Battle Of Sarimbun Beach

The Battle of Sarimbun Beach was the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore in February 1942 during World War II. Sarimbun was in the west of Singapore Island where the Japanese first attacked.

At 8.30pm on 8 February, Australian machine gunners opened fire on vessels carrying a first wave of 4,000 troops from the 5th and 18th Divisions towards Singapore island. However, the Japanese still pressed on towards land.

Dawn of 9 February, we were beginning to get overrun and surrounded. The 2/18 Australian Infantry Battalion had already lost more the half of its personnel. We were being flanked by Japanese and a lot of personnel had already been lost

Shortly after dark on 9 February, three British Fairmile B motor launches were sent on a raid up the western channel of the Straits of Johor, adjoining Sarimbun Beach. Their objective was to attack Japanese landing craft and communications. They came under fire from enemy forces on both shores, but pressed on almost as far as the causeway. A few Japanese landing craft were sunk before the launches returned down the channel, reaching Singapore safely and suffering minimal damage. Some Allied soldiers saw this as an example of effective defensive tactics that were used too little and/or too late by their senior commanders. - (Wikipedia, Battle of Sarimbun Beach)





Website URL : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sarimbun_Beach
Date accessed : 17 February 2013