We have been following the Malayan Campaign since the start of the war, seeing the British
Empire continually prove that it was hardly prepared to defend its eastern possessions.
After many lost battles and desperate rearguard actions, last week the complete pull out from
Johor was finally ordered, signifying the fall of Malaya as the British defenders retreated into
Singapore to protect their so-called eastern fortress, called the Gibraltar of the East.
The situation thus looked bleak for the empire in which the sun never sets, with the Rising
Sun looking like it could menacingly replace their hegemony in the East. But before that, the
British defenders were determined to offer as much resistance as they could in Burma and Singapore,
so the stage was set for one of the most important battles of the Pacific War.
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Since we’ve last seen, the American defensive lines in the Philippines had been completely
pierced by the determined Japanese soldiers, forcing the defenders to retreat to some new
positions on a rearguard line that stretched between the coastal towns of Orion and Bagac.
By January 26, the Filipino forces under Generals Wainwright and Parker had completed
their withdrawal, dividing their new defensive line into several sectors . In hot pursuit, the
Japanese started to hammer the American defensive positions straight away, with General Nara and
his 65th Independent Mixed Brigade advancing on the east and with General Kimura’s forces moving
towards the west . But General Homma had an ace up his sleeve: a planned naval invasion to bypass
the American defenses and thus capture the naval base of Mariveles with the objective of cutting
off the retreat of the defenders. Two battalions from the 20th Regiment were thus appointed to
land in small and isolated inlets and then fight their way over sharp cliffs and points rising from
the sea. Back on the evening of January 22, the landing craft set out from the town of Morong,
heading towards Caibobo Point south of Bagac. Unfortunately for the Japanese, the landings
went awry, facing rough seas, poor weather and the threat of American PT boats. This caused them to
misidentify the landing zone, coming ashore at Quinauan Point and Longoskawayan Point,
which were further down the coast from where they expected to land, something that left them very
isolated but also very close to their target . Thus, the Battle of the Points had begun.
On the morning of January 23, American naval lookouts saw some 300 Japanese soldiers moving
inland from Longoskawayan Point. A combination of sailors, marines and soldiers then rushed to
dislodge the Japanese invaders, but thick jungle impeded their advance. They eventually managed to
push back the Japanese, yet they could not defeat them. The Americans then exerted an
intense artillery and mortar bombardment over the Japanese positions, but this could only
contain their advance for long enough, so General MacArthur decided to send his trained reserves to
save the situation . Meanwhile, at Quinauan Point, 600 Japanese soldiers managed to consolidate their
position in the face of staunch opposition by American airmen and Filipino constabulary forces.
For several days, the situation would remain the same, with both the defenders and the invaders
trying to reinforce their positions as much as they could. On the night of January 26,
Kimura committed his reserve battalion and sent it from Olongapo to reinforce the Japanese at
Quinauan Point. But this battalion would also be subjected to bad weather, landing instead
north of Quinauan Point at Anyasan Point. In response, Wainwright sent two battalions of
Philippine Scouts and some M3 tanks to reinforce the American defenders; while the remnants of the
American air force carried out a successful raid over the fields at Nielson and Nichols.
While the Battle of the Points played out, Homma decided to appoint Lieutenant-General
Morioka Susumu to command the offensive against Wainwright’s western area, reinforcing him with
two battalions and some support units. Using night attacks all along the Orion-Bagac Line, the
Japanese would also manage to make some limited incursions during these days. But on January 28,
after two days of heavy fighting and a successful night assault, Nara would finally manage to breach
the defensive line in two places at Sector C . Despite these successes, the Japanese
would fail to exploit their gains, so their advance would become bogged down. The next day,
reinforced by Philippine Scouts and tanks, the American defenders would also manage to destroy
the Japanese forces at Longoskawayan Point, thus removing the closest threat to Mariveles.
Still, two more points were in Japanese hands, and they would continue to menace MacArthur’s plans
until they were removed. We now turn to Borneo, where the Japanese forces were continuing to
consolidate their gains on the island. Since the fall of Kuching, the remnants of the Punjabi
battalion that was sent to defend British Borneo had retreated to the airfield of Singkawang II,
joining a garrison of 750 Dutch soldiers. There, Colonel Lane placed his battalion under Dutch
command for the defense of the airfield, while the Japanese forces of the Kawaguchi Detachment
prepared to execute a land-based attack from the north and a coastal assault from the west.
On January 24, this attack finally came into fruition,
as five Japanese companies crossed the border and started their advance on Singkawang.
