Marsh Is.#293 Singapore Falls to Japanese - 1991 Imperforate Mint Issue
December 10, 1941 The island fortress of Singapore, on the southern tip of Malaya, was a strategic base for Britain's Pacific operations. Over 130,000 men under General A.E. Percival defended the 350-mile peninsula extending from the Thailand border into the South China Sea. On December 8, 35,000 troops commanded by General Tomoyuki Yamashita landed on the northeast coast of Malaya. With British air power from Singapore neutralized by earlier bombing raids, the Admiralty dispatched two battleships, H.M.S. Prince of Wales and H.M.S. Repulse, to battle the invaders. Lacking proper air support, they never reached their targets. Both were sunk by Japanese bombers on December 10. On land, the enemy's effective use of light tanks in jungle fighting pushed the British southward across a narrow causeway onto the island of Singapore, and after a 15-day siege they surrendered. Japan's stunning victory came with light losses - 3,000 killed and 6,000 wounded. By comparison the British surrendered a total of 130,000 men - with 8,000 more killed - during the 70-day campaign.
Starting at $1.60
Starting at $7.75
