Show notes
Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Malayan Campaign. In December 1941, Japan invaded British Malaya, aiming to cripple Allied power. Despite British defenses, General Yamashita's battle-hardened 25th Army overwhelmed them. The British fumbled early, failing to strike Japanese beachheads, while the sinking of Force Z left Malaya without naval protection. At Jitra, the absence of tanks proved devastating for the Indian defenders. Yamashita employed blitzkrieg tactics, using tanks and bicycles to exploit the terrain. The British, spread thin and under-resourced, retreated south, facing constant attacks and encirclements. The evacuation of Penang further demoralized the Allies, with locals turning against their colonial rulers. #220 The Malayan Campaign Part 2: The Collapse of Johore Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. While British forces retreated southward in disarray, a different response was taking shape within the local Chinese population. Ethnic Chinese volunteers, motivated by decades of Japanese aggression in Asia and the brutality of Japan's ongoing war in China, began organizing into military formations to resist where the British colonial administration was failing. These volunteers lacked the resources of official forces, but they possessed something the dwindling British garrisons did not: deep roots in Malayan territory and an existential stake in defeating the Japanese. As British commanders abandoned town after town, Chinese resistance fighters prepared to stay and fight. Despite acts of heroism, such as at Kampar, the Japanese advanced relentlessly. The defenders prepared a new line of defense at Trolak, five miles north of Slim River. Reinforcements arrived, and the 45th Brigade was dispatched to repel the enemy's advance on Kuala Selangor. General Paris established a new defensive line at the Slim River, approximately 50 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. Though the river presented a significant anti-tank obstacle with its consistent 200-yard width, insufficient troop numbers prevented complete coverage. The next delaying action was staged at Trolak, a narrow point 9 miles north of the river. Paris positioned Lieutenant Colonel Ian Stewart's depleted 12th Brigade in the forward constricted area, the 28th Brigade to cover the road and railway, and the 15th Brigade in reserve at Tanjong Malim. This represented a defense-in-depth strategy. Stewart deployed his battalions strategically, but the forward commander, Lieutenant Colonel Wilson Haffenden, was wounded in an air attack shortly after taking position. Japanese fighters exploited the predictable concentration of defenders along the narrow road, attacking with impunity against limited anti-aircraft defenses. The forward battalion's role was to serve as a tripwire, alerting the brigade to large-scale attacks and delaying the Japanese advance. A critical weakness was the inadequate deployment of artillery. Only eight 25-pounder guns were positioned forward, while over sixteen were kept further back for safer withdrawal across the river. The forward defenses also lacked mines and anti-tank guns, though these were available to the supporting battalion. By this point, the campaign had drained morale—troops were exhausted, underfed, unwashed, and sleep-deprived from constant movement, aerial attacks, and minimal time for proper defensive construction. A Tamil laborer reported seeing at least 80 "tanks" in a nearby village. British officers dismissed the report, mistakenly assuming he confused trucks for tanks. The men remained unaware of the imminent danger. The Japanese initiated minor probes along the railway that morning, repelled by artillery fire with approximately 60 enemy dead. The remainder of the day was quiet. Stewart requested 48 hours' rest for his exhausted men. Paris agreed and sent divisional reserves to positions south of Trolak. Ninety minutes after they arrived, the Japanese attacked. Major Hajime Shimada commanded approximately 30 Type 95 tanks and 10 light tanks, plus trucks carrying infantry. After setbacks at Kampar, Shimada convinced his superiors to permit a night armored assault—uncommon in World War II but calculated as a worthwhile risk given the narrow defensive front where artillery could devastate his concentrated force. At 3 a.m. on January 7th, heavy rain fell. Defenders in foxholes along the jungle road heard gunfire at dusk, indicating Japanese attempts to pinpoint positions. At 3:30 a.m., Japanese mortars and artillery shells opened fire. Fifteen minutes later, Japanese infantry within 300 yards attempted to breach barbed wire obstacles. At 4 a.m., tanks arrived, their yellow tracer rounds causing widespread panic. The forward anti-tank gun remained silent, its crew possibly dead or fled. Defenders retreated in chaos. At 4:30 a.m., one of Shimada's tanks detonated an anti-tank mine. The tank behind was disabled by a Boys anti-tank rifle. Punjabi defenders on high ground began launching