The Battle of Hong Kong took place during the Pacific campaign of World War II. It began on December 8, 1941 and ended on Christmas Day with the then British colony of Hong Kong under the control of Imperial Japan.
Overview
The Japanese attack began on the morning of December 8, 1941 (Hong Kong local time), less than eight hours after the Attack on Pearl Harbor. British, Canadian and Indian forces, supported by the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Forces, resisted the Japanese invasion, commanded by Lieutenant General Sakai Takashi to the best of their abilities, but were outnumbered.
The Japanese achieved air superiority on the first day of battle as three fighter and two amphibious planes, which were the only planes at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport, were destroyed by Japanese bombers. The majority of the Allied naval forces were placed in the seas around Hong Kong, in an effort to achieve superiority in a potential naval battle, meaning the land forces on the mainland were surrounded and outnumbered. The British and their allies decided against holding the Sham Chun River, for it was too long and might cause many perils, and instead established most of its force along the Gin Drinkers' Line across the hills. On December 13, they retreated from the Gin Drinkers' Line and consequently from Kowloon under heavy aerial bombardment and artillery barrage. The Japanese forces crossed the harbour on December 18. Fierce fighting continued on the Hong Kong Island and the only reservoir was lost. Canadian Winnipeg Grenadiers fought at the crucial Wong Nai Chong Gap that secured the passage between downtown and the secluded southern parts of the island.
On December 25, 1941, British colonial officials headed by the Governor of Hong Kong Mark Aitchison Young surrendered in person at the Japanese headquarters on the third floor of (the hotel) The Peninsula Hong Kong. Isogai Rensuke became the first Japanese governor of Hong Kong. This ushered in the three years and eight months of Imperial Japanese administration.
After the surrender, Japanese soldiers terrorised the local population by murdering many, raping an estimated 10,000 women, and looting.
Canadian involvement
In November 1941, Canada sent 1,975 soldiers to help garrison the British colony of Hong Kong. They were not fully equipped and still undergoing training. They fought against 50,000 strong Japanese Imperial Army. This situation lead to the deaths of 557 soldiers (130 from the Grenadiers). The survivors were all taken prisoner. It should be noted that most of the soldiers in the Canadian divisions were in need of retraining or were not combat ready. *
The defence of Hong Kong saw the first commitment by Canadian troops to battle during the War. Acccording to the Veterans Affairs Canada, on 11 December 1941, the "D" Company of the Winnipeg Grendiers became the first Canadian Army to fight in the Second World War. It was also in Hong Kong where the Canadian troops suffered their first casualties of WWII. On December 8, 1941, Japanese aircraft reached Hong Kong, destroying its targets including a nearly-empty camp at Sham Shui Po where two men of the Royal Canadian Signals were wounded.
The Canadian units involved in the defence of Hong Kong consisted of:
- Winnipeg Grenadiers
- Royal Rifles of Canada
Key sites of the defence of Hong Kong included:
- Wong Ne Chong Gap
- Lye Moon Passage
- Shing Mun Redoubt
- Gin Drinkers' Line
Prisoners of war were sent to:
- Shamshuipo Prisoner Camp (later a Vietnamese detention centre)
- Yokohama Camp in Japan
- Fukuoka Camp in Japan
- Osaka Camp in Japan
The Canadian soldiers were interred at the Sai Wan Military Cemetery in the northeastern corner of Hong Kong Island amongst 1,528 Commonwealth soldiers who defended the Colony.
A Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously to Sergeant Major John Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers for his actions during the battle. The Japanese were throwing grenades at the position that he and his men were defending. He managed to catch most of them and lobbed them back to the enemy. However, he missed one, and the grenade landed on the ground. He shouted at his men to get out of the way and threw himself on top of the grenade, absorbing the full impact of the blast, and thus saving the lives of his men. A statue of Osborn can also be found in Hong Kong Park.
Surviving Canadian servicemen from this battle formed the Hong Kong Veterans Association .
Hong Kong was liberated in 1945.
- Note that there were in total 2000 Canadian soldiers in Hong Kong at that time, and that most of their equipments were still shipping to the place when they arrived.
Notes
Estimate from Philip Snow's,
The Fall of Hong Kong: Britain, China, and the Japanese Occupation (see below) via
[1]
See also
External links and references
- hongkongwardiary.com, maintained by Tony Banham
- The 2nd MTB Flotilla escapes from Hong Kong
- A soldier's story and the Battle of Hong Kong
- The Fall of Hong Kong
- The Hong Kong Defence
- Tony Banham, Not the Slightest Chance: The Defence of Hong Kong, 1941, University of British Columbia Press ; Hardcover (5/1/2003): ISBN 0774810440. Paperback (1/1/2004): ISBN 0774810459
- The Internet version of the above book
- Philip Snow , The Fall of Hong Kong: Britain, China, and the Japanese Occupation, Yale University Press; Hardcover (July 2003): ISBN 0-300-09352-7; Paperback: ISBN 0-300-10373-5
- "The detailed story of the actual battle and a tribute to Major Maurice A. Parker, CO "D" Coy, Royal Rifles of Canada.
- "The story of Alfred Babin, stretcher bearer, HQ Company, Royal Rifles of Canada.
- "A fasinating story of a young man who finds himself caught up in the horrific battle for Hong Kong and the years of captivity he lived through after the battle was over on December 25th, 1941."
- "Accounts of the Defense of Hong Kong by the Veterans Affairs Canada."
