British Surrender of Singapore

At the negotiating table. Lt Gen Yamashita acted tough and demanded from Lt Gen Arthur Ernest Percival the immediate and unconditional surrender of his troops. An excerpt of the dialogue between the commanders:

YAMASHITA: I want to hear whether you want to surrender or not. If you want to surrender I insist on its being unconditional. What is your answer? Yes or No?

PERCIVAL: Will you give me until tomorrow morning?

YAMASHITA: Tomorrow? I cannot wait and the Japanese forces will have to attack tonight.

PERCIVAL: How about waiting until 11:30pm Tokyo time?

YAMASHITA: If that is to be the case, the Japanese forces will have to resume attacks until then. Will you say yes or no?

PERCIVAL: (made no reply).

YAMASHITA: I want to hear a decisive answer and I insist on an unconditional surrender. What do you say?

PERCIVAL: Yes.

YAMASHITA: All right, then. The order to cease fire must be issued at exactly 10:00pm. I will immediately send one thousand Japanese troops into the city area to maintain peace and order. You agree to that?

PERCIVAL: Yes.

YAMASHITA: If you violate these terms, the Japanese will lose no time in launching a general and final offensive against Singapore City.

Percival, however, succeeded in getting Yamashita to agree not to enter the city till the following morning, 16 February. The surrender terms were signed at 5:15pm on 15 February 1942.

Yamashita wrote later: "My attack on Singapore was a bluff - a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had fight long for Singapore. I would be beaten. That is why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supply and force me into disastrous street fighting."

By the morning of Chinese New Year, February 15, the Japanese had broken through the last line of defence and the Allies were running out of food and some kinds of ammunition. The anti-aircraft guns had also run out of ammunition and were unable to repel any further Japanese air attacks which threatened to cause heavy casualties in the city centre.

At 9:30 a.m, Percival held a conference at Fort Canning with his senior commanders. Percival posed two alternatives. Either launch an immediate counter-attack to regain the reservoirs and the military food depots in the Bukit Timah region and drive the enemy's artillery off its commanding heights outside the town, or capitulate. All present agreed that no counter-attack was possible. Percival opted for surrender..

A deputation was selected to go to the Japanese Headquarters. It consisted of a senior Staff Officer, the Colonial Secretary and an interpreter. They set off in a motor car bearing a Union Jack and a white flag of truce towards the enemy lines to discuss a cessation of hostilities. They returned with orders that Percival himself proceed with Staff Officers to the Ford Motor Factory, where General Yamashita would lay down the terms of surrender. A further requirement was that the Japanese Rising Sun Flag be hoisted over the tallest building in Singapore, the Cathay Building, as soon as possible to maximise the psychological impact of the official surrender. Percival formally surrendered shortly after 5.15pm.

[The terms of the surrender included:]

-The unconditional surrender of all military forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) in Singapore Area.

-Hostilities to cease at 8:30 p.m. that evening.

-All troops to remain in position until further orders.

-All weapons, military equipment, ships, planes and SECRET documents to be handed over intact.

-To prevent looting, etc., during the temporary withdrawal of all armed forces in Singapore, a force of 100 British armed men to take over until relieved by the Japanese.

Earlier that day Percival had issued orders to destroy before 4 p.m. all secret and technical equipment, ciphers, codes, secret documents and heavy guns. Yamashita accepted his assurance that no ships or planes remained in Singapore. According to Tokyo's Domei News Agency Yamashita also accepted full responsibility for the lives of British and Australian troops, as well as British civilians remaining in Singapore.

The Japanese Occupation of Singapore had begun. The city was renamed Syonan-to (Japanese: 昭南島 Shōnan-tō, literally Light-of-the-South Island). The Japanese sought vengeance against the Chinese and to eliminate anyone who held anti-Japanese sentiment. The Imperial authorities were suspicious of the Chinese because of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and killed many in the Sook Ching Massacre. The other races of Singapore, such as the Malays and the Indians were not spared. The residents would suffer great hardships under Japanese rule over the following three and a half years...

(Source: The Singapore History)

Other references:

1) 1941 to 1950 (World War II) http://www.totaldefence.sg/imindef/about_us/history/world_war2.html

2) Conquest of Malaya and Singapore http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R5pajvYsLs

3) Battle of Malaya and Singapore 1941/1942 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx38CQkka-Q&NR=1

4) Kamikaze Attacks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIZRFt8YBpM

5) Kamikaze http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qATP3BDgSLc

6) The Soldier (Singapore) - (1 of 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euDXDWHK1hw&NR=1

7) The Soldier (Singapore) - (2 of 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-m-Ouhn9Oo