Molotov cocktails against the vehicles. Shimada's plan backfired. His immobilized armored column became vulnerable to artillery fire, illuminated by the burning Molotov cocktails. The tanks lacked radios; commanders opened hatches to shout orders, exposing themselves to grenades. Ironically, the Molotov fires revealed escape routes, and Shimada's force managed to break through. The opportunity to destroy the entire column was lost, possibly due to the newly arrived reinforcements failing to establish telephone lines for directing artillery fire. By 6 a.m., most Japanese tanks had advanced, mopping up infantry. The leading tanks were halted again by another anti-tank mine. Molotov cocktails were deployed, and two anti-tank guns engaged, destroying one tank. But the crews soon fell silent, possibly unnerved by advancing Japanese infantry. By 7 a.m., organized resistance collapsed, and defenders fled the Trolak area. In the central sector, Captain Kenneth McLeod watched turbaned soldiers stream past: "I stood there like a traffic officer to whom no one pays any attention." Roadblocks were hastily established as commanders attempted to prepare bridge demolition charges. The first four tanks appeared in the remaining darkness, easily overcoming initial roadblocks. The second defensive line included armored cars and Boys rifles. One tank was set ablaze by Molotov cocktail and immobilized by a Boys shot. The armored cars were hit and disabled. Defenders heroically pushed the damaged vehicles to the southern end of the Trolak bridge to delay the Japanese before destroying it around 6:30 p.m. Many Japanese forces bypassed this sector, attempting to encircle fleeing defenders before they reached the Slim River. Tank ambushes along roadways forced many into the jungle. Second Lieutenant Ian Primrose was knocked unconscious during an ambush. Upon regaining consciousness, he discovered Japanese soldiers taking prisoners and segregating the wounded. Primrose recalled: "Everybody had heard the stories about Japanese atrocities in China, but that was Asians dealing with Asians. We never expected this sort of thing to happen to us." Afterwards, surviving prisoners were forced to dig graves for the murdered and carry wounded Japanese soldiers. En route south of Trolak, Paris's reinforcements approached with ammunition and heavy weapons. Shimada's vanguard, led by 2nd Lieutenant Sadanobu Watanabe, ambushed the approaching vehicles. The first two companies—approximately 250 men—were decimated. Watanabe pushed on. Near the Slim River, his tanks attacked the Gurkha brigade's headquarters. Captain Tom Mooney, rather than seeking cover, "drew his .455 revolver, stood his ground and fired upon the tanks until he was shot dead." Watanabe's objective was seizing the Slim road bridge. He encountered Gurkha forces, many young recruits. Major Winkfield recalled: "The next thing I knew a machine-gun blazed in my ear; a bullet grazed my leg and I dived into the ditch as a tank bore down on me. It had passed through half my battalion without my realizing that anything was amiss." The casualties were severe. Colonel Fulton was wounded and later died in captivity. At his headquarters in Tanjong Malim, Archibald Paris remained unaware of the rapid collapse. Two hours after the Japanese attack, intelligence ceased. Reports of enemy breakthroughs surfaced. Paris dispatched Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Harrison to investigate. Harrison recalled: "The next thing I knew was a deafening volley as machine gun bullets shattered my windscreen. I wrenched the wheel hard to starboard, crashed into the ditch, opened the door, leapt out and ran like hell over 50 yards of open ground to flimsy security of some scattered rubber." Behind him, his driver Ghulam, holding a wounded shoulder, asked in bewilderment: "Are those our armored cars, Sahib?" Watanabe continued his advance, killing Lieutenant Colonel Charles Holme, and reached the bridge, defended by Bofors gunners and Hong Kong Artillery men. Their anti-tank guns, using air-burst ammunition, proved ineffective against the Type 95's armor. The gunners fled. Watanabe, injured, remained on the bridge, cutting the wires to the demolition charges. Ensign Toichero Sato led three tanks south of the river toward Tanjong Malim, killing Colonel Augustus Murdoch. A Japanese soldier later remarked of Sato: "He died in an officer-like manner, with his hand on the hilt of his service sword." Tsuji, visiting the wreck, observed: "Sato had collapsed beside his gun like a dish of ame." Harrison, reflecting on the experience in his unpublished history of the 11th Division, could not conceal his admiration for the Japanese: "Heedless of danger and of their isolation they had shattered the division; they had captured the Slim bridge by their reckless and gallant determination." The Battle of Slim River represented a catastrophic collapse of British defenses. In a single night of audacious tank assault, Yamashita's forces had shattered the 