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The Defence of Hong Kong: December 1941

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The Defence of Hong Kong: December 1941 Canadian Military History Volume 10 Issue 4 Article 2 2001 The Defence of Hong Kong: December 1941 Terry Copp Wilfrid Laurier University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Recommended Citation Copp, Terry "The Defence of Hong Kong: December 1941." Canadian Military History 10, 4 (2001) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Copp: The Defence of Hong Kong: December 1941 Terry Copp he series of disasters which marked the The campaign in Malaya and the fall of Topening months of the war with Japan were Singapore have been the subject of many books unprecedented and disorienting giving rise to and much name-calling. The best accounts conspiracy theories and the search for scape clearly establish that the causes of the collapse goats. The destruction of the battleships at Pearl were rooted in the Empire's failure to enlist, Harbour initially eclipsed all other catastrophes equip and train armed forces capable of carrying but even as President Roosevelt's opponents in out the obligations and strategic commitments Congress demanded an inquiry and circulated considered vital in London. Unfortunately, stories about how he had lured the Japanese British commanders, in seeking to explain into war, those who could think clearly operational failure, chose to single out recognized that the surprise attack, by uniting Commonwealth and Indian forces for criticism.3 the American people behind the war, was really The Australians in Singapore and the Canadians a defeat for Japan.' When Hitler, in one of his in Hong Kong bore the brunt of this criticism many blunders, declared war on the United which was renewed in the early 1990s with the States the Pacific war was merged into the larger release of the uncensored versions of Lord struggle. Since the US Navy's aircraft carriers Wavell's Report on Operations in Malaya and were undamaged, its submarine arm intact, and Singapore, June 19424 and Major-General C. the base at Pearl Harbor operational, the Chief Maltby's official account of the defence of Hong of the General Staff, General George C. Marshall, Kong.5 was able to expand the American war effort without reversing the Europe-first policy to The controversies stirred up by these which both he and President Roosevelt were documents did not serve the interests of the committed. Empire-Commonwealth in the 1940s and did nothing to encourage Australians or Canadians If America emerged from the tragedy of Pearl to cherish ties with Britain in the 1990s, but Harbor stronger in every way that mattered the they have been a boon for historians who wish same could not be said for the British Empire to know more about what happened in 1941. In and its Commonwealth. The sinking of the the last days before the surrender of Hong Kong Prince of Wales and the Repulse on 10 December orders were given to destroy documents, 1941, the surrender of Hong Kong on 25 including message logs and War Diaries, which December and the collapse of resistance in might provide assistance to the enemy. Thus the Malaya and Singapore in early 1942 marked the basic record of events was lost. But once settled beginning of the end of the British Empire in in prisoner of war camps the senior British staff the Far East. In 90 days forces under British officers began to compile, "from memory," not command had lost two battleships, 200 aircraft only a narrative but a listing of events which was and 166,000 men, 130,000 of whom were taken declared to be "morally the war diary of Fortress prisoner. The Empire had been humiliated, Headquarters."6 particularly in Malaya and Singapore, when "a garrison that outnumbered the attackers by It did not take long for rumours to spread more than five to two... was hounded to utter about this endeavour and Canadian officers, 2 destruction in seventy days." convinced they and their troops would be made © Canadian Military History, Volume 10, Number 4, Autumn 2001, pp.5-20. 5 Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2001 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 10 [2001], Iss. 4, Art. 2 scapegoats, responded. Major George Trist, who attachment to the colonial authorities though served as adjutant of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, they were at least preferable to the Japanese.11 wrote his Report on the Part Played by the Winnipeg Grenadiers in the Defence of Hong Compulsory military service was introduced Kong in April 1942 while he was at North Point for male British subjects, of European birth, Camp. The report begins: while those of Portuguese extraction were allowed to volunteer. By 1941 the Hong Kong Two important factors have decided me to Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC) consisted of compile this