Japanese Invasion of Malaya
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The Japanese invasion of Malaya began just after midnight on 8th December 1941 before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
| Japanese Invasion of Malaya | |||||||
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| Part of Battle of Malaya Second World War |
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| Combatants | |||||||
| Japanese 25th Army | III Indian Corps | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Lieut.Gen.Tomoyuki Yamashita | Lieut.Gen.Arthur Percival | ||||||
Contents |
[edit] The plan
The Japanese landed troops on the east coasts of Thailand and Malaya. The forces in Thailand were to push through to the west coast and invade Malaya from its northern province of Kedah, whilst their eastern forces would attack down the east coast and into the interior of Malaya from Kota Bharu.
The Japanese attack force for the invasion of Malaya, Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita's 25th Army, had sailed from Samah Harbour on Hainan Island on 4th December, 1941. Additional ships carrying more troops joined the convoy from Saigon, French Indochina. The invasion force was spotted on both the 6th and 7th of December by Lockheed Hudson aircraft and a PBY Catalina sea plane which was shot down while trying to shadow the fleet. Flying Officer Bedell, commanding the Catalina, and his crew became the first Allied casualties in the war with Japan.
[edit] Landings at Kota Bharu
Air Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, commanding officer of the Royal Air Force in the Far East hesitated to launch Operation Matador on 7th December. Matador was the British plan created to destroy the invasion force before or while it was landing. He decided to delay the operation, at least for the night. Shortly after midnight on 7th/8th December, a group of Indian soldiers guarding the beachs at Kota Bharu spotted three large shadows, the IJN transport ships: the Awagisan Maru, the Ayatosan Maru and the Sakura Maru, dropping anchor approximately 3 km off the coast of Kota Bharu. The ships were carrying approximately 5,200 troops of the Takumi Detachment, commanded by Major-General Hiroshi Takumi, who was on board IJN transport Awajisan Maru. The majority of these troops were veterans of the war in China.
The force consisted of the 56th Infantry Regiment (Colonel Yoshio Nasu, on board IJN transport Sakura Maru), one mountain artillery battery of the 18th Mountain Artillery Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Katsutoshi Takasu), the 12th Engineer Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel Ichie Fujii), the 18th Division Signal Unit, one company of the 12th Transport Regiment, one company of the 18th Division Medical Unit and No. 2 Field Hospital of the 18th Division Medical Unit. They were escorted by a powerful escort fleet (Kota Bharu Invasion Force) under the command of Rear-Admiral Shintaro Hashimoto, consisting of a light cruiser Sendai, destroyers Ayanami, Isonami, Shikinami and Uranami, minesweepers No. 2 and No. 3, and subchaser No. 9.
The invasion began with a bombardment at around 12.30pm on the 8th December while the Japanese planes from Nagumo's carriers were still flying towards Pearl Harbor. The loading of landing craft began almost as soon as the transports dropped anchor. Rough seas and strong winds hampered the operation and a number of smaller craft capsized. Several Japanese soldiers drowned. Despite these difficulties by 12.45 pm, the first wave of landing craft carrying troops under the command of Colonel Masu were heading for the beach in four lines. Brigadier B.W. Key's 8th Indian Infantry Brigade of Major General A.E.Barstow's Indian 9th Infantry Division, supported by the 21st Mountain Battery - four 3.7in howitzers (Major J.B. Soper) were the troops that faced the Japanese. The 3/17th Bn, Dogra Regiment had responsibility for a ten mile stretch of beach front which was the chosen landing site. The British had mined and wired the beach and built a number of pillboxes. They were supported by the 73rd Field Battery of the 5th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, deployed adjacent to a nearby airfield.
The Dogras immediately opened fire on the invasion force with intense artillery and machine gun fire. Colonel Masanobu Tsuji recalled in his book about Malaya Campaign:
| “ | The enemy pillboxes, which were well prepared reacted violently with such heavy force that our men lying on the beach, half in and half out of the water could not raise their heads. | ” |
Japanese casualties in the first and second waves were heavy. The Japanese managed to get off the beach only after the two pill box positions and supporting trenches were destroyed. Despite their heavy resistance the Indian troops were forced to retreat.
[edit] Counter attack
No. 1 Sqaudron, Royal Australian Air Force based at Kota Bharu airfield lauched Hudson bombers to attack the Japanese transports sinking the Awajisan Maru, although in the seventeen sorties flown they lost two Hudsons shot down and three badly damaged. One crippled Hudson is reported to have crashed into a fully laden landing craft. All the transports were damaged in these attacks. Despite the strong defence, Takumi had three full infantry battalions ashore by mid morning of the 8th December. Counter attacks launched by Brigadier Key failed and the Japanese took Kota Bharu town on the 9th, after fierce fighting during the night, threatening the airfield, the 2/12th Frontier Force Regiment (2nd Sikhs), under Lietenant-Colonel Arthur Cumming attempted to hold the airfield and put up a brilliant rear guard action which would contribute to the Victoria Cross received by Cumming. Key asked for and was given permission to withdraw from Kota Bharu.
The Japanese claim that the landings at Kota Bharu were some of the most violent of the whole Malayan Campaign. It is estimated that they suffered about over 300 killed and 500 wounded.
[edit] North west Malaya
After the successful Japanese Invasion of Thailand on the 8th December Yamashita's army crossed southern Thailand and started their attack into northern Malaya through the north Kedah province.
