New Campaign - Hong Kong Campaign: Commonwealth vs Japanese Army

[weneedmorepro]

Comrades, hello!
Our battles have spread across Europe, the Pacific and North Africa.
Now, we need a new battlefield.
My suggestion is that we should turn our attention to the Chinese battlefield in the east.

gaijin The reason

(For gaijin, China represents a huge market and more money.
However, the situation in China is rather complex, and the Chinese people are quite sensitive about this.
So, just like in Myanmar and Harbin, we can only try to make the Chinese people join the battle as subordinates.)

Although the battlefield between the Soviet Union and the Japanese was not satisfactory
But what I recommend today is…
Chinese people and British people, Canadians, Scots, and people from British India
The joint campaign against the Japanese - the Hong Kong Campaign

Battle of Hong Kong （1941.12.08——1942.12.25，A total of 17 days）

It was on the first day of the Pacific War launched by the Showa Japanese Empire during World War II, a battle in which the Japanese army invaded British Hong Kong. The battle broke out on the morning of December 8, 1941, approximately six hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 10, the Japanese army breached the Tsim Sha Tsui Line, and on December 13, they occupied the Kowloon Peninsula. On December 18, the night of the evening, the Japanese successfully landed on Hong Kong Island. The defenders of Hong Kong (the British troops stationed there, the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Force, the Hong Kong Chinese Army Corps, and the Canadian Army) launched a fierce resistance. The attacking and defending forces engaged in fierce battles in places such as Wong Nai Chung Gorge, Sham Shui Po, and Sai Kung. Due to the failure of the Hong Kong defenders in the battle and their being isolated with no support, Governor Yang Muqi, who held the position of the Commander-in-Chief of the Hong Kong Armed Forces, decided to surrender on December 25, in the afternoon. As it was Christmas Day on that day, it was called “Black Christmas”. The period of Japanese occupation in Hong Kong lasted “three years and eight months”, until August 30, 1945, when the Royal Navy fleet of the United Kingdom arrived at Victoria Harbour, and the Japanese occupying forces in Hong Kong surrendered to the British troops. Hong Kong regained its former glory and was returned to British governance.

(Reminder: There is a lot of text. Please take your time to enjoy.)

1——7 It introduces the background of the war
8——16 It is the specific process of combat
17、18 It’s some additional supplementary content

Source material：
历史影像下（五）：二战期间的香港 - 今日头条
香港战役（上） - 哔哩哔哩
香港战役（中） - 哔哩哔哩
香港战役（下） - 哔哩哔哩

If the Hong Kong Campaign joins our game,
We can engage in a battle on the Chinese battlefield, where Chinese, British, Canadian, and other Commonwealth countries fight side by side against the Japanese
Do you want this battle to join our game?
This may be an opportunity to open up the Chinese battlefield. If the Chinese battlefield can join,
In the future, France, Poland, Finland, and others will have no reason not to join our battlefield

(Please support me for the hard work I have put in writing so much, please! Also, please leave more messages for discussion)

• Yes
• No

[weneedmorepro]

1、The evolution of Britain's strategy for the Far East and its defense deployment in Hong Kong

The evolution of Britain’s strategy for the Far East and its defense deployment in Hong Kong

The brief history of Japan’s declaration of war against Britain and its invasion of Hong Kong

Since the Qing Dynasty ceded Hong Kong in 1842, British Hong Kong has been an important base for the United Kingdom in the Asia-Pacific region. In the late 19th century, as Russia expanded its influence in East Asia, the United Kingdom and Japan, in order to counter Russia, concluded the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in January 1902. Japan then defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. The two countries then jointly eliminated German influence in Asia during the Battle of Qingdao in World War I. However, Japan continued to expand its military power and sought to dominate Asia. Its strategic ambitions gradually emerged at the Washington Conference after World War I. The United Kingdom began to be wary of Japan’s continuous expansion of military power and regarded it as an imagined enemy threatening the United Kingdom’s interests in the Far East. It adjusted the defense strategy of Hong Kong accordingly to coordinate with the United Kingdom’s strategic deployment in the Far East. As for Japan, which sought military expansion, it also regarded the United Kingdom as an obstacle to its domination of Asia. With the expiration of the London Naval Treaty in 1936, Japan decided to break free from the constraints of various anti-militarization treaties and fully expand its military power to eliminate the influence of the United States and Britain in Asia. Japan began to study the deployment needed to attack the United Kingdom and began to conceive plans to attack Hong Kong. After the outbreak of World War II, Japan formulated two major policies at the Imperial Conference on July 2, 1940. The first was to build a “New Order in East Asia” centered on Japan, with Manchuria, the Japanese Empire, and the Wang Jingwei National Government as the backbone. The second was to seize the opportunity to implement the “Southward Advance Policy” to invade Southeast Asia and the Pacific. This laid the groundwork for the occupation of Hong Kong.
The Washington Treaty, the Far East War Memorandum, and the Sturzo Report (1920s)
After the end of World War I in 1921, the United States invited the major powers to participate in the Washington Conference to discuss the distribution of power in the Far East and the Pacific after the defeat of the German Empire, and to attempt to restore the balance of power and avoid the recurrence of war. One of the main focuses of the conference was to redivide the maritime power of the United States, Britain and Japan in the Far East, and the disputes centered on issues such as limiting naval armaments, colonial defense and the redistribution of German colonies. Since Hong Kong was the forefront of Britain’s Asian colonies, located between Japan and Southeast Asia, and had important strategic value, its defense issue was also included in the agenda.

In 1920, the British Admiralty drafted the “Far East War Memorandum”, which served as the strategic blueprint for the British forces in the Far East before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Although the Memorandum underwent several revisions from the 1920s to the 1930s, the general outline remained as follows: 1. (I) After Japan declared war on the United Kingdom, the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom gathered in its home waters and the Mediterranean Sea, and set sail for the Far East to reach Singapore. 2. (II) The Royal Navy would reinforce, recapture, or occupy transit bases from Singapore, such as Hong Kong or ports further north. 3. (III) The Royal Navy would depart from the transit base and engage in a fleet battle with the Showa Imperial Japanese Navy. After winning, it would surround Japan and force the Japanese government to negotiate or surrender. Influenced by this strategic framework, Hong Kong has always been the core of the Royal Navy’s Far East strategy, prompting the British government and military authorities to start discussions on the deployment of forces in Hong Kong as early as the 1920s.

Based on the negotiation results of the Washington Conference, countries such as Britain, the United States, and Japan signed the “Four-Power Treaty” and the “Washington Naval Treaty” respectively in February 1922. According to the “Four-Power Treaty”, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance concluded in 1902 must be dissolved; while the signatories of the “Washington Naval Treaty” were required to limit the size and deployment of their navies in accordance with the provisions of the treaty. The proportion of the total tonnage of the main warships allocated to the United States and Britain was higher than that of Japan (the tonnage ratio of Britain, the United States, and Japan was 5: 5: 3). The treaty restricted the size of Japan’s navy from exceeding that of the United States and Britain, and required Japan to dismantle several warships under construction. However, Japan also successfully obtained the inclusion of a clause in the treaty that restricted the construction of military bases in East Asia. Article 19 stipulated that all British colonies in the East Indies (including Hong Kong) and the British islands east of 110 degrees east longitude (except for the Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian dependencies) should maintain their current defense facilities and naval bases and could only be repaired or replaced with worn-out equipment. These provisions specifically targeted the British and American possessions in East Asia, such as Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Guam, restricting the defense facilities and naval bases of the British and American colonies in the Western Pacific region. As a result, during the period from 1922 to 1936 when the treaty was in effect, Britain could not build new defense batteries or expand naval bases in Hong Kong. After World War I, Japan gained control of the German Pacific possessions in Central and South America as a buffer zone to counterbalance the United States’ influence in the Pacific. However, it was not allowed to build naval bases or defense facilities on these islands. In other words, the treaty divided the United States, Britain, and Japan into three major powers. Although the United States and Britain could maintain larger naval fleets, they would have difficulty holding onto their territories in East Asia. The main forces of their navies had to first assemble on their home territories and then cross the ocean to reach East Asia for combat, leaving the United States and Britain in a strategic disadvantage. As for Japan, although it had geographical advantages in Asia and was strategically superior, its overall naval size would be smaller than that of the United States and Britain, making it difficult for it to engage in long-term warfare with either the United States or Britain. In summary, the ideal goal of the treaty was to prevent all three countries from having absolute superiority in Asia, thus achieving a balance of power.
After the signing of the naval treaty, although the international situation temporarily eased, the British military never ceased to discuss defense matters in the Far East. In 1920, the British Naval Headquarters wrote the “War Memorandum (Eastern)”, outlining the battle plan for the Anglo-Japanese war. According to the conception of the British Naval Headquarters at that time, if Britain and Japan went to war, the entire war would be divided into three stages. The first stage would be the mobilization of the homeland, where the Royal Navy would dispatch fleets from the British homeland to naval bases in the Far East and use the British territories and colonies along the way as supply stations. The British territories in the Far East that were involved in the war must hold out as much as possible and wait for the main force of the Royal Navy to arrive for assistance. The second stage would be the establishment of a transit base, allowing the Royal Navy to establish a base near Japan’s homeland. Britain would seize or regain it through military action or obtain control of the ports near Japan through diplomatic means. The third stage would be to encircle Japan, where the Royal Navy would approach the Japanese homeland and lure the Japanese navy into a fleet battle. After winning, the Royal Navy would impose a maritime blockade on Japan, forcing it to negotiate or surrender. This battle plan was conceived in the 1920s and became increasingly mature in the early 1930s.
According to the original plan of the Navy Headquarters in the 1920s, since Singapore is located at a key point where the Indian Ocean connects to the South China Sea and is far away from direct threats from other major powers, it became the core base of the Royal Navy in the Far East. The British defense strategy in the Far East would center on Singapore, and it was called the “Singapore Strategy”. However, in Singapore at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, it is too far from Japan and the British concessions in China, and is not suitable for use as a transfer station for the second stage of operations. Therefore, the Royal Navy must use ports in Hong Kong or north of Hong Kong as transfer bases in order to launch the third stage of combat operations. In other words, the strategy of the Royal Navy was that if Hong Kong was invaded, the British forces would reinforce or recapture Hong Kong through the base in Singapore, and Hong Kong must be defended as much as possible after the outbreak of the war until the Royal Navy arrived for reinforcement.
In this context, the defense issue of Hong Kong received significant attention from the military. Even before the signing of the Washington Treaty, the British Ministry of War began to study the defense strategies for Hong Kong. Initially, the British Ministry of War believed that Hong Kong was too close to Japan’s sphere of influence and could not withstand an invasion by the Japanese army at all. They had to abandon it. However, in 1925, the British Ministry of War still ordered the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Samuel Ho, and the British troops stationed there to examine Hong Kong’s defense capabilities. The Hong Kong government submitted a report to London in 1926, stating that there were many beaches in Hong Kong, making it difficult to defend, so the defense objective should be to prevent the enemy from using the port. The report also suggested that the military should send four regiments of regular troops to Hong Kong and station 18 aircraft there. These discussions clarified the strategic goals of Hong Kong’s defense at that time.
Although the United Kingdom did not plan to expand its military forces again in the 1920s after World War I ended, the British government and the military agreed to moderately enhance the defense of Hong Kong without violating the Washington Treaty. During the tenure of Governor Sir Edward King, the Hong Kong government intended to develop the aviation industry. At that time, the “Kowloon Business Company Limited”, which held the land in Kai Tak, encountered economic difficulties when developing the land into a large commercial and residential project. Both the Hong Kong government and the military believed that the land in Kai Tak was suitable for building an airport. The Hong Kong government then purchased the entire Kai Tak land in 1927 with its own funds. In response to the Japanese Army’s 8th Aviation Regiment’s进驻Taiwan Kaohsiung in May 1927， the Royal Air Force also stationed in Hong Kong that same year， but the Hong Kong-based Air Force could only use seaplanes at that time. Due to the Washington Treaty， the military could not build an air force base in Hong Kong， so the Hong Kong government first built an airport for civil aviation purposes in Kai Tak. Kai Tak Airport was put into use in 1929， and it was managed by the predecessor of the Maritime Department， the “Shipbuilding Office”. However， it was also used by the military aircraft. Later， the Kai Tak Royal Air Force Base was set up on the east side of the airport， and the facilities of the base were completed gradually in the mid-1930s. Kai Tak became a dual-use airport for both military and civilian purposes.
Although Sir Samuel Bate’s report suggested concentrating the defense of Hong Kong on defending Hong Kong Island, the War Planning Group of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee had a different plan. In 1927, the group proposed extending the defense line of Hong Kong to include the Kowloon Peninsula, in order to guard against the Japanese taking the strategy of attacking Lushun Port, first occupying the highlands of Kowloon and setting up cannons, then firing from the highlands of Kowloon to attack Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island. Therefore, it was necessary to establish a defense line between the New Territories and Kowloon in order to ensure the safety of facilities such as the Great China Dockyard in Victoria Harbour and the areas along the sea ports. The group also reaffirmed that Hong Kong was an important forward base for the Royal Navy in the Far East. The defenders of Hong Kong must hold out for 45 to 55 days so that the Royal Navy would have enough time to mobilize its fleet to reinforce Hong Kong. The group later submitted similar reports twice in 1930 and 1934, which led to the construction of the Tai O Bay Defense Line in 1936. This defense line runs across the ridge of Kowloon and is one of the few large overseas defensive works built by the British during the interwar period.

The Tui Wu Wan defense line is often simplified as a continuous line of defense, but it is more accurately described as four defensive areas set up by the British army along the ridge of Kowloon, to prevent the enemy from invading the Kowloon Peninsula from the New Territories. The picture shows the Tui Wu Wan defense line as depicted by Bado Miao Shao in the “1936 Hong Kong Defense Plan”, starting from the west as Area 4 (from Qingshan Road to Jinshan), Area 3 (from Jinshan to Tai Po Road and Chengmen Valley, including the under-construction Chengmen Reservoir and Chengmen Watchtower), Area 2 (from Sha Tin Sea to Dongyang Mountain), and Area 1 (from Dongyang Mountain to Tung On Sau). According to Bado Miao’s conception, the British army needed to deploy four battalions of troops to hold the defense line firmly. However, the British Chiefs of Staff Committee revised the plan in 1938 and abandoned the idea of holding the Kowloon firmly, converting the Tui Wu Wan defense line into a delaying operation purpose. It was not until November 1941 that two Canadian battalions of soldiers reinforced Hong Kong, and the British troops stationed in the Tui Wu Wan defense line again, but the purpose was still to delay the advance of the Japanese army.

The location map of Taikoo Shipyard in the early 20th century. One of the main objectives of the British forces in defending Hong Kong was to prevent foreign troops from controlling Victoria Harbour and to ensure the safety of naval facilities such as the naval dockyard (now Tsim Sha Tsui) and Taikoo Shipyard, as well as shipping infrastructure.

The Kai Tak Royal Air Force Base is located to the east of Kai Tak Airport. The British military had planned to station an air force in Hong Kong in the 1920s, but due to the restrictions of the “Washington Treaty”, they first had the Hong Kong government build the civilian Kai Tak Airport. The airport was put into use in 1929, and then an air force base was added to the east of the airport, becoming a dual-use airport for both military and civilians. The airport runways were also shared by both military and civilians. This picture was approximately taken in August 1945 after Japan’s surrender. In the lower left corner of the picture, there are Allied vehicles docked. The road in the center of the picture is the later Kwun Tong Road.

2、Strategic adjustments before World War II (1930 to 1939)

Entering the 1930s, the international situation deteriorated increasingly. In 1931, Japan invaded Northeast China through the September 18 Incident and in 1932, it attacked Shanghai, forcing Shanghai to be demilitarized. The Japanese army launched the July 7 Incident in 1937, causing the full-scale outbreak of the Chinese War of Resistance against Japan. In Europe during the same period, as early as 1922, the fascist leader Benito Mussolini became the prime minister of Italy and began to plan to expand Italy’s colonial empire. In 1935, Italy sent troops to attack Ethiopia in Italian East Africa.
The international situation deteriorated rapidly, and the British government began to strengthen the defense of Hong Kong. In 1932, the British government, as planned, increased the number of 3-inch anti-aircraft guns in Hong Kong by 6, and then added coastal defense guns to Hong Kong. They also transferred one battalion of soldiers originally stationed in Shanghai to Hong Kong. In addition, the British government and the military department adopted the report of the Chief of Staff Committee and began to build the Zuiwuben defense line in Hong Kong in 1934. They planned to build more artillery posts in places like Saigon, Kowloon and Chau Chau after the Washington Treaty expired in 1936. Facing the increasingly tense situation, the British government decided to expand its military equipment in 1934 and allocated funds in early 1936 to strengthen the defense of each British territory. Hong Kong received 5 million pounds, which was equivalent to hundreds of millions of pounds in 2020. Compared to Hong Kong’s economic level at that time, the amount received was extremely large. However, because the defense construction was prioritized for the British mainland, the defense of Hong Kong could not be expanded rapidly.
The British strategy in the Far East during the 1930s underwent several changes, which also affected the defense deployment and strategies in Hong Kong. In 1936, the British commander in Hong Kong, Major General Arthur Wollaston Bartholomew, submitted the “1936 Hong Kong Defense Plan”. This “Defense Plan” aimed at defending Hong Kong and waiting for the local fleet to provide assistance. Major General Bartholomew judged that if Japan launched an invasion of Hong Kong, the Japanese army would send a division’s force to initiate the attack in the early stages of the war, and would cooperate with the navy and air force to bomb Hong Kong. The four regular battalions of the defending Hong Kong troops and the one battalion of the Hong Kong Defense Force would defend the Ling Shui Wan defense line, while the three regular battalions of the defending Hong Kong troops would hold their position at the Ling Shui Wan defense line. The Hong Kong Defense Force would guard the various machine gun forts, trying their best to prevent the Japanese from crossing the defense line and advancing to Kowloon, thereby avoiding the Japanese artillery fire on both sides of Victoria Harbour and the attack on Hong Kong Island until the British reinforcements arrived to rescue the defenders. However, Major General Bartholomew explicitly stated that the current military force stationed in Hong Kong was only four regular battalions, which could only cope with enemy surprise attacks and was insufficient to withstand organized attacks. The defenders could only fight with their backs to the water. The War Office sent the fortress supervisor Major General Frederick Barron to Hong Kong in March 1935 to inspect the Ling Shui Wan defense line designed by Bartholomew and to inspect the drills and equipment of the British troops in Hong Kong. Later, Barron submitted the “Hong Kong Defense Facilities Report”, pointing out that the artillery equipment of the Hong Kong defenders was old, there were insufficient vehicles and too few barracks. He also believed that the Ling Shui Wan defense line needed at least four regular battalions, and two more battalions of troops were needed for the New Territories to delay the battle. If the New Territories were lost, they would be added to the Ling Shui Wan defense line to enable the defense line to be defended by a force of nearly six battalions. Barron also mentioned that Hong Kong’s coastline was too long, and the defenders needed naval and air force support. Therefore, Bartholomew repeatedly requested London to increase the troops in Hong Kong. In April 1938, he told the War Office that if the plan was to defend Hong Kong, the Hong Kong defenders needed to be increased to at least eight battalions, and five squadrons of air force were also required.

This is a schematic diagram of the layout of the facilities of the city gate bastion. There are machine gun bunkers around the bastion, and several tunnels are named after streets in London, England. The British army built the Tuiwan Defense Line in 1936, and also constructed the City Gate Bastion to enhance the defense capabilities of the line, south of the Upper City Gate Pond. They planned to further expand the defense line; however, in the late 1930s, the situation in Europe became increasingly tense, and the United Kingdom was unable to focus on the Far East and reinforce Hong Kong. The Chiefs of Staff Committee changed the defense strategy for Hong Kong in 1938, shifting the defense focus back to Hong Kong Island. The original plan was to hold the Tuiwan Defense Line to protect Kowloon and Victoria Harbour, but it was later abandoned in 1938 and construction was halted. The coastal artillery and anti-aircraft guns in Kowloon were also gradually transferred to Hong Kong Island due to the contraction of the defense plan. The British troops stationed in Hong Kong also considered abandoning the Tuiwan Defense Line and concentrating their forces to defend Hong Kong Island due to the limited military strength.
However, the British Admiralty at this time began to waver about the issue of sending more troops to the Far East. In 1935, Germany expanded its military forces and rebuilt its navy, posing a new threat to the British mainland. Italy might also form an alliance with Germany, which could pose a threat to Britain’s interests in the Mediterranean and Egypt. It was unlikely that a large fleet could be dispatched to the Far East for reinforcement. Therefore, in the “Far East War Memorandum” of 1937, although the Admiralty retained its original plan to send reinforcements to the Far East, it also conceived of sending a smaller fleet to the Far East, in coordination with the fleet already stationed there and the air force stationed in Singapore, to disrupt Japan’s maritime trade routes and thereby force Japan to negotiate.
Also in 1937, the war planning group of the Chiefs of Staff Committee once again assessed the defense of Hong Kong, concluding that an additional air force base needed to be built in Hong Kong in order to withstand the air attacks by the Japanese forces. However, due to the mountainous and islandous terrain of Hong Kong, the new airport could only be located in the New Territories, which was more open in terrain but not protected by the Tui Wai Wan defense line. This led to intense debates among the three services, with the navy insisting on protecting the naval base and shipyard facilities in Hong Kong, the army unwilling to disperse its limited forces to the New Territories, and the air force not planning to reinforce Hong Kong. After many rounds of debates, the Chiefs of Staff Committee decided in July 1938 to abandon the “Defensive Plan” formulated by Baudry in 1936 and reduce the defense area of Hong Kong to Hong Kong Island and Victoria Harbour. The committee also decided to stop building the Tui Wai Wan defense line and change its military use to delaying the enemy’s advance. The Hong Kong government therefore built machine gun forts and other defensive works on Hong Kong Island and gradually transferred coastal defense guns and anti-aircraft guns to Hong Kong Island. Arthur Edward Grasett Junior, a major, took over as the commander of the British troops in Hong Kong in November 1938. He believed that the Tui Wai Wan defense line itself required four battalions of troops to be stationed, but Hong Kong only had four regular battalions, and if it was to defend Hong Kong Island, there would be no troops available to be dispatched to the New Territories and Kowloon. Only one battalion could be stationed in the Tui Wai Wan defense line for a brief resistance, and it was necessary to retain the strength to retreat to Hong Kong Island. It was not allowed to suffer too much damage in Kowloon. It was expected that the stay would be limited to no more than two days before withdrawing to Hong Kong Island. During his tenure, Grasett continuously sought to have more troops sent to Hong Kong from London, hoping to send at least two battalions of infantry, so that troops could be dispatched to the Tui Wai Wan defense line. However, the London side was concerned that after Guangzhou and Shenzhen fell, it would be difficult for Hong Kong to hold out, so it did not agree. He had to strengthen the defense works on Hong Kong Island in order to fight a protracted war on Hong Kong Island.

3、The numerous adjustments made before the Pacific War and the civil defense policies of the Hong Kong government。（1939 to 1941）

On October 12, 1938, the Japanese forces landed near Daya Bay in Hong Kong. On October 21, they captured Guangzhou, and in May 1939, they conquered Hainan Island. At the border of Shenzhen River in Hong Kong, where the Japanese forces were in a standoff with the British troops defending Hong Kong, although Japan was not ready to declare war on Britain, the surrounding areas of Hong Kong were already under Japanese control. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, triggering the European war of World War II, and the war officially broke out. From 1940 to December 7, 1941, before the outbreak of the Pacific War, the defense strategy of Hong Kong was constantly changing as the British government adjusted its response to the development of the war situation. Before the outbreak of the European war, as the Japanese forces had occupied Guangdong and Hainan Island in 1939 and completely gained control of the sea and air supremacy in the surrounding areas of Hong Kong, the British felt that Hong Kong had been surrounded by Japanese forces and became pessimistic about defending Hong Kong. They even considered giving up using the naval base in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the British defense policy remained to delay a war with Japan as much as possible; if the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, the defenders should try to delay until the British troops in Southeast Asia arrived to reinforce them. The then First Lord of the Admiralty Churchill stated, “Although Hong Kong cannot be defended, it must be protected.” At that time, the British government had the following considerations, including supporting the Republic of China in delaying the expansion of the Japanese forces; studying cooperation with the French army in French Indochina; attempting to prompt the United States to intervene in the Far East situation; or negotiating with Japan, etc.

On October 21, 1938, the Japanese army captured Guangzhou. Later, in early November, the Japanese troops blocked the Luohu Bridge at the border between Hong Kong and Baian County, Guangdong Province of the Republic of China, and confronted the British troops stationed in Hong Kong. As can be seen in the picture, at that time, the border between Hong Kong and the mainland was located at the northern end of the Luohu Bridge, which was actually the boundary line based on the north bank of Shenzhen River.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, triggering the European War and officially kicking off the Second World War. The international situation underwent drastic changes, and the initial situation for Britain in the war was not optimistic. In April 1940, Germany occupied Denmark and Norway. The fall of Norway made it easier for Germany to blockade Britain’s external transportation and attack British territory, causing panic in Britain. The Prime Minister Chamberlain, who had adopted the appeasement policy from the merger of Germany and Austria to the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, thus resigned. Churchill took over as the Prime Minister on May 10. On the same day that Churchill took office, the German army launched a large-scale offensive sweeping across Western Europe. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium quickly fell. The British Expeditionary Force stationed in France to defend Western Europe with the French army also suffered successive defeats, and only the Dunkirk evacuation was carried out at the end of May to withdraw the remaining troops back to Britain. On June 14, Paris fell; France surrendered shortly after on June 24, and Britain was isolated in Europe and had to confront the ambitious Germany alone. At the same time, Italy declared war on Britain and France on June 10, opening the Mediterranean, Middle East, and African battlefields and tying down the main force of the Royal Navy. Germany launched the British Air War in July, with the German Air Force conducting large-scale air raids on the British Isles as the first stage of invading Britain; the German Navy carried out submarine warfare to blockade British shipping, causing shortages of supplies in Britain; the German army also formulated the Sea Lion Plan to prepare for landing on British territory, putting Britain in a life-and-death crisis.
After the Japanese army captured Guangzhou and Shenzhen in December 1938, although Japan had cut off the logistics line for supplies transferred to China via Hong Kong, China was still able to obtain supplies through the Burma Road via British-administered Burma. Therefore, since 1938, Japan had demanded that Britain close the Burma Road to cut off China’s access to external supplies. From April 1940, Germany launched a series of fierce attacks in Europe, not only occupying many countries in Western and Northern Europe, but also with Italy intervening in the European War on the German side, putting even the British mainland in peril. Japan took the opportunity to coerce Britain into closing the Burma Road. To intensify pressure on Britain, the Japanese army deployed a large number of troops to gather and conduct military exercises in Shenzhen, which is close to Hong Kong, in early June 1940, and issued an ultimatum to the British government. The British government, led by Winston Churchill, was constrained by the rapidly deteriorating situation in Europe. To avoid igniting a war in the Far East, it had no choice but to follow the advice of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and compromise diplomatically with Japan. On July 18, Britain and Japan reached an agreement in Tokyo, with Britain agreeing to close the Burma Road for three months. Britain hoped to delay Japan through negotiations and avoid immediate war with Japan, but Japan did not stop its encroachment on Southeast Asia. Taking advantage of the fall of mainland France, Japan sent Japanese troops to invade French Indochina in September, and the Indochina-Vietnam Railway fell under Japanese control. This move not only further cut off China’s external transportation lines but also extended Japan’s military influence to Southeast Asia and further isolated Hong Kong, making it difficult for British troops in Southeast Asia to come to Hong Kong’s aid in case of war.

The British surrender to Japan and the closure of the Burma Road made the leadership of the Hong Kong British government and the colonial authorities more pessimistic about the defense of Hong Kong. Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Phillips, and the Colonial Office both believed that Hong Kong was undefensible and called on the London authorities to consider withdrawing the defending troops. Phillips even suggested declaring Hong Kong an “open city” to avoid causing large civilian casualties in the event of war. However, although the British government and military both believed that Hong Kong was difficult to defend, they strongly opposed withdrawing its defenses, arguing that giving up the defense of Hong Kong would be tantamount to encouraging Japan to accelerate its infiltration and aggression against Hong Kong. Surrendering without a fight to Japan would not only undermine the morale of the British public but also the morale of the Chinese resistance against Japan, thereby weakening the authority of the British government and potentially encouraging Japan to accelerate its war efforts. In September 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin, officially forming the Axis powers. Under these circumstances, the United Kingdom, which was fighting against Germany, was even less likely to make concessions to Japan, one of the Axis powers. The British government decided to no longer negotiate with Japan and reopened the Burma Road in October to express its determination not to compromise with Japan, which had allied with Germany and Italy. The crisis of war between Britain and Japan thus escalated again. After controlling northern French Indochina, the Japanese army proposed that Japan should seize the territories of Britain, France, and the Netherlands in East Asia while they were occupied by France and the Netherlands, given that Britain was fighting alone in Europe. However, the Japanese navy opposed immediately waging war against Britain, citing insufficient preparation and the possibility of American intervention. As a result, war did not break out in 1940.

Although the war did not break out immediately due to the temporary compromise of the British government and the Japanese government’s concern about American intervention, the British authorities still had to plan countermeasures for a potential war. Zhuhai and Hainan Island, located to the west of Hong Kong, have already fallen, and French Indochina has also been dominated by Japanese forces; If Hong Kong were to be invaded by Japan on a large scale, coupled with the significant advantage of the Japanese Navy in the Far East, it would be difficult for the British garrison in Southeast Asia to come to its aid. At this time, Britain would also be unable to dispatch large reinforcements to support the defending troops in the Far East. Therefore, by 1940, Hong Kong was almost completely encircled by Japanese forces, but Japan had not yet made up its mind to declare war on Britain and seize Hong Kong. Since Britain could not conceivably surrender Hong Kong to Japan, but sending reinforcements to Hong Kong would likely result in a total loss, under these circumstances, the British government and military’s goal for defending Hong Kong was not to disrupt Japan’s military offensive, but to gain the moral high ground, alleviate political pressure, and reduce civilian casualties. Therefore, while the British government increased troop deployments to the Malayan and Straits Settlements, it rejected the proposal by Air Marshal Pakenham, the Commander-in-Chief of the three armed forces in the Far East, to send reinforcements to Hong Kong. Prime Minister Churchill even bluntly stated that sending reinforcements to Hong Kong was “all wrong.” However, in response to Pakenham’s request, the British authorities agreed to transport a batch of military equipment, including general-purpose vehicles and spare artillery barrels, to the British troops stationed in Hong Kong.

However, in early 1941, following the British victory in Operation Compass in North Africa, which had defeated the Italian invasion of Egypt, not only did the British expel the Italian Royal Army from Egypt, but they also pursued the Italian forces for 800 kilometers into the heart of Italian-held Libya, annihilating the Italian Royal Army’s 10th Army. This victory greatly boosted British morale against the Axis powers. Consequently, the British government and military hardened their stance towards Japan, and even attempted to join forces with the United States to send more troops to East Asia to deter Japan from waging war. At that time, Britain had already emerged victorious in the Battle of Britain, preventing the German Luftwaffe from gaining air superiority and prompting Hitler to cancel Operation Sea Lion, his plan to invade the British mainland. Furthermore, in March of the same year, Britain began receiving material support from the United States through the Lend-Lease Act. As US-Japanese relations deteriorated, the US Navy decided to relocate its Pacific Fleet from the west coast of the United States to Pearl Harbor in the central Pacific and deploy additional troops to the Philippines. On June 22, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa to invade the Soviet Union, alleviating the pressure on the British mainland from a potential German invasion. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy had gradually established itself in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, allowing it to send some warships to reinforce the Far East. Due to this slight improvement in the situation, the authorities and military in London began discussing cooperation with the United States, China, and the Dutch government-in-exile to jointly contain Japan in the Far East, forming an ABCD encirclement network in an attempt to force Japan to abandon its aggression.

