Lest We Forget – Fall of Singapore (15 Feb 1942)

They came by land, air and sea. Although Singapore was heavily fortified, they were all pointed towards the sea. So the invading Japanese Imperial army came by land.

On 8 December 1941, Singapore experienced war for the first time when the Japanese bombed the city. On the same day, Japanese troops landed on the northeast coast of Malaya and began their invasion. After a swift 70-day campaign, the Japanese – to almost everyone’s surprise – defeated the British and occupied the Malay Peninsula and Singapore.

The Japanese 25th Army invaded Malaya with experienced troops and each victory bolstered their spirits. By the time they occupied Malaya and prepared to invade Singapore, their morale was high, even though they were still outnumbered by Allied forces.

A Japanese infantry battalion was led by 30 officers and generally comprised over a thousand men. Each battalion had a headquarters company, a machine-gun company and four rifle companies.³

Type 95 Ha Go Japanese tank

Replica (c. 2010) | National Museum of Singapore collection

The Type 95 Ha Go was the most common Japanese tank used in World War Two. Introduced in 1935, this light tank was equipped with a Mitsubishi diesel engine and armed with a 37-mm gun and two 7.7-mm machine guns. The fast and highly manoeuvrable tank could even compete against Allied light tanks in 1941. Over 2,000 such tanks were produced before the war ended

The tank saw action in Malaya and the Pacific war. During the battle in Singapore, these tanks broke the British defence and reached Bukit Timah within a few days of the initial Japanese army landings in northern Singapore.

This replica was one of four that were constructed for Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg’s television mini-series, The Pacific (2010). The replica weighs 3.5 tonnes and the tank’s track was based on an original in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.

Japanese soldier’s khaki uniform, Japanese Type 90 steel helmet, Japanese Type 94 Nambu pistol

1930s-40s | National Museum of Singapore collection

The Imperial Japanese Army was equipped with infantry rifles, anti-tank rifles and knee mortar grenade launchers, and supported by tanks. Prior to the invasion of Malaya, only one regiment had been trained in jungle warfare, but Japanese soldiers were taught not to fear the jungle. Japanese soldiers and officers had combat experience fighting in China and had learnt to improvise in the field to win battles.

Japanese Type 38 Arisaka rifle, bayonet and bayonet sheath

1930s | Wood and metal | National Museum of Singapore collection

The Type 38 (or Meiji 38) Arisaka was the standard rifle used by the Imperial Japanese Army throughout the war. It was a bolt-action rifle that fired a 7.7-mm round and cartridge, and took a five-round magazine. Over three million Arisakas were produced by the end of the war.

The Battle of Singapore

Well before World War Two began, the British had developed the “Singapore strategy” to defend the British empire in Asia. In Singapore, they built a naval base at Sembawang, strengthened the air force and installed large
15-inch coastal guns. Singapore became known as the “Gibraltar of the East” or “Fortress Singapore”.

At the same time, the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 stirred up the Chinese community in Singapore. They formed “patriotic” organisations, which raised funds for China’s war effort and organised boycotts of Japanese goods and businesses.⁴

Anchor from the RMS Empress of Asia troopship

1940s | Metal | National Museum of Singapore collection

This anchor was salvaged from the RMS Empress of Asia, a pre-war passenger liner converted into a troopship. It transported last-minute reinforcements of British troops from England to Singapore. On 5 February 1942, the ship was spotted by Japanese planes as it approached Singapore. It was the slowest and last ship in the convoy, and it was bombed and sunk despite the fierce defence put up by nearby ships. The ship’s crew and most of the troops were rescued, but all the weapons on board were lost.

The attack on Singapore began with a diversionary attack on Pulau Ubin (northeast of Singapore) on 7 February 1942. The British believed that this was the actual invasion, but the Japanese attacked in full force on Singapore’s northwest coast the next day. The Australian troops defending the latter were overwhelmed and retreated to the Jurong Line to regroup. The Japanese pressed on with their attack, forcing the Allies to abandon the Jurong Line on 10 February.

Typewritten note by Japanese Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita asking British troops to surrender

10 February 1942 | Paper | National Museum of Singapore collection

The Japanese army’s target date for the conquest of Singapore was 11 February 1942, the anniversary of the ascension of Japan’s first emperor, Emperor Jimmu. On that day in Singapore, the Japanese air-dropped copies of this leaflet – dated the day before – advising General Percival to surrender.

Japanese sake bottle and decorated sake cups

1940s | Ceramic | National Museum of Singapore collection

Sake was drunk to celebrate battle victories and during rituals or ceremonies to honour the war dead. Some of the cups on display are decorated with images of the Rising Sun.

The Japanese attacked and took Bukit Timah, which gave them control of military stockpiles and the main road to Singapore city. Two days later, on 13 February, they attacked and captured Pasir Panjang Ridge, which controlled access to a number of British military installations at Alexandra.

The British surrendered on 15 February 1942. Singapore was placed under military occupation and renamed Syonan-To 昭南島 (“Light of the South” in Japanese). After the British surrender, the rescued soldiers were taken as prisoners-of-war and many were sent to the Thai-Burma “Death Railway”

While the war continued elsewhere, the Singapore population struggled with food and fuel shortages, disease and, at its worst, violence and harassment from the Japanese. The occupation ended only when Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945.

Footnotes:

1. Photo taken 31 January 1942, Public Domain. This image is available from the Collection Database of the Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: 127900 ↩︎
2. “Singapore, February 1942: the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history”, Colonel Ronnie McCrum, March 16, 2012. https://the-past.com/feature/singapore-february-1942-the-worst-disaster-and-largest-capitulation-in-british-history/, accessed 16 Sep 2025 ↩︎
3. Museum information card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
4. Museum information card, Aug 2025 ↩︎