Malayan campaign
| Malayan campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Pacific War of World War II | |||||||||
Troops of the Imperial Japanese Army crouch on a street in Johor Bahru in the final stages of the Malayan campaign | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
United Kingdom and Empire: Netherlands Kuomintang of Malaya Communist Party of Malaya |
Japan Thailand Kesatuan Melayu Muda | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Archibald Wavell Robert Brooke-Popham Arthur Percival Lewis Heath David Murray-Lyon Archibald Paris † Arthur Barstow † Gordon Bennett Tom Phillips † Conway Pulford † Leong Yew Koh Lai Teck |
Hisaichi Terauchi Tomoyuki Yamashita Takuro Matsui Takuma Nishimura Renya Mutaguchi Michio Sugawara Plaek Phibunsongkhram Nobutake Kondō Jisaburō Ozawa Shintarō Hashimoto Ibrahim Yaacob | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
130,246 troops 253 aircraft 810 artillery pieces 208+ anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns 54 fortress guns 250+ AFVs 15,400+ motor vehicles |
125,408 troops 799 aircraft 440+ artillery pieces 265 tanks 3,000+ trucks | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
130,246–138,708 casualties 7,500–8,000 killed 10,000–11,000+ wounded ~120,000+ captured or missing 440~ aircraft destroyed |
9,657–14,768 casualties 3,507–5,240 killed 6,150–9,528 wounded >30 tanks destroyed 331 aircraft lost (92 in combat) 108–331 aircraft damaged or destroyed | ||||||||
| 20,000 to 83,000 civilians killed | |||||||||
| History of Malaysia |
|---|
| Malaysia portal |
The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the Malay Operation (馬来作戦, Maree Sakusen), was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 at the opening of the Pacific War and during the Second World War. It was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units and the Imperial Japanese Army, with minor skirmishes at the beginning of the campaign between British Commonwealth and Royal Thai Police. The Japanese had air and naval supremacy from the opening days of the campaign. For the British, Indian, Australian, and Malayan forces defending the colony, the campaign was a total disaster.
The operation is notable for the Japanese use of bicycle infantry, which supposedly allowed troops to carry more equipment and swiftly move through thick jungle terrain. Royal Engineers, equipped with demolition charges, destroyed over a hundred bridges during the retreat, yet this did little to delay the Japanese. Japanese air supremacy, infiltration tactics, superior leadership, and experienced infantry units ensured an overwhelming victory over the unorganized Allied forces.
By the time the Japanese 25th Army had captured Singapore, they had suffered between 9,657 and 14,768 casualties. Allied losses were much heavier at 130,246 to 138,708, including around 7,500 to 8,000 killed, 10,000 to 11,000+ wounded and 120,000+ missing or captured. Between 20,000 and 83,000 civilians were killed in the campaign, mostly victims of the Sook Ching Massacre.