Major General Jia Naixi stepped down as the Commander of the British Forces in Hong Kong in July 1941 and returned to the UK, with Major General Maud Pugh taking over. However, when Jia Naixi returned to the UK via his hometown of Canada, he made a special trip to Ottawa to lobby the Canadian government to send troops to reinforce Hong Kong. He met with Major General Galliard, the Canadian Army Commander-in-Chief, and Canadian Defense Minister Ralston to seek Canada’s support in sending troops to Hong Kong. The Canadian military responded positively and forwarded the request to the Canadian Cabinet for discussion. The then Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie agreed that Canada could exert greater influence in wartime and agreed to assist in defending Hong Kong. In September, the Canadian government decided to send two battalions of infantry to reinforce the Hong Kong garrison. At that time, Australia, which was also a self-governing dominion under the British system, had already sent troops to British Malaya to support the local British forces. Jia Naixi’s proposal to invite Canada to send troops to Hong Kong not only did not require the use of British troops, but also enhanced Hong Kong’s defense capabilities. It also demonstrated the determination of the self-governing dominions under the British system to jointly resist the Axis powers with the UK, strengthened the deterrence of Japan’s intention to start a war, and boosted morale in the UK. Therefore, it received the support of the British Cabinet. Even Prime Minister Churchill, who had initially taken a negative attitude towards sending troops to Hong Kong, expressed optimism about it, and the Dominions Office officially issued an invitation to Canada to send troops to Hong Kong. In November, British generals such as Pakenham, Jarnay, and Maude proposed to Canada to send more troops to Hong Kong, and Pakenham even suggested deploying additional air forces to the territory. Although Canada was also interested in sending more troops and equipment to Hong Kong, it was unable to implement these plans before the outbreak of war.

In addition to discussing the reinforcement of troops in Hong Kong, after the Japanese occupied Guangzhou in 1938, the Hong Kong government began to prepare for civil defense work. However, due to the belief of the then Governor, Sir Mark Robinson, that strengthening Hong Kong’s military would be seen as a provocation by Japan, he advocated for Hong Kong to remain undefended. Therefore, he focused on administrative measures such as strengthening the power of the Governor, wartime budgeting, censorship of public opinion, control of food and materials, and closing borders. Although Sir Mark Robinson ordered the establishment of an air defense agency and educated the public to deal with air raids during his tenure, his attitude towards war preparations was not proactive. Sir Mark Robinson himself refused to build more air-raid shelters. From April 1940 to January 1941, Sir Mark Robinson returned to England for medical treatment due to illness. His duties were first temporarily assumed by the Assistant Governor, Miss Smith, and then by Lieutenant General Yue Tong in August of the same year. After Yue Tong assumed the governorship, various civil defense efforts were intensified. In October, he ordered the construction of a large number of air-raid shelters and various civil defense facilities on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. He also invited the Nationalist Government to send personnel to Hong Kong to assist in monitoring Japanese communications and sharing intelligence. However, due to the hasty implementation of civil defense projects by Yue Tong, which led to a large number of corruption cases, he faced fierce criticism from the Legislative Council and public opinion. After Yang Muqi took office as Governor of Hong Kong in September 1941, in order to restore public confidence, he immediately established the “Commission on Corruption in the Public Service” and the “Anti-Corruption Bureau” in November to thoroughly investigate the corruption cases. However, these efforts were ineffective, and the war had already broken out.

In December 1937, the Hong Kong government established a new department specifically tasked with responding to enemy air raids on Hong Kong. The Air Raid Precaution Department (ARPD) was officially established in 1939. This department was responsible for coordinating the construction of air-raid shelters, setting up civil defense facilities related to air defense, training air defense rescue and firefighting personnel, educating the public on how to respond to air raids, and developing public air defense drill plans, with the aim of reducing casualties in the event of enemy air raids on Hong Kong. In 1939, the ARPD provided disaster prevention training to over 6,000 people and issued pamphlets to educate the public on measures to respond to air raids. By 1940, the department had appointed supervisors who could enter residential areas to provide guidance during air defense drills, blackouts, and wartime. In 1941, as the pressure of Japanese invasion on Hong Kong increased day by day, the government called on Hong Kong citizens to participate in voluntary civil defense organizations such as the Air Defense Rescue Corps and the Reserve Firefighting Corps to meet the manpower needs in the event of war.

The British garrison in Hong Kong recruited Chinese residents of Hong Kong to join the Royal Artillery in 1937, and by 1941, about 150 local residents had served in the British artillery units. After the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Hong Kong implemented a conscription system, requiring British residents living in the territory to enlist in the military. Most of them were enrolled in the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps or the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves, which were reserve forces. The reserve forces also recruited Chinese residents to join. The Hong Kong Chinese Corps was established in November 1941, consisting of local Chinese residents in Hong Kong. Senior officers from the British garrison stationed in Hong Kong assisted in its training; Initially, it was hoped to form an infantry battalion of up to 800 men, but when war broke out, only a 51-man infantry company was assembled. The Hughesiliers were a militia composed of expatriates residing in Hong Kong. Members were drawn from British citizens over the age of military service, as well as other expatriates from allied or neutral countries living in the territory. They would assist the British garrison in protecting important strongholds when called upon. Although most members of the Hughesiliers were over 55 years old, many were veterans, with many possessing combat experience from World War I. The unit was led by Bai Dexin, a former head of Jardine Matheson and a member of both the Executive and Legislative Councils.

Portrait of Major General Jia Naixi. Jia Naixi assumed the command of the British garrison in Hong Kong in November 1938. During his tenure, he actively strengthened Hong Kong’s defense, recognizing that merely four battalions of regular troops were far from sufficient to defend the territory. He stepped down in July 1941 and, on his way back to the UK via Canada, lobbied the Canadian government to send reinforcements to Hong Kong. He also sought approval from the London authorities, ultimately leading to Canada dispatching the Royal Canadian Rifles and the Winnipeg Grenadiers Battalion to reinforce the Hong Kong garrison at the end of September. These reinforcements arrived on November 16, just before the Japanese launched their war.

Portrait of Sir Mark Young. Mark Young took over as Governor of Hong Kong in September 1941 and immediately addressed the serious corruption caused by the hasty implementation of civil defense projects by Sir David Trench, in order to regain public trust. Although the Japanese invaded Hong Kong three months later, bringing the reforms to a sudden halt, the pre-war administrative chaos served as a warning to Hong Kong officials. Coupled with the damage to the colonial government’s authority caused by the war, the Hong Kong government attempted to reform its political system and local administration after the war, in order to enhance public trust in the government. This gave birth to the Mark Young Plan and Desmond’s reform of village representatives in the New Territories [73].
Portrait of Sir Mark Young. Mark Young took over as Governor of Hong Kong in September 1941 and immediately addressed the serious corruption caused by the hasty implementation of civil defense projects by Sir David Trench, in order to regain public trust. Although the Japanese army invaded Hong Kong three months later, bringing the reforms to a sudden halt, the administrative chaos before the war served as a warning to Hong Kong officials. Coupled with the damage to the colonial government’s authority caused by the war, the Hong Kong government attempted to reform its political system and local administration after the war, in order to enhance public trust in the government. This gave birth to the Mark Young Plan and Desmond’s reform of village representatives in the New Territories.

One of the entrance to the air-raid shelter in Mount Butler. Between April 1940 and January 1941, Sir Robert Peel returned to the UK for health reasons. The governorship was first temporarily assumed by the Secretary of State, Sir Mark Smith, and then, in August 1940, by Lieutenant General Yue Tong. Yue Tong implemented a more proactive war preparation policy than Peel, including the extensive construction of air-raid shelters on Hong Kong Island.

Portrait of Sir David Akers-Jones. Sir David Akers-Jones served as Governor of Hong Kong from 1937 to September 1941.

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4、Japanese Military Strategic Deployment (1936-1941)

Southern War" offensive plan. Japan began contemplating declaring war on Britain in 1936, aiming to seize British colonies in the Far East. In September 1941, they formulated the “Southern War” plan. The attack on Hong Kong was known as “Operation C” within this southern campaign.
In the 1920s, although Japan did not have a formal plan to attack Hong Kong, its intelligence activities in Hong Kong were always active. The Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters compiled the “Hong Kong Military Topography” from 1926, beginning to systematically investigate Hong Kong’s fortifications and geography. In 1934, Major General Maruyama Masanori compiled “Military Topography and Combat Data for the Invasion of British-Administered Hong Kong,” which detailed the terrain, defensive forces, airports, fortresses, and other military facilities in Hong Kong. In addition to sending spies to gather intelligence and obtaining information through undercover agents, Japan also collected various intelligence through Hong Kong’s underworld, the Italian Consulate in Hong Kong, and other channels. The “Hong Kong Military Topography” updated by the General Staff Headquarters in August 1938 was based on espionage reports and Major General Maruyama’s findings. However, the intelligence on Hong Kong’s defense collected by the Japanese army, although accurately pointing out the weaknesses of the city gate bastions, failed to correctly depict the locations of the machine gun emplacements on the Drunk Bay defense line. The descriptions of other coastal defense facilities in Hong Kong were also inaccurate and omissions were made. The detailed deployment strategies of the British army were also not investigated. Gennaro Pagano di Melito, a former Italian Royal Navy Commander and the Italian Consul General in Hong Kong, collected intelligence on Hong Kong’s defense through informants in the Hong Kong government and later passed the information to his ally Japan, allowing the Japanese army to correct some of the inaccurate and omitted information. Based on this, the “Hong Kong Defense Facilities Map” was compiled in August 1939.

In 1936, the Japanese Army revised the “Imperial Defense Policy” and began to conceive a plan to wage war against Britain. Concurrently, they began exploring plans to attack Hong Kong. Although the Japanese military had been actively collecting military intelligence on Hong Kong since their full-scale invasion of China in 1937, and had made considerable progress, it was not until early 1940 that they included the attack on Hong Kong as one of their response actions in the event of a war involving Britain and France. According to the “Hong Kong Operation Guidelines” of the Japanese military at that time, the strategy for attacking Hong Kong was to first seize air superiority, then deploy the army to capture the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island in turn. The navy could, depending on the situation, deploy marines to land on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island, or simply enforce a naval blockade around the territory.

In June 1940, France surrendered to Germany, and Japan issued an ultimatum to Britain, demanding the closure of the Burma Road. The Japanese Army not only dispatched a large force for military exercises in Shenzhen but also once planned to attack Hong Kong. At that time, the Japanese General Staff Headquarters sent personnel to Hong Kong to investigate the situation. The Army initially conceived of sending a force of one and a half divisions to attack the Chatham Road defense line and occupy Kowloon, then proceed to invade Hong Kong Island. However, the Japanese Navy believed that attacking Hong Kong would give the United States an excuse to intervene. At that time, the Navy was not yet ready to wage war against both Britain and the United States simultaneously. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kono also followed the Navy’s advice and refrained from launching a war, thus the plan to attack Hong Kong was temporarily shelved. In early 1941, the Japanese Army’s 38th Division sent staff officers to the Hong Kong border for on-site inspection. However, shortly thereafter, the 38th Division had to be deployed northward due to the Battle of Changsha, and the plan to attack Hong Kong was once again stalled. On March 5, 1941, Japanese diplomat Yōgo Yosuke visited Germany, where German Chancellor Adolf Hitler urged Japan to declare war on Britain and the United States as soon as possible through Yōgo, and proposed that Japan could attack British colonies in the Far East such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

In August 1941, the United States imposed an oil embargo on Japan, marking a pivotal turning point in the situation in East Asia. At that time, Britain was reinforcing its troops in Hong Kong and its colonies in Southeast Asia, and had formed an ABCD encirclement network with the United States, the Netherlands, and China to deter Japan’s intention to declare war. However, the US oil embargo on Japan compelled the Japanese government, which was undecided on whether to declare war or not, to make a choice. From August to early October 1941, the Japanese government cabinet, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kondō, argued endlessly with the military over the issue of declaring war. Kondō was concerned that declaring war on Britain and the United States would make it difficult for Japan to manage multiple fronts, advocating for continued peace talks with the United States to lift the oil embargo. However, the military believed that a war between the United States and Japan was inevitable, advocating for accelerated preparations for war. In Hong Kong, which was under British rule, it was bound to become an important stronghold in the ABCD encirclement network, inevitably disrupting Japan’s transportation lines to and from Southeast Asia. Therefore, the Japanese military decided to capture Hong Kong at the outset of the war. In September, the Japanese Army submitted a “Southern Operation” plan to Emperor Hirohito, planning to simultaneously attack Hong Kong, the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, Dutch East Indies, British Borneo, Guam, and the Bismarck Archipelago, and to launch a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. However, it was not until Kondō resigned as Prime Minister in October and was replaced by the pro-war Hideki Tōjō that the Japanese government decided to declare war on the United States and Britain, and began to deliberate on the tactical details of the “Southern Operation”.

Ironically, due to the Japanese government’s vacillation in its stance towards war during this period and its contradictory decisions, it greatly confused the intelligence agencies of Britain and the United States, preventing them from accurately judging the timing of Japan’s war launch. Consequently, from August to November 1941, although the UK and the US were aware that Japan would declare war, they judged, based on limited information and contradictory intelligence, that Japan would not launch the war before the spring of 1942. At the same time, although the UK adjusted its strategy to strengthen its defense in the Far East and negotiated with Australia and Canada to send reinforcements to Singapore, Malaya, and Hong Kong respectively, the speed and scale of troop reinforcement in the Far East were affected by the intelligence agencies’ judgment that Japan would not declare war in the short term. The British troops stationed in Hong Kong, for example, still believed at the end of 1941 that there was at least half a year to strengthen their defense, so many fortifications and military deployments were not accelerated. Japan’s ample preparation for war and the misjudgment of the UK and the US on the timing of war not only allowed Japan, which had been plotting war, to achieve a surprise attack, but also made the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia overwhelmingly successful, sweeping across East Asia in just a few months.

5、Military deployments of both sides before the war（British）

British troops stationed in Hong Kong

Major General Maud Pickerell took office as the commander of the British forces stationed in Hong Kong in August 1941. At that time, the British Army stationed in Hong Kong consisted of four infantry battalions composed of regular troops, including the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment (referred to as “Scots Battalion”) and the 1st Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment (referred to as “Middlesex Battalion”) sent from the United Kingdom; the 5th Battalion of the 7th Rajput Regiment (referred to as “Rajput Battalion”) and the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Punjab Regiment (referred to as “Punjab Battalion”) sent from British India. In addition to these four infantry battalions stationed in Hong Kong, Maud Pickerell had combat units recruited and formed in Hong Kong at his disposal, including a battalion of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (referred to as “Hong Kong Defence Corps”), a company of the Hong Kong Chinese Corps, and a squad of the Hiu Soldiers Corps militia. Furthermore, there were four regiments of the Royal Artillery, three companies of the Royal Engineers, and several logistics units.

Maud’s initial defense plan was in line with the resolution of the Chiefs of Staff Committee in 1938. Since the British did not intend to send more troops to Hong Kong, the available military forces for the Hong Kong garrison were extremely limited. Therefore, the defense strategy centered around protecting Hong Kong Island. Maud initially stationed three infantry battalions on Hong Kong Island and only deployed one battalion of Punjab Infantry in the New Territories and Kowloon to delay the Japanese army. On September 29, 1941, Canada decided to send the Royal Canadian Rifles (referred to as “Rifles”) and the 1st Battalion of the Winnipeg Grenade Regiment (referred to as “Winnipeg Battalion”) to reinforce the British garrison in Hong Kong. Because on November 16, 1941, a total of 1,975 Canadian reinforcements arrived in Hong Kong, the regular infantry of the garrison increased to six battalions. Maud thus had room to adjust his deployment. In addition to deploying more soldiers to Kowloon and the New Territories, he also decided to re-garrison the Jiu Zui Bay defense line, hoping to enhance the effect of delaying the Japanese army’s advance. Maud divided the six battalions of infantry into the “Mainland Brigade” and the “Island Brigade”. The “Mainland Brigade” was deployed in Kowloon and the New Territories, responsible for delaying the Japanese army’s southward invasion, while the “Island Brigade” was deployed on Hong Kong Island to defend the southern coast and prevent the Japanese from landing on the beaches in the southern part of Hong Kong Island. Once the Jiu Zui Bay defense line was breached by the Japanese after the outbreak of war, the “Mainland Brigade” would retreat to Hong Kong Island and form the second line of defense on the northern coast.

Maud Piby incorporated the Scottish Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel S.E.H.E. White, the Punjab Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel G. R. Kidd, and the Rajput Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Cadogan-Rawlinson into the “Mainland Brigade”, under the command of Brigadier Cedric Wallis. These three infantry battalions were the main force stationed at the Drunken Bay defense line, which was divided into left, central, and right wings from west to east. The Scottish Battalion was stationed at the left wing of the defense line (Shangkui Chung - Shing Mun Redoubt - Tsuen Wan), the Punjab Battalion at the central part of the defense line (Wang Wu - Sha Tin Wai - Wang Fu Shi - Kat Tin - Shan Ha Wai - Tai Wai - Shing Mun River), and the Rajput Battalion at the right wing of the defense line (Sai Kung Chuk Kok - Kwai Au Shan - Wong Cham Tsai - Tai Lo Au - Tung Yeung Shan - Yi Rong Mi).

To slow down the Japanese army’s offensive, the Punjab and Scottish battalions dispatched “vanguard teams” to Tai Po Road and Castle Peak Road to the border areas, respectively, to undertake front-line reconnaissance and sabotage missions. Upon receiving news of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, the “vanguard teams” would cooperate with the Royal Engineers to sabotage bridges, roads, and railways leading to Kowloon, such as the Kowloon-Canton Railway, Tai Po Road, and Castle Peak Road, in order to delay the Japanese advance, and then return to their respective units. The headquarters of the Mainland Brigade was located at the junction of Cornwall Street and Waterloo Road in Kowloon Tong, and the perimeter of the brigade headquarters was defended by a company of the Hong Kong Chinese Corps led by Major H. W. Mayer.

As for the “Hong Kong Island Brigade” stationed on Hong Kong Island, it was commanded by Brigadier General John K. Lawson, the commander of the Canadian reinforcements. It comprised the Middlesex Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel H. W. Stewart, the Winnipeg Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel J. L. R. Sutcliff, the Rifles Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel W. J. Home, the Hong Kong Defence Corps led by Colonel Henry Barron Rose, and the Harkness Rifles led by Captain Bateson. The Middlesex Battalion was responsible for defending the coastline of Hong Kong Island, the Winnipeg Battalion for the southwest of Hong Kong Island (Shouson Hill - Pok Fu Lam - Chicken Cage Bay - Wong Chuk Hang), and the Rifles Battalion for the southeast of Hong Kong Island (Cape D’Aguilar - Tai Fung Au - Stanley - Mount Parker - Lei Yue Mun - Tai Tam). Colonel Rose’s Hong Kong Defence Corps provided frontline support and second-line defense for both the Mainland Brigade and the Hong Kong Island Brigade, while Captain Bateson’s Harkness Rifles defended the North Point Power Station after the outbreak of war. The headquarters of the Hong Kong Island Brigade was located on the mountainside of Mount Nicholson, near Wong Nai Chung Gap Road. Maud’s general headquarters was located in Victoria Barracks (now Hong Kong Park), with Colonel Lancery Newnham serving as his chief of staff.

One 9.2-inch caliber coastal defense gun at Mount Davis Battery, equipped with three identical coastal defense guns, utilizes an Mk V gun mount, with a maximum elevation of 15 degrees and a maximum range of 19.2 kilometers. Stanley Battery and Fort Bogart at Cape D’Aguilar are respectively equipped with three and two identical 9.2-inch caliber coastal defense guns. In fact, the coastal defense guns at these two batteries are old guns dismantled and transferred from Mount Davis and Devil’s Peak Battery. However, Stanley Battery utilizes an improved Mk VII gun mount, with the maximum elevation of the gun increased to 35 degrees, resulting in a range increase to 26.7 kilometers.
The British field artillery was primarily assigned to the 1st Hong Kong Regiment, Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery. It was equipped with 12 6-inch field guns, 2 60-pounder field guns, 8 4.5-inch howitzers, 8 3.7-inch mountain guns, 6 18-pounder field guns, and 4 2-pounder anti-tank guns. In summary, at the outbreak of the war, the Hong Kong garrison’s army consisted of six battalions of regular infantry with a total of 5,287 personnel, four regiments of regular artillery with 2,811 personnel, one battalion of the Hong Kong Defence Corps with 1,378 personnel, one company of the Hong Kong Chinese Group Army with 51 personnel, and logistics units with 1,190 personnel, for a total of 10,717 personnel.

In addition to the army, the Hong Kong garrison also included coastal artillery, navy, and air force deployments. In terms of the navy, Hong Kong had been the headquarters of the Royal Navy’s China Station since 1865. After the outbreak of World War II, the large warships of the China Station were gradually withdrawn. Since the surrounding areas of Hong Kong were under Japanese control, the Royal Navy feared that if Japan declared war on Hong Kong, its ships in the region would be encircled by the Japanese. Therefore, all large warships were evacuated to Singapore in 1940, leaving the Hong Kong-based fleet consisting almost entirely of small coastal defense vessels. The ships stationed in Hong Kong were commanded by Brigadier Alfred C. Collinson, a senior officer of the Royal Navy stationed in Hong Kong. On the eve of the war, the Hong Kong-based navy still had three S-class destroyers built in 1917, namely HMS Scout (H51), HMS Thanet (H29), and HMS Thracian (D86); two Insect-class shallow-water gunboats, namely HMS Cicala (T71) and HMS Moth (T69); two other shallow-water gunboats, namely HMS Tern (T64) and HMS Robin (T65); one Redstart-class minesweeper, HMS Redstart (M62); three anti-submarine net-laying vessels, namely HMS Barlight (Z57), HMS Aldgate (Z68), and HMS Watergate (Z56); and eight torpedo boats (numbered 7 to 12 and 26 to 27).

The only three S-class destroyers of the Hong Kong garrison were antiques from World War I, and it was difficult for them to survive under the overwhelming naval and air forces of the Japanese army. Two of them were even evacuated to Singapore on the night of the battle to preserve the strength of the British Navy in the Far East, leaving only the Thracian to fight hard in Hong Kong waters. Although these destroyers were the “largest” warships of the Hong Kong garrison, the Japanese army did not consider them a threat. Instead, they were more concerned about the garrison’s torpedo boats, fearing that the garrison would use these small and high-speed torpedo boats to disrupt the Japanese landing on Hong Kong Island.

As the large warships had all withdrawn, the British garrison in Hong Kong relied heavily on the numerous coastal artillery batteries and forts located on both sides of Victoria Harbour, especially those surrounding Hong Kong Island, to prevent Japanese warships from invading Hong Kong waters. The artillery commander of the British garrison in Hong Kong was Brigadier Tom MacLeod. The western entrance of Victoria Harbour was guarded by the Stonecutters Island Fort (three 6-inch coastal artillery guns), while the western part of Hong Kong Island was defended by the Mount Davis Fort (three 9.2-inch coastal artillery guns), the Jubilee Fort (three 6-inch artillery guns), and the Upper Pottinger Road Fort (one 6-inch artillery gun and two 4.7-inch artillery guns). The eastern entrance of Victoria Harbour was protected by the Pak Sha Wan Fort (two 6-inch artillery guns) and the Cape Collinson Fort (two 6-inch artillery guns). There were also numerous forts on the southern part of Hong Kong Island, primarily used to prevent enemy troops from landing on the southern coast of the island. Some of these gun emplacements could be turned to the north to support land battles. In the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island, there were the Pok Fu Lam Fort (two 9.2-inch artillery guns), the Cape D’Aguilar Fort (two 4-inch artillery guns), the Stanley Fort (three 9.2-inch artillery guns), the Wong Ma Kok Fort (two 6-inch artillery guns), and the Chung Hom Kok Fort (two 6-inch artillery guns). In the southwestern part of Hong Kong Island, there was the Aberdeen Fort (two 4-inch artillery guns). Among them, the eight 9.2-inch coastal artillery guns with breech-loading were the largest caliber and most powerful coastal artillery guns deployed by the British in Hong Kong at the beginning of the war. The three 9.2-inch artillery guns installed at Stanley Fort played a significant role in defending the southern waters of Hong Kong Island and slowing down the Japanese advance towards the southern part of the island during the Battle of Hong Kong. However, although most of the coastal artillery guns of the British garrison could rotate 360 degrees, the terrain of Hong Kong was mountainous and the coastline was complex, limiting the firing range of each gun emplacement. For targets at specific locations, it was necessary to engage from a gun emplacement with a firing range that could cover that area. Therefore, the number of coastal artillery guns that could engage the enemy was far less than the total of 29 guns. This was also the reason why forts needed to be set up around Hong Kong Island. In addition, as the primary targets of coastal artillery were enemy ships, the ammunition equipped was mainly armor-piercing shells. Although these shells had strong penetrating power, their explosive content was not as high as that of grenades used for blasting, making them relatively less destructive in land warfare. If Hong Kong faced an enemy force equipped with a large number of heavy artillery, the defending troops would not have a firepower advantage solely relying on coastal artillery. Furthermore, since 1939, the Royal Navy had laid minefields in multiple waterways in Hong Kong, and some mines could be remotely detonated, which could be used in conjunction with coastal artillery to prevent enemy ships from approaching the coast of Hong Kong.

Regarding Hong Kong’s air defense, the Royal Air Force’s decision in the late 1930s not to reinforce Hong Kong left the territory with extremely weak aerial defense capabilities. The Royal Air Force stationed in Hong Kong was commanded by Colonel Hubert Sullivan, with Major Donald Hill serving as the commander of the Hong Kong Flight. The British forces stationed in Hong Kong only had three Harrier torpedo bombers without torpedo racks and two Sea Harrier maritime reconnaissance aircraft, leaving the Hong Kong garrison to rely entirely on anti-aircraft guns and fortifications scattered across Hong Kong Island to face Japanese air raids. Anti-aircraft guns were deployed around Hong Kong Island, including the Sai Wan Fort (two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns) in the east, the Tak Lai Kok Fort (two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns) and Stanley Beach (two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns) in the southeast, the Nam Long Shan Fort (two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns) in the south, the Chicken Cage Bay Fort (two 4.5-inch anti-aircraft guns) in the southwest, the Mount Davis Fort (two 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns) and the Pinewood Fort on Lung Fu Shan (two 3-inch anti-aircraft guns) in the west, and the Wong Nai Chung Gap Fort (two 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns) in the center. Despite the presence of anti-aircraft guns around Hong Kong Island, the island’s mountainous terrain often hindered the observation and targeting of enemy aircraft. Targeting and firing could only be carried out when enemy aircraft emerged from the ridge of one mountain to fly behind the ridge of another, so the time available to engage enemy aircraft was often shorter than in flat terrain. Therefore, Hong Kong had to deploy more anti-aircraft guns than cities with flat terrain to effectively cope with the threat of enemy air raids. However, at that time, the British mainland was also suffering from German air raids, and the anti-aircraft guns that could be allocated to Hong Kong were extremely limited. Due to the insufficient number of anti-aircraft guns and the lack of radar command, the air defense effectiveness against Japanese aircraft was greatly limited.

Canadian reinforcements operating Bren light machine guns at a hill position in Hong Kong. Although the British government and military decided to send more troops to the Far East in 1941, the European and North African battlefields had already consumed a large number of British troops. Therefore, the British government requested that Australia and Canada, both self-governing dominions under the British Empire, send troops to assist in the defense of the Far East. Australia decided to send troops to support the British Malaya and Straits Settlements, while Canada agreed to reinforce the Hong Kong garrison. The Canadian reinforcements boarded ships at Vancouver Port and arrived in Hong Kong in mid-November, but the general-purpose vehicles and various munitions belonging to the troops failed to arrive in time for the war.

Brigadier General Larson (on the right in the picture) and Major General Maudby were discussing the defense of Hong Kong. Larson arrived in Hong Kong with Canadian reinforcements on November 16, 1941. After Maudby decided to split the “Hong Kong Island Brigade” into the “East Brigade” and the “West Brigade” on December 12, Larson was responsible for commanding the West Brigade troops on Hong Kong Island, while Brigadier General Wallace, the commander of the original “Mainland Brigade” who had evacuated from the New Territories and Kowloon to Hong Kong Island, was in charge of the East Brigade troops. On December 19, Brigadier General Larson led his troops to break out from the besieged West Brigade headquarters at Wong Nai Chung Gap and was killed in battle.

Canadian reinforcements marching in Hong Kong, photographed in 1941. The Royal Canadian Rifles and the 1st Battalion of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, also known as “C Force,” were sent to reinforce Hong Kong. The two battalions arrived in Hong Kong on November 16, 1941, but due to various delays, their equipment did not arrive on schedule on December 6. As a result, they had to fight with the light weapons they brought with them and did not have sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the terrain and environment of Hong Kong before entering actual combat on December 9. This limited the combat effectiveness of the Canadian troops. However, in multiple battles on Hong Kong Island, the Canadian troops fought valiantly, repeatedly hindering the Japanese offensive.

Major General Maude took over as the commander of the British forces stationed in Hong Kong in August 1941, becoming the chief commander of the Hong Kong garrison. Due to the insufficient strength of the British forces stationed in Hong Kong, he followed the strategy of his predecessor, Major General Jia Naixi, using Hong Kong Island as the core of defense, while the New Territories and Kowloon were used to delay the Japanese army. However, due to limited forces, the defense line at Tsui Shui Wan and many other places in the New Territories were abandoned. After two battalions of Canadian reinforcements arrived in Hong Kong in mid-November, Maude redeployed troops to reinforce the defense line at Tsui Shui Wan in order to enhance the delaying effect, but the defense line was breached earlier than expected. This picture was taken on August 28, 1945, shortly after Maude left the Japanese prisoner of war camp with the assistance of the US army.

6、Military deployments of both sides before the war（japan）

In October 1938, the Japanese army landed in Guangdong, and then occupied Guangzhou and the area around the Pearl River estuary, blocking the border with Hong Kong. In June 1941, the Japanese Army established the 23rd Army in Guangzhou to oversee military affairs in the occupied areas of Guangdong. In September of the same year, the Japanese Army Headquarters began to devise the “Southern Operation” plan, deciding to deploy a division and an artillery unit for the main attack on Hong Kong, and ordered the 38th Division under the 23rd Army to prepare tactical arrangements.

The initial tactical plan of the 38th Division mainly revolved around attacking Kowloon and forcing the British to surrender. Due to the numerous mountains and narrow terrain between the New Territories and the Kowloon Peninsula, the Japanese forces attacking Kowloon could only consider two routes: one was to head south along the Kowloon-Canton Railway and Tai Po Road in the eastern New Territories to the Shing Mun Reservoir and then climb over Jinshan, and the other was to cross Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung along Castle Peak Road in the western New Territories. Since the road conditions along Castle Peak Road were more suitable for transporting and deploying heavy artillery, while the route in the eastern New Territories was more dangerous and obstructed by the Shing Mun River and Sha Tin Sea, the Japanese planned to concentrate their forces attacking Kowloon on the western Castle Peak Road; meanwhile, another Japanese unit assembled in the eastern border would also advance south through Fanling and Tai Po, and push to the central and eastern frontiers of the Tsui Shui Wan defense line, thereby containing the British forces, but not considering it as the main force for attacking Kowloon. The 38th Division planned to capture the New Territories north of Tai Mo Shan in three days, besiege the Tsui Shui Wan defense line in six days, break through the defense line and capture the urban area of Kowloon in three days. However, anticipating that the isolated British forces on Hong Kong Island would soon surrender after the capture of Kowloon, the 38th Division did not consider the tactical details of attacking Hong Kong Island before the war began. As the British had already established fortresses, artillery batteries, bastions, and underground defense lines in Hong Kong, the Japanese army specially incorporated the 1st Artillery Corps into the invasion force, equipped with 42 heavy guns with a caliber of 150 millimeters or above, including 8 Type 45 240-millimeter howitzers specifically designed for city assaults, in preparation for shelling the British’s strong fortifications.