11th Indian Division, secured a critical crossing, and opened the road to Singapore. The campaign's southern phase had begun. As British formations collapsed at Slim River and scattered across northern Malaya, Dalforce—the Chinese volunteer army officially formed on December 25th—was already seeing combat. This 4,000-strong unit, hastily organized under Lieutenant Colonel John Dalley and comprised predominantly of ethnic Chinese recruits, had begun operations despite severe handicaps. Many fighters carried sporting rifles rather than military-grade weapons; critical supply shipments had been lost when the SS Empress of Asia sank. Yet they fought. Dalforce members, drawn from Chinese communities throughout Malaya and Singapore, were motivated by more than military duty. Japanese forces had invaded China in 1937, and the brutality of that occupation—massacres, forced labor, cultural suppression—was well known to these volunteers. Many had family connections to China and viewed the Japanese invasion of Malaya as an extension of the same imperial aggression. Unlike British forces, which operated under colonial orders, Chinese volunteers fought for their own survival and that of their communities. Their involvement during this phase remained largely in supporting roles and guerrilla actions, as Dalforce units engaged Japanese forces in skirmishes and ambushes across the peninsula. Though initially integrated with British command structures, their effectiveness and commitment stood in sharp contrast to the demoralization gripping the official military hierarchy. While British brigades were fragmenting and retreating in confusion, Chinese resistance fighters demonstrated the kind of stubborn determination that would characterize their struggle throughout the coming Japanese occupation. General Sir Archibald Wavell arrived in Singapore on January 7th as Percival's forces were collapsing at Slim River. Wavell carried considerable prestige. Despite his mixed record against Rommel in North Africa, even the Desert Fox himself rated Wavell highly. Auchinleck, Wavell's replacement in the Middle East, later wrote of him: "In no sense do I wish to infer that I found an unsatisfactory situation on my arrival—far from it. Not only was I greatly impressed by the solid foundations laid by my predecessor, but I was also able the better to appreciate the vastness of the problems with which he had been confronted and the greatness of his achievements, in a command in which some 40 different languages are spoken by the British and allied forces." Churchill had relieved Wavell in June following failed operations, and he was subsequently appointed commander in chief of ABDACOM (American, British, Dutch, Australian Command) for the Far East. Upon landing, Wavell assumed control of the British Far East Command and immediately traveled to Rasa to assess the situation. He encountered Brigadiers Stewart and Selby—the men responsible for defending Trolak and Slim River. Wavell recalled: "I have never seen two men look so tired." The scale of the catastrophe became apparent. Stewart's 12th Brigade, once formidable, could muster only 430 officers and men—roughly one-sixth its original strength, with barely 200 armed troops fit for combat. Selby's 28th Brigade fared slightly better at 750 men. The sight shocked Wavell, and he immediately suspected serious command failures under Percival. What Wavell did not know was that Percival had already decided to abandon central Malaya forty-eight hours before the Japanese reached Slim Bridge. This strategic decision, however, was proving catastrophic in execution. Wavell quickly grasped that Johor—the last state before Singapore—would be decisive. He needed to buy time for reinforcements and reorganize the scattered forces into defensible positions. Wavell appointed the 8th Australian Division under Major General Gordon Bennett to defend northwestern Johor, while Indian forces took responsibility for southern and northeastern Johor. Bennett, however, was frustrated by the defensive posture. The plan involved retreating 140 miles and abandoning key terrain to establish a new line in northern Johor, bolstered by incoming East Anglian Territorials. Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Harrison, who had narrowly escaped Japanese tanks at Tanjong Malim, later wrote that he "could not conceal his admiration for the men who almost killed him." Japanese officer Mustaph Ghulam observed their "heedless of danger and of their isolation they had shattered the division; they had captured the Slim bridge by their reckless and gallant determination." Even Stewart acknowledged mistakes: "I am rightly criticised for the location of Brigade Headquarters, and for not using the Field Artillery in an anti-tank role...It is no excuse, but I had never taken part in an exercise embodying a coordinated anti-tank defence or this type of attack. The use of tanks on a road at night was a surprise." Wavell intervened decisively in the dispute between