Hong Kong is universe widely known for being the world’s fiscal hub and for being the world’s richest metropolis ; most people don’t know that before being a fiscal metropolis. it had a rich history behind it. It went through one of the greatest. harshest wars in history. the Second World War. There are many grounds why the Japanese were so successful in capturing Hong Kong ; they invested most of their money into the Nipponese Army. While they had latest guns and arms. the local Hong Kong civilians merely had out of day of the month rusty rifles. While the Canadians were taught to last. the Nipponese wanted to honor their households and their emperor ; so they were willing to give their lives for their state and their emperor. It would be black to their households and their state if they did non win ; they had high finding and morale. On December 8th. Japan invaded Hong Kong.
Winston Churchill quoted. “If Japan of all time attacked Hong Kong. and Hong Kong would hold no opportunity in supporting it. ” The others people said salvaging it was deserving a attempt to salvage Hong Kong. so Winston Churchill told the Canadian military personnels to cover with it because the British idea that Hong Kong wouldn’t be attacked. The onslaught started at 07. 30 on December 8th 1941. The Nipponese air force destroyed what aircraft the British had at Kai Tak airdrome and technology units rapidly repaired destroyed Bridgess. The British underestimated the Japanese. stating their military personnels that the Japanese merely had 5. 000 military personnels when in fact the Japanese sent 50. 000 soldiers. the British merely had 6. 000 soldiers. The British besides estimated that it would merely take a hebdomad for the Japanese to get but in fact it merely took 12 hours to make Hong Kong from China. It was recorded that the Japanese had been singing on their manner to the boundary line of Hong Kong.
On November 16th 1941 Britain. sent Winnipeg ( Canadian ) soldiers arrived in Hong Kong as they were “unfit for combat. ” They had ne’er thrown a manus grenade or used a rifle in their full life-time. The Canadians merely arrived in Hong Kong a few hebdomads before the invasion. In such a short period of clip. they merely a few hebdomads to fix. How were they supposed to acquire used to even the geographics of Hong Kong. allow entirely non even cognizing Hong Kong Island? Many of the British ground forcess expected that the Japanese would assail from the sea. so many of the defense mechanisms were directed to south of Hong Kong Island. Even though the Japanese were exhibiting their captives and all adult females were instantly turned into cocottes in Kowloon. the British still stood their guard near the sea. They most surely did non anticipate the Nipponese to assail across the seaport.
In order for the Canadians to derive some assurance. the general told his military personnels that the Japanese would ne’er come across the H2O at dark. he told them that the Japanese were prone to sea illness. and that they could non see good in the dark. Harmonizing to an anon. beginning. it was non hard to happen the Canadians ; they had hung their underwear outside to dry. The Japanese could non believe how easy they were to happen and believe the Canadians were stupid and the Nipponese idea this was truly amusing. On Christmas twenty-four hours. 25th of December 09. 00 the General tried to carry the Governor and the Defence Council of the island that farther opposition would take to many unneeded deceases. The Defence Council refused any talk of resignation. By mid-afternoon the Japanese had made major inroads into the places held by the general’s work forces and he eventually persuaded the Governor to give up the island. The Japanese were really prepared as they had strong connexions with a Triad leader in China who was working for the Japanese.
The bulk of them were from Formosa ( Taiwan ) . Their function was to undermine the Hong Kong defense mechanisms. spread false rumor and describe the place of the British guns and the pill-boxes. The following scheme the Japanese used was to state the line “Hey. it’s me Joe. ” As Joe is a truly common name in Canada and in Britain Joe was a truly common name they used lead on the Canadians. They repeated and perfected this line until there was no hint of a foreign speech pattern. The Nipponese soldiers said this to the Canadian soldiers to misdirect them into believing that they were their countrymen. when the Canadian solider lowered their defense mechanisms the Nipponese attacked them. Overall I think that the British made really foolish errors that they underestimated their enemies and misjudged the earnestness of the conflict. I think that the Japanese were strategically good prepared than the British in everything they did particularly when the British were loath to support Hong Kong. All the Nipponese military personnels that were sent to Hong Kong had a batch experience in war and that the all Canadians had perfectly no experience in contending made Japan win Hong Kong. They wholly let down Hong Kong being unable to protect Hong Kong.