The battle plan of the 38th Division was largely adopted by the 23rd Army, with the only modification being the shortening of the timeframe for capturing Hong Kong Island to three days. The main force attacking Hong Kong was the Japanese Army’s 23rd Army, with the highest commander being Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai, the chief of staff being Major General Tadao Kurihara, and the deputy chief of staff being Major General Keishiro Higuchi. The 23rd Army comprised the 38th Division, the 1st Artillery Corps, and the Araki Detachment under the 51st Division.

The commander of the 38th Division was Lieutenant General Tada Tada, and the operations staff officer of the division was Major Otsuka Asabuki. The division comprised a total of 13,509 officers and soldiers, 3,395 horses, and several transport vehicles. The 38th Division was mainly composed of three infantry regiments, including the 228th Regiment under Colonel Doi Tsunekichi (3,038 officers and soldiers), the 229th Regiment under Colonel Tanaka Yoshizaburo (2,901 officers and soldiers), and the 230th Regiment under Colonel Tokairi Toshihiro (2,890 officers and soldiers), under the command of Major General Takeo Ito, the commander of the 38th Infantry Regiment. The artillery units of the 38th Division included the 38th Mountain Artillery Regiment under Colonel Yamagishi Takeki (36 Type 41 mountain artillery guns), the 10th Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment (24 Type 41 mountain artillery guns), and the 20th Independent Mountain Artillery Brigade (9 Bofors M1930 mountain artillery guns, captured from the Chinese theater); the engineer units included the 19th Independent Engineer Regiment and the 20th Independent Engineer Regiment; an armored vehicle squadron (5 Type 94 light armored vehicles); the division also had logistics units such as the communication team, the weapons service team, the medical team, the field hospital, and the sick horse farm (responsible for the treatment and epidemic prevention of horses), with a total of 23,228 personnel in the entire 38th Division.

The 1st Artillery Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant General Kitajima Katsuo, consisted of 5,892 officers and soldiers, including the 1st Heavy Artillery Company (8 Type 45 240mm howitzers), the 2nd Independent Heavy Artillery Battalion (8 Type 89 150mm cannon), the 3rd Independent Heavy Artillery Battalion (8 Type 89 150mm cannon), the 14th Field Heavy Artillery Company (6 Type 44 150mm howitzers), the 2nd Independent Mortar Battalion (12 150mm mortars), the 5th Artillery Intelligence Company, and the 3rd Towing Vehicle Team (32 towing vehicles).

The Araki Detachment was composed of the 66th Infantry Company under the 51st Division, with a strength of approximately 6,000 troops, and was commanded by Colonel Araki Masatoshi. Due to the fact that Hong Kong has more mountains and fewer plains, with hills separating the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, and Victoria Harbour separating Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, the terrain of Hong Kong Island is also predominantly mountainous, which is not conducive to the advance of mechanized forces. Therefore, the Japanese army only dispatched a small number of armored units to participate in the battle, with infantry and artillery serving as the main forces. The total number of ground forces directly deployed by the Japanese Army to attack Hong Kong was approximately 29,120, which is the combined strength of the 38th Division and the Araki Detachment. This figure does not include the 1st Artillery Brigade, military police, or other support units.

A notable advantage of the Japanese army over the British army was its extensive deployment of small and medium-sized artillery. The Japanese had 89 medium-sized artillery pieces with calibers ranging from 75 to 119 millimeters, whereas the British only had 35. As for artillery pieces with calibers below 75 millimeters, the Japanese had 48, including 36 mortars, while the British only had 4 small-caliber anti-tank guns and 60 mortars. Due to the mountainous terrain of Hong Kong, even though heavy artillery or coastal defense guns with longer ranges had the advantage of long-range firepower, their firing range was easily obstructed by the terrain, making it difficult to exploit their long-range advantage. Moreover, their deployment took time. Conversely, small and medium-sized artillery pieces were easier to follow frontline troops and provide timely fire support. Each of the three Japanese infantry regiments was accompanied by a mountain artillery unit, equipped with a large number of 75-millimeter Type 41 mountain artillery pieces. These artillery pieces were characterized by being easy to disassemble and assemble, facilitating transportation and deployment. When operated by skilled gunners, they could fire up to 20 rounds per minute, making them ideal for providing fire support to frontline units. Therefore, since their introduction in 1911, they had become important equipment for Japanese infantry regiments. In addition, grassroots Japanese infantry units were also equipped with Type 89 grenade launchers, which could compensate for the firepower gap between grenades and mortars. In contrast, the frontline infantry units of the British army lacked the support of field artillery, putting them at a disadvantage in terms of firepower on the frontline. This weakness was reflected in subsequent battles. Despite the British army’s efforts to hold their positions, launch counterattacks bravely, and even engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese army, pushing them back in close-range engagements, whenever the Japanese set up rapid-fire artillery pieces, the frontline British troops often suffered heavy casualties under the intense artillery fire from the Japanese. As a result, they were gradually pushed back. Therefore, the significant disparity in the number of small and medium-sized artillery pieces between the two armies had a crucial impact on the success or failure of frontline combat.

The Japanese military’s air operations over Hong Kong were primarily conducted by the Army Air Force’s 45th Fighter Group. As the British did not deploy any significant fighter aircraft in Hong Kong, the Japanese enjoyed absolute air superiority. The Japanese air fleet’s primary mission was to air raid key strategic locations in Hong Kong and provide aerial cover for the army’s offensive. Therefore, the fleet invading Hong Kong was mainly composed of bombers, supplemented by a small number of fighters for support. On the eve of the invasion of Hong Kong, the Japanese Army deployed the 45th Fighter Group, the 10th Independent Fighter Squadron, the 3rd Direct Cooperation Unit of the 44th Fighter Group, and the 18th Independent Fighter Squadron southward to Guangdong, where they were incorporated into the 23rd Army tasked with conquering Hong Kong. The 45th Fighter Group was originally stationed in Nenjiang, northeastern China, equipped with 34 Type 98 dive bombers. However, due to malfunctions and weather factors, only 29 aircraft flew to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to participate in the battle. In the Hong Kong invasion campaign, this fleet was mainly responsible for air raids on British warships, fortifications, military camps, civilian facilities, supporting ground troop attacks, and distributing psychological warfare leaflets. The 10th Independent Fighter Squadron was originally stationed in Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, equipped with 13 Type 97 fighters. However, due to malfunctions and weather reasons, only 9 aircraft actually participated in the battle. They provided escort for bombers in the early stages of the war and also engaged in auxiliary ground attacks. The 3rd Direct Cooperation Unit of the 44th Fighter Group was originally stationed in Hankou, equipped with 6 Type 98 direct cooperation reconnaissance aircraft. Its main responsibility was to monitor British ground forces and coordinate Japanese ground troop operations. The 18th Independent Fighter Squadron was originally stationed in Hankou, equipped with 3 Type 97 headquarters reconnaissance aircraft. Its main responsibility was to search for targets and take aerial photographs. Therefore, a total of 47 aircraft, including 29 Type 98 dive bombers, 9 Type 97 fighters, 3 Type 97 headquarters reconnaissance aircraft, and 6 Type 98 direct cooperation reconnaissance aircraft, were under the command of the 23rd Army.

The two air fleets of the Japanese Navy involved in the invasion of Hong Kong were both commanded by the Second Carrier Division. These were the South Branch Air Fleet’s deployment of three Type 92 carrier-based attack aircraft stationed on Sanzao Island, and the Guangdong Front Fleet’s deployment of two Type 94 seaplane reconnaissance aircraft. In total, there were five naval aircraft. Not only were they few in number, but they were also relatively old models, mainly used for auxiliary purposes such as reconnaissance and search, and could also be equipped with bombs for air raid missions when needed. Although the Japanese aircraft directly involved in the attack on Hong Kong were not new models, and some of them even appeared old, with a total of 52 aircraft, compared to the Royal Air Force stationed in Hong Kong, which only symbolically equipped five old-fashioned aircraft and had no fighter aircraft, there was no question of competing for air superiority. After the war broke out, the Japanese army deployed a total of 62 twin-engine bombers, including Type 97 heavy bombers, Type 96 land attack aircraft, and Type 1 land attack aircraft, to intensify air raids on Hong Kong.

Although the army would be the main force in the attack on Hong Kong, the navy also dispatched warships to participate in the battle, primarily responsible for blockading the Hong Kong waters, cutting off the sea transportation lines, shelling land targets, and assisting the army in attacking Tsing Yi Island, Stonecutters Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, and Hong Kong Island when necessary. The Japanese navy dispatched the Second Fleet under the jurisdiction of the China Fleet to participate in the invasion of Hong Kong, led by Shinmi Masakazu. The Isuzu light cruiser served as the fleet flagship, with three destroyers (Toki, Raigun, and Denki), four Hong-type minesweepers (Hakuto, Tsuru, Tsuru, and Tsuru), three gunboats (Kobayashi, Uji, and Saga), and several support vessels under its command.

After capturing Hong Kong, Colonel Yoshizaburo Tanaka, the commander of the 229th Regiment, overlooked Aldrich Bay from the hillside. The 229th Regiment had invaded from the eastern front since the war began. They landed at Aldrich Bay on December 18th and, after capturing the Lei Yue Mun Fort, advanced on both sides of Tai Tam Reservoir on the 19th. The 2nd Battalion attacked Tai Tam Gap, while the 3rd Battalion and two other regiments simultaneously attacked Jardine’s Lookout the next day, catching the British troops in the Wong Nai Chung Gap area off guard. On the 19th, the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment took over from the 230th Regiment to besiege the North Point Power Station.

Portrait of Major General Tadao Kurihara, Chief of Staff of the 23rd Army of Japan. Kurihara studied in the United States and Canada and served as a military attaché in the United States. He recognized the gap in national strength between the United States and Japan, and therefore opposed waging war against the United States. However, when Japan instigated the Pacific War, he played an important role in formulating the battle plan for the invasion of Hong Kong. During the battle, he was dismissed from his position as a staff officer by Takashi Sakai for praising Colonel Toshihachi Doi for his improvisation in attacking the Chengmen Redoubt without authorization. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1943 and served as the defending general of Iwo Jima the following year. In March 1945, he was shot during the final counterattack in the Battle of Iwo Jima and later committed suicide. He was posthumously promoted to General.

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7、The battle begins

The offensive deployment and preparation of the Japanese army

Since the outbreak of the Second Sino Japanese War in July 1937, Hong Kong has become an important transit point for China to obtain overseas material support. In order to cut off the transportation line between Hong Kong and southern China, Japan decided to launch the Battle of Guangzhou. On October 12, 1938, the Japanese 18th Division landed in Daya Bay near Hong Kong, captured Huiyang on October 15, Futian on October 18, and Guangzhou on October 21. It only took ten days for the Japanese army to land in Guangdong and capture Guangzhou. Since the launch of the Guangzhou Campaign, the Japanese army has been blocking the Hong Kong border in Shenzhen, preventing supplies from flowing into China from Hong Kong, and confronting the British army guarding the Hong Kong border. However, at that time, Japan was not yet ready to go to war with Britain and did not want to overly stimulate Western countries such as Britain and the United States, so the Japanese army did not gather on a large scale on the Hong Kong border. Its deployment was aimed at blocking cross-border logistics transportation, but at the same time, it was necessary to avoid conflicts with the British army at the border. At that time, the Guangzhou Kowloon through train had already been suspended, and the terminal station of the northbound trains on the Kowloon Guangzhou Railway was at Sheung Shui Station, which belonged to the British section. The British army set up roadblocks on the Luohu Bridge and blocked the tracks to prevent the Japanese from crossing the border. In June 1940, during the period of threatening Britain to close the Burma Road, Japan dispatched up to 5000 troops to the Hong Kong border for military exercises, in order to pressure Britain. Later, due to Britain’s agreement to close the Burma Road, most of the troops were withdrawn. In mid-1941, due to the war between Germany and the Soviet Union, the Japanese government’s cabinet was still undecided on whether to launch a war against Britain and the United States in December. However, the Japanese army had already prepared to invade Hong Kong. In June 1941, the Japanese army established the 23rd Army in Guangzhou, and its 38th Division had also discussed the tactical details and necessary pre war deployment for invading Hong Kong. On October 17th, the Japanese government led by Hideki Tojo decided to go to war with Britain and the United States. On November 5th, the “Imperial National Policy Implementation Guidelines” decided at the Imperial Council to implement the “Southern Campaign”. The Japanese Navy and Army will complete preparations for war against Britain, the United States, and the Netherlands in early December. On November 6, Sugiyama Sugiyama, the chief of staff of the headquarters, issued a secret order to Takahata Junliu, the commander in chief of **'s armed forces, to prepare for the occupation of Hong Kong; On the same day, Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai took over as the commander of the Japanese 23rd Army, finalized the battle plan for attacking Hong Kong, and designated the 38th Division as the backbone force for attacking Hong Kong.

The 38th Division was formed in Nagoya in August 1939 and was one of the 11 divisions added by Japan in preparation for expanding the scale of the Sino Japanese War and seeking breakthroughs in protracted warfare. The 38th Division set out from Osaka in October 1939 and landed at Huangpu, Guangzhou, in the last ten days of the same month. It was successively incorporated into the 21st Army, the South ** Front Army and the 23rd Army. The division has been active in the Guangdong region, participating in the capture of Zhongshan in March 1940, attacking Liangkou from May to June of the same year, fighting in Dongjiang from April to May 1941, and later blockading the transportation routes between Hong Kong and Macau and mainland China. The 38th division participated in 390 battles in two years, which can be said to be “experienced in a hundred battles”. After the Japanese army took control of Guangzhou and the the Pearl River Estuary in 1940, the then South ** Front Army had begun to plan to attack Hong Kong, and blockaded the Baiyun Mountain area in Guangzhou. Using the mountain terrain here to simulate the Drunken Bay defense line, they carried out the training of marching, transportation, deployment and combat in the mountain area. In mid September 1941, the 38th Division conducted field exercises at Xianrenling in Foshan, commanded by the newly appointed infantry commander, Major General Ito Wufu, and selected elite soldiers from the division to form a special attack force. The special attack force would first destroy the wire mesh around the machine gun fort, then suppress it with flamethrowers and jet gun holes, and then throw explosive barrels into the gun holes. They would also train to use hand grenades to launch attacks from the shooting blind spots of the machine gun fort. The training of the 38th Division was interrupted in mid September due to the Second Battle of Changsha and returned to Foshan in early October. Afterwards, the 230th regiment was stationed at Xianren Ridge, the 229th regiment was stationed in Zhongshan, and the 228th regiment was stationed in Sanshui, continuing their training. By late October, the exercises for attacking Hong Kong were roughly completed and were reviewed by the commander of the 38th division, Lieutenant General Tadayoshi Sano. This shows that the 38th division not only has rich combat experience, but is also well prepared and well-trained for attacking Hong Kong.

Among the various invading Japanese forces in Hong Kong, the first artillery unit to be mobilized against Hong Kong was commanded by Lieutenant General Jizixiong Kitajima. Because the Japanese army had long been aware of the underground defense works built by the British army on the ridges between the New Territories and Kowloon, and since 1939, the Japanese army had rarely needed to use multiple heavy artillery to bombard a strong defense line on the Chinese battlefield. When the relationship between Britain and Japan became tense in June 1940 due to the Burma Road issue, the Japanese Army General Staff ordered on July 15 that the siege heavy artillery unit be transferred to the vicinity of Hong Kong for preparation and formed the 1st Artillery Corps. This heavy artillery unit landed in Bao’an, Guangdong on August 18, 1940, and began training to bombard the British defense line.

On November 21, 1941, the Japanese army began secret deployment to attack Hong Kong, and the 23rd Army established military facilities in Luohu and Nantou. The 38th Division, as the main force of the invading Japanese army in Hong Kong, first gathered at Humen. The 229th Regiment, which departed first, left Zhongshan on November 21 and traveled to Humen via waterway in Tangjiawan; The 228th and 230th squadrons also left Foshan and Sanshui from the 26th to the 29th, and headed south to Humen by land. At the Imperial Conference on December 1st, Japan officially declared war on Britain, the United States, and the Netherlands. At the same time, the Japanese Navy’s aircraft carrier mobile unit that launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was already on its way to the Pacific Ocean; The next day, the headquarters of the 23rd Army received a confidential telegram from the headquarters about the imminent outbreak of war against Britain. On December 4th, Major General Ito Takeo, commander of the 38th Infantry Division, led the first batch of troops from Humen to Shenzhen for the final deployment before invading Hong Kong. On December 7th, the Japanese army had secretly gathered in areas such as Yinhushan, Buji, Lilang, and Henggang in Shenzhen. The 66th Infantry Company (also known as the “Araki Detachment”) under the 51st Division led by Colonel Katsuyori Araki was assembled in Longhua District, Shenzhen and Danshui, Huizhou. In the early stages of the war, this unit mainly played a defensive role to prevent Chinese Nationalist forces from interfering with the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong from behind. On the early morning of December 8th, Major General Tadayoshi Sano, the commander of the 38th Division, was in Shawan, Shenzhen; Infantry commander Major General Ito Takeo is in Huangbeiling. The 228th squadron of Colonel Teichi Tsui is located in Shajing and Xixiang respectively; Colonel Tanaka Ryozaburo’s 229th Squadron is located in Yokogawa, while his 3rd Squadron is in Shatoujiao; Colonel Toshinari Tokai’s 230th squadron is located in Buji, while his 1st squadron is in Nantou. The 229th and 230th squadrons assembled at the Hong Kong border completed their final rest on December 7th, with only the 228th squadron, which is further away from Hong Kong, needing to continue marching.

The secrecy measures taken by the Japanese army on the front line were themselves successful, and the British troops stationed at the Hong Kong border did not notice any unusual situations that required constant attention and reporting. However, the London government had already learned through diplomatic channels on December 3 that Japan would attack British Malaya via southern Thailand, and the British authorities had also telegraphed the news to Hong Kong garrison commander Mo Debei. Therefore, Hong Kong mobilized troops on December 5 to prepare for the battle. After Japan decided to go to war with Britain in early November 1941, they conspired to capture British Malaya and demanded that Thailand provide front-line bases for the Japanese army. On the other hand, Britain also sought cooperation from Thailand to prevent Thailand from becoming a springboard for the Japanese invasion of the Malay Peninsula. Japan, on the other hand, was preparing to dispatch the 15th Army led by Lieutenant General Shojiro Iida. When Thailand refused the request, they forcibly seized the forward base in Thailand. Although Britain had reported to Thailand in early December that the Japanese army had made abnormal movements in Sanya, Hainan Island, and the Japanese fleet had also gathered in Jinlan Bay, which may launch an attack on Thailand, Thailand was inclined to cooperate with Japan. Although Thailand was also invaded by the Japanese army on December 8th, Thailand decided to form an alliance with Japan under the military threat of Japan and the lure of Japan’s proposal to partition occupied territories. Although Britain was unable to facilitate cooperation with Thailand to prevent Japan from launching aggression, during negotiations with the Thai government, the British government learned that Japan was about to launch a war and invade Hong Kong.

The situation in Hong Kong before the war

Although the Japanese army had already crossed the border by the end of 1938, the urban areas of Hong Kong were still bustling with activity. In 1935, the population of Hong Kong was less than one million. However, due to the impact of the Sino Japanese War that broke out in 1937, a large number of refugees began to flood into Hong Kong. By 1941, before the outbreak of the war in Hong Kong, the population had reached 1.6 million. During his tenure as Governor of Hong Kong from 1937 to September 1941, although Luo Fuguo personally believed that Hong Kong was difficult to defend alone for a long time and suggested that the London government designate Hong Kong as an “undefended city”, he still formulated civil defense measures in response to the increasingly tense international situation, including establishing an air defense agency to coordinate the construction of air raid shelters, installing air defense sirens in various districts, and coordinating various civil defense work. Due to the extensive use of chemical weapons on the European battlefield during World War I, many leaders of the British military stationed in Hong Kong had witnessed the destructive power of chemical weapons. When discussing civil defense work, the Hong Kong government and military estimated that if Hong Kong was attacked by enemy gas bombs, it would be vulnerable to death or injury within a few hours. Therefore, in 1935, the Hong Kong government included the prevention of chemical weapons attacks as a civil defense project. However, gas masks imported from the UK were expensive, costing at least HKD 30 each (in 1936), and the general public could not afford them. Therefore, the government assisted local rubber factories and water shoe factories in producing gas masks. The first batch of gas masks made in Hong Kong was supplied in 1937, with a price of HKD 8 each, which was much cheaper than imported goods but more affordable compared to ordinary citizens. The income is still very expensive, so except for a portion that is sold to the government, It was supplied to the Chinese Nationalist Army to fight the War of Resistance Against Japan. However, by 1940, the Hong Kong government felt the increasing pressure of the Japanese invasion and launched a subsidy program, selling gas masks to citizens at a price of HKD 2 each, hoping to achieve “one person, one mask”. In the late 1930s, Hong Kong began to prepare for and prepare for various civil defense work, such as the air defense exercise held on December 9, 1937, where a blackout was implemented from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm that evening. The Colonial Secretary even announced that he would impose a fine of one thousand yuan on those who failed to heed advice; Starting from the second half of 1940, the frequency of air defense exercises became increasingly frequent, and the blackout was carried out for two consecutive nights. Hong Kong held a large-scale civil defense exercise in November 1941, simulating the firefighting, rescue, and casualty evacuation capabilities of urban areas when they were heavily bombed by enemy aircraft; The government has once again called on citizens to participate in civil defense work such as firefighting, rescue, transportation, and cooking.

On February 21, 1939, Japanese planes crossed the border and invaded Hong Kong airspace, firing and strafing near Luohu Station, causing more than 30 deaths and injuries. Britain immediately protested to Japan, and the Hong Kong Colonial Secretary, Shi Mei, negotiated with the Japanese side. The Japanese side argued that it was a mistake and agreed to apologize and compensate 20000 Hong Kong dollars. Although the incident was quelled by Japanese compensation, there was public opinion at the time that the outbreak of military conflict was probably only a matter of time. Even on December 5, 1941, when the leadership of the Hong Kong government learned that Japan was likely to go to war with Britain in the short term, the Hong Kong military called up reserve forces on the same day. However, the messages released to the public were still aimed at easing the tense atmosphere. Governor Yang Muqi also attended a charity gala on December 6, so even on December 7 before the outbreak of the war, the Hong Kong market remained normal.

Although the relationship between Britain and Japan was already tense in June 1940 due to the Burma Road issue, and Japan held military exercises on the Hong Kong border, in July 1940, Japanese Consul General Okazaki stated that there were no plans to evacuate Japanese expatriates and that Japanese expatriates could live in Hong Kong with peace of mind. He also called on Hong Kong citizens not to panic about the recent situation, and Okazaki claimed that he had only bought a new car in Hong Kong yesterday. In March 1941, the Japanese Consul General in Hong Kong, Yano, stated that there was no notice to evacuate Japanese expatriates in Hong Kong, and that most of the Japanese expatriates who left Hong Kong departed from Guangzhou and only took a boat through Hong Kong. It was also known that Japanese schools in Hong Kong continued to operate as usual. However, the relationship between Britain and Japan continued to deteriorate in 1941. In September 1940, the Japanese army invaded French **, and then pressed the Vichy government of French ** to seize British and American assets in the region; In July 1941, Britain and the United States retaliated by freezing the assets of Japanese expatriates in both countries on the grounds of protecting their rights. The Hong Kong government also followed Britain in freezing the bank deposits of Japanese companies and expatriates in Hong Kong. More than 700 Japanese expatriates living in Hong Kong left Hong Kong one after another, but the Japanese authorities denied that they were evacuated due to the approaching war and only left for economic reasons; By early December, in addition to embassy personnel, there were still over a hundred Japanese expatriates in Hong Kong. The Japanese Consulate General in Hong Kong stated that they would arrange for them to go to Guangzhou first, but the Japanese side still claimed that the Japanese expatriates left Hong Kong due to economic issues.

Due to the British intelligence agency’s belief in the second half of 1941 that Japan would not be ready to go to war with Britain and the United States until mid-1942 at the earliest, this misjudgment not only prevented the London government from accelerating its military deployment in the Far East, but also led the British army defending in the Far East to believe that there were still six months left to prepare for war, which had a negative impact on Hong Kong’s defense arrangements. The Governor of Hong Kong and the main generals and staff of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong were important figures in Hong Kong’s wartime defense decision-making, but three of them only took office in the second half of 1941. As the main commander of the Hong Kong garrison, Major General Murray MacLehose arrived in Hong Kong in August 1941 to take office, while the Governor of Hong Kong, Yang Muqi, who also served as the Commander in Chief of the Hong Kong Armed Forces, arrived in Hong Kong in September of the same year to take office; As for Brigadier General Robinson, the commander of the Hong Kong Island Brigade, he only led Canadian reinforcements to Hong Kong in mid November; Even the mainland commander, Brigadier General Wallace, has only arrived in Hong Kong for just over a year. Colonel Newlin, the Chief of Staff, was one of the longest serving major generals in Hong Kong. He served as the commander of the Middlesex Battalion in Hong Kong in 1937 and became the Chief of Staff of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong in 1940. Although both Modbury and Robertson were senior officers, they had to face the Japanese army in Hong Kong shortly after their arrival, so many combat plans came from Newlin. Newlin also personally visited the front line several times during the operation to inspect and guide the deployment of the garrison. In addition, the newly appointed Colonial Secretary, Jason, arrived in Hong Kong on December 7th, the day before the war began. His position was second only to that of the Governor among civil servants, but his inauguration ceremony was simplified due to extraordinary circumstances. He was captured more than two weeks later. However, after Japan’s defeat and surrender, Jason played an important role in bringing glory to Hong Kong.
In October 1941, Canada dispatched two battalions of infantry, totaling 1,975 personnel, to reinforce Hong Kong, which positively helped alleviate the shortage of British troops stationed there. Both the UK and Canada hoped that strengthening Hong Kong’s military forces could deter Japan’s intention to start a war. However, the Canadian army was not ready to immediately engage in World War II at that time, and neither the UK nor Canada knew that the war was about to break out in December. Therefore, many of the Canadian troops sent to Hong Kong were young recruits, with an average of less than 35 shots fired at a target. Among them, 300 had been trained with wooden guns in Canada and had never fired live ammunition. Nevertheless, both Maud Piby and Luo Xun (who served as the Canadian army’s instructor before leading troops from Canada to Hong Kong and was the director of the Ottawa Military Training Academy), believed that there was still time to garrison and train simultaneously. As for the Hong Kong Chinese Corps formed by the Hong Kong government, it was only established in November 1941. These local recruits had no time to complete the necessary training before being thrown into actual combat in early December.

The Drunken Bay defense line, abandoned in 1938 due to insufficient British troops stationed in Hong Kong, was originally expected to be used only by the Punjab Battalion for delaying actions in the New Territories. On September 29, 1941, Canada decided to send troops to reinforce Hong Kong. Maud Pee, who had been given two additional battalions for deployment, revised the defense plan in October and decided to send three battalions to garrison the Drunken Bay defense line in November. This was intended to enhance the effectiveness of delaying the enemy, prevent the enemy from using the ridges between the New Territories and Kowloon for artillery observation, and buy more time to evacuate and destroy materials and facilities in Kowloon. However, as the plan to reoccupy the Drunken Bay defense line needed to be kept confidential, Maud Pee only inspected and discussed the defense plan with the battalion commanders in October. In mid-October, Maud Pee gradually mobilized various combat units to enter their positions. The Scottish Battalion, Punjab Battalion, and Rajput Battalion, which were under the Mainland Brigade, entered the positions of the Drunken Bay defense line from mid-November to the end of the month. However, soldiers from the Scottish Battalion and Rajput Battalion had never been to the Drunken Bay defense line before and were unfamiliar with the terrain and environment of the New Territories and Kowloon. Moreover, the defense line had been closed for three years, and renovation work was required during the initial period of garrisoning.

Before launching their attack on Hong Kong, the Japanese army had been fighting in China for many years. However, the soldiers defending Hong Kong generally lacked practical experience, and many were new recruits who were more likely to feel at a loss when participating in their first battle. The soldiers stationed at the Drunken Bay defense line were also unfamiliar with the environment. Maud Piby understood that the defending troops still needed more training. In order to enable the units to familiarize themselves with the environment and train for coordinated operations, and as a reference for adjusting deployment, it was decided to hold the first defense line deployment drill for the defending troops from November 24th to 28th. Then, the soldiers were given a week to rest and recuperate. A brigade-level coordinated operation exercise was scheduled to be held for the mainland brigade from December 8th to 13th, followed by a joint military exercise for all British troops in Hong Kong on Christmas Day, the 25th. Maud Piby and the commander of the mainland brigade, Wallace, also considered that once the defense of the Drunken Bay defense line and Kowloon was consolidated, troops could be sent to garrison the border areas in the northern New Territories, allowing the defending troops to further push forward the defense line against Japanese invasion towards the border. However, on December 3rd, the British government learned from Thai Prime Minister Luan Pibulsongkhram that the Japanese army intended to attack British Malaya via southern Thailand. In addition, on December 1st, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs secretly ordered Japanese embassies in London, Washington, Hong Kong, and Manila to destroy their cipher machines. This unusual move was discovered by the British military intelligence department on December 4th. Given various signs indicating that Japan was about to declare war on Britain, the London authorities immediately informed Hong Kong of the news. After receiving the military intelligence that the Japanese army was about to launch a war on December 5th, Maud Piby informed all British military units to prepare for war immediately. On the 7th, Hong Kong Governor Mark Young issued a mobilization order, and Colonel Ross, the commander of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Force, also ordered the defense troops to report for duty immediately on the same day. The Hong Kong defending troops were in position at the battlefield early in the morning on December 7th, ready for the Japanese invasion. Since the war broke out on December 8th, many of the scheduled drills for the defending troops were not implemented in time, and Maud Piby’s defense plan could not be verified and optimized through drills, so it had to be directly applied in actual combat.

8、The war broke out (on December 8)

Air raid on Kai Tak Airport

In the early morning of December 8, 1941, Hong Kong time, the Japanese army launched the “Southern Operation”. The 25th Army of the Japanese Army took the lead in landing in the northeastern part of the Malay Peninsula, while the four aircraft carriers of the Japanese Navy in the central Pacific sent squadrons to launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor (which was still December 7, Hawaii time). At 2:21 am, the Japanese Army General Headquarters reported to the headquarters of the 23rd Army through the Tokyo military radio station that the code word “Hana, Hana” indicating the start of the war against Britain had been given, and sent the code word “E” confirming the start of “Operation E” to invade British Malaya. At 4:45 a.m., the Intelligence Bureau of the Three Services stationed in Hong Kong intercepted a message indicating that the Japanese army had declared war on Britain. Upon receiving the intelligence, the British Commander in Hong Kong, Maud Pai, assessed that the Japanese army was about to invade Hong Kong and immediately notified all units of the British garrison in Hong Kong to prepare for battle. Maud Pai also ordered the two “vanguard forces” deployed in the New Territories to start damaging bridges, roads, and railways leading to Kowloon, in an effort to slow down the Japanese army’s southward advance from the New Territories to Kowloon.

