improved performance for mutts
> Slightly off topic, but not a bad thread...if your
> interested in military history.
>
> Re my comments: "Japanese were outnumbered 2 to 1 and
> they were breaking the all rules of conventional
> thinking by coming down thru the jungles of Malaysia
> to attack Fortress Singapore from the rear, hardly
> cricket, eh?"
>
> Reply: "Neither was Pearl Harbor. Looks like both
> countries got caught on the wrong side of the
> unthinkable and the unconventional, and were forced to
> adapt to new realities accordingly."
>
> Rebuttal: The major difference between these two
> disastrous events was the US was attacked in peace
> time and without warning. To make matters worse it
> was while diplomatic negotiations were under way.
>
> On the other side of the pond, Singapore had been
> constructed to be fortress in the event of war and
> when war came they WERE on high alert.
>
> Before the actual battle for Singapore the British had
> fought skirmishes with an unexpected quickly advancing
> enemy through miles of jungle while suffering heavy
> casualties that shocked those who believed Japanese
> were inferior fighters and couldn't win a real battle
> against professional soldiers.
>
> Soon there was little doubt about the ferocity of the
> Japanese solider as the advanced and slaughtered
> wounded and captured allied soldiers alike. It has
> been well documented they used gasoline to burn some
> captured Australians alive and wreaked absolute havoc
> on the local civilian population, just to make a
> point.
>
> As they closed on Fortress Singapore there was about
> 100,000 defenders. The Japanese were tired, close to
> starvation and without armoured or air support.
> Barely 60,000 strong with many unfit for combat.
>
> Unfortunately, Japanese on rickity bicycles, tires
> worn off and clanking along on the rims made the
> British think tanks were approaching. When a
> concentration of Japanese forces attacked a weak
> defensive area, that action convinced the 2 faint
> hearted British generals in charge that it was a
> hopeless situation and they failed to support their
> men with reinforcements. Rather than fight to bitter
> and die with their men as ordered by Churchill, those
> commanders choose surrender. They were same lot that
> failed to issue the heavy weapons to troops because
> they hadn't been properly trained to use them!
>
> That fateful decision sold-out the garrisoned British
> soldiers, good soldiers that were prepared to take on
> the more experienced Japanese and if necessary fight
> to the death just as Churchill had ordered.
>
> I've spoken to few of the survivors and I believe this
> is absolutely true and most history books support
> this. I also believe this sort of action would likely
> have turned the tide of battle, brought honour to the
> British Empire at a time when it was needed most.
> Instead it was one of the darkest days in British
> military history.
>
> Quite a bit of difference between Pearl and Singapore,
> wouldn't you say?
>
>
>
>
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