The Battle of Hong Kong

The Japanese attack on Hong Kong began on the mainland shortly after 8am on December 8, 1941, less than eight hours after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The British, Canadian and Indian forces of Major-General Christopher Michael Maltby, supplemented …

1941-12-18

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The Japanese attack on Hong Kong began on the mainland shortly after 8am on December 8, 1941, less than eight hours after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The British, Canadian and Indian forces of Major-General Christopher Michael Maltby, supplemented by the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Forces, did their best to resist the Japanese invasion, despite being vastly outnumbered and facing the much more battle-weathered troops of General Takashi's 38th Division. By December 13, the last of the Commonwealth forces on the mainland, the Indian Rajputs, had retreated to Hong Kong Island, where Major-General Maltby organized the defense. On the 18th, the Japanese crossed the Strait, landing on the northeast of the island and soon captured the Sai Wan Battery. Fierce fighting continued, but within 2 days, the island's defense forces were hopelessly divided. They nonetheless held until Christmas day, when, running out of water and ammunition, British Colonial officials led by the Governor of Hong Kong, surrendered. This was the first time in history that a British Crown Colony was surrendering to an invading force. The garrison had held out for 17 long days.

Hong Kong, China

The Battle of Hong Kong, also known as the Defence of Hong Kong and the Fall of Hong Kong, was one of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II. On the same morning as the attack on Pearl Harbor, forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the British Crown colony of Hong Kong. The attack was in violation of international law as Japan had not declared war against the British Empire. The Hong Kong garrison consisted of British, Indian and Canadian units, also the Auxiliary Defence Units and Hong Kong Voluntary Defence Corps.

Wikipedia: Battle of Hong Kong

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