The Japanese air fleet flew over the north coast of Hong Kong Island. By 1939, Hong Kong had been encircled by the Japanese on three sides. The British government believed that it was difficult for Hong Kong to defend itself alone, and they could only try to delay the Japanese offensive as much as possible. The British forces in Hong Kong only symbolically deployed five aircraft, which were completely unable to prevent the Japanese air fleet from launching air raids. Therefore, the Japanese had already fully grasped the air superiority at the beginning of the war. However, the Japanese air raid on Kai Tak Airport on the first day of the war was ineffective. The runway of the airport was not damaged, and the airport could still maintain operation after being attacked. That night, the national government leaders stranded in Hong Kong evacuated by air.
At 5:50 am, the Japanese Army Flying Corps, mainly composed of Type 98 dive bombers, took off from Tianhe Airport in Guangzhou and flew to Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong for the first wave of air strikes. The attack aircraft dispatched by the Japanese Navy’s Second Fleet took off from Sanzao Island (located in Jinwan District, Zhuhai City) and flew to Chek Lap Kok to attack ships. At around 6am, the National Army’s 8th Task Force at the Murray Barracks in Central intercepted the news that Japanese planes were about to launch an attack on Sanzao Island. This task force was sent by the Chongqing Nationalist Government to Hong Kong in October 1940 to assist the British army in monitoring Japanese communications and sharing Japanese intelligence. Although the National Army’s monitoring units were unable to intercept the message that the Japanese aircraft fleet in Guangzhou had also launched an attack, the British stationed in Hong Kong believed that the Japanese planes were about to attack after analysis, so they ordered the air defense units in the vicinity of Kai Tak Airport to be in place.

At that time, the flight altitude was 4 kilometers, and the weather was cloudy. The clouds were favorable for the fleet to hide their movements, but also hindered the search for ground targets. Colonel Tu observed the Kowloon Peninsula from the sky south of Stanley on Hong Kong Island and initially failed to detect any planes parked at Kai Tak Airport. He thought that the Royal Air Force had evacuated all planes and ordered an attack on ships in the Kowloon Bay area; However, when the fleet descended to 2 kilometers, Colonel Toshio finally saw multiple civilian planes parked at Kai Tak Airport, and ordered the leading 3rd Squadron to change their target and fly to attack Kai Tak Airport. However, most of the bombs dropped by the third squadron that first bombed the airport landed in the Kowloon City area, and the second squadron that dropped bombs later only had one bomb hit the civilian hangar, but did not explode; The 1st Squadron of the air raid on Kowloon Bay also did not hit any ships. In the first wave of air raids on Hong Kong, the bombing squadron led by Colonel Tu Sheng was said to have returned with no effort, while the fighting merit was taken away by the Army Flying 10th Independent Squadron led by Colonel Gao Yueguang. At that time, the Gao Yueguang Squadron had 8 Type 97 fighter jets providing escort for the bomber squadron. Due to the poor effectiveness of Colonel Tsutomi’s bomber squadron in attacking the airport, they took over the task of attacking the airport. Gao Yueguang’s fighter squadron first rapidly descended through the British anti-aircraft fire, and then, at an altitude of more than ten meters above the ground, fired two Type 89 machine guns at the planes on the airport, sinking two British Walrus style seaplane reconnaissance planes parked on the sea, destroying eight passenger planes and one hornet torpedo bomber, and lightly injuring another torpedo bomber. After the first wave of air raids, the Royal Air Force stationed in Hong Kong only had two torpedo bombers left to fly, and the already insignificant air combat power of the defending army could be said to have been completely destroyed. However, the first wave of Japanese airstrikes failed to damage the airport runway, and Kai Tak Airport was still able to accommodate aircraft for takeoff and landing on the first day of the war. The airport had also been evacuated before the attack.

When Kai Tak Airport was hit by the first wave of Japanese air raids, the Sham Shui Po military camp was also bombed by 9 Japanese planes, and the camp was hit and caught fire. However, the British troops originally stationed in the camp had already moved to their positions to guard, and the camp was almost deserted when it was attacked, with only a few soldiers injured in the air raid. In the afternoon of the same day, the Tsuchiya Flying Squadron launched another attack on British warships, and the Japanese Navy’s Southern Branch Air Force also launched an attack, bombing the Thracian destroyer and Kai Tak Airport that were laid in Victoria Harbour. However, the results were not significant and nothing was found. Although the Japanese army had always hoped to launch a surprise attack on Hong Kong and kept the operation of attacking Hong Kong confidential, the first wave of air strikes by the Japanese army on the morning of the 8th was expected by the British army because their communication was intercepted by the British army. However, the British army stationed in Hong Kong only had five old style military aircraft, which were not fighter planes, and could not actively intercept the incoming Japanese fleet. They could only take evacuation measures to avoid casualties. After the first wave of Japanese air raids, Major Hill and Lieutenant Glay of the Royal Air Force stationed in Hong Kong proposed to use the remaining two Hornet torpedo bombers to attack Guangzhou Airport, where the Japanese fleet was stationed. However, this was not carried out due to Mo Debei’s opposition to suicide attacks.

At the time of the air raid on Kai Tak Airport, the 38th Division of the Japanese Army’s 23rd Army launched a land attack at 7:30 am, with its 229th and 230th regiments respectively crossing the eastern and western borders of Hong Kong and invading the New Territories. The 230th squadron launched a western attack and divided into two east-west routes to launch an invasion. The 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment invaded from the West Road, passing through Lok Ma Chau, San Tin, Kam Tin, and Yuen Long in the northwest New Territories, heading towards Castle Peak Bay, and then passing through Castle Peak Road to Tsuen Wan; The 2nd and 3rd squadrons of the 230th regiment invaded from the eastern route. These two squadrons crossed the border on both sides of Luohu and then converged at Shihu Market. They then managed to manage Panhe and Baxiang to Shitouwei, and divided into two groups to approach the left flank of the British army on both sides of Shangchengmen Reservoir and the defense line of Chengmen Ridge and Drunken Bay. The 229th Squadron launched an attack from the Eastern Front, also divided into two east-west units crossing the border. The 3rd Battalion of the 229th Regiment invaded from the East Road, passing through Sha Tau Kok, Ping Kau, and Sha Lo Tung in the northeast New Territories to reach Tai Po; As for the 1st and 2nd squadrons of the 229th squadron, they invaded from the western route, passing through Daguling, Fanling, and Jiulongkeng, meeting with the 3rd squadron of the 229th squadron in Tai Po, and then heading towards Ma Liu Shui. The 229th Squadron will cross the Sha Tin Sea and land on Ma On Shan, then climb onto Buffalo Hill and approach the British right wing of the Drunken Bay defense line.

When the Japanese 229th and 230th regiments invaded the northern New Territories across the border, they each split into two groups, forming a pincer attack and flanking the British troops stationed at the border, intending to cut off the retreat route of the British troops at the border; However, the British army did not defend the northern New Territories and only sent a small number of engineers and “vanguard teams” to sabotage and block the way, delaying the Japanese advance. They also fought and ambushed the Japanese, so the pincer attack adopted by the Japanese army was not effective. As for the 228th Squadron, which is also part of the 38th Division, they will launch an attack from the central line, pass through Luohu to Lincun, and then go to the Lead Mine Pass. However, the 228th Squadron is still on its way to the Hong Kong border in the early morning of the 8th and will not arrive in Shenzhen until nearly 3 pm in the afternoon.

The “Dapu Highway Vanguard Team” led by Lieutenant Colonel G.E. Gray, the commander of Punjab Battalion C, retreated to Taihe and Dapu Market after destroying border bridges such as Luohu Bridge, and continued to retreat southward while destroying and blocking roads. Due to the demolition of the bridges along the border by the British army, the Japanese had to build floating bridges to cross the river. At 11:00 am, the East Route troops of the Japanese 230th Regiment split into two groups and attacked Shihu Village, but there were no British troops in the area. At 1 pm, the East Route troops of the 230th Regiment arrived in Sheung Shui, while the West Route troops of the 230th Regiment invaded the Jintian Plain; The 229th squadron’s West Route troops invaded Fanling and then went to Taihe via Jiulongkeng.

After 1 pm, the British army continued to delay the Japanese army on both sides of Castle Peak Road and Tai Po Road. Although the vanguard team of Tai Po Road failed to timely destroy Guangfu Bridge, they ambushed the Japanese army several times in the Tai Po Market area in the afternoon. At 3 pm, Major Glay led the vanguard team to ambush the 3rd Battalion of the 229th Regiment, which was approaching from Kowloon Hill towards Tai Po Market. Colonel Glay realized that the Japanese army would pass through Tai Po Market later, but it was highly likely that they would attack Tai Po Market from three sides: Tai Po Road, Kowloon Hill, and Sha Lo Tung. Therefore, they should not ambush Tai Po Market, but wait for the Japanese army in the mountainous area south of Tai Po Market. At 6 pm, the left wing scout team of the 3rd Battalion of the 229th Regiment was ambushed and annihilated by Major Glay on their way from Tai Po Market to Tai Po Kau. At 7:30 pm, Major Glay ambushed the 229th Squadron again. However, in order to avoid being blocked by the Japanese army from the rear, the vanguard team of Tai Po Road retreated to Sha Tin at 2:00 am on the 9th and met up with the main team of Punjab Camp.

As for the “Green Hill Road Forward Team” dispatched by Scottish Battalion B, led by Major Stanford Burn, with the support of the Hong Kong Defense Force armored convoy, they destroyed roads in the western New Territories. This vanguard team encountered the Japanese 230th Regiment in Yuen Long at 2:00 pm on the 8th and in Ping Shan at 3:55 pm. The vanguard team immediately retreated and destroyed the bridge at Tai Lam Kok at 4:30 pm. They then went to Au Tau to assist the Royal Engineers in destroying the Au Tau Bridge. During this time, 15 Japanese military vehicles and 4 artillery pieces were discovered near Au Tau. The vanguard team of Castle Peak Road continued to destroy the road north of the Drunken Bay defense line after nightfall, and their armored convoy returned to Lai Chi Kok at 3am on the 9th.

During the march on Qingshan Road, the Japanese 230th Squadron was constantly bombarded by the Royal Navy’s Cicada class gunboat with 6-inch guns, causing the march to be obstructed. In the operation on December 8th, the British successfully destroyed major roads, railways, and bridges in the northern New Territories, or carried out blasting on hilltops, using collapsed mountain mud to bury the roads, causing delays in the Japanese army’s southward march. Moreover, the damaged roads and bridges were difficult to repair in a short period of time, significantly delaying the advance speed of the Japanese artillery.

At around 6:00 pm on December 8th, the Japanese army redeployed its troops, and the 230th regiment located on Qingshan Road was divided into two routes. One route passed through Youkantou to prepare for crossing the sea and attacking Qingyi Island, while the other approached the left wing of the Chengmen Ridge and Drunken Bay defense line; The 229th Squadron located in Tai Po is preparing to cross the Sha Tin Sea and attack the right wing of the Drunken Bay defense line via Ma On Shan; As for the 228th Squadron, which arrived in Shenzhen at 3 pm, after crossing the Shenzhen River and reaching Luohu, they were scheduled to take the Caoshan and Jiudu Mountains to advance towards the center of the Drunken Bay defense line. On the British side, Modbury received orders at night to withdraw two of the three destroyers still in Hong Kong (the Shannet and Sentinel) to Singapore in order to preserve the Royal Navy’s strength in the Far East.

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9、Drunken Bay Defense Battle (December 9-10)

The Japanese army attacked the Drunken Bay defense line

On the morning of December 9th, the three infantry regiments of the Japanese 38th Division continued their march as planned. Due to the previous assessment by the Japanese army that the Drunken Bay defense line was not easily breached, the combat plan formulated by the 38th Division was for the three regiments to first set up positions in their respective areas north of the Drunken Bay defense line, and to scout the deployment of the British army in the defense line and the rear. The Japanese army planned to wait at the position for about a week, deploy artillery, and then attack the Drunken Bay defense line with artillery support. At that time, the 230th squadron will launch an attack, passing through the southwest of Damao Mountain to attack the city gate fortress south of Shangchengmen Reservoir and the nearby British defense line. The other two squadrons will then advance southward, and the division command has issued the operation plan to the three subordinate squadrons for execution.

The deployment of the British army in the defense line. Compared to the central and northern sides of the Drunken Bay defense line, which have the Chengmen River and Shatin Sea as natural barriers respectively, the left-wing defense line connects the New Territories and Kowloon by land from west to east, including Kwai Chung, Kam Shan, Chengmen Reservoir, and Beacon Hill. The Qingshan Road passes through Kwai Chung to the west, and the Dapu Road passes through the mountain valley between Kam Shan and Beacon Hill to the east. The southern ends of the two roads also connect to Sham Shui Po behind the left-wing defense line. Therefore, once the left-wing defense line falls, the enemy can advance straight into the urban area of Kowloon. The British army entered the Drunken Bay defense line in mid November 1941, with the left wing and city gate forts defended by the Scottish battalion led by Colonel White, while the city gate river and Beacon Hill in the center of the defense line were guarded by the Punjab battalion. In terms of the deployment of the Scottish camp, Company A is stationed south of the Upper City Gate Reservoir, Company B is stationed in Upper Kwai Chung, Company C is stationed in Lower Kwai Chung, and Company D is stationed in Kam Shan. On the morning of the 9th, Hua Lishi dispatched the reserve team of the Rajjep Battalion D Company on the right flank of the defense line to fill the gap in the defense line on the ridge around the Ma Zhi Path, and handed over the company to the command of the Punjab Battalion. The city gate fortress is guarded by the 8th platoon of Company A of the Scottish battalion, with the headquarters of Company A located at the artillery observation station. The 7th row of Company A is stationed at Pineapple Mountain, and the 9th row is stationed between the southwest of the pond and the upper Kwai Chung where Company B is stationed. There is also a “Z unit” deployed on the hillside to the west of Lead Mine Pass, and landmines have been planted on the path to the west of the pond. The companies under the Scottish battalion also dispatched sentries and patrol teams to monitor the movements of the Japanese army, and reported artillery to delay the Japanese advance with artillery fire.

Although the 38th Division had formulated a plan to attack the Drunken Bay defense line, the original plan was disrupted due to the 228th Regiment’s unauthorized change of marching route. On the morning of December 9th, the 228th squadron led by Colonel Sadakazu Tsui arrived at the Hong Kong border relatively late. After crossing the Shenzhen River, their march was repeatedly delayed due to the destruction of the originally planned roads and bridges. Colonel Tsuchii Sadakazu temporarily entrusted the 228th Squadron to his subordinate, Lieutenant Colonel Nishiyama Ryo, the captain of the 3rd Squadron. He personally led a reconnaissance team to conduct reconnaissance in the areas of Kusama and Tsuchiyama, searching for suitable locations for setting up positions. Tu Jing led a reconnaissance team to climb Grass Mountain next to Lead Mine Pass, and then headed south to the top of Needle Mountain. Tu Jing discovered a “303 highland” on the south bank of Chengmen River (east of Jinshan) that was suitable as a bridgehead for the 228th Squadron to attack the Drunken Bay defense line. However, both sides of the Chengmen River in that area were steep cliffs (at that time, the Chengmen River referred to the natural river channel from Chengmen Gorge to Dawei, where the Xiachengmen Reservoir was built in 1964, and the section of the Chengmen River from Dawei to Maliaoshui was actually an artificial river channel formed by the Sha Tin Sea reclamation project in the 1970s). The 228th Regiment could only enter the jurisdiction originally belonging to the 230th Regiment, take the west side of the Shangchengmen Reservoir Dam, attack the “255 Heights” and “341 Heights” (i.e. the Chengmen Ridge Fortress area), and then march radially southeast along the double finger to reach the “303 Heights”. At the same time, Lieutenant Xishan Liao, the commander of the 3rd Squadron of the 228 Squadron, also dispatched Lieutenant Daitian Xiaozhi, the commander of the 5th Squadron of the 2nd Squadron, to scout the Chengmen River and “303 Heights”. Lieutenant Daitian reported that the cliffs on both sides of the Chengmen River were difficult to pass through, and the British troops stationed at “303 Heights” were very weak, which prompted Lieutenant Xishan Liao to have the idea of occupying “303 Heights” through “255 Heights”. At 2 pm on the same day, the reconnaissance team led by Colonel Tsui returned to the Lead Mine Pass to meet with the main team of the 228 Squadron. Tsui gathered the staff and team leaders of the 228 Squadron at the headquarters to discuss the idea of attacking the “255 Heights”. As the “255 Heights” where the Castle Gate Ridge is located and the main dam of the pond have been incorporated into the jurisdiction of the 230th Squadron by the division, crossing the boundary to attack the “255 Heights” clearly violates the superior’s instructions. Tsui also hesitated about whether to cross the boundary, but because Colonel Nishiyama Liao also had the idea of attacking the “255 Heights”, Tsui and the staff and team leaders of the Squadron reached a consensus that the 228 Squadron would launch a surprise attack on the Castle Gate Ridge and nearby areas after nightfall.

On the other hand, the Scottish battalion stationed around the city gate was unable to grasp the movements of the 228th regiment. Although Colonel Doi led the reconnaissance team to climb Mount Needle for reconnaissance in the morning, the Scottish battalion also observed “minor activity” on Mount Needle. However, due to the small number of Doi reconnaissance team members, the Scottish battalion did not pay attention to or launch an attack. Because the British army estimated that the main force of the Japanese army would come from Castle Peak Road, the Scottish battalion has been focusing on the 230th regiment approaching Tsuen Wan and Lower Kwai Chung. Until the afternoon of the 9th, the Scottish battalion discovered that the 3rd Battalion of the 228th Regiment had entered the Lead Mine Pass, so they fired artillery to block it. However, it rained around the city gate at this time, and the rain and fog greatly reduced the visibility of the British army. As for the Scottish battalion “Z Unit” stationed west of Lead Mine Pass, although the 3rd Battalion of the 228th Regiment was found approaching Lead Mine Pass in the fog, Captain Frances Kendall decided to report it only when he returned to the Scottish battalion headquarters in the evening. Due to these reasons, the Scottish battalion lacked early warning of the arrival of the Japanese 228th regiment and failed to detect that it would approach from Grass Mountain. In addition, the Scottish battalion did not deploy enough troops to defend the city gate fortress. To the north of the outskirts of the city gate fortress, only the 8th row of Scottish battalion A, consisting of 39 soldiers, could defend it alone, and could not withstand the organized attack launched by the Japanese army on the city gate fortress. The tunnels, fortifications, and trenches of the city gate fortress could have accommodated 120 soldiers, but when the Japanese attacked, only more than 30 British soldiers were stationed inside the fortress.

The Scottish camp also had oversights in patrolling and guarding the city gate pond. On the morning of the 9th, Captain Cyril Jones, the commander of Company A of the Scottish battalion, was ordered by Captain Wallace to have a meeting with Captain Newton, the commander of Company D of the Rajp battalion, to discuss the coordination of operations and patrols between the two companies. In the afternoon, he met with Captain White at the battalion headquarters and then went to inspect the 7th and 9th platoons of Company A. Jones was absent from the headquarters for almost the whole day. After Zhong Si returned to the A Company, although he ordered Lieutenant Thomson, the commander of the 8th platoon, to patrol the southern slope of Needle Mountain, the 8th platoon of A Company was originally the main force defending the city gate fortress, and sending only one patrol team could not effectively patrol the Needle Mountain area. At night, there were no sentries left at the dam of the city gate pond. Although Zhong Si had reported to the battalion commander White that the patrol forces of Company A were insufficient, White did not immediately deploy troops to strengthen patrols on the east side of the city gate pond.

The city gate fortress has fallen

At around 7 pm on the 9th, Colonel Tsuchii Sadakazu, who led the 228th Squadron, ordered an attack. The 3rd Squadron of the 228th Squadron, consisting of over 500 people, took the main dam of the Shangchengmen Reservoir to attack the Chengmen Ridge. Due to the fact that the British army did not send troops to guard the dam at night and the darkness and rain and fog, the 8th platoon of Company A of the Scottish battalion defending the north of the bastion was unable to detect the Japanese attack in time, and the Japanese army successfully removed the explosives buried there. The 9th and 10th squadrons of the 3rd squadron of the 228th regiment were the first to attack the city gate fortress through the dam; As for the 2nd Battalion of the 228th Regiment, they first went north of the Chengmen River to attack the British army there, and then followed the 3rd Battalion to attack the fortifications; The remaining units of the 228th Squadron will be kept as reserves. After passing through the dam, the 3rd Brigade climbed to the high ground northeast of the city gate fortress, only to be discovered by Sergeant John Laird, a sentinel of the Scottish battalion. The two sides briefly exchanged fire, and Laird later informed the 401B machine gun turret and platoon behind. The defenders inside the 401B machine gun turret decided to lock the turret first before resisting as the Japanese were in a dead end of machine gun fire. However, the 8th platoon of Company A of the Scottish battalion, which was guarding the outskirts of the bastion, had only 39 soldiers and could not stop the Japanese attack. The Japanese army soon arrived at the city gate fortress and then entered the tunnel through the ventilation port of the defense line. At 10:10 pm, they captured the 401A machine gun fortress and isolated the British army at the 401B machine gun fortress.

At the same time, Scottish Camp A encountered another misfortune. In the evening, Captain Jones of Company A of the Scottish Battalion ordered Lieutenant Thompson, the commander of the 8th Platoon, to lead a patrol to Needle Hill. However, the patrol missed the marching route of the 228th Regiment and failed to detect the Japanese attack in time. On the eve of the Japanese attack, Zhong Si and A Lianlian were located in the artillery observation station southwest of Chengmen Lengbao, and had just dispatched communication soldier Wylie to welcome the “Z unit” returning from Lead Mine Pass. When the communication soldier left the observation station, although he followed the procedure to lock the gate of the passage, he did not hand over the key to Indian artillery sergeant Kishan Singh standing guard outside the observation station, resulting in Captain Zhong Si and a total of 14 A Lianlian soldiers being locked inside the observation station. When Zhong Si received the news of the attack on Machine Gun Fortress 401, he could only order the platoon led by Sergeant Robert Robb, located in the center of the bastion, to launch a counterattack. However, the platoon only had 18 soldiers and was completely outnumbered in the face of hundreds of Japanese soldiers attacking. At the time of deployment, there were already 5 casualties. To avoid being completely annihilated, Robb decided to break through. He and the remaining 13 soldiers of the platoon crossed the attack route of the Japanese 10th Squadron and withdrew eastward, and later joined forces with the D Company of the Rajp Camp.

On the other hand, during the siege of Machine Gun Fortress 401 by the 3rd Battalion of the Japanese 228th Regiment, they were briefly suppressed by Machine Gun Fortress 402 in the western mountainous area. As a result, the 3rd Battalion decided to split their troops into two groups; The 9th Squadron of the 3rd Brigade, led by Lieutenant Yutaro Kasugai, blocked the tunnel exit to the west of the Castle Gate and attacked Machine Gun Fortress 402; The 10th Squadron of the 3rd Brigade, led by Lieutenant Ruolin Dong, advanced southwest and attacked the artillery observation station at Chengmen Lengbao. Captain Zhong Si, who was stationed at the observation station, once sent sentries to try to leave through the ventilation port, but was discovered and failed by the 10th Squadron led by Ruolin. Ruolin immediately ordered the 10th Squadron to block all exits of the observation station and sent engineers to use blasting cylinders to blow up the locked gates. Two Indian soldiers died on the spot, and the Japanese continued to throw grenades at the observation station from the ventilation port. Under the continuous explosions, the 14 person A Company, including Zhong Si, was injured. Only Captain Zhong Si, the commander of A Company, Lieutenant Wei Jueshi, the artillery officer, and Sergeant Major Miede were still conscious. Under the Japanese siege, Zhong Si had no way out and had to surrender to the Japanese at 3am on the 10th.

At around 11:35 pm on the 9th, the Scottish battalion headquarters located in Limushu received a call from Company A’s commander, Zhong Si, informing him that the Japanese had invaded the city gate fortress. Scottish battalion commander S.E.H.E. White immediately telegraphed the mainland brigade commander, Hua Lishi, and transferred the Scottish battalion C company from Lower Kwai Chung to Limushu, where the headquarters was located, to prepare for reinforcements. Company D also took its position at Jinshan. At 11:45 pm on the 9th, the patrol team of the D Company of the Rajjep Camp encountered the 2nd Brigade of the Japanese 228th Regiment while passing through the Chengmen River, and the two sides immediately engaged in fierce fighting. White ordered the 2nd Mountain Artillery Company to fire 4.5-inch howitzers at the Chengmen River at 12:00 am on the 10th, suppressing the 2nd Battalion of the 228th Regiment. With the artillery support of the 2nd Mountain Artillery Company, the D Company of the Rajjep Battalion successfully blocked the attack of the 2nd Battalion, but at this time, the city gate fortress had been captured by the 3rd Battalion of the 228th Regiment. At 3am on December 10th, Scottish Battalion Commander White, Continental Brigade Commander Wallace, and Commander Modbury had communicated to discuss a plan to counterattack Castle Peak. However, due to unclear intelligence and insufficient defense forces, only Scottish Battalion B Company was left on the left flank of the defense line to block the Japanese 230th Regiment approaching from Castle Peak Road. In addition, Rajjep Battalion D Company was still fighting against the Japanese army in the Chengmen River area. Modbury ultimately decided to wait for sunrise to make a decision and withdrew Canadian Winnipeg Battalion D Company from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon for reinforcement.

The 228th Squadron launched an attack without authorization, and although it captured the city gates and fortifications in a short period of time, it disrupted the original deployment of the Japanese army and caused a series of disturbances at the division headquarters. On the early morning of December 10th, Colonel Sadakazu Doi, the captain of the 228th Squadron, sent a telegram to his superior, Lieutenant General Tadayoshi Sano, the commander of the 38th Division. Doi stated that after “fighting for three hours,” the 228th Squadron had captured the “255 Heights,” leaving only one machine gun turret and observation post to resist. Due to communication issues during communication, the commander of the division, Lieutenant General Sano, mistakenly believed that Tsuchii, who was acting without authorization, was in danger. Therefore, he ordered all Japanese troops to withdraw north of the Chengmen River twice. However, Tsuchii once again violated his superiors’ orders and only explained to the commander of the division, Lieutenant General Sano, after the phone was connected. Lieutenant General Sano then dispatched the chief of staff of the division, Colonel Abe Yoshimitsu, to Chengmen Ridge Castle to understand the situation. Abe Yoshimitsu arrived at the city gate at sunrise to inspect the fortress and found that only two Japanese soldiers were killed and a few were injured, but more than 20 British soldiers were captured.

Tsuchii launched an attack without authorization, which not only disrupted the established marching plan, but also caused disputes at the headquarters of the 23rd Army. Tsuchii took unauthorized action and captured the city gate fortress. Although he was praised by Major General Tadao Kuribayashi, the Chief of Staff of the 23rd Army, for his adaptability, the commander of the 23rd Army, Takashi Sakai, regarded it as an act of usurpation of power and declared that Tsuchii would be tried by military law. As a result, Takashi Sakai dismissed Kuribayashi from his position as a staff officer. This controversy ultimately needed to be mediated by Lieutenant General Takashi Kitajima, the commander of the 1st Artillery Corps and a classmate of Takashi Sakai at the Army Officer School, to come to an end. On the evening of the 10th, when Takashi Sakai arrived at the military command center in Dapu, he strictly ordered all levels of troops to obey the orders. As for the Chief of Staff, Li Lin Zhongdao, who praised Tu Jing for launching the attack on his own and adapting to the situation, he was not arranged to participate in the subsequent stage of the Hong Kong invasion until after capturing Hong Kong, when he was arranged to assist in the aftermath work. Although the 3rd Battalion of the 228th Squadron made military achievements in the Battle of Chengmen Ridge, they were punished as a reserve team for participating in unauthorized attacks and were not assigned to participate in the frontline operations of attacking Kowloon. Due to the fact that the captain of the squadron, Colonel Tsuchii Sadakazu, and the captains of various squadrons within the squadron were reprimanded for disobeying orders, and the 9th squadron led by Yutaro Kasugai suffered damage during the attack on Machine Gun Fortress No. 402 at Castle Gate, the achievement of breaking through Castle Gate was attributed to Captain Wakabayasu of the 10th squadron, who captured the artillery observation station. As a result, many Japanese historical records later mistakenly recorded the act of taking unauthorized action to capture Castle Gate as Wakabayasu’s “unilateral” action.

The situation map of the Battle of Chengmen Ridge. On the evening of December 9th, Lieutenant Colonel Tsuchii Sadakazu, the captain of the 228th Squadron, launched an attack without authorization and dispatched two squadrons from the 3rd Squadron as pioneers. They attacked the Chengmen Ridge via the main dam of the Shangchengmen Reservoir and defeated 39 soldiers from the Scottish Company A stationed on the outskirts of the Ridge. Although Tsuchii’s action first opened a gap in the Drunken Bay defense line, forcing the British army to retreat to Jinshan, the 23rd Army Commander Takashi Sakai was very dissatisfied with Tsuchii’s unauthorized attack because the action violated the command of the headquarters to set up a position in advance and broke into the Chengmen Reservoir, which had been placed under the jurisdiction of the 230th Regiment. Although Colonel Tsui made military achievements, he was criticized along with the captains of the 228th squadron, and the 3rd squadron was also punished to serve as a reserve when attacking Kowloon. As for the military achievement of breaking through the city gates and fortifications, it was attributed to the captain of the 10th Squadron, Ruolin Dong, who captured the observation station.

10、Japanese occupation of Kowloon Peninsula (December 10-13)

Drunken Bay defense line breached

On the morning of December 10th, the commander of the mainland brigade, Wallace, had considered sending the Scottish battalion to counterattack the city gate fortress. However, after discussing with the Scottish battalion commander, White, and commander, Modby, they believed that the troops were insufficient and decided to withdraw the Scottish battalion to Jinshan. The Japanese army did not attack the Drunken Bay defense line on that day, and the Japanese Army Air Corps continued to send planes to air raid British ships. In the afternoon, they damaged the battleship Cicada, forcing it to stop interfering with the 230th Squadron’s southward mission and return to the shipyard on Hong Kong Island for repairs. On the evening of the 10th, the Scottish battalion began to withdraw from the Drunken Bay defense line and continued to resist the enemy in the Jinshan area. The Scottish Company C, Company B, and remnants of Company A formed three lines of defense from north to south on the Kwai Chung section of Castle Peak Road. The ridge in the north of Jinshan is defended by the Scottish Battalion D Company and the Rajp Battalion D Company together. Due to the sudden transfer, the B and C companies of the Scottish battalion had not yet connected their phone lines with the Scottish battalion headquarters until the early morning of the 11th. There were also loopholes in the defense line between the C and D companies of the Scottish battalion, with a gap in the defense line at the “256 Heights” (now Huajing Villa) between Qingshan Road and Jinshan.

On the early morning of December 11th, the 2nd Squadron of the Japanese 230th Squadron, led by Captain Wakamatsu, advanced along the Qing Shan Road towards the right wing of the Drunken Bay defense line (which is the left wing for the British, i.e. the western part of the Drunken Bay defense line from Jinshan to Drunken Bay). The vanguard of the 2nd Squadron arrived in Upper Kwai Chung at 1:30 am, and the scout team led by its 6th Squadron Captain Takatoshi Tahara also reported that they had not encountered any British troops in the southwest of Jinshan. Captain Wakamatsu believed that he could take advantage of the opportunity to seize Jinshan and control Kwai Chung. Therefore, at 2:30 am, he requested an attack from the 23rd Army headquarters through his superior, Colonel Toshiyuki Donghai of the 230th Squadron, but was refused by the headquarters. The sentence is:. Although the headquarters strictly ordered all units not to act without authorization on the 10th, Lieutenant Wakamatsu still decided to launch an attack alone after careful consideration. On the eve of sunrise, Lieutenant Wakamatsu, the captain of the 2nd Squadron of the 230th Squadron, dispatched the 5th and 7th Squadrons to launch an attack. The 5th Squadron launched an attack from the southwest onto the Jinshan Mountain slope (now known as the Dalian Platoon in Kwai Chung) where the Scottish Battalion D Company was stationed, while the 7th Squadron first headed south along Castle Peak Road and turned to the “256 Heights” in Lower Kwai Chung to attack the right wing of the Scottish Battalion C Company, thereby controlling the Kwai Chung section of Castle Peak Road.

