Just moments before the infamous attack at Pearl Harbor, another little-known
storm was building over 6,000 miles away on the distant shores of Kota Bharu in Malaya.
Whispers of nearby Japanese troop movements had earlier reached British
ears on the Malay Peninsula, fueling unease. But on December 7, 1941,
the British put a potentially vital defensive operation on hold, hesitant to act without
American backing. Little did they know that the US would soon have its own hands full.
As midnight broke the next day, British-Indian soldiers, the guardians of Malaya, caught sight
of three looming Japanese ships. The British were about to become the first
Allied fighters in the Pacific Theatre… before the war had even really started.
Shadow Of The Rising Sun
In the closing months of 1941, unease spread across various militaries as a looming
danger cast its shadow: an Imperial Japan emboldened by its expansionist aspirations.
British intelligence was buzzing as their operatives believed that
a Japanese attack on their colonies in the Pacific seemed increasingly likely.
Malaya, part of today's Malaysia, was at the heart of this brewing storm. A
training ground for British and American forces,
it was also the stronghold of British might in the Asia-Pacific region.
The area was rich in essential resources for the upcoming war effort, particularly tin and rubber.
In order to be prepared in case of a potential Japanese incursion,
the British conceived Operation Matador, a bold strategy that involved infringing upon
the neutrality of Thailand and crossing over to prevent the Japanese from seizing Malaya.
However, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill hesitated, as he knew any move he made required
support from the United States, support dependent on if and when America declared war.
The British felt trapped.
In early December, Admiral Tom Philips, responsible for the Malayan defenses at
Kota Bharu on the northeast coast, had to leave for the Philippines. Additionally,
Air Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, the commander of British Forces in the Far East,
was caught in a challenging predicament.
The Air Marshal was anxious that any British aggression might push Japan
into a corner and finally give them an excuse for war. Hence, on December 7,
he decided to put Operation Matador on hold, at least for one more night.
With no one around to intervene, nothing could stop chaos from unfolding.
Looming Storm
The third battalion of the 17th Dogra Regiment,
part of the British Indian Army led by Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Preston,
was the group responsible for the 10-mile stretch of the northeastern coast of Kota Bahru.
Only half an hour past midnight on December 8, 1941, a group of their
soldiers patrolling the shores spotted three colossal Japanese ships looming in the distance.
These ominous vessels, Awazisan Maru, Ayatosan Maru, and Sakura Maru,
were not merely ships but bearers of a storm. Inside, they held a formidable force of over
5,000 troops of the Takumi Detachment led by Major-General Hiroshi Takumi,
most of whom were hardened veterans from the War in China.
Dropping anchor only a couple of miles off the coast,
it was clear the assault troops had chosen their shores as a landing site.
An invasion was about to unfold. Led by Major General Berthwold Wells
Key and backed by four Mountain Howitzers, The primary line of defense at Kota Bahru
was the 8th Indian Infantry Brigade. Further support was also in the form of the 73rd Field
Battery of the 5th Field Regiment of Royal Artillery stationed at an adjacent airfield.
The surrounding beach defenses included solid concrete shelters for machine gun teams,
supported by trenches and protected by wire and mines.
However, with each battalion defending a long stretch of beach, there weren't enough soldiers or
weapons to hold for long. If the enemy managed to break through, stopping them would be difficult.
Another problem was that there was no steel wire acting as a protective
barrier across the creeks running into the sea, leaving even more gaps in the defenses.
In an attempt to fix these gaps and discourage incursions into certain areas,
soldiers hastily built fake shelters where the defenses were weak.
As the Japanese ships got closer, the men at Kota Bharu prepared to face the Japanese troops,
not knowing they were on the brink of the history-defining event known as World War 2.
Crack Of Thunder
Minutes after, Japanese troops stormed ashore,
drowning the silence of the night with the roar of engines and the thunder of gunfire.
As the devastating assault on the American fleet in Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii, occurred, another clash unfolded on the northeastern coast
of Kota Bharu in the first-ever military encounter between Britain and Japan.