The following day, they had reached a village northeast of the airfield, where Colonel Lane
decided to launch a swift counterattack on January 26. Yet this attack was repulsed, and by night,
the Japanese had launched a strong assault that had turned the flanks of the defenders.
With the battle lost, the Allies started the evacuation of the Singkawang II airfield
on January 27, with a VCL light-tank and a Braat Overvalgen covering their retreat at the
crossroads between the towns of Ledo and Sanggau, thus inflicting heavy casualties on the invaders.
Although the Overvalgen managed to retreat to Ledo only with pierced tyres, the tank had to
be abandoned and was later captured by Japanese soldiers. Yet despite their valiant efforts,
they could not prevent two Punjabi platoons from getting surrounded and annihilated.
By the evening of January 27 though, most of the defenders would reach Ledo and would establish
new defensive positions there. Yet at the same time, Japanese forces would land at Pemangkat,
capturing several coastal towns to the south and getting close to Bengkajang,
thus threatening to surround the Allied forces at Ledo. This forced the defenders to retreat further
east to Sanggau and Sintang, then fighting a series of rearguard actions until January 31,
when the Allied forces would finally decide to pull back to the south coast of Borneo,
where they would start to fight guerrilla warfare. And on the other side of the island,
the Kume Detachment had crossed the Doendang River by January 29, getting very close to
the oilfields of Sanga Sanga. Back on January 24, some 300 Dutch soldiers under Captain Monteiro had
started the demolition of such oilfields, leaving behind 80 men to delay the Japanese advance
while Monteiro retreated towards the town of Samarinda. These 80 men were then engaged by
the Kume Detachment, getting completely pummeled and retreating in disarray towards Loa Djanan.
After the fall of Sanga Sanga, Monteiro decided to raze Samarinda and move his headquarters to Loa
Djanan by January 31, where he was planning to execute a long-term delaying action of
the Japanese advance along the Mahakam River towards the Samarinda II airfield. But this week
would also see the launch of a very important operation within the Dutch East Indies campaign:
the invasion of Ambon. Ambon Island had always been the political, economical and military
center of the Moluccas, so it was natural that it held strategic importance for the Japanese.
Two battalions of the 38th Division under Major-General Ito Takeo were appointed to
carry out the Ambon Operation, later reinforced with an additional battalion prior to the start
of the invasion. The Eastern Detachment would be supported by an important fleet
primarily consisting of 2 cruisers and 14 destroyers, led by Rear-Admiral Takagi Takeo.
The Japanese planned to land on the east coast of the southern peninsula of Ambon,
where the Allied defenses were considered weak, so that the invaders could catch and destroy the
main force of the defenders and promptly seize the strategic points of the island. Furthermore,
Takagi also planned to land a regiment of SNLF marines to capture the Laha airfield.
Meanwhile, the Dutch counted with the Molukken Brigade of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Kapitz,
totaling some 2600 men; and on December 17, they had been further reinforced by the Gull Force,
consisting of around 1100 Australian soldiers under Lieutenant-Colonel William Scott. They had
started to suffer heavy bombardment by Japanese aircraft since January 24, in preparation for the
invasion to come. Three days later, the Eastern Detachment departed Davao heading towards Ambon;
and on January 30, the invasion convoy was discovered by a Brewster Buffalo bomber, although
no air attacks were conducted. By nightfall, the convoy had entered the Hitu-lama anchorage, and
on the early morning of January 31, the Eastern Detachment began to land on the shores of Ambon.
Following the landing, Ito ordered his men to push ahead and advance towards the city of Ambon
across the steep mountains. Thus, a Japanese battalion quickly took the strong positions
near Paso and Batugong and then advanced towards Ambon and Halong by February 1,
while the rest of the detachment, aided by air and artillery support,
overran the Dutch forces on the coast and advanced directly on Ambon in two columns.