Percival and Bennett. Accepting the withdrawal to Johor, he overruled Percival's reluctance to commit the Australians to the threatened western coast. As Bennett put it, they were "going into bat, we must take certain risks on the east coast temporarily in order to organize a good defense on the western side which is immediately threatened." Wavell reorganized Bennett's forces into Westforce, positioning them to counter Yamashita's inevitable coastal advance. Westforce dug in along the Muar River to buy time for Indian forces to reorganize. As the British retreated, they employed scorched earth tactics—burning rubber factories, mines, and fuel stocks. Percival acknowledged the cost to British prestige: "Pillars of smoke and flame rose into the sky as rubber factories, mine machinery, petrol and oil stocks were denied. Small wonder that British prestige sank to a very low ebb among the population." Booby traps inflicted additional casualties on the pursuing Japanese. The 5th Army advanced toward Gemas, where Captain Jack Duffy's engineers prepared a devastating surprise. When the bridge over the Gemensah River exploded, Duffy recalled the chaos: "Japanese bodies, bicycles, timber, rocks and earth flew far and wide in a huge red flash leaving a gaping space where the bridge had been." The 8th Australian Division's ambush mauled the Japanese column. Lieutenant Colonel Frederick "Black Jack" Galleghan held the position, his anti-tank gunners methodically dismantling enemy armor. Sergeant Kenneth Harrison, commanding a 2-pounder, described the grim ballet of tank warfare: "These burst on contact and the flash enabled me to see where we were hitting, and to adjust the sights accordingly. Eventually our infantry sent a message, 'Tank destroyed. Save ammunition.' It lay there with men crawling out like wood bugs from a burning log." After inflicting heavy losses, Harrison and his partner reflected on the moment: "we wave back rather lamely, but that was without doubt the proudest moment either of us will ever know." After 24 brutal hours, Galleghan withdrew. Tsuji, observing the Australians' ferocity, wrote they "fought with a bravery we had not previously seen." Fresh reinforcements—including the 53rd Infantry Brigade—arrived in Singapore, kindling hope that momentum might shift. Yet south of Gemas at Muar, Brigadier Horatio Duncan's 45th Brigade faced Japan's elite: Nishimura's Konoye Imperial Guards Division. The disparity was stark. By January 16th, Muar fell. Lieutenant Colonel John Williams, leading a Jat battalion of teenage recruits, was caught in a Japanese encirclement after being bypassed upstream. He was beheaded by a Japanese officer wielding a katana. On January 17th, Australian reinforcements under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Anderson arrived to stiffen the line at Bakri, but the situation remained precarious. As Duncan's brigade retreated, Percival grasped the threat: the Imperial Guards had become the spearhead. He committed Anderson's 19th Battalion to hold the door open while the 53rd Brigade deployed immediately into combat. One Australian officer, watching newly arrived British soldiers take up positions, noted their shock: "they were a fine body of men but almost dazed by the position in which they found themselves." The contrast was stark—while Australians fought for their lives, a British officer was reportedly heard discussing getting "the officers mess going." At Bakri, the air attacks became horrifying. Lieutenant Ben Hackney witnessed devastation that defied quick description: "just beside the road a naked waist with two twisted legs lay about two yards from a scarred bleeding head with a neck, half a chest and one arm." Gunner Russell Brandon saw their best soldier fall: "the black bastard was dead, our best soldier had not survived and we were now surrounded." The Imperial Guards attacked from multiple directions, tightening their encirclement. Malaya's situation had become critical. The defenders faced a dire situation. Muar had fallen with heavy losses to the 45th Indian Brigade, forcing a disheartening retreat. The Australians were driven from Gemas, and remnants of both forces regrouped at Bakri, establishing a defensive perimeter as Japanese forces converged. Nearly all of Duncan's officer staff had been killed in an aerial attack. The newly arrived 53rd Brigade—the 5th & 6th Norfolks and 2nd Cambridgeshires, fresh from three months at sea—were thrown into the frontlines without adequate acclimation or training for jungle warfare. Percival ordered a counterattack to recapture Muar, mobilizing the Garhwalis reserves for a three-pronged advance. But Lt. Colonel James Woolridge, the Garhwalis' commander, was killed during a dawn reconnaissance patrol. The counterattack collapsed into disaster. Most remaining British officers were killed or wounded; survivors seized Bren guns and attempted to hold a rubber estate before retreating to Bakri amid artillery and aerial bombardment. Australian gunners, watching