Major-General Billy Key, at the helm of the 9th Indian Division,
stood resolute in the face of the impending invasion, as his forces were tasked with
holding their ground within the network of defensive positions known as the Jitra Line.
The Major-General was determined to protect a crucial aerodrome at all costs.
Across the darkened waters, the Japanese 18th Division advanced,
a battle-hardened unit specialized in amphibious assaults, but as their
landing craft fought against treacherous sea conditions, many of the vessels capsized.
Hoping to aid in the defense efforts, ten Lockheed Hudson bombers soared through the skies,
their mission clear: strike at the heart of the Japanese carrier ships.
As the first waves of Japanese men began to press forward,
the Dogras regiment emerged with relentless artillery barrages
and hailstorms of machine gun fire, hiding inside their trusty pillboxes.
A savage struggle ensued, with hand-to-hand combat testing the mettle of both sides. Outnumbered
yet undeterred, the valiant defending forces exacted a heavy toll on the Japanese ranks.
Despite this, the invaders breached the defenders' line on the south bank of an estuary,
and just as the sun began to rise, the Japanese secured a foothold on the bloodstained beach,
forcing the Dogra Regiment to fall back to their second line of defense.
No Way Out
On the second day of the battle, the Japanese onslaught intensified.
Their far superior numbers and overwhelming firepower began to
take their toll on the British Army as they relentlessly pressed forward,
focusing their attacks on the defenses surrounding the oh-so-crucial aerodrome.
The British pilots conducted relentless sorties against the invaders, but their Hawker Hurricanes
were vastly outnumbered by the Japanese aircraft, and their once formidable force began to dwindle.
Throughout the day, the men of the 18th Indian Brigade fought with unwavering
courage, despite the initial surprise, subsequent damage, coordination challenges,
and confusion within the chain of command, and their determination remained unshaken.
Brigadier Key's counterattacks, launched in a bid to turn the tide, proved unsuccessful.
Gradually, the Japanese forces began to wear down the defenders,
and by late afternoon on December 9, the situation had become critical.
In a difficult and tactical decision, Major-General Key made the call to
withdraw from Kota Bharu in order to preserve his forces for future battles that lay ahead.
The leader would later request to be moved from Malaya, as his loss was too shameful.
Despite being cloaked by darkness, the retreating forces received constant
pressure from the relentless Japanese onslaught.
Meanwhile, the enemy consolidated their hold on the abandoned aerodrome,
which had been the epicenter of the fighting.
The consequences of this initial attack were far-reaching.
With the capture of Kota Bharu, the Japanese turned the prized airfield
into a strategic base for further operations.
The Fall Of Malaya
The Battle of Kota Bharu was the dramatic opening act of the Pacific War for the
British Empire. It was a stark demonstration of the expansive ambitions of the Japanese
Empire and the relentless ferocity they would exhibit in their years-long pursuit.
From then on, the Japanese approach to conquering the rest
of Indochina displayed a peculiar low-tech and laid-back strategy.
Rather than relying on tanks and military vehicles, the Japanese soldiers seized bicycles
from local Malayan villagers, using threats to ensure compliance. With their victory at
Kota Bharu secured, the Japanese planned to embark on the next stage of their attack,
traversing southward to Singapore, primarily by bike or on foot.
This unconventional strategy persisted throughout the remainder of the war.
Brutal
Because the attack on British Malaya happened hours before Pearl Harbor,
the United Kingdom declared war on Japan nine hours before the United States.
In their logs and personal journals, the Japanese described the Battle of Kota Bharu
as one of the most violent encounters of the entire Malayan Campaign, and with good reason.
Despite this rapid victory, it came with a heavy price. In only a little more than a day,
the Japanese had suffered significant casualties and
taken longer than expected to secure their objective.
Kota Bharu's fall marked the onset of the Malayan Campaign,
a brutal conflict that extended well into February 1942. In this campaign,
an estimated 13,234 Allied troops lost their lives, and an additional 130,000 were seized
by the Japanese, destined to endure the grim conditions as prisoners of war.
The Battle of Kota Bharu was not just another military confrontation;
it was the beginning of more than four years of war.
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