The 5th Squadron encountered stubborn resistance from the Scottish Battalion’s D Company while attacking Jinshan, and the two sides even engaged in hand to hand combat. The captain of the 5th Squadron was even killed by the British army. After learning that the 5th Squadron was in a difficult battle, Lieutenant Colonel Yoshinobu Noguchi, the captain of the 3rd Squadron of the 230th Squadron of the Hewa Group, ordered the 3rd Squadron of the Independent Rapid Artillery 5th Squadron to set up rapid fire guns in the mountains behind the Castle Gate Ridge and shell Jinshan at 8:30 am, finally forcing the Scottish Company D to retreat. The 5th Squadron occupied the position of the Scottish Company D at around 9:00 am on the 11th. As for the 7th Squadron of the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Squadron, they also encountered stubborn resistance when attacking the right wing of Scottish Company C on the “256 Heights”, and were also attacked by Scottish Company B. The Japanese army then ordered the 3rd Battalion of the 38th Mountain Artillery Regiment to set up rapid fire guns west of the Pear Tree to bombard the Scottish Company C. The Scottish Company B and C gradually collapsed under the Japanese artillery fire, and the Scottish Company B’s Captain Richard and C’s Captain Ross were also shot and killed during the melee with the Japanese army.

Because neither Company B nor Company C of the Scottish Battalion connected to the headquarters’ telephone line, Scottish Battalion Commander White did not learn about the Japanese attack on Kwai Chung along Castle Peak Road until 9:10 am on the 11th. White immediately dispatched a fleet of general vehicles from Lai Chi Kok to reinforce, but by the time the fleet arrived, the B and C companies of the Scottish Battalion stationed on the Kwai Chung section of Castle Peak Road had already retreated, and the reinforcement fleet could only provide cover for retreat. At one point, only the 7th platoon of Company A of the Scottish Battalion remained stationed on Castle Peak Road. Wallace dispatched Major Boone, who was currently stationed in the Mainland Travel Brigade, to Lai Chi Kok to reorganize the B and C companies of the Scottish battalion. He also mobilized the D company of the Winnipeg battalion and the 1st company of the Hong Kong Defense Force in Kowloon to go to Lai Chi Kok to block the gap left after the fall of the Drunken Bay defense line. At 10am, Scottish Company B and Company C regrouped near the Dahua Pencil Factory (420 Castle Peak Road) in Cheung Sha Wan. At 10:45, Colonel Newlin, the Chief of Staff of the British Army, visited Lai Chi Kok in an armored vehicle of the Hong Kong Defense Force’s 1st Company. He met with Major Boone at the Dahua Pencil Factory, and Newlin demanded that Boone defend the hillside south of the Kowloon Reservoir Service Reservoir. At 11:45, Newlin transferred the Winnipeg Battalion’s D Company to Pipa Hill south of Kowloon Reservoir to defend the Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Cemetery and Tai Po Road. Although the Scottish battalion defending on the left flank of the Drunken Bay Line had already retreated, the 230th Regiment was also shelled by the British and was unable to occupy Jinshan. Since 9:30 am, the British artillery batteries at Stonecutters Island and Mount Davis, as well as the 2nd Hill Battery at Kowloon Reservoir, have been continuously shelling Kam Shan, not only preventing the advance of the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment, but also isolating the 7th Battalion of the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment from the “256 Heights”.

Aerial photos of Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island North. After the fall of the city gate fortress in the early morning of the 10th, the Scottish battalion located on the left wing of the British army retreated to Jinshan and Qingshan Road next to “256 Heights”. In the early morning of the 11th, the Japanese 230th Regiment led troops to attack Jinshan and 256 Heights without authorization, and repelled the Scottish battalion, not far from invading the Kowloon Peninsula. However, the actions of the 230th Squadron once again disrupted the previous deployment of the Japanese army, and the good news from the invading 25th Army in Malaya also put pressure on the accelerating progress of the invading 23rd Army in Hong Kong. Without sufficient preparation, the Japanese army hastily crossed the mountains and invaded Kowloon, but the marching speed was not as fast as the British army with a complete retreat plan. Therefore, the main force of the British army on the left side of the defense line withdrew to Hong Kong Island in the afternoon, and the British mainland brigade was also caught up by the Japanese army and fully withdrawn to Hong Kong Island on the morning of the 13th. This picture was taken on October 16, 1944, during a US air raid on Hong Kong.
British troops retreat to Hong Kong Island

Around noon on December 11th, both the British and Japanese troops adjusted their deployment again. On the British side, the commander of the mainland brigade, Wallace, was concerned that another breakthrough in the British defense line on Castle Peak Road would threaten the Punjab Camp in the center of the Drunken Bay defense line and the Rajp Camp in the east. If these two camps continued to hold their ground on the Drunken Bay defense line, they might be surrounded by enemies. Therefore, Wallace ordered the contraction of the defense line at 11 am and informed all departments to prepare for retreat at any time. Due to the relatively flat terrain of most areas in the Kowloon Peninsula, except for Diamond Hill and Ho Man Tin, once the Japanese army occupies the mountains between the New Territories and Kowloon, the defending army will have no danger to defend. At Kai Tak Airport in central Kowloon, this large flat area further divides the east and west parts of the Kowloon Peninsula, making it more difficult to defend Kowloon. Moreover, any retreat from Kowloon will have to cross Victoria Harbour, and if the mainland army insists on defending Kowloon, they will face complete annihilation by the Japanese army. As for Devil’s Hill, located in the eastern part of Kowloon, it was already an important stronghold of the British army before World War I. The British army also built the Ma Yau Tong Line and the Bay Line in the nearby Wugui Mountain and Zhaojing Ring Mountain, respectively. If the Drunken Bay Line fell, it would be suitable for the British army to use it as the last stronghold before withdrawing to Hong Kong Island.

After consultation between Wallace and Modbury, Modbury decided to withdraw from the Drunken Bay defense line at noon on the 11th and withdraw the mainland brigade back to Hong Kong Island to retain the strength of the British army. The British army has also formulated a withdrawal plan. In order to avoid the fleet carrying troops retreating to Hong Kong Island being discovered and bombed by Japanese planes, the British army will concentrate on crossing Victoria Harbour at night. Due to the breakthrough of the left wing of the Drunken Bay defense line by the Japanese 228th and 230th regiments, the Scottish battalion, which had retreated to Lai Chi Kok, was facing the main force of the 230th regiment coming along Castle Peak Road. After the Scottish battalion withdrew from Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po, the Japanese army would quickly attack Kowloon City along Castle Peak Road and Nathan Road. Once Yau Ma Tei and Jordan fell under Japanese control, the British army on the left wing of the Drunken Bay defense line would have difficulty crossing the sea through the piers of Jordan and Kowloon City. Therefore, the Scottish battalion had to evacuate as soon as possible and be bombarded by the Stonecutters Island Battery to block the Japanese advance towards Lai Chi Kok. The Scottish battalion will retreat to Hong Kong Island via the Kowloon City Ferry Pier in the evening under the cover of the Winnipeg Battalion D Company and the Hong Kong Defense Force armored convoy. The Winnipeg Battalion D Company will also return to Hong Kong Island from the Kowloon City Ferry Pier. The armored convoy of the Hong Kong Defense Force and the artillery of the Mainland Brigade will retreat through the Jordan Road Ferry Terminal in the evening, leaving only the 1st Mountain Artillery Company to support the Rajjep Camp. The Punjab and Rajp camps in the center of the Drunken Bay defense line will be quickly relocated to Sanjia Village on the west side of Devil’s Mountain and evacuated by boarding at Sanjia Village Pier. The Rajjep Camp and the 1st Mountain Artillery Company on the right side of the Drunken Bay Line will provide cover for the retreating troops and defend the Ma Yau Tong Line and the Bay Line, consolidating the final support point for the British army to fully withdraw from Kowloon.

As for the Japanese side, although Lieutenant General Wakamatsu, the captain of the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment, disobeyed orders and launched an attack without approval, the 23rd Army Command received the good news of the successful invasion of the Malay Peninsula by the 25th Army led by Fumifumi Yamashita, which put pressure on the 23rd Army, which was leading the invasion of Hong Kong. Wakamatsu’s illegal and unauthorized attack was not pursued at this moment. The 23rd Army Commander Takashi Sakai, under the urging of the headquarters staff, Lieutenant General Takashi Takayama, decided to attack Kowloon ahead of schedule at 3 pm on the 11th.

At 1pm on December 11th, the British mainland brigade began to retreat, and the engineers immediately destroyed the Bijia Mountain Tunnel and Hang Hau Road connecting the New Territories and Kowloon. In order to prevent the power plant in Kowloon from being used by the Japanese army, the engineering personnel of China Power and the British army worked together to destroy the Ho Yuen Power Plant in Hung Hom (which was rebuilt as Hoi Yat Estate in the 1990s). Due to the fact that the British army had no intention of defending Kowloon and had a proper retreat route, the marching of various British troops during the retreat was generally smooth. However, the second artillery unit mistakenly retreated towards the damaged Bijia Mountain Tunnel and was ambushed by the Japanese army when turning back to Dawei, losing one 3.7-inch howitzer. The remaining artillery was transported to the Jordan Road car ferry terminal for evacuation. The Scottish battalion on the left flank of the defense line, under the cover of the Winnipeg battalion D, boarded and withdrew from the Kowloon City pier to Hong Kong Island at 7:30 pm. The Hong Kong Defense Force armored convoy then headed to the Jordan Road car ferry pier to board and retreat, while the Winnipeg battalion D company withdrew from the Kowloon City pier late on the night of the 11th. After the destruction of Kai Tak Airport by the Hong Kong Defense Force’s 1st Company, it was picked up by a Royal Navy torpedo boat at Kowloon City Pier in the early morning of the 12th. By the early morning of the 12th, only a small number of troops from the left wing of the mainland brigade remained on the Kowloon Peninsula. Although the British troops stationed at the Stonecutters Island Battery were heavily shelled by the Japanese and their facilities were mostly damaged, in order to cover the retreat of the Scottish battalion, their No.1 Battery continued to shell the Japanese troops at Lai Chi Kok until they received the retreat order at 3 pm on the 11th. The defenders of the Battery began to destroy the artillery and facilities, and took movable equipment to evacuate by boat. They arrived at Hong Kong Island at around 1 am on the 12th, but due to arriving later than scheduled and lacking unloading facilities, many materials had to be sunk along with the transport ship.

The Punjab camp in the center of the Drunken Bay defense line began to retreat to Devil’s Hill in eastern Kowloon on the afternoon of the 11th. Due to the withdrawal of the British army from the Drunken Bay defense line, the Japanese army is likely to quickly move south to Kowloon. In order to avoid being caught up by the Japanese army, various units of the Punjab battalion must quickly cross the hills of the New Territories and Kowloon and retreat to Devil’s Hill. When D Company of Punjab Battalion went to Mount Bijia via Dapu Road, they repelled two Type 94 light armored vehicles and two trucks loaded with Japanese soldiers. Punjab Company A arrived at Sha Tin Au at 2pm, Company B has also withdrawn, and Company C remains at Kowloon Reservoir to cover the retreat. On the right side of the Drunken Bay defense line, the Rajp camp, due to its proximity to Devil’s Hill, provided cover for the retreat of other troops while sequentially retreating to the Ma Yau Tong defense line and the Bay defense line west of Devil’s Hill, in order to consolidate the retreat route of the British army back to Hong Kong Island via the Sanjia Village pier. During the retreat of the Rajpu Camp, Company C repelled the vanguard of the Japanese 229th Regiment at Dalaoshan. Before retreating on the evening of the 11th, the 1st Mountain Artillery Company had shelled the 229th Squadron that had climbed to Buffalo Mountain and the 228th Squadron on Tai Po Road. The A, B, C companies and the 1st Mountain Artillery Company of the Rajp Camp all arrived in the vicinity of Devil’s Mountain at around 11 pm on the 11th and advanced to the Ma You Tang defense line and the Gulf defense line. The D company of the Rajp Camp served as a reserve team on Devil’s Mountain.

Because the Punjab camp took a westward route to retreat to the Devil’s Hill Peninsula, the Rajp camp did not establish contact with the Punjab camp until 9:30 pm at night. On the morning of the 12th, Company A and Company B of the Punjab Battalion withdrew directly to Hong Kong Island, while Company C of the Punjab Battalion at the rear joined the Gulf Line. The commanding personnel of the Punjab Camp were originally supposed to retreat towards Devil’s Hill, but got lost in the middle of the night on the 11th due to darkness. They mistakenly entered the central part of the Kowloon Peninsula via Clear Water Bay Road and had to retreat via Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier in the early morning of the 12th.

On the morning of December 12th, the Japanese army invaded Tsim Sha Tsui, with the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower in front. Prior to this, the personnel of the Punjab battalion and a small number of Scottish soldiers happened to board the ship at Tsim Sha Tsui Pier and withdraw to Hong Kong Island.
Author: Meyer Economics
Although the Japanese army invaded Kowloon, they were unable to detect the British army’s withdrawal in time. The 3rd Battalion of the 230th Regiment will not reach the summit of Mount Jinshan until 4:30 pm on the 11th, by which time the Scottish battalion has already left Jinshan and Lai Chi Kok for half an hour. At around 7 pm on the 11th, the Japanese army arrived at the outskirts of Kowloon city and occupied Tsing Yi Island, which was no longer occupied by British troops, in the early morning of the 12th. At 6am on the 12th, the 3rd Battalion of the 230th Regiment began to advance along Nathan Road towards Tsim Sha Tsui, during which they suppressed Hong Kong gangs that took advantage of the situation to cause chaos. The 3rd Battalion of the 228th Regiment, who was punished for participating in the unauthorized attack on the city gate fortress, was stationed in the area east of the Kowloon Canton Railway and used the headquarters building of the China Power Company located at the intersection of Waterloo Road and Argyle Street as the headquarters of the regiment.

On the east side of the Drunken Bay defense line, Major General Ito Takeo, the commander of the 38th Infantry Division, led the 229th Regiment to cross the Sha Tin Sea and land in Tai Shui Keng at around 10 pm on the 10th. However, due to the Japanese army’s original plan to attack the Drunken Bay defense line on the 14th, they were not prepared to rush to march and attack Kowloon. Major General Ito was unable to obtain timely news of the battle due to reconnaissance outside, causing the Japanese army to lose a lot of time to pursue the British army. After crossing the Sha Tin Sea, the 229th Regiment began to climb over the mountains between the New Territories and Kowloon. While crossing Tai Lo Shan, they had to avoid landmines and were also shelled by the British army. The 2nd and 3rd Regiments of the 229th Regiment arrived at Fei Ngo Shan and Diamond Hill respectively in the early morning of the 12th. However, due to the continuous shelling of the tax checkpoint by the British army, the 229th Regiment did not complete its assembly at Jing Lan Shu until 1 pm on the 12th. Major General Ito assigned the 229th Squadron to attack Mayutang at 5 pm, but was repelled by the Rajjep Camp and artillery fire from Hong Kong Island.

Although the Rajjep Camp could still hold the defense line from Ma Yau Tong to Devil’s Peak, the Japanese occupation of most of Kowloon posed a direct threat to the defenders crossing Victoria Harbour. The defenders on Hong Kong Island were unable to continue crossing the sea to provide supplies for the Rajjep Camp. On the evening of the 12th, at 9:00 pm, Mo Debei ordered the British troops in the Devil’s Peak area to withdraw to Hong Kong Island. The Rajjep Camp, Punjab Camp C Company, and 1st Mountain Artillery Company followed the instructions and went to the Sanjia Village Pier in Lei Yue Mun to evacuate by boat. However, due to a shortage of transport ships, the British retreat was hindered at this location. The Royal Navy sent the Peregrine destroyer and four torpedo boats to reinforce, and the British troops boarded and withdrew to Hong Kong Island at 6:30 am on the 13th. On the morning of the 13th, the Japanese army occupied the British positions in Kowloon and Devil’s Peak, but they were unable to catch up with or eliminate the main force of the British Continental Brigade. However, at around 11 pm on the 12th, a mistaken attack occurred by the British forces guarding the northwest coast of Hong Kong Island. The tugboat Shanna was towing a barge carrying 4 tons of explosives from Qingzhou to Hong Kong Island. Due to the tugboat’s failure to turn on the identification light as instructed and communication errors with the defenders on the shore, soldiers from the Middlesex Battalion in the 63rd Machine Gun Fortress at the Unity Pier opened fire incorrectly, causing the tugboat and barge to explode and sink, resulting in the death of all crew members.

After losing control of Chengmen Ridge, Jinshan, and Kwai Chung, the British mainland brigade was forced to abandon the Drunken Bay defense line and retreat back to Hong Kong Island. However, there was no complete retreat due to the defeat in the battle, and the process of retreating while fighting was overall orderly. According to Chen Ce’s diary, the British army lost about 370 people in the New Territories and Kowloon. The mainland brigade completed the enemy’s retreat and retained its strength to defend Hong Kong Island, but after losing the buffer zone in the New Territories and Kowloon, Hong Kong Island had to face direct threats from Japanese artillery fire and invasion.

[开M59A1的蓝军旅长满广志]

The official narrative on historical battles of World War II has been shelved for a long time. Now they are only issuing limited-time historical combat activities. Furthermore, the scenario you described—Commonwealth forces fighting against the Japanese—does not exist. This is because the Commonwealth was merely a sub-camp of the United States, not an independent combatant. The Chinese army was also a sub-camp, existing between the US and the Soviet Union. Therefore, the conditions for this new battle you described are not met.

[weneedmorepro]

11、Japanese army prepares to land on Hong Kong Island (December 13-17)

Governor refuses Japanese persuasion to surrender

After the British army retreated to Hong Kong Island, due to the expectation that the Hong Kong garrison would soon lay down their weapons and surrender in isolation, Takashi Sakai temporarily ceased fire on the morning of the 13th and sent a delegation led by his staff officer, Lieutenant General Tada, to Hong Kong Island to submit a letter of persuasion to Yang Muqi. The Japanese envoy to persuade surrender boarded a small boat with the flag of “PEACE Mission” and sailed from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. In the Japanese surrender mission, there were two captured women, one of whom was Mrs. C.R. Lee, the secretary’s wife of Assistant Secretary Johnson, and the other was a Russian pregnant woman. Bringing the Russian pregnant woman to the hospital on Hong Kong Island was a condition proposed by the secretary’s wife to the Japanese army as a hostage to persuade surrender on Hong Kong Island. The Japanese also brought an American female journalist, Gwen Dew, who was captured in Kowloon. The small boat of the Japanese military’s surrender mission was warned by the British army when approaching Hong Kong Island, but after the Japanese army stated their intention and that the boat was carrying the wife of the Assistant Secretary and a pregnant Russian woman, the British army decided to dock the boat at Queen’s Pier in Central. After the small boat docked at the pier, Tadanaki and others landed. Tadanaki immediately requested journalist Du Jiayun to take photos for him, and the Russian pregnant woman was arranged to be sent to a hospital on Hong Kong Island. Colonel Tada handed a letter of advice to surrender to Colonel Charles Boxer, a British intelligence officer who came to receive the letter. Colonel Boxer immediately handed it over to Yang Muqi at the Governor’s Office after receiving it. Although every move of the Japanese surrender mission at the dock was monitored by the British army, Tadatsugu still took the opportunity to spy on the British defense deployment along the coast. The Japanese army originally thought that Yang Muqi needed some time to hold a meeting with the military and political leaders in Hong Kong to discuss accepting surrender. However, Yang Muqi immediately replied and refused to surrender. Major Bosha soon handed the reply to Colonel Tada waiting at the dock.

On the same day, British Prime Minister Churchill sent a telegram to Yang Muqi, in which Churchill stated that the British people were “paying attention every day and every hour to your stubborn defense of Hong Kong’s ports and fortresses”. On the other hand, when the Japanese army dispatched a delegation to persuade surrender to Hong Kong Island on the morning of the 13th, they also intensified the deployment of heavy artillery in areas such as Shek Lei Pui Reservoir, Tai Wai, Devil’s Peak, and Ho Man Tin. They also ordered the 1st Artillery Corps to shell Mount Davis from 2:30 pm.

Japanese air raids and shelling of Hong Kong Island

The Japanese army originally intended to occupy Hong Kong Island without spending a single soldier by persuading surrender, but was unexpectedly rejected by Governor Yang Muqi’s assertion. Therefore, starting from the afternoon of the 13th, the Japanese army used heavy artillery to bombard Hong Kong Island intensively, and also launched air raids to prepare for the subsequent landing battle. The 1st Artillery Unit, which did not have the opportunity to deploy during the attack on the Drunken Bay defense line, was able to carry out heavy artillery firepower in the operation of shelling Hong Kong Island. For several consecutive days, they carried out large-scale shelling of British strongholds, including Mount Davis, Belcher’s Bay, Pak Sha Wan, and Sai Wan. The Japanese army fired at least 3660 240mm and 150mm caliber shells at Hong Kong Island on the 14th alone. The Japanese army was originally scheduled to launch an air raid on Hong Kong Island on the morning of the 14th, but due to poor weather conditions, it was rescheduled for the afternoon to attack the artillery batteries on the north coast of Hong Kong Island and the British anchorage in Aberdeen. Because the Japanese army originally thought that Hong Kong would surrender after breaking through the Drunken Bay defense line, only the Army Flying 45th Squadron was scheduled to be the main force for air raids on Hong Kong. After Yang Muqi refused to surrender, the Japanese army believed that the dive bombers of the Army Flying 45th Squadron were not enough and needed to summon twin engine bombers from the Army and Navy to strengthen the air raids. Therefore, the Army Flying 14th Squadron stationed in Chiayi, Taiwan must withdraw from the operation of attacking the Philippines and instead conduct air strikes on Hong Kong Island;

On December 16th, the Japanese launched a large-scale air raid on Hong Kong Island. The dive bombers of the 45th Army Flying Squadron carried out air strikes on the Rajjep Camp and artillery positions in the northeast of Hong Kong Island. 18 Type 97 heavy bombers from the Army Flying 14th Squadron carried out air strikes on the fortress of Mount Davis and the British positions in the western part of Hong Kong Island. At 1:00 pm on the same day, a bomber squadron of the Japanese Navy attacked. 18 Type 96 land attack aircraft from the Luya Air Force and 26 Type 96 land attack aircraft from the First Air Force dropped 26 800 kilogram, 54 250 kilogram, and 34 60 kilogram bombs on the Lei Yue Mun Barracks, Shau Kei Wan, Mount Davis Fortress, and Aberdeen Naval Base. The Japanese Navy bomber squadron’s large-scale air raid on the same day failed to destroy any artillery batteries, but dealt heavy damage to Aberdeen. Torpedo boat No. 8 was burned down, and two tugboats were hit and sunk. The Royal Navy’s shipyard in Aberdeen was severely damaged, with locks and pumping facilities destroyed. Although no bombs hit the destroyer Thracian, the shipyard was unable to repair the damaged hull of the ship. The Royal Navy had no choice but to abandon the ship and deliberately stranded it on Silver Island opposite Chung Hom Kok on the 17th. On the same day, the Southern Fleet of the Navy deployed Type 92 aircraft to attack Aberdeen and Deep Water Bay. Although they carried out 10 sorties throughout the day, they did not achieve any results. On the 17th and 18th, the Army Flying 14th Squadron continued to bomb the fortress of Mount Davis and the British positions in the western part of Hong Kong Island; The navy also sent bombers to attack Qingzhou on the 18th, and also attacked the Thracian ship that had been abandoned by the Royal Navy in Yinzhou.

The continuous air raids and shelling by the Japanese army caused varying degrees of damage to multiple British positions on Hong Kong Island, with the Songlin Battery being the most severely damaged. The anti-aircraft battery was located on Longhu Mountain and faced Kowloon, lacking terrain barriers, allowing the Japanese to observe directly from the hills in Kowloon; On the morning of the 15th, the Songlin Battery was continuously bombarded by six Type 4 150mm howitzers of the Japanese 1st Artillery Corps stationed in Ho Man Tin for 4 hours, causing serious damage to the facilities. The British army had to abandon the defense. The Moxingling Fortress has been continuously bombed by Japanese planes since the 11th, and has been heavily bombarded by Japanese artillery since the afternoon of the 13th; On the afternoon of the 13th, a 9.2-inch coastal defense gun at position 3 was hit by a 240mm large caliber shell from the Japanese army. Although the shell did not detonate, the position was still scrapped; On the noon of the 14th, the anti-aircraft ammunition depot was hit, and one anti-aircraft gun was destroyed. Nine Indian artillery soldiers were killed and six were injured. In the following two days, the Japanese air raids and shelling of the Moxingling Fortress became more intense. On the 16th, a bomb hit the artillery command post at a high altitude, but fortunately did not explode. Only 60 soldiers nearby were saved from destruction. Although the fortress was under continuous attacks, the British army still held on. During the Japanese shelling on the morning of the 14th, two 4.7-inch guns and an observation station were destroyed at the Belcher Battery. The Baishawan Battery was also heavily shelled by the Japanese army on the morning of the 14th, and the observation station was destroyed, requiring the two 6-inch guns of the battery to be visually aimed.

The Japanese shelling not only damaged several machine gun emplacements and gun positions on the north coast of Hong Kong Island, but also frequently cut off the British army’s telephone lines, disrupting their command and communication. The communication cable in Majixian Gorge was damaged by Japanese artillery fire on the 14th, causing communication between the headquarters and the southern part of Hong Kong Island to be paralyzed. The British army needs to repair it for 20 hours to restore normal operation. The Japanese bombardment also damaged multiple sets of searchlights located on the north coast of Hong Kong Island, weakening the ability of the British to monitor sea activities at night and making it easier for the Japanese to launch surprise attacks under the cover of darkness. The fierce shelling also caused damage to water pipes and power facilities, greatly affecting the water supply to Hong Kong Island.

In response to the Japanese artillery bombardment, the British army established a Counter Battery Headquarters in Huangni Yongxia on the 14th, commanded by Major G.E.S. Proes, in order to enable the defending artillery to counterattack the Japanese army in the shortest possible time. However, due to the British army’s unfamiliarity with the new command structure, reports on Japanese artillery should be directly sent to the Counter Battery Headquarters according to the new procedure. However, many reports were still sent to the headquarters, and the reports were not complete enough, which prevented the maximum effectiveness of the Counter Battery Headquarters. The counterattack of the British artillery mainly targeted the Japanese artillery positions in Ho Man Tin and Devil’s Hill, as well as the Japanese strongholds in Jinglan Tree and Ma Yau Tong. At the same time, they shelled oil depots in Kowloon and sank ships in Victoria Harbour to avoid being used by the Japanese.

British deployment on Hong Kong Island

After retreating to Hong Kong Island, the British army redeployed according to the terrain of Hong Kong Island, and Modric evenly deployed the defending troops along the coast of Hong Kong Island. On the north coast of Hong Kong Island, from west to east, Punjab Camp, Royal Scottish Camp, and Rajjep Camp are deployed respectively; On the south coast of Hong Kong Island, from west to east, Winnipeg Grenade Battalion, Royal Canadian Rifle Battalion, and Middlesex Battalion are deployed respectively. The Hong Kong Defense Forces are responsible for second-line support in the mountainous areas, while the Xiaoshi Corps is guarding the North Point Power Plant. However, due to the soldiers of the “Mainland Brigade” retreating to Hong Kong Island reporting to the “Hong Kong Island Brigade” one after another, the latter’s command center was overwhelmed. On the early morning of the 12th, after discussing with the commander of the “Hong Kong Island Brigade”, Robert Morrison, it was decided to temporarily divide the “Hong Kong Island Brigade” into “Eastern Brigade” and “Western Brigade”. According to the command structure of the “Eastern Brigade” and the “Western Brigade”, the “Western Brigade” is commanded by Brigadier General Robinson and is responsible for the western part of Hong Kong Island, including Happy Valley, Wong Nai Chung Gap, Wan Chai Gap, Ma Chi Shan Gap, Shouson Hill, Aberdeen, Pokfulam, Mount Davis, Victoria City, and Naval Shipyard. It includes the A and C companies of the Royal Scottish Battalion, Winnipeg Grenade Battalion, Punjab Battalion, and Middlesex Battalion, as well as the 4 to 7 companies of the Hong Kong Defense Force. There is also a company of the Hong Kong Chinese Group Army stationed at Shouson Hill and Deep Water Bay; The “Eastern Brigade” is commanded by Brigadier General Wallace and is responsible for the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, including Causeway Bay, Beacon Hill, North Point, Tai Koo Dockyard, Shau Kei Wan, Chai Wan, Pak Ka Shan, Tai Tam Gap, Stanley, Chung Hom Kok, and Repulse Bay. It oversees the B and D companies of the Royal Canadian Rifle Battalion, Lajepp Battalion, and Middlesex Battalion, as well as the 1-3 companies of the Hong Kong Defense Force. In terms of defense deployment, in addition to the troops defending in fixed positions, there are also multiple mobile columns to provide support for the tense battlefield. The British army has built over 70 machine gun forts along the coast of Hong Kong Island. Fort No. 1 was built in Sha Wan in the southwest of Hong Kong Island, and the number of machine gun forts increases counterclockwise around Hong Kong Island. Fort No. 20 is located in South Bay, Fort No. 36 is located in Tai Long Wan, Fort No. 39 is located in Pak Sha Wan, Fort No. 51 is located at North Point Power Plant, and Fort No. 72 is located on Victoria Road. In addition, the British army has multiple sets of searchlights along the coast of Hong Kong Island to prevent the Japanese from crossing the sea and launching surprise attacks at night.

Luo Xun, who commanded the Western Brigade, used the command headquarters located on the eastern slope of Mount Nie Gaoxin’s Huangni Chung Gorge, which is adjacent to the Huangni Chung Gorge Road that runs north-south in the center of Hong Kong Island. Luo Xun also enjoyed higher command authority as the commander of the “Hong Kong Island Brigade”; As for the commander of the Eastern Brigade, Wallace established the Tai Tam Gap Command Center at the junction of Cape Collinson Road and Shek O Road. Robinson initially established a command center at Wong Nai Chung Gap because as the commander of the Hong Kong Island Brigade, he needed to command the entire garrison operations on Hong Kong Island. Therefore, the brigade level command center was set up at Wong Nai Chung Gap, located in the center of Hong Kong Island and at the intersection of five major roads. After Mo Debei and Luo Xun divided the Hong Kong Island Brigade into two brigades on the 12th, the command work in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island could be shared by the Eastern Brigade of Wah Lai Sze. Therefore, Luo Xun considered moving the Western Brigade Command to Wan Chai Gap to the west, but due to the need to rebuild communication lines and the possibility of unnecessary confusion caused by the relocation of the command, he decided to use the Wong Nai Chung Gap Command as the Western Brigade Command. Due to the differences in the mobilization of the East West Brigade and the anti landing deployment before the war, coordination between various units is prone to confusion. For example, in the Wong Nai Chung Gap area in the center of Hong Kong Island, the Hong Kong Defense Force 3rd Company of the Eastern Brigade and the Winnipeg Battalion of the Western Brigade are stationed respectively, while the Rifle Battalion, which arrived in Hong Kong from Canada with Robinson less than a month ago, was temporarily handed over to the former commander of the British Indian Army, Wallace, without enough time to adapt. This also led to differences and disputes in command and coordination between the Rifle Battalion Commander William J. Home and the Eastern Brigade Commander Wallace. In addition, due to the lack of reconnaissance aircraft and external intelligence support, Mo Debei had no way of knowing the actual situation of the Japanese army’s attack deployment on the north coast of Hong Kong Island and the landing of the Japanese amphibious forces from the south coast of Hong Kong Island. He could only adopt island defense, which was difficult to concentrate on defending against the main attacking force of the Japanese army. Therefore, the defending army was in a passive position in deployment and tactics.

