Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Captured Japanese tank from the battle for Singapore
I was surprised to read today that the Bovington Tank Museum in England has on display a captured Japanese tank from the Malaya battle being a Ha Go Type 95. Very successful in the Malaya campaign The interior of the tank was cramped and uncomfortable, especially for anyone trying to operate the rear turret machine-gun, and it is interesting to note that the main gun could move independently of the turret. However the British troops did not have any tanks and these Japanese tanks were very successfully used during the campaign. The markings indicate a tank of 14th Sensha Rentai (Tank Regiment) in 3rd Sensha Shidan (Tank Division) around 1941. What is interesting is that this Type 95 was captured in Malaya and was examined in Calcutta before being sent to Britain. Surviving Japanese tanks from the Second World War are extremely rare and so this was very interesting to discover.
Saturday, 4 February 2012
70th Anniversary Battle for Singapore events
There are a number of events,commemorations and tours taking place in February and you can keep updated with these at http://www.nhb.gov.sg/battleforsg/ I have also attached links to a number of these events on my @singapore1942 twitter site.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Winston CHURCHILL attempted to reinforce the RAF at Singapore in late 1941. No.232 Fighter Squadron R.A.F. arrived too late to significantly blunt the blows of the IJAAF. On 7 February 1942, S/Ldr. Lawrence N. LANDELS was killed in action and was succeeded by S/Ldr. Richard ("Rickey") E.P. BROOKER. "Rickey" BROOKER had the squadron leader's pennant painted below the cockpit of his No.232 Squadron Hawker Hurricane Mk.II, BE 208, "O." Flt/Lt. Arthur G. DONAHUE tells the rest of the story.
"The other flight had a combat (Sunday morning, February 8) with an escorted bombing raid, in which they brought down at least two of the enemy. Rickey was shot down in this engagement and force-landed on the airdrome, his machine crashing through the fence on the north side and out onto East Coast Road, where it shed its landing gear in the ditch on one side, slid across the road on its belly, and stopped with its nose in the ditch on the other side. Rickey himself was unhurt - except for his feelings." ("Last Flight From Singapore," The MacMillan Company, New York:1943, page 72).
See above for a photograph of Hurricane II, BE 208, "O." Note the No.232 Squadron insignia ahead of the windscreen. Sq/Ldr. BROOKER surveys the damage!
-Jim Lansdale
Photo Credit: Arthur G. Donahue, D.F.C.
Source Classicwarbirds
Friday, 6 January 2012
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