Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore, "The worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history." This inglorious surrender to Japan on Feb. 15, 1942, came about largely because the British had underestimated Japan's military prowess and strategic designs. Colin Smith tells this story of capitulation uncommonly well, crafting an unforgettable saga of war's madness and banality.
In this familiar narrative of lightening advances by bicycling Japanese troops, Smith reminds us that there were many missed opportunities to stem the tide. However, for various reasons carefully explained here, these chances slipped away and British forces retreated down the Malayan peninsula toward their supposedly impregnable redoubt, Fortress Singapore.
Contributing to the growing alarm, the British navy suffered two emblematic losses at sea that effectively gave the Japanese naval superiority. The sinking of the battle cruiser Repulse and the battleship Prince of Wales on Dec. 10, 1941, two days after the invasion commenced, heralded the ensuing debacle.