Japanese Landing Plan

As for the Japanese side, as both the 23rd Army and the 38th Division assumed that the British would surrender after the fall of Kowloon, they did not formulate a combat plan to attack Hong Kong Island. After Yang Muqi refused to surrender, the Japanese army had to formulate a plan to land on Hong Kong Island in a short period of time. Under hasty planning, the Japanese army selected swimmers from the 23rd Army who could swim more than 4 kilometers to form a suicide squad. The Japanese army planned to send a daring team composed of swimmers to swim across Victoria Harbour at night, land on Hong Kong Island and establish a bridgehead, and then make a large-scale landing after opening a gap in the British coastal defense line. The members of this suicide squad, including Lieutenant Ito Saburo and Lieutenant Koike Toshizo, who represented Japan in the swimming competition at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, were guided by the two in their swimming skills. However, due to the inability to transport heavy equipment while swimming alone, it was impractical in the presence of British coastal firepower; Moreover, when the members of the suicide squad were heading to Kowloon, they were not even able to cross the Shatin Sea when they were accidentally hit by British counterattack artillery fire from across the sea, causing many casualties and forcing the cancellation of the swimming cross sea assault plan midway.

Because the British army had already destroyed the power supply facilities in Kowloon before retreating to Hong Kong Island, and Hong Kong Island implemented a blackout during the war, at night, in addition to the British operating searchlights to search for sea lights and the fire caused by artillery fire, both sides of Victoria Harbour, especially the Kowloon side, were pitch black. The Japanese army also took advantage of the darkness to prepare for a landing battle on the Kowloon Peninsula. Starting from the 13th, the Japanese army collected various small boats to anchor on the Kowloon Peninsula and searched for a suitable location to land on Hong Kong Island. The Japanese army waited for an opportunity to cross the sea every night. At around 7 pm on the 15th, the Japanese sent a reconnaissance team to try to secretly land on Hong Kong Island using rafts and rubber boats at Lei Yue Mun, but they were discovered by the British army at the Pak Sha Wan Battery on the way and failed.

Because the British army had already sailed a large number of ships to Hong Kong Island during their retreat and destroyed the ships left in Kowloon, the ships mobilized by the Japanese army were not sufficient for a large-scale landing. Therefore, the Japanese army prepared a large number of folding boats in Kowloon. The folding boat is a landing craft specially designed by the Japanese Army for crossing rivers and seas. Its characteristic is that it can be folded during transportation, so one truck can carry multiple boats and can be combined in a short period of time when in use. Among them, the Type 95 and Type 97 folding boats can be equipped with small gasoline engines for use as motorized landing craft. The Japanese Army also equipped mobile landing craft, abbreviated as Daihatsu and Kohatsu, with a larger carrying capacity than folding boats. However, due to the noise generated during navigation, they were not suitable for use in the first wave of landing. Nevertheless, the Japanese intentionally anchored these mobile landing craft in the waters of Tsuen Wan in the western New Territories, attempting to conceal their plan to land on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island. In order to increase the chances of successful landing, the Japanese plan to land at night. They will first send smaller folding boats to cross Victoria Harbour secretly with manual oars to avoid being detected due to engine noise. As for larger folding boats, they will be towed to Hong Kong Island by motorized boats.
On the 17th, the 38th Division drafted a plan and the Japanese army decided to land on Hong Kong Island during the high tide on the evening of the 18th. According to the original plan, the Japanese army would divide into left and right wings and land in the northeastern part of Hong Kong Island (from Shau Kei Wan to North Point) where the British defense line was weaker and lacked seawalls. The right-wing forces are composed of the 230th and 228th squadrons, which depart from Tai Wan and Ngau Tau Kok respectively, cross the sea and land in the areas of North Point, Braemar Point, and Tai Koo Dockyard. The 230th squadron first captured the North Point Power Plant and then advanced westward to the Navy Dockyard. The remaining troops will advance along Tai Hang, Jardine’s Bazaar, and Victoria Peak towards the western high mountain of Hong Kong Island. As for the left-wing troops, they were composed of the 229th regiment, which set off from Cha Kwo Ling and Yau Tong, landed at the Love Order Bay in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, went south through Tai Tam Reservoir to attack Violet Hill, and then turned west to advance towards the West Peak. Each of these three squadrons has a large team reserved as a reserve, which can be deployed for reinforcement when the offensive is obstructed.

During the redeployment period, the British and Japanese armies continued to engage in cross sea artillery battles, and the Japanese army sent planes to air raid Hong Kong Island daily. They also formed left and right artillery units to support the landing battle. The Japanese army organized the artillery deployed in the western part of Kowloon (Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui) into a right artillery unit, responsible for shelling the northwest coast of Hong Kong Island from Braemar Point to Sai Ying Pun; The artillery in the eastern part of Kowloon (Crocodile Hill, Wugui Hill, and Devil’s Hill) was assigned to the Left Artillery Unit, responsible for shelling the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island from Aberdeen to North Point. The left and right artillery units bombarded the British positions along the coast intensively before the Japanese army was about to land, providing cover for the landing troops to cross the sea.

At 7:30 am on the 17th, the Japanese army shelled residential areas in Victoria City for the first time. Causeway Bay and Kennedy Town were hit by Japanese artillery for two hours. This operation was clearly aimed at residential areas around Victoria City. The Japanese army also sent planes to air raid defense facilities in Shau Kei Wan and Wan Chai, and specifically attacked the mountaintop and Garden Road areas, attempting to use civilian lives to coerce Governor Yang Muqi into surrendering. Later on, the Japanese temporarily ceased fire and sent another delegation consisting of Lieutenant Goto Kikuo from the 2nd Expeditionary Fleet and Lieutenant Tadatsugu to persuade Governor Yang Muqi to surrender. However, Lieutenant Bosha, who came to negotiate, conveyed Yang Muqi’s refusal to surrender in person at the Queen’s Pier, which surprised Tadatsugu. Tadatsugu threatened that future shelling would not consider the safety of civilians. On the same evening, the Japanese army dispatched two reconnaissance teams to cross the sea and investigate the terrain on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island. The first reconnaissance team was discovered and shot by the British army while crossing Victoria Harbour. The leader was killed and the team was intercepted. Another reconnaissance team led by Lieutenant Shohei Masuda departed from Oil Pond at 8 pm and was discovered and fired upon by the No. 40 machine gun turret located at Agung Rock during the sea crossing. The Japanese immediately abandoned the boat and jumped into the sea, then swam towards Taikoo. When the Japanese in Kowloon learned that the reconnaissance team had secretly crossed the sea and was discovered by the British, they immediately opened fire across the sea to suppress the British. Lieutenant Masuda and others were able to successfully land on the east side of Taikoo Shipyard. Due to continuous shelling by the Japanese army, the defenders of machine gun forts 41 and 42 in the vicinity had to relocate. In addition, the communication line of machine gun fort 40 was also damaged during the shelling, and the defenders of the machine gun fort were unable to notify the Rajjep camp in a timely manner. The Japanese reconnaissance team was able to operate within the gap of the British defense line. Lieutenant Zengdao and others left in the early morning of the 18th, and although they were shot by the British army during this period, they still successfully returned to Kowloon. After Lieutenant Zengdao reported the weakness of the British defense line in the Bay of Order, and that the area is suitable for landing.
Since the 14th, Hong Kong Island has been continuously bombarded by the Japanese army. In addition to artillery fire, the British army also launched surprise attacks by the Royal Navy stationed in Hong Kong. Since the start of the war on the 8th, the destroyer Thracian has been busy evading Japanese air raids during the day and preventing Japanese infiltration from the sea at night. On the morning of the 13th, the Thracians assisted the defenders in withdrawing from Devil’s Hill to Hong Kong Island with torpedo boats. Later that day, Kowloon fell, and the Japanese army then gathered ships in Kowloon to prepare for a landing battle on Hong Kong Island. As a result, the Royal Navy decided to attack the Japanese ships at night. Due to the need to prevent Japanese warships from entering Victoria Harbour and the coastal waters of Hong Kong Island, the defenders have laid mines in the main waterways of Hong Kong, leaving only narrow passages for ships to pass through. Therefore, the Thracians do not light up at night for concealed navigation, and there is also a high risk of encountering mines or reefs. On the night of the 14th, the Thracian left the waters southeast of Lantau Island and, together with torpedo boats, broke into Victoria Harbour to attack Japanese ships. During the night voyage, although the Thracians ran aground and entered the waters at the southern corner of Lamma Island, they still broke into Victoria Harbour to carry out their mission and sank two Japanese ships in Kowloon Bay before returning to Aberdeen for repairs. However, the shipyard was destroyed in a Japanese air raid on the 16th, so the damage to the hull could not be repaired. At the same time, the Royal Navy sank the Moth gunboat and the unpowered Tamar ship, which were being repaired at the Admiralty Naval Shipyard, and transferred the command center to the Aberdeen Children’s Craft Institute. On the night of the 17th, in order to strike against the Royal Navy’s base in Aberdeen, the flagship of the 2nd Expeditionary Fleet, the Isuzu light cruiser, used night cover to sail to the waters south of Lamma Island and bombarded Aberdeen with its 140mm caliber naval gun, but the effect was not significant and did not cause any losses to the British army.

12、Japanese Army Landing on Hong Kong Island (December 18th)

The British army’s vision is obstructed by thick smoke.

The Japanese army charged through thick smoke after landing on Hong Kong Island. Since December 13th, Hong Kong Island has been subjected to continuous air raids and shelling by the Japanese army, causing fires and producing a large amount of thick smoke in the factory areas and oil depots from Shau Kei Wan to North Point. The thick smoke on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island covered the entire Victoria Harbour under the wind, seriously obstructing the British observation field. Therefore, on the evening of December 18th, the Japanese army used the thick smoke as cover to launch a landing battle and successfully landed on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island.
The Japanese army continued to shell the north coast of Hong Kong Island on December 18th and gathered ships in various parts of Kowloon. The coast of Mount BMW had already caught fire due to Japanese shelling as early as the 17th, and the North Point oil depot was hit and burned by Japanese shells on the 18th, emitting thick smoke that blew northeastward towards the British positions, greatly reducing the British’s visibility. In the afternoon of the same day, the rubber factory in Shau Kei Wan and the paint factory in Braemar Kok also caught fire due to Japanese shelling, causing more thick smoke to envelop the north coast of Hong Kong Island under the east wind. The King’s Road near Causeway Bay was also paralyzed by Japanese shelling, and communication was cut off more times for the Raj Camp guarding the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island. A large number of searchlights installed on the north coast of Hong Kong Island also malfunctioned. After communication between the Raj Camp defending the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island and the Xiaoshi Corps stationed at the North Point Power Plant, both believed that the Japanese had a chance to cross the sea and land at night。
The Japanese launched a landing battle

The sunset started at 5:12 pm on the 18th. At 7 pm, the first wave of Japanese landing forces began boarding the ship. At 7:10 pm, the Japanese artillery shifted their artillery fire from the north coast of Hong Kong Island to shelling the inland of Hong Kong Island. The first wave of landing boats gradually headed towards Hong Kong Island at 7:20 pm. That night, the Japanese planned landing sites in North Point, Taikoo Dockyard, Shau Kei Wan, and Repulse Bay were illuminated by the large fires caused by shelling. The thick smoke from the fires drifted towards the British positions, providing cover for the Japanese fleet and facilitating the launch of the landing battle. Due to the thick smoke generated by the fire obstructing the view of the British army, the Japanese boat fleet was about to dock when the Rajjep camp defending on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island discovered that the Japanese had crossed the sea and landed. Although various machine gun emplacements and positions along the coast immediately opened fire on the docked ships, it was too late to stop the Japanese landing. From 8:15 pm to 8:30 pm, the 3rd Squadron of the 230th Squadron, the 2nd Squadron of the 228th Squadron, and the 3rd Squadron of the 229th Squadron landed in North Point, Tai Koo, and Aberdeen respectively.

On the evening of December 18th, from 8:15 pm to 8:30 pm, the first wave of Japanese troops landed on Hong Kong Island. One squadron from each of the 230th, 228th, and 229th squadrons landed at North Point, Braemar Point west of Taikoo Dockyard, and Admiralty Bay respectively. One hour later, the second wave of Japanese troops landed. The Japanese originally planned that after landing, the 229 squadron would first pass through Mount Parker, while the 228 squadron would first take Mount Pinar. Then, these two squadrons turned westward, passing through Dakeng, Zhadian Mountain, and Taiping Mountain, and advanced towards the western high mountain of Hong Kong Island; As for the 230th Squadron landing in North Point, they first seized the North Point Power Plant and then advanced towards Causeway Bay and Wan Chai via King’s Road and Hennessy Road; Three teams will form a three sided encirclement of Victoria City, located in the northwest of Hong Kong Island。
After the first wave of Japanese troops landed, the headquarters of the Rajjep camp once again lost communication with its subordinate companies. However, except for Company A, which was extremely exhausted due to continuous Japanese shelling and was repelled in Shau Kei Wan, all other companies of the Rajjep camp held their positions. After landing, the Japanese army was bombarded by artillery fire from the Rajjep Camp and Wallis, and the three Japanese squadrons were unable to establish effective command and coordinate operations, and the original combat plan could not be executed. The Japanese 229th Squadron occupied the Tan Gong Temple in Shau Kei Wan as a temporary command center after landing at Ai Wo Che Wan. One hour after the first wave of Japanese troops landed, the second wave of Japanese troops, consisting of the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 228th Regiment, and the 2nd Battalion of the 229th Regiment, landed at North Point, Braemar Point, and Agong Rock respectively. The number of Japanese troops that had landed on Hong Kong Island doubled to six battalions, and the gap in military strength between the two sides on the northeast coast of the island became even greater. The Raj Camp was at a disadvantage of one to six, but still resisted tenaciously.

After landing, the Japanese army was caught in a melee with the British army, disrupting the originally planned advance on Hong Kong Island. The picture shows Japanese artillery supporting the siege of the North Point Power Plant (at the location of the four chimneys) on Braemar Hill. At that time, the North Point Power Plant was located adjacent to a section of King’s Road on Battery Hill and had an important position in guarding this main road leading to Causeway Bay. After landing, the Japanese army originally planned to seize the North Point Power Plant and then attack Causeway Bay via King’s Road. However, they were blocked by the Xiaoshi Corps stationed at the North Point Power Plant, which delayed their plan to advance from east to west via King’s Road and occupy Causeway Bay.
After the successful landing of the second wave of Japanese troops, the total number of six battalions from the three regiments had completely overwhelmed the British troops defending on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island. However, the Japanese command remained chaotic and could only forcefully advance towards the east, south, and west directions inland based on their military advantage. After landing at Braemar Point on the east side of North Point, the 228th Squadron was met with resistance from the C Company of the Raj Camp, and its 1st and 2nd Divisions advanced towards Braemar Hill and Bina Hill in the melee. After the landing of the 229th squadron, the troops split into two groups. The 3rd squadron, which landed at Aberdeen Bay, advanced towards Mount Parker and Dafeng’ao, but encountered resistance from the A company of the Raj Camp and the 1st company of the Hong Kong Defense Force. The 2nd squadron, which landed at Nga Kung Yan, advanced towards the southeast of Sai Wan Shan and Chai Wan Au, and attacked the Lei Yue Mun military camp. During this period, they engaged in fierce battles with the A company of the Raj Camp and the C company of the Rifle Camp. After landing in North Point, the command of the 230th Squadron was relatively complete. When its second squadron attacked the North Point Power Plant, it encountered stubborn resistance from the Xiaoshi Corps and was unable to enter King’s Road. Its third squadron also encountered resistance from the D Company of the Rajjep Camp when marching towards Sai Xi Lake.

From the late night of the 18th to the early morning of the 19th, the Japanese army gradually gained the upper hand with their numerical advantage, and the Rajjep Camp withdrew its headquarters to Dafeng’ao. Upon learning of the Japanese landing, Luo Xun dispatched the 16th platoon of the Middlesex Battalion to North Point for reinforcement. However, they were ambushed by the Japanese at the North Point oil depot and dispersed. Only some soldiers arrived at the North Point power plant to join the Xiaoshi Corps. At 2 a.m., the Xiaoshi Corps dispatched members to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese rapid fire artillery position on Battery Hill Road, successfully destroying the position of the Japanese artillery team and killing the team leaders, Second Lieutenant Nakanishi Katsuyori and Second Lieutenant Yoshida Mitsuo. However, the Xiaoshi Corps was isolated by the Japanese army on Emperor’s Road and could not stop the Japanese 230th Regiment from advancing towards the southwest of the Zhadian Mountain via Saixihu Lake. Although the Rajjep camp had launched multiple counterattacks against the Japanese army on Fortress Hill, they were eventually defeated by the outnumbered Japanese army and gradually retreated. On the morning of the 19th, the 2nd Squadron of the 229th Regiment defeated the A and C Companies of the Rajjep Camp and captured the Lei Yue Mun Barracks. The 6th Squadron of the 2nd Squadron also captured the Sai Wan Battery, which was guarded by the 5th Anti Aircraft Artillery Company of the Hong Kong Defense Force. After capturing the barracks and battery, the Japanese army slaughtered the captured defenders and wounded soldiers, and more than 50 people were killed. The C Company of the Rifle Battalion and the 1st Company of the Hong Kong Defense Force were also defeated in the early morning, and Mount Parker and Chai Wan Au were occupied by the Japanese 229th Regiment on the morning of the 19th.

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13、Japanese Army Enters Hong Kong Island (December 19th)

The Japanese army advanced along the Jin Du Ma Trail and Datan Road

After the British defense line along the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island collapsed late on the night of the 18th, Robertson decided to retreat the line to the vicinity of Jardine’s Bazaar and Leighton Hill, waiting for sunrise to launch a counterattack. The Middlesex Camp has drawn troops from its various companies and formed the Z-Company with the headquarters of the camp, as well as the remnants of the B-Company of the Rajp Camp, to establish a defense line on Mount Leighton. The Scottish Camp has also sent half track vehicles to reinforce. Winnipeg Company A was transferred to defend Mount Pinar east of Jardine’s Bazaar, while Winnipeg Company D was transferred north of the Western Brigade Command and assigned a platoon of soldiers to guard the Golden Horse Trail.

However, the 230th Squadron marched along the Golden Horse Trail in the early morning of the 19th, unexpectedly changing the situation on Hong Kong Island. Due to the strong resistance of the Xiaoshi Corps during the attack on the North Point Power Plant by the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment, they were unable to capture the power plant and advance westward via King’s Road to Tai Hang by the late night of the 18th. Therefore, the Japanese army dispatched the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment as a reserve force from Kowloon to land at Braemar Point on Hong Kong Island, in order to strengthen their military strength on the island. The 230th Regiment decided to transfer the task of capturing the power plant and advancing westward via King’s Road to the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment, which came to reinforce them. The 2nd Battalion was transferred from the North Point Power Plant to Sai Westlake and marched along the same path as the 3rd Battalion, first heading south and then west. The 230th squadron plans to bypass the east and south sides of Mount BMW after these two squadrons arrive at Sai West Lake. When they reach the north side of Jardine’s Bazaar, they will then turn towards the direction of Tai Hang to advance and bypass a section of King’s Road in Fortress Hill and Tin Hau, attacking Tai Hang and Causeway Bay from south to north. Therefore, the 230th Squadron first besieged the remnants of the D Company of the Rajjep Camp at Sai Hei Lake, but when they forced back the 7th Platoon of the 3rd Company of the Hong Kong Defense Army, they were fiercely counterattacked. Although they captured two positions of the Defense Army at this location with their military advantage, five people from the 12th Squadron were killed. The captain of the 230th Squadron, Toshihide Higashi, estimated that there were a large number of British troops stationed at Jardine’s Bazaar and decided to take the Golden Governor’s Chariot Path south, then turn northwest on the way to Dakeng and attack Causeway Bay, thinking that this would avoid Jardine’s Bazaar. However, due to the fact that the Jin Du Chi Ma Trail was built along the mountain, with cliffs on one side and steep cliffs on the other, and the leader of the 230th regiment was unfamiliar with mountain roads but had to march in the dark, the 2nd and 3rd regiments of the 230th regiment entered the Jin Du Chi Ma Trail and not only failed to find the expected path to the big pit, but also walked all the way into the Huangniyong Gorge. Colonel Tokaido admitted afterwards that he was not familiar with the terrain of the area and was unaware of the British military’s deployment there; He was unaware that the southern route of the Jin Du Horse Racing Trail would be hindered by the mountain terrain, and there was a lack of a path to turn northwest towards Dakeng. Instead, he passed through Zhadian Mountain and penetrated deep into Huangniyong Gorge; He also had no idea that he was actually marching directly towards the British Western Brigade Command, let alone that Winnipeg Company A had not yet arrived at Mount Pinar for defense, and that the entire Golden Horse Trail was only guarded by a row of soldiers belonging to Winnipeg Company D.

On the evening of December 18th, a total of six infantry battalions from three Japanese regiments landed on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island. The two sides engaged in fierce fighting along the coast, and although the British defense line was weak, they still made stubborn resistance. The Xiaoshi Corps guarding the North Point Power Plant successfully prevented the 230th Regiment from advancing westward through King’s Road into the city center; The D Company of the Lajep Camp defended West Lake and BMW Mountain to the death, temporarily obstructing the 228th Squadron; On the east side, the A Company of the Rajjep Camp and the C Company of the Rifle Camp also engaged in fierce battles with the 229th Squadron. After landing, the Japanese army was unable to march according to the original plan and could only use their superior forces to forcefully advance inland under British artillery fire.
At the same time, there were loopholes in the defense of the British army on the evening of the 18th and early morning of the 19th. The Winnipeg Battalion D Company only stationed one infantry platoon to guard the Golden Horse Trail, which was unable to stop the movement of the 230th Regiment. However, the Winnipeg Battalion D Company was unable to detect the 230th Regiment marching along the mountain trail due to the need to shift from a night position to a more concealed day position. Therefore, the commander of the Western Brigade, Robinson, judged that Huangniyong Gorge was still safe, and he did not know the movements of the Japanese 228th and 229th Regiments. At that time, the 1st and 2nd squadrons of the 228th regiment were marching south from Taikoo Dockyard, approaching Jardine’s Bazaar defended by Winnipeg Company A and the Hong Kong Defense Forces via Mount Pinar; The two squadrons of the 229th Regiment are marching southwest from Chai Wan and Shau Kei Wan. The second squadron of the 229th Regiment is advancing from Chai Wan via Tai Tam Road towards Tai Tam Gap, while the third squadron of the 229th Regiment is marching from Shau Kei Wan via Pak Ka Shan Road towards Stanley Gap. The route of the third squadron passes through Pak Ka Shan, the eastern side of Pinar Hill, and the eastern side of Tai Tam Reservoir, and then turns west to reach Stanley Gap between Jardine’s Bazaar and Violet Hill (although this gorge is called “Stanley”, it is not the present-day Stanley). Due to the fact that Zhadian Mountain is located to the east of Huangniyong Gorge, although the three infantry regiments of the Japanese army did not coordinate with each other, they were all advancing towards the weakly defended Huangniyong Gorge and the Western Brigade Command. However, Robinson was limited by intelligence, and the Winnipeg Battalion D Company reported that they had not discovered the Japanese army. He judged that although the Japanese army had successfully landed, their offensive into Hong Kong Island had been blocked. Therefore, he decided to consolidate the defense lines in Causeway Bay and Tai Hang, and prepare to counterattack the Japanese army. At 4:15 am on the 19th, Ronson first deployed the B Company of the Punjab Battalion to defend against the Great Tunnel, strengthening the defense line between Leighton Hill, Great Tunnel, and Jardine’s Bazaar to prevent the Japanese from attacking Victoria City. He also ordered the A Company of the Scottish Battalion and the Royal Engineers to prepare for a counterattack at Wong Nai Chung Gap.

Huangniyong Gorge fierce battle

On the early morning of the 19th, the Japanese Army’s 230th Regiment marched along the Golden Horse Racing Trail towards Huangniyong Gorge. At 4:15 am, the Middlesex Battalion discovered Japanese activity on a hill near Dakeng. Robertson then dispatched the Punjab Battalion’s B Company to defend the main tunnel. However, the Winnipeg Battalion, which was defending north of Huangniyong Gorge, reported that no Japanese were found. Therefore, the entire Golden Horse Racing Trail was still defended by only one row of soldiers and could not withstand the thousands of Japanese Army’s 230th Regiment. At the same time, Scottish Company A and Royal Engineers were ordered to go to Wong Nai Chung Gap to prepare for a counterattack at dawn. Due to the fact that the command center of the Western Brigade is located in the center of Hong Kong Island and the gorge is also the boundary between the East and West Brigades, it was considered to be in the rear at that time. Therefore, only the Winnipeg Battalion D Company and the Hong Kong Defense Force 3rd Company were stationed in the vicinity of the Wong Nai Chung Gorge. There is a Winnipeg Battalion D Company command center on the east side of Wong Nai Chung Gorge Road (which was built into the Hong Kong Tennis Centre in 1980), and there is also a St. John Ambulance Brigade ambulance station nearby; The 3rd Company of the Hong Kong Defense Force is mainly located in Jardine’s Bazaar, and is also stationed at the 1st and 2nd Machine Gun Forts (PB1 and PB2) near the southern end of the Golden Governor’s Trail, as well as the 3rd Machine Gun Forts (PB3) near the junction of Buli Trail and Deep Water Bay Road. The 3rd Machine Gun Forts are separated from the Wong Nai Chung Gap Police Station to the east by only one Wong Nai Chung Gap Road. At first, about 350 people were stationed at Huangniyong Gorge and Zhashan, and then 150 Winnipeg Camp soldiers came to reinforce.

At around 5 o’clock in the morning, the defenders on Zhadian Mountain discovered that the Japanese 228th and 229th regiments were coming from Mount Bina and Mount Parker, respectively. At that time, the two battalions of the 228th Regiment had threatened the right flank of the defending army on Zhadian Mountain. As for the 3rd Battalion of the 229th Regiment, after passing through the northwest of Datan Reservoir, it had approached the Stanley Gorge between Zhadian Mountain and Violet Mountain, which could cut off the defending army’s southward retreat on Zhadian Mountain. The direction of the 228th and 229th regiments will form a pincer attack towards the eastern part of the Zhadian Mountains, forming two north-south routes. At the same time, the 230th regiment, which is marching on the Jin Du cavalry trail, has already detoured to the southwestern part of the Zhadian Mountains.

The situation map of the Battle of Huangniyong Gorge. On December 19th, the three Japanese regiments marched towards Huangniyong Gorge without prior coordination. The 230th Regiment headed south along the Jin Du Ma Trail, intending to take a detour and attack the flank of Zhadian Mountain. However, due to unfamiliar terrain and obstacles from the mountains, they unexpectedly broke into the Huangni Chung Gorge behind the British defense line. They first occupied the Huangni Chung Gorge Police Station, which was located in a key position, and then besieged the British Western Brigade Command. Although the 230th Regiment suffered serious casualties, the British army failed multiple attempts to lift the siege and counterattack, and the commander of the Western Brigade, Robinson, was ultimately killed during the breakout. On the same day, the 228th Squadron also engaged in fierce battles with the British army at Jardine’s Bazaar, and the Japanese army sent the 1st Squadron of the 229th Squadron to land at Braemar Point for reinforcement, increasing the number of Japanese battalions that had already landed on Hong Kong Island to seven.
Almost at the same time, the 230th Squadron arrived at the southern end of the Golden Governor’s Trail and was finally discovered by the Hong Kong Defense Force’s 3rd Company defending the Wong Nai Chung Gap. The Hong Kong Defense Forces immediately opened fire on the Japanese 230th Regiment that had invaded the Wong Nai Chung Gap, and strafed the Japanese from the 1st Machine Gun Fortress on Jardine’s Bazaar and the 3rd Machine Gun Fortress near the police station. However, the 2nd Machine Gun Fortress was unable to engage due to insufficient firing range. At the same time, a Hong Kong Defense Force unit went from the Wong Nai Chung Gap police station (now 1 Repulse Bay Road) to counterattack and shot at the Japanese from within the police station. The 3rd Battalion of the 230th Regiment immediately dispatched the 9th Squadron to attack the Wong Nai Chung Gap police station. The Winnipeg Battalion soldiers stationed in the Postbridge mansion near the police station also fired at the Japanese army from the mansion at this time, causing certain casualties to the Japanese army along with the firepower of the Hong Kong Defense Forces. However, at that time, there were at least 250 Japanese soldiers at the southern end of the Jin Du Chi Ma Trail, and many more came from behind. The 230th Squadron quickly set up rapid fire guns to support the attack, and with its superior strength and firepower, successfully suppressed and seized the No. 3 machine gun turret, and eliminated the defending troops who came to confront. The Huangni Yongxia Police Station, located in a strategic location, was finally captured by the 9th Squadron.

After capturing the Wong Nai Chung Gap police station, the Japanese 230th squadron sent the 11th and 12th squadrons to continue their strong attack in an attempt to expand their gains, and also sent the 2nd squadron to attack Stanley Gap. However, at this time, the 230th squadron was still subjected to crossfire from the British troops distributed around the gorge, causing increasing casualties for the Japanese army. The 3rd squadron was unable to move after attacking the Wong Nai Chung Gap police station, while the 2nd squadron attacking Stanley Gap was caught in a melee with Winnipeg Company A and the Hong Kong Defense Forces at Stanley Gap. However, with the 230th squadron setting up rapid fire guns on both sides of the Jin Du Chi Ma Jing and Huang Ni Yong Xia police stations, the Japanese army in the mountain gorge began to stand firm with the support of strong artillery fire and gradually gained the upper hand. Due to the fact that the British army did not anticipate a sudden invasion of the Huangniyong Gorge by the Japanese army, their weak defense line in the gorge was facing division and isolation. Robinson’s Western Brigade Command was located northwest of the Huangniyong Gorge Police Station, only one way away from the Japanese 230th Regiment’s stronghold in the gorge. After the occupation of Huangni Yongxia Police Station by the Japanese army, the connection between the command center and the anti-aircraft gun turret was cut off, and the entrance and exit to Repulse Bay Road were blocked. The Japanese army gradually arrived and their numbers continued to increase.

At 6:25 am, the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment began attacking the British anti-aircraft gun turret located southwest of Zhadian Mountain on the east side of Huangniyong Gorge Road (now on the side of Yangmingshan Villa). The two 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns of the turret had shot down a Japanese plane on the 16th. Apart from the artillery of the battery, the area was defended by the Winnipeg Battalion and the 3rd Company of the Hong Kong Defense Force. Although the Japanese army suffered serious casualties during the strong attack on the anti-aircraft gun emplacements, the British artillery was almost completely wiped out after two hours of fierce fighting, with about 25 defenders killed in action at the location; Afterwards, the Japanese attempted to capture the British machine gun fortresses 1 and 2 on Zhadian Mountain. In the south of the gorge, the Royal Engineers’ counterattack unit arrived at Huangniyong Gorge at 6:30 am, but was blocked by the 230th Squadron and unable to enter the Western Brigade headquarters. They could only set up a defense line on the Buli Trail west of the gorge. As for the eastern side of Jardine’s Bazaar, the 228th Regiment continued to advance towards Jardine’s Bazaar after occupying Mount Pinar in the early hours of the morning, and with its military advantage, defeated the Winnipeg Battalion A Company and two British mobile columns defending Jardine’s Bazaar. Only the two machine gun emplacements of the Hong Kong Defense Force’s 3rd Company remained stubborn in Jardine’s Bazaar.

At 7:00 am, the 9th Squadron of the Japanese 230th Regiment began to launch an attack from the Huangni Yongxia Police Station towards the Winnipeg Battalion D Company Command and the Western Brigade Command located on the east and west sides of Huangni Yongxia Road. Robinson immediately sought help from the rear. However, the military intelligence received by Robinson at that time was both insufficient and fragmented. He believed that the Japanese army could not have come from the south of Wong Nai Chung Gap, but instead attacked the gap from north to south through the middle section of Wong Nai Chung Gap Road from Jardine’s Bazaar. Due to the inference that Cameron Hill was about to be threatened by the Japanese army, the Scottish and Winnipeg battalions left their main forces at Wan Chai Gap and Cameron Hill, but indirectly reduced the number of soldiers going to rescue the Western Brigade Command. At that time, only Scottish Company A and Royal Navy infantry were ordered to reinforce at Huangni Yongxia, but their numbers and firepower were far inferior to the Japanese 230th Regiment attacking the Western Brigade headquarters here.

