SCOTLAND FEPOW TRUST · HISTORY & EDUCATION
Japan's Attack on Malaya
In the early hours of 8 December 1941, Imperial Japanese forces landed on the coast of Malaya — the opening blow of a campaign that would end, ten weeks later, in the largest surrender in British military history.
A Lightning Campaign
Roughly an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops of the 25th Army under Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita began landing at Kota Bharu on Malaya's north-east coast, and at Singora and Pattani in Thailand. It was the start of a campaign that caught Allied commanders badly off guard.
British, Indian and Australian forces defending Malaya were outnumbered in the air and outmanoeuvred on the ground. Japanese troops advanced rapidly down the peninsula, using bicycle infantry and light tanks to move through terrain the defenders had assumed was impassable, repeatedly outflanking prepared positions through the jungle.
Scottish regiments were heavily committed to the defence of Malaya and Singapore, among them the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Gordon Highlanders. Many of the men who survived the fighting went into Japanese captivity when Singapore fell on 15 February 1942 — the beginning of the ordeal this Trust exists to remember.
Watch the Documentary
The Road to Captivity: The Invasion of Malaya.
Key Dates
8 DECEMBER 1941
Japanese forces land at Kota Bharu, Singora and Pattani, opening the Malayan campaign. RAF airfields in northern Malaya come under attack within hours.
10 DECEMBER 1941
The battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse are sunk by Japanese aircraft off the Malayan coast, removing Allied naval power from the campaign.
11–13 DECEMBER 1941
The Battle of Jitra ends in a costly withdrawal for British and Indian forces, opening the road south.
7 JANUARY 1942
The Battle of Slim River sees Japanese tanks break through Commonwealth lines, a major blow to the defence of central Malaya.
31 JANUARY 1942
The last Allied troops withdraw across the Johore Strait onto Singapore Island; the causeway is blown behind them.
8–15 FEBRUARY 1942
Japanese forces land on Singapore and fight their way across the island. On 15 February, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival surrenders — around 80,000 British, Indian and Australian troops become prisoners of war.
Scottish Regiments in Malaya
Two Scottish infantry regiments bore much of the fighting during the retreat down the peninsula.
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
The 2nd Battalion fought through the length of the Malayan campaign, from the northern border to the final defence of Singapore, and suffered heavy losses. Survivors were taken prisoner at the surrender.
Gordon Highlanders
The 1st and 2nd Battalions served in Malaya and Singapore, engaged in the fighting withdrawal south before the island's surrender in February 1942.
Images & Documents
Maps, photographs and documents relating to the Malayan campaign.