the fleeing sepoys, dubbed them the "Galloping Garhwalis." On January 18th, General Nishimura of the Imperial Guards Division launched a three-pronged assault that turned into a siege. Captain Shiegeo Gotanda led a tank vanguard at 6:45 AM without infantry support, inspired by Shimada's success at Slim River. Waiting were 2-pounder guns commanded by Lance Sergeant Clarrie Thornton. As six tanks approached in single file through a narrow, heavily vegetated cutting, Thornton's crew hit the first, third, and fourth tanks. The armor-piercing rounds penetrated the T-95s with devastating internal damage. All six tanks were immobilized. A Japanese sniper shot Thornton in the thigh before he was evacuated; he received the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his bravery. Encouraged by this victory, Percival decided to contain the Muar front but misjudged Japanese strength, believing it to be small when it was the entire Imperial Guards Division. Some Japanese forces had landed further down the coast, preparing to cut off the Muar-Bakri line from the south. Colonel Robertson was shot in the leg while riding a dispatch rider's motorbike and did not survive. Duncan, still recovering from an aerial bombardment that killed his officer staff, relinquished command to Lt. Colonel Charles Anderson. Anderson found himself commanding about 1,000 teenage Indian boys—just over a battalion—many only 17 years old. Though he held Indian soldiers in high regard from his East Africa experience, he expressed concern about their immaturity and lack of training. Some of Anderson's Australians launched a counterattack west of Bakri and trapped 200 Japanese soldiers. Platoon commander Patrick Reynolds described the chaos of Japanese soldiers "running in circles." When a seemingly dead enemy soldier suddenly rose with a grenade, Reynolds shot him just as it exploded, injuring himself. Another Japanese attempted to push his rifle toward Reynolds; when his pistol jammed, his batman shot the enemy soldier. The Australians increasingly believed rumors that the Japanese were "fanatics." Sergeant Desmond Mulcahy was searching a fallen Japanese sergeant's body when the man suddenly sprang up with a grenade. Mulcahy grabbed it to prevent detonation, but the Japanese sergeant struck him with it and punched him until another soldier bayoneted the attacker. Private Bluey Watkins set down his rifle to inspect Japanese bodies; one seized it and nearly shot him. The lesson was harsh: capturing Japanese alive was too risky. Private Charles Warden of B Company, just five months shy of 17, remarked, "from the first engagement we learned not to trust their wounded." The Australians killed approximately 140 of the 200 trapped Japanese, suffering only 10 casualties and 15 wounded—their high point in the campaign. By dawn on January 20th, Anderson received orders to withdraw toward Yong Peng. The Imperial Guards Division had established so many roadblocks that encirclement seemed imminent. A single company from the 19th Indians held off the Japanese while the rest retreated toward Parit Sulong, then found themselves nearly surrounded as the Japanese set up additional roadblocks. At the first roadblock, Anderson instructed his Australians to charge with bayonets while singing "Waltzing Matilda." Leading personally, he fired as he directed movements; the men likened him to a comic book hero come to life. As they neared Parit Sulong, Duncan—still recovering from concussion—commanded the rearguard and led a bayonet charge of Jats to recover lost vehicles. Anderson described him as "a very able and gallant officer," but Duncan was killed during the charge. By January 21st, they approached the Parit Sulong bridge, held securely by the Japanese. Two RAF Fairey Albacores and three Brewster Buffalo escorts arrived from Singapore to drop supplies, but when Australians rushed to collect them, they found only canned beetroot instead of bully beef. By January 22nd, Anderson knew holding the triangular perimeter was impossible. He attempted one final assault on the bridge. The Japanese had set up three barricades using sandbags, oil drums, and timber, covered by heavy machine guns on high ground. Approximately 30 Australians stormed while 100 provided cover fire. They breached the first barricade, reached the third, but machine gun fire blew apart the sandbags. With only five Australians left alive, they crawled back. Anderson ended the sacrifice, deeming it futile. He faced an impossible choice: abandon 150 severely wounded and break through the jungle to Yong Peng, about 12 miles away. They believed wounded would receive decent treatment; the Japanese had allowed Australian ambulances to pass at Gemas without interference. They did not yet know the truth. Initially, the Japanese were slow to close in, contenting themselves with sniping and probing. By 2:30 PM, wounded Lieutenants Hackney and Tibbitts lay beneath a wrecked utility truck supporting the rearguard with a Bren gun until ammunition