At 8:00 am, the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment had sealed off the north and south entrances of Huangni Yongxia and deployed artillery to prepare for a counterattack from the British army; The 2nd Brigade once again attacked Stanley Gap, not only annihilating the defenders of Stanley Gap, but also besieging the 3rd Company of the Hong Kong Defense Forces at Jardine’s Bazaar; The remnants of Winnipeg Company A and two British mobile columns, which were previously repelled by the 228th Regiment, were either intercepted by the 2nd Battalion of the 230th Regiment when retreating south or annihilated by the 228th Regiment when retreating north.

The Scottish Company A was ordered to rush to Huangniyong Gorge to rescue the Western Brigade Command, but was ambushed by Japanese artillery on Zhadian Mountain with rapid fire guns while traveling east along Stubbs Road. The Scottish Company A was almost completely destroyed, and the company commander and three platoon leaders were killed. Only 15 people fought and left, arriving at the outskirts of the Western Brigade Command at noon. The Royal Navy infantry convoy led by Royal Navy Lieutenant Colonel Pias set off from Aberdeen and rushed to the Western Brigade Command via Repulse Bay Road for reinforcement. However, they were ambushed and defeated by the Japanese army near the Wong Nai Chung Gap Police Station, and the remaining troops had to hide in the Buster House. The owner of the house, George Gwinnett Noble Tinson, a Justice of the Peace, and the household servants also fought against the Japanese army. However, shortly after, Noble Tinson was injured by fragments of Japanese shells and died, while his wife escaped this disaster by working as a nurse at the Salesian Ambulance Station on Chai Wan Road. The Winnipeg Battalion D Company, which was defending outside the Western Brigade Command, was defeated by the Japanese army besieging the command center, and the D Company was trapped inside the bunkers.

The Western Brigade Command has fallen

General Luo Xun’s Western Brigade Command in Huangni Yongxia was continuously attacked by the Japanese army with intensive artillery fire from 7:00 am on the 19th. However, the reinforcements summoned to rescue were blocked by the Japanese army on the way and were unable to arrive for a long time. Japanese infantry armed with bayonets on their rifles launched wave after wave of attacks under the cover of machine guns, attempting to charge through the Huangniyong Gorge and enter the command center. Although the defending troops within the command center also intercepted the charging Japanese army with machine guns from the bunker, causing serious casualties, the command center was also heavily surrounded by the increasing number of Japanese soldiers.

At 10 o’clock in the morning, the Western Brigade Command was riddled with bullets under the continuous siege of the Japanese army, but no reinforcements came to relieve the siege. Due to the expectation that the number of Japanese troops besieging the command center would only continue to increase, it was difficult for the defenders of the command center to survive alone. Therefore, Ronson made a final communication with Commander Modby, during which Ronson declared his intention to fight to the death with the enemy. After the call ended, he ordered the destruction of the communication equipment of the command center. Ronson then took out a handgun and personally led the officers and soldiers inside the command center to break out. However, as soon as the defenders of the command center left the bunker, they were immediately fired from three sides by the 3rd Squadron of the Japanese 230th Regiment besieging the command center. General Ronson died in battle, becoming the highest ranking officer of the Canadian army to die in World War II, and almost all the officers and soldiers who broke out with Ronson were also killed.

The site of the British Western Brigade Command located on Huangniyong Gorge Road.
In the early morning of the same day, soldiers from Company A and Company D of the Winnipeg Battalion in Canada engaged in a fierce battle with the incoming 1st Battalion of the 228th Regiment on Mount Pinar. The defending army did not face the formidable Japanese army, and the hill was captured. 65 members of the Winnipeg Camp, led by Sergeant John Osbourne of Company A, retreated along the mountain path to the garrison bunker on Jardine’s Peak. However, they were attacked by multiple hand grenades thrown by the Japanese army on Jardine’s Peak. Osbourne almost picked up all the grenades and threw them back at the Japanese army, but he realized that one could not be picked up in time. He shouted a warning to his colleagues and immediately crouched down. Osbourne covered the grenade with his body to block the explosion power. He was blown to pieces on the spot, but saved the lives of his comrades. The remnants of the Winnipeg Camp were eventually defeated and surrendered under the fierce attack of the Japanese army. Osbourne was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic sacrifice in saving lives, which is the highest honor for bravery in the British military.

The bronze statue of a British soldier erected at the Osbourne Barracks in memory of Lieutenant John Osbourne and his sacrifice in the defense of Hong Kong, now stands tall in Hong Kong Park.
The British Western Brigade launched a counterattack on Huangniyong Gorge

On the noon of the 19th, the Japanese army captured the Western Brigade Command and the Winnipeg Battalion D Company Command. The ambulance station near the Winnipeg Battalion D Company Command was also captured, and the St. John Ambulance team and wounded soldiers inside the station were killed by the Japanese army. Although the Japanese army has controlled the north and south entrances and exits of Huangniyong Gorge, there are still British troops defending bunkers and other buildings in the gorge, continuing to resist stubbornly. After the loss of the Western Brigade Command in Huangni Yongxia, the British Western Brigade set up a new command post on Buli Path between Mount Niegaoxin and Mount Cameron. After General Luo Xun left a message and led his troops to break through, there was no news of him. The headquarters and brigade also did not know his life and death. Therefore, the command of the Western Brigade was handed over to Colonel Ross, the commander of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Force.

As for Mo Debei at the headquarters, due to scattered intelligence and poor communication, he had not been able to grasp the situation in the northeast of Hong Kong Island and Wong Nai Chung Gap since the Japanese landed. He judged that only two Japanese battalions had landed on Hong Kong Island, and that the Japanese troops attacking Wong Nai Chung Gap were only a penetrative attack. He believed that a counterattack should be launched towards the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island to relieve the British forces in North Point and Tai Koo Dockyard. However, in reality, seven Japanese battalions had already landed on Hong Kong Island at that time, and the Raj Camp defending the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island had collapsed on the morning of the 19th. Only the remnants of the Raj Camp continued to resist in Tai Hang and Causeway Bay. As for the Xiaoshi Corps defending the North Point Power Plant, they also scattered to civilian houses on King’s Road and Electric Road during the noon breakout. In order to avoid casualties and civilians, they surrendered at 4:30 pm. Due to the lack of radio communication in the British army, communication between the command center and various positions still relied on telephone lines. If the positions needed to be transferred or withdrawn, telephone lines had to be re laid and reconnected. Before the telephone lines were connected, only messenger soldiers could be relied upon, making it difficult to adapt to the rapidly changing situation. On the 18th, the army landed on the northeast coast of Hong Kong Island. When the defending British army along the coast was caught in a fierce battle and forced to retreat, normal communication could not be maintained, and the situation could not be immediately transmitted from the company headquarters to the battalion headquarters and then reported to the brigade headquarters and the headquarters. As a result, Modby was unable to grasp the situation of the war and underestimated the scale of the Japanese army that had landed, which directly affected the success or failure of the British counterattack.

At 11:00 am, Modby ordered the A and D companies of Punjab Camp to gather at the Naval Hospital and then launch a counterattack at Galu Lian Shan and Dakeng to lift the siege of the D company of Rajp Camp in Saixi Lake. At 1 pm, Modby ordered the Western Brigade to launch a full-scale counterattack towards the east. The British army launched a counterattack in two directions from the north and south sides of Mount Niegaoxin; The Northern Expeditionary Force is composed of Scottish Company C and Company D, and will launch a counterattack from the north side of Mount Niegaoxin towards the southeast towards Mount Zhadian; The South Route Counterattack Force is a mixed X company consisting of Scottish Company B, Scottish Camp Headquarters personnel, and Winnipeg Camp Headquarters personnel. They meet with the Royal Engineers at Buli Path and then head to the southern end of Huangni Chung Gap Road to launch a counterattack from south to north.

At 3 pm, the British army began a counterattack. The Scottish Company C and D on the North Road advanced from Mount Nie Gao Xin towards Jardine’s Bazaar at 5 pm. Company C turned into Tai Hang Road at Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, while Company D continued southward along Wong Nai Chung Gap Road towards Wong Nai Chung Gap. While advancing on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, Company D was attacked by the 230th Regiment and artillery on Jardine’s Bazaar, but still met up with the artillery inside the gap at 1 am. They then launched a counterattack on Wong Nai Chung Gap Police Station, but failed and suffered serious casualties. The remnants of Company D later joined forces with the South Road counterattack force. As for the counterattack troops on the southern route, they have already been attacked by the Japanese army at Mount Nie Gaoxin, so they can only detour the Buli Path early and then attack towards Huangni Yongxia. This southern counterattack force, consisting of a mixed X company and royal engineers, launched two counterattacks on the Huangni Yongxia Police Station in the early morning of the 20th, but both failed and suffered heavy casualties. Eventually, they withdrew to Mount Nie Gaoxin. The Scottish Company C in the Grand Tunnel also launched a counterattack towards Jardine’s Bazaar, but was outnumbered and had to retreat to Stubbs Road. The A and D companies of the Punjab battalion, which launched a counterattack on Jalan Hill and Dakeng, were also repelled by the Japanese army and withdrew to Liton Hill. Afterwards, the A company of the Punjab battalion was transferred to the University of Hong Kong for rest and recuperation.

Zhadian Mountain falls

The Eastern Brigade, commanded by Wallace, suffered a significant reduction in combat power after the collapse of the Rajjep Camp and needed to concentrate its forces in the Stanley area to block the Japanese army’s southward advance. However, on the afternoon of the 19th, the Eastern Brigade also dispatched Indian gunners led by Eastern Artillery Commander Major Henry and Major Felden, riding in two armored vehicles of the Hong Kong Defense Forces, to counterattack the Wong Nai Chung Gap from the south via Repulse Bay Road. These gunners attacked the Wong Nai Chung Gap Police Station twice at 8 pm, but also suffered serious casualties and retreated. At around 10 pm, the Japanese 229th Regiment broke through the Buster Mansion of the Justice of the Peace in Dingchen, forcing the defending troops to retreat south to the Repulse Bay area.

The Hong Kong Defense Force’s 3rd Company stubbornly resisted at the two machine gun fortresses on Jardine’s Bazaar, and was successively besieged by the 4th Squadron of the Japanese 230th Regiment. In the morning, the Japanese army cut off the barbed wire around the perimeter and advanced along the waterway to attack Machine Gun Fortress 1. However, they were heavily damaged by the defenders of the machine gun fortress. The Japanese soldiers then walked to a blind spot behind Machine Gun Fortress 1 and threw grenades through the ventilation port on the top of the fortress. The defense soldiers inside the machine gun fortress promptly walked behind the wall without serious casualties under cover and contacted the second machine gun fortress below by phone. The latter sent soldiers to ambush the Japanese army outside of Machine Gun Fortress 1, causing the Japanese army to temporarily retreat. However, under multiple Japanese sieges, all the machine guns in Machine Gun Fortress 1 could no longer be used by the afternoon. These two machine gun fortresses were constantly fiercely fired upon by the Japanese army. Under the siege of the Japanese army, the defense soldiers ran out of ammunition and contacted the second machine gun fortress below. Attempting to break through towards the direction of the big pit, the wounded soldiers who were unable to move had no choice but to surrender, However, the Japanese army killed some surrendered soldiers in retaliation. The Japanese army completely occupied Zhadian Mountain on the evening of the 19th, and the counterattacks launched by the British army on the 19th all failed, leaving only 40 soldiers trapped in the Winnipeg Camp’s D Division in Huangniyong Gorge. Although the 230th squadron took control of Huangni Yongxia after a day of intense fighting, its 2nd and 3rd battalions suffered serious casualties and lacked ammunition, making it unable to continue the attack. From the early morning of the 19th to the early morning of the 20th, during a day long battle in Wong Nai Chung Gap and Jardine’s Bazaar, 451 Hong Kong defenders were killed in action, and the number of Japanese casualties exceeded 600.

At the No. 1 machine gun fort on Zhadian Mountain, this machine gun fort and the No. 2 machine gun fort below are both guarded by the 9th platoon of the 3rd company of the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Force. These two machine gun forts caused many casualties to the Japanese army, but the Japanese also threw grenades into the defenders inside from the ventilation port to attack them. However, the defenders inside the machine gun fort still stubbornly resisted under siege, even though the ammunition of the machine guns was exhausted, they continued to resist with rifles. It took the Japanese more than 12 hours to capture these two machine gun forts, and the outer walls of the machine gun forts were marked with bullet wounds.

On the morning of the 20th, Modby and Wallace planned another counterattack, but the situation of the British army continued to deteriorate. After capturing the Dingchen Mansion in Huangniyong Gorge in the early morning of the 20th, the 229th Squadron attempted to attack the Deep Water Bay Golf Course in the southwest of Huangniyong Gorge by following the mountain path south of the Violet Mountain diversion channel. However, they were shot at by British troops on the ridge, so they entered the diversion channel to hide and continue forward. However, the diversion channel turned east towards Shallow Water Bay instead of Deep Water Bay in the west. Colonel Ryosaburo Tanaka, the captain of the 229th Squadron, realized he had taken the wrong path at 4am and decided to leave the diversion channel. He ordered his troops to gather at the Shallow Water Bay Hotel first. However, the squadron under the jurisdiction of the Squadron got lost due to the dark sky and unfamiliarity with mountain roads. The 11th Squadron continued to follow the diversion channel. Walking to the east of Repulse Bay on Mount Ma Gang, the 9th Squadron turned alone towards Deep Water Bay, with only a small number of troops gathering near the Repulse Bay Hotel, The captain of the leading unit, Ryosaburo Tanaka, needs to turn back and search for the lost troops. Although the Japanese army entered Repulse Bay by taking the wrong route, if they occupied the roads and British garages in the area, the land connection between the British Eastern and Western Brigades would be divided.

Soldiers from Company B of the Middlesex Camp and the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve to the west of Repulse Bay discovered that the Japanese were gathering in the bay. Shortly thereafter, about 30 Japanese soldiers arrived at the Repulse Bay Hotel and brutally attacked six prisoners of war outside the garage. Company B immediately ambushed them, causing some Japanese soldiers to flee into the garage. At 7:40 am, the Middlesex Battalion reported to Commander Modby that the Japanese army had attacked the Repulse Bay Hotel. Modby then ordered the Eastern Brigade of Wallace to immediately attack the Japanese army. Wallace sent the A and D companies of the Fu Gun Battalion, as well as two platoons of infantry from the Hong Kong Defense Force’s 2nd Company, to reinforce the Repulse Bay Hotel and counterattack northward along Repulse Bay Road. After arriving at Repulse Bay, this group of British troops opened fire on the 229th Squadron, which was searching for a mountain path. Many Japanese soldiers were killed or injured. Colonel Tanaka, who led the 229th Squadron, ordered the troops to immediately gather on the hillside north of the Repulse Bay Hotel. Under the cover of artillery fire at Stanley Hill, the British army launched a surprise attack on the garage of Repulse Bay Hotel at 10 am. At that time, the Japanese soldiers in the garage, including the command personnel of the 3rd Battalion of the 229th Regiment, were unable to resist the British attack and could only destroy their codebooks and communication equipment, and flee north back to Violet Mountain. After the British army took advantage of their victory and launched a counterattack northward, they were suppressed by the Japanese army already stationed on Violet Mountain and had to retreat to Repulse Bay Hotel.

As for the 9th Squadron of the 229th Squadron marching alone towards Deep Water Bay, the 9th Squadron easily occupied the anti-aircraft gun position south of Shouchen Mountain and advanced towards Huangzhukeng along Xiangdao Road because the C Company of the Middlesex Battalion, which was originally located there, had already retreated to Banner Mountain north of Huangzhukeng. The C Company of the Middlesex Battalion and the C Company of the Winnipeg Battalion subsequently launched attacks from Banner Hill and Shouson Hill respectively, but were repelled by the 9th Squadron. The C Company of the Winnipeg Battalion then launched a counterattack, causing nearly a quarter of the personnel of the 9th Squadron to be injured or killed and stopping their westward advance. On the eve of noon, with the support of the 6-inch guns of the Cicada gunboat, the D-company of the Rifle Battalion at the Repulse Bay Hotel launched a counterattack on Repulse Bay Road, but was repelled by the Japanese army. Mo Debei will be transferred from the Punjab Battalion A Company at the University of Hong Kong to the southern part of Hong Kong Island to prepare for another counterattack. In addition, the Hong Kong Chinese Army Group was transferred to reinforce the Dr. Li Shufen Mansion near Wong Nai Chung Gap Road on the evening of the 18th. On the morning of the 19th, they engaged in a firefight with the Japanese 230th Regiment. By the 20th, the surroundings of the mansion had fallen under Japanese control. Major Mayer, who led the Chinese Army Group, decided to break through on the afternoon of the 20th and attempted to rendezvous with the Eastern Brigade’s Rifle Battalion before assisting in the counterattack at Repulse Bay. However, the Chinese Army Group was ambushed by the Japanese with machine guns and grenades near the junction of Repulse Bay Road and Deep Water Bay Road, and nearly half of its soldiers were injured or killed.

As for the Japanese side, the commander of the 38th Division, Tadayoshi Sano, transferred the command center of the division from Kowloon City to Braemar Point on Hong Kong Island at noon on the 20th in order to grasp the Japanese offensive and progress on the island. During this time, it was shelled by the British army, and finally the command center was set up in the mansion of Chen Shulin, the son of Chen Jitang. He later mobilized the reserve forces in Kowloon and the northern part of Hong Kong Island to the front line, allowing the Japanese to resume their attack in the afternoon.

On the afternoon of the 20th, fighting also broke out in the northern part of Hong Kong Island. At 1:35 pm, Mo Debi ordered the Western Brigade to launch a full-scale counterattack towards the east, attempting to recapture Huangniyong Gorge. The British Western Brigade began advancing eastward at 3:30 pm, but the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment, which occupied the North Point Power Plant, also attacked westward at this time and captured the village of Dakeng. The Z Company of the Middlesex Battalion on Mount Leighton and the B Company of the Punjab Battalion on the Grand Tunnel needed to switch from attack to defense to prevent the Japanese from attacking Victoria City. As for the Scottish battalion west of Wong Nai Chung Gap, Company A and Company D suffered severe losses in their counterattack in the early morning of the 20th. Only Company B and Company C on Stubbs Road were able to fight again, but they were also unable to attack the less damaged 228th Squadron. On the afternoon of the 20th, heavy rain fell on Hong Kong Island. Tu Jing Dingqi decided to lead the 228th Squadron to advance the attack on Mount Nie Gao Xin on the west side of Wong Nai Chung Gap, defeating the flank of Scottish Company D and occupying Mount Nie Gao Xin, causing the gap between the British East and West Brigades to continue to widen. On the evening of the 20th, the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment swept away the British troops from North Point to Tai Hang Village and transferred to Tai Tam Road, while the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 229th Regiment attacked the southern part of Hong Kong Island.

The final counterattack of the British Western Brigade on Huangni Creek Gorge

At around 1am on the 21st, Modby attempted to launch a counterattack on Huangni Yongxia. Chief of Staff Newlin proposed a joint counterattack with the Eastern Brigade of Wallace, while Western Brigade Commander Ross suggested setting the counterattack time at 7am. However, Wallace’s Eastern Brigade was about to hold limited forces in Repulse Bay and was unable to raise troops to participate in the counterattack on time. Newlin decided to divide the counterattack time into 7am for the Western Brigade and 9am for the Eastern Brigade. The Western Expedition will be led by Winnipeg Battalion’s C Company as the main force to counterattack Mount Niegaoxin and Huangniyong Gorge; Donglu will launch a counterattack along Datan Road against Datan Reservoir, and break into Huangniyong Gorge from Datan Reservoir.

The Western Brigade will be counterattacked by Winnipeg Company B and Company C from the southern and northern parts of the Central Canyon, flanking the Japanese army occupying Mount Niegaoxin. At that time, the 1st, 3rd, and 2nd squadrons of the 228th Squadron were deployed to defend the south, west, and north sides of Mount Niegaoxin. The Western Brigade launched a counterattack at 7:00 am on the 21st, with Winnipeg Battalion’s C Company repeatedly attacking the positions of the 2nd Squadron of the 228th Regiment, annihilating its 3rd Squadron on the mountaintop. Winnipeg Company B launched a surprise attack on the position of the 3rd Squadron of the 228th Squadron, annihilating the 1st Squadron that launched the counterattack. However, after nearly two hours of counterattack, the soldiers of these two companies were always outnumbered and suffered heavy casualties, and were repelled by the Japanese army. Among them, all officers of Winnipeg Company B were killed in action, with 7 non commissioned officers and 29 soldiers killed in the counterattack, while the Japanese army suffered over 50 casualties. The Winnipeg Camp’s counterattack failed, not only failing to repair the gap in the center of the Western Brigade’s defense line, but also to prevent the Japanese from attacking Wan Chai Gap to the west and threatening Mount Gough. Therefore, Chief of Staff Newlin ordered the Punjab Camp stationed at Kennedy Road and the University of Hong Kong to move to the northeast side of Mount Gough at around 10 am to strengthen the defense of Wan Chai Gap. The Winnipeg Camp must defend Mount Cameron to prevent the Japanese from breaking through to the west, and the northern part of the Western Brigade’s defense line depends entirely on whether Mount Leighton can be defended. As for the Repulse Bay front in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, Company A of the Punjab Battalion launched a counterattack against the Japanese army occupying the east and south sides of Mount Shouchen at 8am. After a fierce battle, the counterattack ultimately failed, and only 8 members of Company A were able to escape unscathed. Colonel Kidd, the commander of the Punjab Battalion, was also killed in action. At the same time, the 229th Squadron branch located in Deep Water Bay is advancing towards Nanlang Mountain to the west.

The British Eastern Brigade launched a counterattack on Datan Road

On the evening of the 20th, the 1st Battalion of the 229th Japanese Army arrived at the intersection of Tai Tam Road and Tai Tam Road Reservoir Road, and dismantled the pumping facilities after occupying the pumping station of Tai Tam Reservoir. The Wong Nai Chung Reservoir was also occupied by the Japanese army in the Battle of Wong Nai Chung Gorge, and power outages caused the pumps to be unable to operate, gradually paralyzing the water supply to Hong Kong Island. The 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment once again invaded Hongshan, also known as Bai Bi Shan, after breaking through the defense line of the Hong Kong Defense Forces, and attempted to seize Lianhua Jing Shan and Guishan to the west of the Hongshan Peninsula. The British Eastern Brigade has set the counterattack time for 9:00 am on the 21st. The D-company of the Rifle Battalion and the 1st company of the Hong Kong Defense Force will launch a counterattack from Turtle Bay on Tai Tam Road, advancing to the intersection of Tai Tam Road and Tai Tam Reservoir Road. The two companies will dispatch teams to climb Lotus Hill and Turtle Hill to cover the main team’s advance;

At 10:00 am on the 21st, the teams dispatched by the D Company of the Rifle Battalion and the 1st Company of the Hong Kong Defense Force met and engaged in a firefight with the 2nd Squadron of the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment on the ridge of Guishan. When the main team of the D Company of the Rifle Battalion advanced along Tai Tam Road, they encountered resistance from Japanese firepower from Hongshan and Guishan. The Hong Kong Defense Force’s 1st Company immediately reinforced and pushed the Japanese back to the Tai Tam Reservoir pumping station. However, the Japanese also immediately reinforced Tai Tam Road, and a melee broke out between the two sides. At the same time, with the support of the 1st Squadron of the Hong Kong Defense Force, the D Squadron of the Rifle Battalion was competing with the 2nd Squadron of the 229th Regiment for Lianhua Jing Mountain. At 2 pm, the D Squadron of the Rifle Battalion successfully climbed to the top of Lianhua Jing Mountain and then fired at the Japanese troops below, severely damaging the 2nd Squadron of the 229th Regiment. Lieutenant Yamada Hiroshi, the acting captain, was killed, including 36 people, and many others were injured. The C Squadron of the Rifle Battalion, which was about to launch a counterattack from Tai Tam Reservoir to Wong Nai Chung Gorge, had also arrived at the intersection of Tai Tam Road and Tai Tam Reservoir Road. The Eastern Brigade achieved its goal of the first stage of counterattack. However, the British army was exhausted at this time and unable to continue breaking through. Although the D-Company of the Rifle Battalion attempted to counterattack Hongshan, it was blocked by the fierce firepower of the Japanese army. In addition, the Japanese army dispatched the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment, which was on standby in Kowloon in the morning, to cross the sea and reinforce southward on Datan Road, forcing the British army to switch from attack to defense. Wallace decided to retreat at 6 pm in the evening, and Lianhua Jing Mountain was occupied by the Japanese army at 11 pm in the evening. Due to Wallace’s belief that the fierce battle between Hongshan and Datan Road had diverted the attention of the Japanese army towards Huangniyong Gorge, he ordered the A Company of the Rifle Battalion in Repulse Bay to attempt a northward counterattack along Repulse Bay Road at 8:30 pm on the early morning of the 22nd. However, the A Company was unable to bypass the Japanese firepower blockade on the gorge and scattered on Repulse Bay Road.

The British army is in a predicament
As of the evening of the 21st, the British army had been defeated by the Japanese army, which had an advantage in both numbers and firepower, in consecutive counterattacks, and suffered serious casualties. The gap in the defending army at Huangni Yongxia was still widening. Modby realized that it was only a matter of time before the British army’s east and west brigades were divided and completely defeated. The soldiers of the Western Brigade have long been exhausted, with severe damage to the Scottish and Winnipeg battalions. Only the Punjab and Middlesex A, C, and Z companies, as well as the 4th, 5th, and 6th companies of the Hong Kong Defense Force, still have combat strength. However, they cannot compare with the Japanese forces, and organizing a counterattack may accelerate the depletion of the remaining forces. They can only try their best to hold various positions and barely maintain the defense line of Nanlang Mountain Cameron Mountain Wan Chai Gorge Happy Valley Leighton Hill, but it is difficult to guarantee the safety of residential areas in Victoria City. The Eastern Brigade is also unable to launch a counterattack. The Rajjep Battalion was defeated in the anti landing land battle from the evening of the 18th to the morning of the 19th, and can only rely on the poorly trained Rifle Battalion as the main force. The B and D companies of the Middlesex Battalion, as well as the 1st and 2nd companies of the Hong Kong Defense Force, still have combat capability. The Eastern Brigade can only do its best to defend the Stanley Peninsula area; The communication and land contacts between the Eastern and Western Brigades were all based on the shallow waters of Shallow Bay, where the military strength and defense depth were already extremely thin

The situation map of the division of the British Eastern and Western Brigades shows that since the fall of Repulse Bay on the 22nd, the defense lines of the Eastern and Western Brigades have been continuously retreating southward and westward respectively. By around 3pm on the 25th, the Western Brigade’s defense line in the northwest of Hong Kong Island had retreated to Wan Chai Ship Street, while the Eastern Brigade barely held onto the Stanley Peninsula.

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14、The Last Resistance of the British Army (December 22-24)

Repulse Bay lost control

Starting from the 22nd, as the various defensive lines of the British army on Hong Kong Island were gradually squeezed and divided by the Japanese army, the battle on Hong Kong Island gradually divided into four parts: the mountains in the central and western regions, the urban area on the north bank, Repulse Bay in the south, and Stanley in the southeast. At 10:00 am on the 22nd, the 10th Squadron of the Japanese 229th Regiment occupied a villa west of Repulse Bay Beach, cutting off the east-west traffic of Repulse Bay Road. As a result, the British army on Hong Kong Island was divided into two parts, east and west. As for the Repulse Bay Hotel, due to the water shortage, Wallace suggested that the women and children inside the hotel leave. However, Andrew L. Shields, a non official member of the Executive and Legislative Councils, advised that guests would have nowhere to escape after leaving the hotel. He advised the guards to withdraw from the hotel and let the guests surrender. After considering the safety of women and children, Hua Lishi agreed to withdraw his troops. The defending army withdrew from the hotel at 10 pm and allowed guests to surrender to the Japanese army. The Repulse Bay Hotel was occupied by the 3rd Battalion of the Japanese 229th Regiment on the night of the 22nd. Although the Japanese did not retaliate against the civilians in the hotel, they massacred British prisoners of war in Yuyuan, Repulse Bay.

The fall of Repulse Bay caused the British East West Brigade to lose their last land connection, and the fall of Repulse Bay Hotel also made it impossible for the British to stop the Japanese from using Repulse Bay as a stronghold in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, where they divided into two routes and advanced in an east-west direction. At 10:30 am on the 22nd, in response to the fact that the garrison on Hong Kong Island had been divided into east and west, British Commander Murray MacLehose decided to place all the garrison on the Stanley Peninsula under the command of the Eastern Brigade, so that the Eastern Brigade could organize resistance more effectively. Because the left wing of the Japanese 229th Regiment had already taken control of Datan Gorge, Lianhua Well Mountain, and Hongshan Peninsula, and its right wing troops had also penetrated into Repulse Bay, Wallace decided to retreat the Eastern Brigade Command to Stanley Prison on the Stanley Peninsula and shrink the defense line towards Stanley.

The Battle in the North of Stanley

At noon on the 22nd, a fierce battle broke out between the B Company of the Rifle Battalion defending Stanley Hill and the invading 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment. Although the B Company repelled the Japanese army, their ammunition was almost depleted, and they had to withdraw from their battlefield on the mountain to the southern slope in the evening. Guishan and Laohushan, defended by the C Company of the Fu Gun Battalion, were defeated by the fierce attack of the 1st Battalion of the Japanese 229th Regiment at noon. The C Company of the Lai Fu Gun Battalion launched a counterattack in the afternoon to recapture Laohushan. Although the Rifle Battalion temporarily blocked the Japanese offensive, Company B had exhausted all mortar shells and could not sustain its defense of Stanley Hill and the Rifle Battalion command center located in Ma Hang Shan. Royal Canadian Rifle Battalion Commander Holm believed that once the situation was settled, the Rifle Battalion headquarters at Mount Markham and Company B at Stanley Hill should be withdrawn to reduce the casualties of Canadian soldiers. However, Eastern Brigade Commander Wallace believed that Mount Markham and Stanley Hill were key points for defending Stanley, and once the Japanese army lost, they could overlook the Stanley Peninsula. Therefore, he rejected this proposal, and the disagreement over the command of the Rifle Battalion continued to escalate the dispute between the two. Due to the stubborn resistance of the defending army during the attack on Stanley, the Japanese army inferred that a large number of British troops were defending on the Stanley Peninsula. Therefore, they merged the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment into the “Stanley Raiders Team”, commanded by the captain of the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment, Colonel Jiang Toudou, to besiege the British Eastern Brigade trapped in Stanley.
At 1:00 am on the 22nd, the 2nd and 3rd squadrons of the Japanese 230th regiment roughly completed their rest and began to clear the defenders at Huangni Yongxia. The 230th Squadron launched another attack on the Winnipeg Battalion’s D Company, which was still defending at Huangniyong Gorge. The D Company was heavily surrounded and had run out of ammunition and reinforcements, with all officers killed and most of the personnel either dead or injured. They surrendered to the Japanese army at 4:30 am, but a small number of soldiers successfully sneaked back to the defending defense line. Later, the 230th team will shift their focus to Happy Valley and Wan Chai in the northern part of Hong Kong Island.

