Above Tampines skies, 1942... Really!

[arf-er]

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of V-J Day, I did a little research into what we could actually have seen over Tampines skies, if we had lived in 1942!!... and came through alive!

OK first abit of history, bear with me;
08 Dec '41: Invasion force of the Japanese Southern Expeditionary Army, sailing from Hainan (China), ConSon Island and CamRanh Bay (Vietnam) heads across the South China Sea, and breaks into seperate landing forces headed for South Thailand and Malaya.
The 25th Army tasked to take Malaya (under Gen Yamashita) lands in Thailand - Songkhla (5 Div), Pattani (18 Div) and in Malaya - Kota Bahru (Takumi force)

The invasion was supported in the air by:
1) The 3rd Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (3rd Hikoshidan) made up of 4 Air Brigades (3,7,10 & 12 Hikodans) totalling about: 168 fighters/72 recce/108 light bombers/99 heavy bombers.
These flew across mainly from South Vietnam and Cambodia, immediately occupying Songkhla as the forward base from where they would support the Army's sweep down Peninsular Malaya.
2) The 22nd Naval Air Flotilla, part of the 11th Imperial Japanese Naval Air Fleet, based in Saigon was tasked to be the invasion Covering Force in the air, comprising the Mihoro, Genzan and Kanoya Air Groups (Sentai) and a fighter-escort 'Yamada' unit, totalling about : 37 fighters/6 recce/99 bombers.
This group is believed to have made the first air attack on Singapore (docks & airfields) on 08 dec '41, 04:10 am.

Pix: A5M Claude fighter / A6M Zero fighter / Ki-15 Bab Recce / G3M2 Nell bomber / G4M Betty bomber

[arf-er]

Next, The 3rd Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (3rd Hikoshidan)
Order-of-battle:
1) 3rd Air Brigade - Sentai 27th (Ki-51 Sonia) / 59th (Ki-27 Nate) / 75th (Ki-48 Lily) / 90th (Ki-48 Lily). Total = 102 aircraft.
2) 7th Air Brigade - Sentai 12th (Ki-21 Sally) / 60th (Ki-21 Sally) / 64th (Ki-43 Oscar, Ki-27 Nate) / 98th (Ki-21 Sally) / 51st (Ki-15 Bab, Ki-46 Dinah). Total = 149 aircraft.
3) 10th Air Brigade - Sentai 31st (Ki-30 Anne) / 62nd (Ki-21 Sally) / 77th (Ki-27 Nate) / 70th (Ki-15 Bab). Total = 90 aircraft
4) 12th Air Brigade - Sentai 1st (Ki-27 Nate) / 11th (Ki-27 Nate). Total = 81 aircraft.
5) Independant Sentais attached: 47th/21st/82nd/84th.

The initial Malaya invasion force was supported by the 1st, 11th, 77th Sentais (all flying Ki-27 Nates), plus the only sentai flying the all-new Ki-43 Hayabusa (Oscar), the 64th Sentai.

Pix: Ki-27 Nate fighter (the most common type) / Ki-43 Oscar fighter (mistakenly identified as 'Zeros' by the allies in most cases)

[arf-er]

Recon and Dive-Bombers used to support Army ground advances:

Pix: Ki-15 Bab (recce) / Ki-30 Ann (light bomber) / Ki-32 Mary (light bomber) / ki-46 Dinah (recce) / Ki-51 Sonia (recce)

[arf-er]

Heavy Bombers that delivered much death & destruction to Singapore:

Pix: Ki-21 Sally / Ki-48 Lily

[arf-er]

...and finally a few other specialized types in small quantites:

Pix: Ki-44 Tojo (47th Sentai) / Ki-45 Nick (night fighter) / Ki-57 Topsy (Transport)

[arf-er]

OK, I'll be back with a look at what the defending forces had...
Watch this space!

[loyn]

To start off the defending force....this are the 2 major battleship lost in the battle of Singapore.

The two ships arrived at Singapore just before Japan began the Pacific War. As soon as hostilities commenced, both steamed northwards to intercept a reported invasion force. While returning to Singapore on 10 December 1941, Repulse and Prince of Wales were attacked by Japanese high-level bombers and torpedo planes. Repulse was moderately damaged by bombs early in the action and was later hit by several torpedoes. After receiving this heavy underwater damage, she sank rapidly, followed less than an hour later by the Prince of Wales.

[Merciful]

sorry guys, a little off topic here. But I found this site some time back that has very interesting documentation of the naval warfare in the Pacific arena.

Enjoy!

http://www.everblue.net/1942/

[peary]

wow.. interessting site/.. but very lenghty..

[142 SQN]

sorry guys, a little off topic here. But I found this site some time back that has very interesting documentation of the naval warfare in the Pacific arena.