ran out. The first Imperial Guards approached from the west, bayoneting and shooting anyone unable to escape. Those who made it across a drainage ditch were assembled in front of Public Works Department buildings and garages, sitting naked except for boots while Japanese searched them for weapons or maps. Requests for medical attention and water were denied. Many passing troops stopped "to have fun at the expense of the wounded defenders." Hackney noted, "the wound in my back attracted the attention of many who, whenever possible, took delight in kicking and belting the place." The Japanese did not reserve their hatred for whites alone. An Indian soldier with half his hand blown off and bleeding profusely from a thigh wound was beaten into unconsciousness, then when he rose groaning, subjected to frenzied kicks before a bayonet repeatedly thrust into him pushed him into the drainage ditch. When his head surfaced gasping for air, he was shot. Wounded prisoners were crammed into sheds. Hackney described it as "a stinking, scrambling hellhole, full of tortured, groaning, delirious soldiers." Lt. General Takuma Nishimura arrived and ordered disposal of the wounded. Guards appeared with water canteens and cigarettes as war correspondents photographed prisoners reaching for them. Once the correspondents left, the water was poured out, cigarettes pocketed, and prisoners forced back inside. Most Australians were tied together and shot. Japanese officers drew samurai swords to execute Indians. Many were doused with petrol and set alight. In Russell Braddon's words, "after their incineration, they were systematically run over, back and forth, by Japanese-driven trucks." Lance Havildar Benedict knocked the rifle from his executioner's hands and dove into the water, swimming away while Japanese fired wildly. Hackney, stabbed by a bayonet, pretended dead, hearing men burned alive nearby. He eventually found two survivors, Sergeant Ron Croft and another private, both reeking of petrol, who had escaped into the jungle. This became known as the Parit Sulong Massacre. Yamashita later claimed that had he commanded instead of Nishimura, such a massacre would not have occurred. Nishimura later oversaw occupational forces in Singapore and allegedly presided over the Sook Ching Massacre. He received a life sentence after the war but served only four years before returning to Japan. The Australian government apprehended him, subjected him to military court, convicted him, and executed him on June 11, 1951. The Muar battle signaled the end of serious Johore defense. Percival's last chance was a lateral line from Batu Pahat to Mersing, but Yamashita struck with a three-pronged offensive across both coasts and the central trunk road. On January 26th, a Hudson patrol spotted Japanese transports heading toward Endau. Air Vice Marshal Conway Pulford's squadrons—21 Vildebeest and Albacore torpedo bombers, 9 Hudsons, 15 Buffalos, and 8 Hawker Hurricanes—launched a mass daylight attack. The Hurricanes, equipped with air-intake filters and 12 machine guns instead of the usual 8, were less maneuverable than the Zero below 20,000 feet. Among the 24 pilots were 5 Australians, 1 Texan, and 4 Canadians, including future Australian Prime Minister John Gorton, who survived a crash that injured his face against his gunsight. Leading the first wave, Tim Rowland's Vildebeests were outfitted with 250-500 pound bombs due to shallow waters. The wave broke through clouds at 2,000 feet, heavily laden and slow—"an anti-aircraft gunners dream." Rowland's aircraft exploded mid-air before starting his bomb run. RAF Flight Lt Tom Lamb dived toward the beaches, later recalling: "It's a wonder the old crate didn't fall apart. Within seconds the sky was thick with aircraft… it was disconcerting to see rows of holes appearing all over the place in the fabric and hear the twang of parting wires. I could hear Sharp [his Australian gunner] blazing away and I heard him shout that he had got a Zero. At one time I could see five parachutes in the sky and two aircraft going down in flames… I dropped my bombs at little more than tree-top height… doing some vicious skids whenever attacked. Suddenly Gil Sharp gave a shout… A shell had got him right through the knee and the lower half of his leg was hanging off. Wills [sergeant observer] took over the gun." The initial wave faced not only anti-aircraft fire from IJN warships but 19 Nates and a single Nakajima Ki-44 "Tojo." It lost 5 Vildebeests but successfully bombed 2 transports and shot down 1 Nate. The second wave—9 Vildebeests, 3 Albacores, 4 Buffalos, and 7 Hurricanes—encountered problems as escorts arrived late. Before support could assist, 10 Nates and 2 Tojos intercepted them, resulting in the loss of 5 Vildebeests, 2 Albacores, and 1 Hurricane. Over 38 aircrew went missing, with 27 confirmed dead, including both squadron leaders. Air Vice Marshal Paul Maltby assured returning pilots there would be no more daylight attacks like that. Subsequent unescorted