At 1 pm on the 22nd, the Japanese 228th Squadron began advancing towards Wan Chai Gap defended by the Scottish battalion. The Winnipeg B and C companies, which were stationed at Mount Cameron, were continuously subjected to air raids and shelling by the Japanese army from 11:30 am onwards. At 7 pm, the Japanese 228th Regiment launched an attack on Mount Cameron. Winnipeg Company B and C resisted stubbornly, causing the 4th and 2nd squadrons of the 228th Regiment to struggle until they captured Mount Cameron in the early hours of the 23rd. The remnants of Winnipeg Company B and C retreated to Majishan Gorge and Mount Gough, leaving only the Scottish Battalion and engineers to guard Wan Chai Gorge. In order to prevent the Japanese army from capturing Wan Chai Gap, the Western Brigade ordered the Royal Marine Corps to station in Wan Chai Gap, and the Hong Kong Defense Force’s 4th Company moved its defense to Ma Ji Xian Gap. On the morning of the 23rd at 8:00 am, British reconnaissance soldiers discovered a large number of Japanese soldiers advancing along the radial line towards Mount Cameron. The soldiers of the 228th Regiment were to support the Japanese army’s continued westward advance after capturing Mount Cameron. The British reconnaissance soldiers then reported that the Stanley Battery was firing on the mountain, obstructing the movement of the 228th Regiment. Although the Royal Marine Corps proposed a counterattack on Mount Cameron at around 9 o’clock, the Western Brigade was unable to organize any further attacks and did not succeed.

In the northern part of Hong Kong Island, the Japanese army began to advance towards Causeway Bay on the morning of the 23rd and infiltrated the Z-Company defense line of the Middlesex Camp on Mount Leighton from the west and north sides. There are still 15 Z-Company soldiers defending on Mount Leighton. At 8:00 in the morning, the Japanese army launched a large-scale attack on Mount Leighton and Causeway Bay, and the Raj Camp was defeated in Happy Valley and scattered to the area around Percival Street. At 11:30, the Z-Link Division of the Middlesex Camp withdrew to the junction of Hennessy Road and Johnston Road, while the Raj Camp retreated to Percival Street. The British defense line in the northern part of Mount Nie Gao Xin was weakened due to the fall of Mount Cameron. The 230th Regiment in Wong Nai Chung Gap took advantage of the opportunity to advance westward, and its 2nd Regiment captured the eastern mountain of St. Albert’s Convent (now Rose Hill School) and forced the British army north of Wan Chai Gap.

As for the southern part of Hong Kong Island, after occupying the Repulse Bay Hotel in the early morning of the 23rd, the 229th Squadron advanced westward and southeastward respectively. At 8:00 am, the 2nd Battalion of the 229th Regiment advanced westward in three directions at Deep Water Bay. The northern route marched towards the Middle Gorge northeast of Aberdeen Upper Reservoir, the central route advanced towards Banner Hill, and the southern route attacked Nam Long Hill from the south of Shouson Hill. The North and Middle roads of the 2nd Brigade surrounded Shouchen Mountain, and the “Little Hong Kong” there was the last available ammunition depot for the British army. As the road leading to the depot was covered by Japanese firepower, supplying ammunition from the depot became an extremely dangerous task for the British army. The Middle and South roads of the 2nd Brigade also posed a threat to Aberdeen. As for the 3rd Battalion of the 229th Regiment advancing southeastward from Repulse Bay Hotel, they advanced along Repulse Bay Road to occupy Holland Road at 3:30 pm and advanced to the north of Chung Hom Kok, but were obstructed by British artillery fire from the Wong Ma Kok Battery.

On the 23rd and 24th, the British and Japanese armies engaged in fierce street battles around Victoria City. The Japanese army transferred the 3rd Battalion of the 228th Regiment, which was still in Kowloon, to Hong Kong Island to strengthen their offensive, while the British Eastern and Western Brigades faced their own survival and division lines. On the morning of the 24th, at 8:00 am, Leighton Hill was surrounded from three sides by the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 230th regiment. About 40 soldiers from Company Z of the Middlesex Camp held their ground until the Western Brigade headquarters approved their retreat before breaking through towards Kenna Road. About 30 soldiers successfully withdrew from the encirclement and rested at Mount Morrison. On the evening of the 24th, the Japanese army attacked Mount Morrison and threatened the air raid shelter network at Mount Barish. The air raid shelter tunnel at this location could pass through the British positions deployed on the mountain and lead to the Wan Chai city area, posing a threat to the safety of the headquarters in Victoria Barracks. As for the southwestern part of Hong Kong Island, Banner Hill was captured by the 2nd Squadron of the Japanese 229th Regiment on the afternoon of the 24th, and Nam Long Hill was also occupied by the 7th Squadron of the 229th Regiment on the morning of the 25th, making it difficult for the British army to ensure the safety of Aberdeen. On the evening of Christmas Eve on the 24th, the Japanese army bombarded Victoria City throughout the night to put pressure on the military and civilians in Hong Kong. At 11 pm, Yang Muqi and Mo Debi respectively delivered Christmas greetings to the defending soldiers, blessing and encouraging them to fight hard and hold their posts. The Japanese originally planned to launch a full-scale attack on the British Western Brigade on the 25th, but due to the time required to prepare heavy artillery, it was delayed until the morning of the 26th. Therefore, the Japanese sent prisoners of war on Christmas Day to informally persuade the British to surrender.

Stanley Battle and Japanese Massacre

Regarding the British Eastern Brigade, Wallace was not aware of the situation of the Western Brigade. The Eastern Brigade has set up two lines of defense behind Stanley Village and St. Stephen’s College. At 7:30 am on the 23rd, Hua Lishi dispatched the B Company of the Fu Gun Camp to counterattack Stanley Hill and Turtle Hill with the fire support of the B Company of the Miede Sikes Camp. However, they were repelled by heavy Japanese artillery and the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment at Stanley Hill. Although the Japanese army had to temporarily rest, Hua Lishi was also forced to shrink the defense line. At 10 o’clock in the morning, Wallace and Holm had a dispute. Holm believed that the Rifle Camp should be withdrawn to Stanley Village, and also pointed out that continuing the counterattack would only increase casualties and should be considered for surrender. However, Wallace insisted on continuing to defend based on Modby’s ambush, but ultimately agreed that the Rifle Camp should withdraw on the evening of the 23rd and be stationed on the defense line of Maryknoll Abbey. Later, the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment advanced southward along Tai Tam Road to attack Stanley. The D Company of the Middlesex Battalion was forced to retreat towards the Maryknoll Convent, but the Japanese offensive was also intercepted at the 28th Machine Gun Fortress on Stanley Main Beach.

The Japanese army bombarded Stanley day and night, and the highlands in the north of Stanley were already under Japanese control. The “Stanley Raiders” consisting of the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment also approached the Maryknoll Convent, forcing the British army to retreat into the Stanley Peninsula. The Rifle Battalion was also withdrawn to the Stanley Battery for rest at night, and its headquarters were located at St. Stephen’s College. The 3rd Battalion of the 229th Regiment captured the intersection of Stanley Gap Road and Chung Hom Kok Road at 6 pm on the 23rd, threatening the connection between Stanley Peninsula and Chung Hom Kok, while the B Company of the Rifle Battalion remained stationed at Chung Hom Kok. Hua Li Shi dispatched the Hong Kong Defense Force 2nd Company to defend the left wing of Maryknoll Convent, hoping to stabilize the connection with Chung Hom Kok, while the Hong Kong Defense Force 1st Company reinforced the D Company of the Middlesex Camp at Maryknoll Convent, and commanded the Stanley Village defense line by Major H.R. Forsyth of the Hong Kong Defense Force 2nd Company. The command center was located at the Stanley Police Station near the intersection of Tung Tau Wan Road and Wong Ma Kok Road. Due to the continuous shelling of the Eastern Brigade Command located in Stanley Prison by the Japanese army, Wallace withdrew the Eastern Brigade Command to Stanley Battery.

After two consecutive days of fierce shelling by the Japanese army, they launched an attack on the Stanley Peninsula at 8:30 pm on the 24th. The 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment was led by three Type 94 light armored vehicles and launched a night attack on the Stanley Peninsula via Tai Tam Road and Stanley Beach Road. However, the convoy was discovered by the British army halfway through, and Lieutenant Colonel Koshafu ordered the Stanley defense line to be immediately in place. On that day, the army entered the effective range of machine guns, and the British army first launched illumination flares to illuminate the night sky, and then shone searchlights on the Japanese army. The three Type 94 light armored vehicles were quickly destroyed, and the 1st Battalion of the 229th Regiment, which failed the surprise attack, fell into chaos under the British fire network. At the same time, the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment attacked Stanley Village from Stanley Hill, but was obstructed by the D Company of the Middlesex Battalion stationed at the Maryknoll Convent. The 2nd Squadron of the 229th Squadron attempted to detour back to the rear of the Stanley Village defense line via Stanley Main Beach, but was constrained by the 27th Machine Gun Fortress. The remaining Japanese troops attempted to infiltrate the Stanley Village defense line through the Stanley Village Road, but the flames generated by the destroyed and burned Japanese vehicle wreckage caused them to lose the cover of darkness. Although the British army withstood the first wave of the Japanese attack, the 2nd Squadron of the 229th Regiment launched another assault from Stanley Main Beach, while Major Keshavo was killed in action due to shrapnel from shells. The British army in the Stanley Village defense line began to lose organized resistance and gradually retreated towards the St. Stephen’s College and Stanley Battery in the rear from late night on the 24th to early morning on the 25th.

The 2nd Squadron of the 229th Squadron broke through the Stanley Village defense line at Stanley Main Beach and arrived at the intersection of Tung Tau Wan Road and Wong Ma Kok Road. The 3rd Squadron of the 229th Squadron also advanced southward along Wong Ma Kok Road. On the early morning of the 25th, the 2nd Squadron of the 229th Squadron attacked St. Stephen’s College. The British army opened fire from the rear defense line, and the 2nd Squadron was obstructed by barbed wire while dodging. They had to request the 3rd Squadron to reinforce from Huangma Jiao Road and use flamethrowers to repel nearby British troops. At 4am, the 2nd Squadron of the 229th Japanese Army, eager for revenge, launched a massacre after attacking the St. Stephen’s College, which served as a field hospital. They not only slaughtered wounded soldiers on hospital beds, but also raped and killed nurses who remained in the field hospital.

As for the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment, which headed south from Stanley Hill to Stanley Village, they were still under the control of the D Company of the Middlesex Battalion, which was defending the Maryknoll Convent, in the early morning of the 25th. However, the position of the D Company was finally breached under the continuous attacks of the Japanese army, and Captain Weishi, the commander of the D Company of the Middlesex Battalion, was also killed in battle. The D Company of the Middlesex Battalion, which was defending the Maryknoll Convent, decided to break through in the early morning of the 25th due to water and food shortages. Some soldiers swam from Stanley Bay to Chung Hom Kok to meet with the B Company of the Rifle Battalion and continued to fight, while others took sampans to assist the Western Brigade’s position. After crossing the Stanley Village defense line, the 1st Battalion of the 230th Regiment advanced southward along Wong Ma Kok Road in the early morning of the 25th, but was constrained by the British 24th Machine Gun Fortress in St. Stephen’s Bay and was repelled by the B Company of the Middlesex Battalion at around 7am.

15、The fall of Hong Kong (December 25th)

Christmas Day War

On the early morning of Christmas Day on December 25th, Mo Debei replied to the war report from Wallace and telegraphed the Eastern Brigade to continue to resist the Japanese attack on the Stanley Peninsula. At that time, in the Stanley Peninsula, in addition to the defending troops who retreated from the Stanley Village defense line, there were also the D Company of the Rifle Battalion, the B Company of the Middlesex Battalion, the 1st Company of the Hong Kong Defense Force, and artillery defense. However, the commander of the Rifle Battalion, Holm, opposed Wallace sending the Rifle Battalion to counterattack. In addition, the B Company of the Rifle Battalion west of Stanley has been forced into Chung Hom Kok by the Japanese army and has lost contact with other units of the Eastern Brigade.

On the morning of December 25th, Governor Yang Muqi issued a Christmas message and encouraged the defending army to continue fighting. The Japanese temporarily suspended fire from 7am to 9am for the British to consider surrendering, but Yang Muqi replied near noon that “Hong Kong can still resist” and refused to surrender. The Japanese then launched a large-scale attack, and various British strongholds were constantly bombarded and bombed by the Japanese. The Japanese 230th Regiment captured Barish Mountain at noon and occupied the Navy Hospital along the air raid shelter. The external communication of the headquarters was also greatly affected, and they lost contact with the Eastern Brigade Command, which was still defending Stanley. Although the British troops of the Western Expeditionary Force continued to resist in areas such as Wan Chai Market, Cobblestone Road, Wan Chai Gap, and Ma Chi Shan Gap, Wan Chai Gap fell in the afternoon, and the Japanese army arrived at the eastern entrance of Kennedy Road. The British army blocked the road with roadblocks and laid landmines to prevent the Japanese from advancing along Kennedy Road. At 1:40 pm, the Punjab battalion reinforced Wan Chai but was repelled, and the Scottish battalion was also pushed back to Majishan Gorge by the 228th regiment. At 3 pm, the Japanese 229th Regiment contracted the encirclement of Mount Shouchen, causing the surrender of Company C of the Middlesex Battalion there. Although dozens of defenders were still hiding in the underground works of the Shouchen Mountain arsenal to continue their defense, in reality, the British army had lost this last ammunition depot. The British Western Brigade continued to engage in street fighting with the Japanese in Wan Chai in the afternoon, but the British only had six field guns left to stop the Japanese from advancing westward, and there was insufficient ammunition. The defense line of the Cobb Lane in Wan Chai was also on the verge of falling at 3 pm. The defense line was simultaneously attacked by the Japanese and bombarded by Japanese artillery from across the sea in Kowloon. H.W. Stewart, the commander of the Middlesex Barracks, reported to Modbury that the Cobb Lane defense line was unlikely to last for more than half an hour, but if they withdrew to Luard Road and Ship Street, they would be separated from the naval dock by only one street, and even the headquarters in the Victoria Barracks would be threatened.

The Shouchenshan Arsenal in 1941, an underground arsenal built by the British army in 1937 to cope with the increasingly turbulent international situation, is mostly constructed within the mountain. The British army classified this arsenal as confidential and nicknamed it “Little Hong Kong”, and the maps published at the time did not show the location of the arsenal.
The Governor of Hong Kong has decided to surrender

Governor Yang Muqi, along with Assistant Colonial Secretary Jason Johnson, Attorney General C. Grenville Alabaster, and Senior Officer of the Royal Navy in Hong Kong, Brigadier General Alfred C. Collinson, decided to surrender after consultation.

Yang Muqi first telegraphed London, while Mo Debei contacted the Japanese army and ordered all British units to cease fire. The British defense line of the Western Brigade gradually raised white flags from 4:30 pm, but due to damaged communication lines, the Eastern Brigade in Stanley did not receive any information about the Western Brigade’s situation or surrender. Yang Muqi also seized the time before the arrival of the Japanese army, instructed his subordinates to destroy confidential documents, and notified British military intelligence personnel and foreign dignitaries, including Chen Ce, to flee as soon as possible. At around 6 pm in the evening, Governor Yang Muqi and Commander of the British Army stationed in Hong Kong, Mo Debei, arrived at the temporary command post of the Japanese army located at St. Paul’s Hospital in Causeway Bay to discuss surrender with the Chief of Staff of the Japanese 38th Division, Colonel Abe Fangguang. Yang Muqi and Mo Debi, under the leadership of Japanese staff officer Lieutenant General Tada, took a boat to Tsim Sha Tsui and arrived at the 23rd Army Headquarters located at the Peninsula Hotel. They officially surrendered to the 23rd Army Commander, Takashi Sakai, and signed a surrender letter under Kandela; At this moment, it marks the fall of Hong Kong and the beginning of the “three years and eight months” Japanese occupation period. Members of the defending army led by Yang Muqi were also captured as prisoners of war on the spot and immediately detained and taken into custody by the Japanese army.
Although the Japanese army temporarily suspended fire on the morning of the 25th for Governor Yang Muqi to consider surrendering, the commander of the Eastern Brigade, Hua Lishi, received a ceasefire order from the headquarters at 9:30 am. Hua Lishi reported being bombarded by the Japanese army and requested the headquarters to confirm the ceasefire order, but did not receive a response. By 1 pm, he received a response from the headquarters to counterattack the Japanese army. Afterwards, communication between the headquarters and the Eastern Brigade headquarters was interrupted. Due to the failure to confirm the ceasefire and surrender, Wallace continued to follow Mo Debei’s order to defend the Stanley Peninsula in the early morning of the 25th. At noon, he dispatched the D Company of the Fu Gun Camp to counterattack St. Stephen’s College. This counterattack force engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese outside the college, resulting in over a hundred casualties, while the Stanley Battery continued to shell the Japanese.

The Japanese army learned in the afternoon that Yang Muqi had decided to surrender, so they stopped attacking Stanley, but the artillery battle continued. On the evening of the 25th, during a meeting with the Japanese Chief of Staff, Yoshimitsu Abe, at St. Paul’s Hospital to discuss surrender, Yoshimitsu Abe specifically mentioned that the British army in Stanley had not yet ceased fire and asked what he planned to do. In response, Abe stated that he had lost contact with the Eastern Brigade in Stanley due to communication interruption and needed to send a non commissioned officer to Stanley to notify the local garrison. On the evening of the 25th at 8 o’clock, the Japanese army sent captured engineer commander Lieutenant Colonel R.G. Lamb to inform Wallace that the Governor had decided to surrender, but Wallace believed that the news was not credible; At 2:30 am on the 26th, the deputy officer of Hualishi brought back the surrender warrant signed by Captain Shi Zhaohuo of the Middlesex Camp. After Hualishi confirmed the news, the Eastern Brigade ceased fire, surrendered and handed over their weapons, and the battle to defend Hong Kong came to an end.

Sea breakout operation

After learning of the news that Governor Yang Muqi was about to surrender on the afternoon of the 25th, Chen Ce and his subordinates, as well as the British intelligence chief in Hong Kong, McDougall, fled. After Nan Long Shan was captured by the Japanese army, the Aberdeen waterfront was also shelled by the Japanese army, and torpedo boats could not reach Aberdeen. Chen Ce and his group had to take a motorized small boat from Aberdeen to Ap Lei Chau in order to board the torpedo boat on the island. However, their motorized small boat was discovered and fired upon by the Japanese army who had captured Deep Bay on the way, causing many casualties on board. Chen Ce was also injured in his left hand and was forced to abandon the boat with his entourage to escape. Chen Ce, who had already lost his left foot, could only swim to Ap Lei Chau with one hand and one foot. After landing, he fainted without support, fortunately discovered by British soldiers. After being rescued, Chen Ce, along with British intelligence personnel and officers, as well as British officers and soldiers who assisted in planning the breakout operation, boarded five torpedo boats (numbered 7, 9, 10, 11, 27) in Ap Lei Chau, attempting to break through by sea under the cover of night. After the members of HMS Robin T65 learned of the surrender, they also sank the gunboat in Aberdeen and then boarded the naval tugboat (C.410) to escape. On the evening of the 25th, Japanese naval vessels responsible for blockading Hong Kong waters continuously used searchlights to search for movements on the sea surface. The torpedo boat fleet needed to avoid the illumination of the Japanese ship’s searchlights as much as possible. However, when the fleet sailed to the waters east of the Lantang Strait, they were discovered by the Zong class destroyer Hao and the Hong type torpedo boat Que. Due to the significant difference in firepower between the two sides, Chen Ce instructed the torpedo boat fleet to line up in a straight line and face the Japanese ship at high speed, pretending to launch a torpedo attack. When the Japanese ship saw the torpedo boat fleet coming aggressively, it was deceived and took evasive action. Although the Japanese ships fired at the fleet during this period, the fleet successfully evaded the interception of the Japanese ships. On the early morning of the 26th, the torpedo boat fleet docked at Nan’ao on the Dapeng Peninsula, and the No. 410 tugboat also arrived later. To avoid exposure of their whereabouts, Chen Ce and his subordinates, as well as British personnel, immediately unloaded the useful supplies from the ship upon landing and scuttled each ship before sunrise. They then hiked 115 kilometers and escaped to the area still under the control of the Nationalist government in Huizhou, Guangdong, China on the 29th. The British personnel were later arranged to return to the UK via Yunnan, British Burma, and British India.

As Hong Kong was about to surrender, the representative of the Republic of China in Hong Kong, Chen Ce, along with his subordinates and a small number of British officers and soldiers, successfully broke through the Japanese naval and air blockade using torpedo boats and fled by land to Huizhou, Guangdong, China. The picture shows a photo of Chen Ce (with a triangular bandage wrapped around his left arm in the center) and British personnel after arriving in Huizhou。

16、Follow up and commemoration

After the Hong Kong Campaign ended on December 26th, the Japanese army held grand Hong Kong entry ceremonies in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island on December 28th. On the morning of the 28th, under the leadership of Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai, Commander of the 23rd Army of the Japanese Army, and Lieutenant General Masakazu Shinmi, Commander of the Second Fleet of the Japanese Navy, the Japanese army first held a parade on Boundary Street and Nathan Road in Kowloon. Then, at noon, they crossed Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island on a warship and landed at Taikoo Dockyard. During their journey to Shau Kan Po in Happy Valley, the two reviewed the Navy, Army, and Marine Corps along the way. Afterwards, they turned to the east corner of Causeway Bay, where Takashi Sakai and Masaichi Shinmi rode military horses and led over 2000 Japanese soldiers on a victory parade. They passed through Hennessy Road and Des Voeux Road Central to Sheung Wan, and saluted Japanese soldiers holding Japanese flags and swords along the way. Lieutenant General Tadayoshi Sano, the commander of the 38th Division, waited at the end of the parade. At this time, 40 Japanese planes flew over Hong Kong Island from east to west, scattering Japanese propaganda leaflets. After the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, they immediately established the Military and Political Affairs Department, with Takashi Sakai, commander of the Japanese 23rd Army, serving as the highest commander of the military government. On January 19, 1942, the Hong Kong Defense Force was established as a garrison, and the main force of the 38th Division, which captured Hong Kong, left Hong Kong in the same month.

With the establishment of the Japanese military government, Hong Kong entered a period of “three years and eight months” of Japanese occupation, until Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, and Major General Xia Que led the Royal Navy’s Pacific Fleet to recapture Hong Kong on August 30. Although the 23rd Army Command planned to establish a civilized image in Hong Kong before the outbreak of the war, with the intention of beautifying aggression, weakening China’s resistance against Japan, and promoting the “Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere” advocated by the Showa Japanese Empire, it had warned its military police not to mistreat the Chinese and mistreat the people, so as not to damage the image of the Japanese army and the Chinese Wang Jingwei government. However, some soldiers of the Japanese army had poor military discipline, and some officers abused their power and condoned soldiers. In the middle and later stages of the Japanese occupation, the discipline of the stationed troops in Hong Kong was even worse, often resorting to indiscriminate beating and arrest. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, a large number of prisoners of war and civilians were abused, and military police tortured several citizens to death in police stations, constituting war crimes. Some Japanese war criminals were convicted by the court after the war.

During the remaining time of the Pacific War, Hong Kong did not experience any major battles. However, in order to weaken the strength of the Japanese army, the Allied forces led by the US launched air raids on Japanese facilities and ships in Hong Kong from October 1942. The Allied air raids intensified in the second half of 1944 and caused a certain degree of casualties to civilians, with the most severe being the January 1945 air raid on the north coast of Hong Kong Island. Due to the strong suppression of resistance activities by the Japanese army, the anti Japanese activities in Hong Kong became underground. When the Governor of Hong Kong decided to surrender, British officers instructed Chinese and mixed race soldiers to take off their British uniforms and mix with the public to avoid being captured by the Japanese army. Many of these soldiers joined the British service corps after the fall of Hong Kong and continued to serve the British army. Some even joined the Hong Kong Volunteer Corps to follow the Burma Expeditionary Force Special Forces in the Burma Campaign, and participated in the war and intelligence work against Japan in Southeast Asia with the British army.

During the 18 day battle, 1679 Hong Kong defenders were killed in action, not including soldiers who died from injuries or illnesses after the end of the campaign. In the two Canadian military battalions stationed in Hong Kong, 290 people died in battle, and 264 people died in prisoner of war camps. More than a quarter of the 1975 Canadian soldiers who came to reinforce Hong Kong did not return, and 493 were seriously injured. The casualty rate of Canadian soldiers in the Battle of Hong Kong exceeded 50%, making it the battle with the highest casualty rate among Canadian troops in World War II. The defenders who died in the defense of Hong Kong and died in prisoner of war camps are mainly buried at the Stanley Military Cemetery, Sai Wan Memorial Cemetery, and the Commonwealth Military Cemetery in Yokosuka, Japan.

On December 28, 1941, the Japanese army held their entry ceremonies in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The commander of the 23rd Army, Takashi Sakai (second from left), and the commander of the Navy’s Second Expeditionary Fleet, Masakazu Shinmi (first from left), rode on Hennessy Road to review the invading Japanese army and saluted the Japanese soldiers lined up on the roadside.

On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered. On August 30th, Major General Xia Que led the Royal Navy’s Pacific Fleet to recapture Hong Kong.

The Canadian military cemetery in the West Bay Memorial Cemetery, this picture was taken in 2008. There are 1578 remains buried in the cemetery, of which 444 cannot be identified; These soldiers come from places such as the UK, Canada, India, and Hong Kong; At the memorial pavilion at the entrance of the cemetery, the names of 2070 soldiers are engraved on the walls, and their remains are no longer to be found; There are also two stone tablets, one commemorating soldiers who were cremated for religious reasons, and the other commemorating Commonwealth soldiers who were unable to preserve their remains after dying in China during the two World Wars.

At the Martyrs Memorial of the St. John Ambulance Brigade on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, the St. John Ambulance Brigade carried out field rescue missions during the defense of Hong Kong. However, many of its members were killed by the Japanese army after being captured, with 56 members of the brigade losing their lives in the battle. This monument was erected in 1952 and commemorates the members of the rescue team who sacrificed their lives for Hong Kong during the war on the Sunday closest to Peace Memorial Day every year.

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17、More images

18、Unit numbers of both sides

At that time, there were mainly seven infantry battalions responsible for defending Hong Kong, including two British battalions, two Canadian battalions, two Indian infantry battalions, and six Hong Kong Volunteer Army teams. In addition, the Royal Artillery Regiment and the Hong Kong Star Artillery Regiment, together with the Royal Navy, had a total of about 15000 defenders. However, the British army was in a very disadvantageous position from the beginning. On the Japanese side, the army had a numerical advantage, high morale, and sufficient training, as well as the support of the Guangzhou based Japanese aircraft squadron bombing over Hong Kong. On the British side, the army was composed of miscellaneous troops with uneven training, extremely weak air power, and a lack of radar to use. Most importantly, there were coordination issues arising from different branches of the army.

Responsible for defending Kowloon and the New Territories is a British and Indian army called the Continental Corps, consisting of approximately 5000 soldiers. Its headquarters is located in Kowloon Tong, including the 2nd Royal Scottish Battalion, the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Punjab Regiment, the 5th Battalion of the 7th Rajjep Regiment, the 1st Company and Artillery of the Hong Kong Volunteer Army, and a small team of additional Canadian howitzers. According to the predetermined plan, the British and Indian armies abandoned the difficult to defend Shenzhen River and placed their main force on the mountainous area north of Kowloon, known as the Drunken Bay Defense Line.

Canadian reinforcements

In November 1941, the Canadian military dispatched two battalions of 1975 reinforcements from Vancouver to Hong Kong. Most of them have not completed their training and are not equipped with heavy weapons. In the end, 557 people died in battle, and the rest became prisoners of war for the Japanese army.

Canadian reinforcements include:

1st Middlesex Regiment

Winnipeg Grenadier Corps

Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment

At that time, Hong Kong’s defense strategic fortresses included:

Huangniyong Gorge includes the Western Brigade Headquarters, the 3rd Volunteer Army Headquarters, and the 5th Anti Aircraft Battery

Lei Yue Mun and Sai Wan include the 4th and 5th Volunteer Artillery, Canadian Rifle Company C, and Indian Rajjep Company A

The Moxingling Fortress includes 9.2-inch cannons from the 24th and 26th Coast Guard, as well as the 5th Volunteer Army

The Leighton Hill position includes the Middlesex Battalion Z Company and the Indian Rajjep B Company

The Stanley Battery includes the Eastern Brigade Headquarters, the 36th and 30th Coast Guard 9.2-inch cannons, the 2nd Volunteer Army, and the 1st Volunteer Artillery

Other anti Japanese forces

Although the British Hong Kong government and its main forces surrendered at that time, some soldiers and civilians in the New Territories continued to engage in sporadic guerrilla warfare and maintained resistance with the Japanese army.

British Service Corps

The British Army Aid Group was formed by Colonel Lindsay T. Ride, a former professor at the University of Hong Kong, and was responsible for collecting intelligence on the Japanese army, transporting important figures to sneak out or into Hong Kong. The members include the post-war New Territories civil affairs officer Ho Lai Man and the pre war Chinese Civil Affairs Secretary Ma Dao Ke. In July 1942, the British army formed this aid group based on Colonel Lai Lianshi’s suggestion. At the end of December 1941, when all the British were sent to the prisoner of war camp in Hong Kong, Colonel Lai Lianshi successfully escaped and arrived in Chongqing. Afterwards, he established the headquarters of the British Service Corps in Qujiang and regarded Huizhou as a frontline base in southern China. Their contributions mainly came from assisting prisoners of war in escaping from the prisoner of war camp, smuggling drugs and other essential items into and out of the camp, and also organizing think tanks. During the process, the British service regiment received active cooperation and protection from the Dongjiang Column.

Just a few hours after the Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in the Pacific Ocean, at 8:00 am Hong Kong time on December 8, 1941, under the command of the Japanese Army’s South China Expeditionary Force (23rd Army) led by Takashi Sakai, Army Commander Colonel Tadayoshi Sano (38th Division) assigned infantry commander Takeo Ito’s three major regiments, 228-229, and 230 infantry, to cooperate with the 66th North Island Jizixiong Artillery Corps as an advance force to attack Hong Kong from Bao’an County (now Shenzhen City) in three groups: Guling, Luohu, and Xintian.

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@开M59A1的蓝军旅长满广志

The official narrative on historical battles of World War II has been shelved for a long time. Now they are only issuing limited-time historical combat activities. Furthermore, the scenario you described—Commonwealth forces fighting against the Japanese—does not exist. This is because the Commonwealth was merely a sub-camp of the United States, not an independent combatant. The Chinese army was also a sub-camp, existing between the US and the Soviet Union. Therefore, the conditions for this new battle you described are not met.

I understand, thank you for your reminder.
Although it’s not suitable yet,
But if the UK and Italy are separated into an independent sub camp in the future, it will come in handy.

If we actively propose battles that are only suitable for a few specific factions, perhaps we can accelerate the separation of sub factions

[开M59A1的蓝军旅长满广志]

Let’s put this good suggestion aside for later, because we need to wait until the sub-factions are independent before we can propose a related historical campaign mode.

[weneedmorepro]

@开M59A1的蓝军旅长满广志

我们先把这个好建议放一边，因为我们需要等子派系独立后，才能提出相关的历史战役模式。

No, no, no, my friend,
We all know that gaijin is very lazy
Why do we have to divide into ion camps? It’s just to prevent Italians from running around in Berlin, French people from running to the Pacific, and Chinese people from running to Europe.
Now we won’t let them wander around. There must be a place to accommodate them, and the various campaigns we propose are for their resettlement.
So, while shouting for the sub camps, we also need to propose various campaigns to give them a place to go

[开M59A1的蓝军旅长满广志]

As you know, the Enlisted development team is currently working on Cold War infantry modes in War Thunder, rather than focusing on historical battles from World War II and the Allied and Axis factions. After all, Enlisted’s design was essentially finalized after 2023, unless Anton changes his mind and brings the entire development team back to Enlisted.