Battle for Hong Kong, December 1941
eBook - ePub

Battle for Hong Kong, December 1941

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Battle for Hong Kong, December 1941

About this book

On the same day as the Pearl Harbor attack, forces of the Japanese Empire attacked the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong without warning. Philip Cracknell provides a research-driven narrative about the Battle for Hong Kong in 1941, which commenced on 8 December and lasted for three weeks until the surrender on Christmas Day 1941. Hong Kong had become a strategic liability; an isolated outpost. It would be sacrificed - but not without a fight. The main priorities for the British in Asia were Malaya and Singapore. The Crown Colony was gallantly defended but it was a battle against overwhelming odds.Crucially, as a resident of Hong Kong for thirty years, the author knows every inch of the ground. He challenges some assumptions, for example the whereabouts of 'A' Coy, Winnipeg Grenadiers, on 19 December, when the company was destroyed during a fighting retreat.What exactly happened during the battle, and where were the actions fought? One can still see so much evidence, in the form of pillboxes, gun batteries and weapons pits. The defending troops were mainly British, Canadian, Indian and Hong Kong Chinese. The Japanese had superiority in numbers of men, guns, and equipment, and complete air supremacy. The defenders suffered a casualty rate of over 30 per cent and many more died during the brutal incarceration that followed the surrender - a grim pointer to the hell of the Asia-Pacific War that followed. Churchill always knew that Hong Kong would fall, but wanted to cause the invaders maximum delay and maximum cost. As he acknowledged after the war, the defenders had won 'lasting honour'. The battle for Hong Kong is a story that deserves to be better known.

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Yes, you can access Battle for Hong Kong, December 1941 by Philip Cracknell in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Chinese History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Year
2019
eBook ISBN
9781445690506
Edition
0

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Maps
  3. 1 - Historical Prelude
  4. 2 - Hong Kong before the War
  5. 3 - Battle on the Mainland
  6. 4 - Evacuation from the Mainland
  7. 5 - The Royal Navy
  8. 6 - The Island under Siege
  9. 7 - Invasion of the Island
  10. 8 - The Battle for Wong Nai Chung Gap
  11. 9 - The Navy Counterattacks
  12. 10 - Chaos and Confusion
  13. 11 - The Army Counterattacks
  14. 12 - East Brigade Strikes Back
  15. 13 - Escape from The Ridge
  16. 14 - The Siege of Repulse Bay Hotel
  17. 15 - The Japanese Advance
  18. 16 - The Battle for Stanley
  19. 17 - The Massacre at St Stephen’s College
  20. 18 - Surrender
  21. Plates
  22. Notes
  23. Selected Bibliography
  24. Abbreviations
  25. Acknowledgements