waves had little impact. That night, HMS Thanet and HMAS Vampire attempted a hit-and-run torpedo attack. Most torpedoes missed; both destroyers came under searchlight fire. Thanet was hit in the engine room, and her crew abandoned ship. Vampire could not safely rescue them and retreated to Singapore. Of Thanet's crew, 50 men, including Captain Lt. Commander Davis, struggled to reach shore on a grueling march back to Singapore. Some 30 sailors were rescued by the IJN destroyer Shirayuki, including Sub Lt. Danger, Thanet's torpedo officer. The Shirayuki later landed at Endau, where all sailors except Danger were murdered. Danger became significant as the first Royal Navy officer captured by the IJN. Endau fell to the Japanese 18th Division. Japanese forces bypassed Mersing, defended by the Australian 18th Battalion, who were ordered to withdraw as part of a general retreat to Singapore. At dawn, the 18th Battalion reached the Nithsdale rubber estate north of Jemaluang, where they ambushed a Japanese vanguard. Using Bren guns, 16 25-pounders, and mortars firing simultaneously, they trapped Yamashita's 18th Division troops between two companies. However, orders came to disengage and retreat to Jemaluang. By January 27th, Percival instructed all commanders to gather on Singapore; the causeway would be destroyed on February 1st. On January 28th, the 26th Australian Battalion covered Westforce's rearguard south of Simpang Rengam. After a frontal assault, the Japanese launched an outflanking maneuver through rubber plantations to cut the Trunk Road. Anticipating this, Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick "Black Jack" Galleghan launched a decisive counterattack using armored cars, inflicting heavy casualties and forcing retreat in disorder. However, Japanese toxic smoke bombs forced the Australians to withdraw hours later. By January 30th, Galleghan's 26th Battalion reached Singapore safely. Meanwhile, the 15th Brigade garrison at Batu Pahat, including survivors from Slim River and the 5th & 6th Norfolks and 2nd Cambridgeshires, was tasked with holding the defense to facilitate withdrawal. However, they lacked sufficient manpower for multiple choke points. During the Muar operation, the Japanese had inserted a battalion by boat into the area that now reinforced by Nishimura's Imperial Guards, penetrated British defenses on bicycles and established roadblocks similar to those used against Anderson's men. Brigadier Bernard Challen, recently taking over after Moorhead's death, had requested permission to retreat to Senggarang, 10 miles down the coast. Percival insisted on holding the large airfield, only 60 miles from Singapore, awaiting two additional brigades from the 18th East Anglian Division. As time passed, Percival ordered Challen to withdraw, but the message came too late; Challen's approximately 3,000 men were already retreating when they encountered a roadblock just 500 yards beyond a bridge. His force probed the defenses and discovered another block being established behind them. Challen's troops were becoming encircled, and his wireless communications with divisional HQ were down. A relief effort was initiated, sending men with two armored cars to advance 5 miles north of Rengit. They were immediately fired upon from all sides, with another roadblock established behind them. Vehicles and heavy guns were abandoned as they retreated to an outpost at Rengit, soon under siege. A small relief force reached Challen, informing him that Singapore's evacuation was imminent and they needed to hurry. Thus, Challen faced a situation similar to Anderson's at Parit Sulong—forced to leave the wounded behind. One night, as the force tried to cross a river, "a burst of machine gun fire and a salvo of mortar bombs scattered the leading company. The panic spread; many men were drowned in a swamp." Challen attempted to restore order but became hopelessly lost. He encountered Japanese soldiers who shot his Indian orderly. After crawling along the roadside and climbing over barricades (which the Japanese mistook him for one of their own), he stole a bicycle and rode away. At dawn on January 29th, after being separated for over 24 hours, he was captured by an Imperial Guards patrol as he exited a hut. He was the highest-ranking British prisoner captured to that point. Colonel Morrison took command and worked to restore order. Realizing they were cut off, he decided to lead 1,500 men back to the coast and attempt to arrange a naval pickup after dark. Morrison established a defensive perimeter in a coastal village about three miles south of Rengit, less than a mile from the coastal road. The navy responded by dispatching the Yangtze River gunboats Scorpion and Dragonfly, which towed numerous small boats, sampans, and dinghies. As troops navigated through mangroves, the situation drew comparisons to Dunkirk. Men were transported partially submerged in water at night, anxiously wondering about venomous snakes or crocodiles. The force successfully reached