Enjoy!

http://www.everblue.net/1942/

A very nice link... love the real photos too.

[Merciful]

glad u guys enjoyed it, but lets go back to the main topic by arf-er

hey arf-er, more pictures, more pictures leh!

[arf-er]

OK, I'm back with the Allied defences!
Thanks to Loyn for highlighting the other major event of the sinking of 'Force Z' - HMS Repulse & HMS Prince of Wales.
These capital battleships (the only ones in the Far East) together with a small fleet was sent from Singapore 2 days after the first landings to intercept the main-body of the Japanese 25th Army, now pouring in after the initial beach-head had been secured by the 5th Division at Songkhla, on 10 Dec '41.
Half-way, 'Force Z' turned back to investigate a false report that a Japanese force had landed in Kuantan, unbeknown to them that they had been spotted by Japanese submarines & recce aircraft of the 22nd Naval Air Flotilla tasked to cover the Songkla landings.
Hours later, waves of 88 Navy bombers (27xG3M2 Nells & 61xG4M Bettys, re-armed with torpedoes) were scrambled from Saigon (Vietnam) to engage 'Force Z', 50 miles off Kuantan.... and the rest is history.
The costly lesson of this mission was to never send out a sea convoy without any air-cover protection!

Pix: G3M2 Nell / G4M Betty

[arf-er]

RAF Far East Command

Headquartered at Kallang Aerodrome, the Far East Command oversaw RAF deployments in Burma, Malaya & Hong Kong, while the Dutch took care of Java, Sumatra and Borneo.
RAF deployments in Malaya comprised of a composite of commonwealth squadrons, from England, Australia, New Zealand, The Netherlands and Canadians. In Singapore, they were based in Tengah, Seletar, Sembawang and Kallang Aerodromes, flying a fleet of fighters, bombers, torpedo bombers and flying-boats, all unfortunately, already of vintage in 1941.
As the 8 Dec '41 Japanese invasion progressed, the RAF was losing airfields in Malaya on a weekly basis, up until Jan '42, where most squadrons (or what little were left) were withdrawn to Singapore itself.

The relative air-strength in Jan 1942 was:
RAF Malaya: 28 Fighters / 74 Bombers
Japanese 3rd Hikoshidan: 150 Fighters / 250 Bombers

The deployments were roughly as follows:
1) RAF Kallang
Sqn 243, Sqn 488 (Fighter) - Brewster Buffalo (x32)
Dutch Sqn (Fighter) - Brewster Buffalo (x9)
Sqn 27 (Night Fighter role) - Bristol Blenheim (x5)
Sqn 232 (Fighter) - Hawker Hurricane (x50 late Jan'42)

2) RAF Tengah
Sqn 34, Sqn 62 (Bomber) - Bristol Blenheim (x19)
Sqn 4 (Torpedo Bomber) - Fairey Swordfish (x4), Blackburn Shark (x4)

3) RAF Sembawang
Sqn 453, Sqn 21 RAAF (Fighter) - Brewster Buffalo (x18)
Sqn 1 RAAF, Sqn 8 RAAF (Bomber) - Lockheed Hudson (x13)
Dutch Sqn (Bomber) - B10 Glenn Martin (x15)

4) RAF Seletar
Sqn 36, Sqn 100 (Torpedo Bomber) - Vickers Vildebeest (x29), Fairey Albacore (x?)
Sqn 205 (Flying Boat)- Consolidated Catalina (x?), Short Singapore (x?)

The Skies over Malaya were predominently ruled by the Japanese 3rd Hikoshidan (Army Air Force Division) launching almost daily bombing raids, wearing down the allied air resistance through attrition by sheer numbers and superior aircraft.
By Feb 1942, whatever were left that could still fly were withdrawn to Java and Sumatra in retreat. In about 10 weeks from the first landings, the Japanese 25th Army had conquered whole of Malaya and Singapore.

[arf-er]

Fighter - F2A-2 Brewster Buffalo

The predominent fighter of the RAF in Malaya, Burma & Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) was the Buffalo, a US Navy design rejected for its slow speed, short range, heavy weight and light armament. The RAF relegated this 2nd-line fighter to the Far East, not even using them in Europe.
They arrived in crates by ship, and were assembled in Seletar Aerodrome as the technical base.

[arf-er]

Fighter - Hawker Hurricane Mk

This was the miracle that the Allies hoped would turn the whole situation around, although they were sent too little, too late, only 52x Hurricanes arriving in crates by ship (from Durban) on 13 Jan 1942, and a subsequent 50x flown off HMS Indomitable on 27 Jan 1942, only to be retreated to Java a week later as the situation in Malaya grew desperate.
Hurricanes saw a lot of action, but were nontheless outclassed by the Ki-43 Hayabusa (Oscar) and Navy A6M Zeros.