With most of his defenses designed to repel attacks from the north and west, Kapitz could
do nothing to help his desperately-retreating forces. Furthermore, at noon on January 31,
the Allied communications were cut, so Kapitz could not communicate with the 400 Australian
defenders at Laha, which were being attacked by SNLF marines. On the early morning of February 1,
the Japanese would finally consolidate on Paso and Ito would manage to capture Ambon at last,
forcing Kapitz and some 800 Dutch soldiers to surrender at Halong . But the Australians
kept fighting on, successfully repelling the Japanese invaders at Laha and on the Nona plateau;
yet we’ll continue to cover their heroic defense next week. Now, we finally return to Malaya,
where the British forces were starting to execute an orderly retreat towards Singapore,
with the Australians withdrawing down the Trunk Road and with the 9th Indian Division moving
down the railway. The retreating Indian forces from Muar were also withdrawing from Batu Pahat,
with General Bennett sending the recently-arrived 53rd Brigade to help them. On the early morning of
January 25, though, the Imperial Guards Division launched their attack over Batu Pahat, while some
of their men also began to press a retreating Australian brigade at Ayer Hitam. Despite the
strong barrage of the invaders, the defenders held firm and repelled each of the enemy attacks,
inflicting heavy casualties on them and forcing the Japanese to retreat.
Later that night, their valiant fighting had given time for the main Australian
force to withdraw south towards Simpang Rengam. And at the same time, after a hard-fought struggle
at the Nithsdale Estate, elements of the 9th Division had pulled out of Kluang towards Sayong
Halat and Rengam by January 26, continuing their retreat south through the railway the following
day. But on that same day, the RAAF launched a strong attack over Endau, which had been captured
by the Japanese 18th Division back on January 21 and was receiving reinforcements by sea.
The British planes failed to cause severe damage on the two transport ships,
and in turn they lost 15 planes . Later that night, two British destroyers under Commander
William Moran launched a naval raid over Endau, but they were engaged by a small fleet under
Rear-Admiral Hashimato Shintaro, losing one of the destroyers as a result. By January 28,
the Australian battalion that was covering the rearguard of Westforce had gotten to
the Namazie Rubber Estate south of Simpang Rengam. Yet this position was hardly ideal,
as the extensive rubber plantations to the east of the Trunk Road offered the Japanese the chance to
outflank the positions of the defenders. And this was exactly what the invaders would do.
After launching an initial frontal assault against the Australian defensive lines during the morning,
the Japanese would then attempt by midday an outflanking movement to cut the Trunk Road.
And this was also what Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick “Black Jack” Galleghan
was expecting. Launching a strong and decisive counterattack with armoured cars,
the Australians inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese as its enemy retreated in disorder.
Only the employment of toxic smoke bombs managed to save the situation for the defeated invaders,
causing enormous anguish on the Australian soldiers that inhaled the gas. In the end though,
the battle was a huge success for the defenders, restarting their withdrawal southwards only a
couple hours later. The following day, they had gotten to the north of the town of Ayer Bemban,
where they were again engaged by the fast and tenacious Japanese soldiers. In the meantime,
Indian forces got to a roadblock close to Sengarrang, while the 53rd Brigade advanced
from Benut to occupy Rengit in an attempt to help the Indians. Yet the 53rd would be defeated
at Rengit and would have to retreat, forcing the Indians to get evacuated by sea towards Singapore.
With only the depleted 53rd and the 28th Indian Brigade holding the west coast,
Percival would have no other choice but to deploy the still-resting 11th Indian Division,
now under Major-General Berthold Key, at Skudai on the Trunk Road. But to the east, by January 27,
the Indian Division of General Barstow had gotten south of Layang Layang, when they found
out that the railway bridge had been accidentally demolished , thus separating the 22nd Brigade from
the 8th Brigade up ahead and leaving them without communications. The following day, the misfortune
of the 22nd Brigade increased, as they ran into a Japanese blockade over the railway that took
them by surprise and managed to kill Barstow. This left Brigadier George Painter in charge,
and he now faced a difficult decision whether or not to attempt an encircling movement around
the enemy to continue his retreat. In the end, he chose this jungle exit; but after following
a track through the jungle, the passage abruptly ended, leaving the Indian battalion with no other
choice but to continue through the jungle without a compass. After four days of jungle trekking,
they got north of Sedenak, but they were met by another Japanese force of the 5th Division
that finally forced them to surrender. Meanwhile, the Australians under Galleghan continued to offer
ferocious resistance at Ayer Bemban against the Imperial Guards Division, then retreating after
a couple hours to the vicinity of Kulai. They held this position across January 30 without
giving any more ground and inflicting many losses on the enemy. The precious time that they bought
allowed the rest of the Australian forces to safely retreat towards Singapore;
and by January 31, the last British unit crossed the Causeway bridge at Johor Bahru,
finally abandoning the Malayan Peninsula. After blowing up the Causeway behind them, the defenders
began to establish positions across Singapore, concluding the fall of Malaya at long last.
This has been all for this week, and this has been a very eventful week indeed.
Next week we will continue talking about various operations across the Pacific Ocean,
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