report without further delay and seven infantry companies, five artillery batteries, while still a prisoner of war... The first and most five machine gun companies and an armoured urgent one is the necessity for a very accurate 12 recording of events as they occurred. This would car platoon. The Hong Kong "volunteers" were not have so important but for the fact that it has to supplement the garrison of four infantry become very evident that we (The Canadian battalions; the 2nd Royal Scots, the 1st Forces) are being blamed by the Imperial troops Middlesex (MG) and two Indian Army units 2/ for the fall of Hong Kong. And while it is not 14 Punjabs and 5/7 Rajputs. Coastal Regiments definitely known that the Imperial Staff will of the Royal Artillery manned 29 guns, mostly adopt this attitude in their official report every precaution must be taken to ensure that any 6-inch howitzers. The air resources, three attempt to make "C" Force the scape goat is Vildebeeste Torpedo Bombers and two Walrus adequately challenged by a submission of the amphibians were of no consequence. Three of facts while they are still fresh in the memory.7 the four destroyers based on Hong Kong were ordered to sea before 7 December leaving HMS The Royal Rifles compiled even more extensive Thracian plus four gunboats and eight motor accounts of their activities8 and it is this kind of torpedo boats.13 material that the historian must use in reconstructing the events of December 1941. It The basic plan for the defence of Hong Kong is therefore necessary to proceed carefully. It is had been developed in 1937. A defensive line not difficult to ask questions about the defence including pillboxes was built from Gin Drinkers of Hong Kong it is just answers that are hard to Bay to Tide Cove, the narrowest, point on the come by. Kowloon peninsula. After the Japanese occupation of Canton plans were changed: the In 1941 the Crown Colony of Hong Kong, Gin Drinkers line was abandoned. No attempt consisting of the island and the leased territories, would be made to defend the mainland.14 had a population of 1.7 million about half of whom were recent refugees from the war in Giving up the mainland and defending the China. The population of European descent did Island made neither political nor military sense. not exceed 25,000, including the military There was less than a kilometreseparating garrison. The cities of Victoria and Kowloon Kowloon from Victoria and the main water accounted for most of this total but as many as reservoirs were in the New Territories. Hong 150,000 lived afloat on Junks and Sampans. Kong had 130 days reserve of food but there The Japanese had conquered the adjacent area 9 were bound to be serious water shortages in any of mainland China in October 1938 and by protracted siege.15 It was these difficulties that December 1941 the Japanese 23rd Army in led Major-General Edward Grassett to propose South China deployed four divisions with obtaining additional troops from Canada and as substantial artillery as well as air and naval 10 soon as the new commander, Major-General units. C.M. Maltby, was informed that "C" Force would be sent to Hong Kong he resurrected the 1938 The British government did not believe that plan and began to restore the Gin Drinkers line, Hong Kong could survive a determined Japanese [see map Hong Kong: The Mainland] attack and began evacuating European women and children in 1940. This decision, coupled Maltby, an officer of the Indian Army who with other problems in administering a colony had commanded the Staff College at Quetta deluged with refugees, led to charges of arrived in Hong Kong in July 1941 during the favouritism and corruption and, by the fall of middle of a local crisis provoked by Japanese 1941, Hong Kong was a deeply divided attacks on Hong Kong-based boats and the community. The Chinese population felt little international crisis provoked by Japan's 6 https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol10/iss4/2 2 Copp: The Defence of Hong Kong: December 1941 occupation of southern Indo-China. Maltby and These post-conflict accounts are supported by the colony's governor, Sir Mark Young, do not the contemporary intelligence reports from Hong seem to have acted with any sense of urgency, Kong which reflect little concern with military apparently convinced that war with Japan was action against the colony and an optimistic view unlikely and that Japanese troops were poorly of events in Japan. The November summary, for trained. Maltby spoke to the Canadian officers example, doubted that Japanese preparations shortly after their arrival and according to were more than a "general tightening up."18 George Trist told them: Before condemning Maltby and his staff for the Japanese had only about 5,000 troops with what proved to be uninformed views bolstered very little artillery support..
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