Singapore on February 1st after Indian sappers used naval depth charges to create a 70-foot-wide gap in the Causeway. The withdrawal went remarkably smoothly, with the Japanese not pressing hard. Defenders left to the sound of Argyll pipers playing "Blue Bonnets O'er the Border." Despite their good fortune, the cost was significant—several hundred men missing, all artillery abandoned, and about 80% of their Bren guns left behind. The situation on the central front was far worse. Brigadier George Painter's 22nd Indian Brigade, already weakened during fighting in Kuantan and numbering around 2,000 men, was cut off and disappeared while trying to escape into the jungle. The problem occurred because General Arthur Barstow's 9th Indian Division kept Painter's 22nd and Lay's 8th brigades farther inland to prevent outflanking of the Eastern Australians. A railway bridge between the two brigades was blown up prematurely, possibly by accident, severing the telephone line that facilitated communication. Painter had already sent back most wheeled transport, Bren gun carriers, and notably, his headquarters' wireless truck. Without the telephone line, Lay's 8th Brigade could not inform Painter's 22nd of their movement. The Japanese from the 5th Division quickly exploited the gap, inserting themselves between the brigades and effectively cutting off Painter's 22nd. When Barstow realized what happened, he exploded at Lay: "You've sold the show...hel take you, man, get a battalion on that high ground." Barstow made his way to the railway line, intent on warning Painter. Accompanied by two Australian officers and a Sikh, they boarded a push-pull flatbed trolley. They arrived at the blown-up bridge and continued on foot, with Barstow leading the way, distinguished by the red band around his major-general's service cap—a prime target for Japanese snipers, who ultimately shot him dead. After Admiral Phillips, Barstow became the second highest-ranking officer killed in the war to that point. The 22nd was at risk of complete encirclement, prompting their retreat into the jungle. They had not received rations or supplies in some time and had several wounded soldiers whom they refused to abandon. Captain Denis Russell-Roberts noted the stretcher bearers' struggle through jungle swamps at night: "Shortly all four men were floundering in the bog. The man on the off fore position suddenly staggered, his knees were shaking wildly. He sank to one knee with a shout of terror in his hoarse voice and the stretcher lurched over on its side… This was an awful moment and it happened over and over again in one form or another. I think it was the groans and at times the shrieks of the wounded which struck the deepest note of horror… On the other side of the crossing the same difficulties were encountered. There the wounded man would almost inevitably find himself tilted backwards at the same steep angle with his head close to the level of the mud and his body uncomfortably positioned in a semi-vertical position. And through this hell passed twelve stretchers, twelve wounded men who were by now gangrenous, delirious and half-mad, forty-eight gallant men who carried the stretchers… a slow-moving picture of unforgettable misery." Despite their efforts, they ultimately had to leave the wounded behind, entrusting them to Tamil rubber workers at a large estate. The remainder of the brigade continued southward. They encountered approximately 300-400 Japanese soldiers but chose to bypass them; their own men were starving and lacked strength for combat. Just as they prepared a rearguard, they were ambushed. Commander Parkin raised his Thompson submachine gun and urged his men to fire at every visible Japanese soldier, even though most were low on ammunition. Many Indians mistakenly believed Parkin intended to surrender and were stunned when he opted to fight instead. Painter's personal battalion soon encountered more Japanese forces and was forced to surrender. The day after the causeway was destroyed, Brigadier Parkin arrived in Singapore with 24 of his soldiers, having commandeered a Chinese truck, driven to the northern side of the straits, and signaled sampans for rescue. In following days, a few stragglers from Painter's 22nd also reached Singapore, bringing the total to 63 men. Painter's 22nd brigade suffered catastrophic loss, all due to a severed telephone line. Many men did not make it to Singapore, but those who did found only brief respite. Yamashita was now preparing to lay siege to the "Gibraltar of the East," the Fortress of Singapore. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Trapped at Parit Sulong, Anderson's Australians fought through Japanese roadblocks before being forced to abandon 150 wounded—who faced massacre at enemy hands. Meanwhile, Endau fell after a costly RAF raid. Challen's brigade at Batu Pahat retreated through chaos, while Painter's 22nd Indian Brigade vanished in the jungle after a severed telephone line cut them off. Singapore's fortress awaited.