16 February 1942: Japanese forces take control of the British ‘Gibraltar of the East’BATAVIA,FEBRUARY 15.[br]Shells began to plunge on Fort Kalang, the headquarters of the Malayan Command on the outskirts of Singapore, or on the evening of Tuesday,February 10. Oil fires were blazing in the north of the island. The smoke from them lay like a black pall over Singapore. Troops were moving to take up fresh positions. The rumble of artillery fire, punctuated by machine-gun fire, or went on intermittently.
For the past three days it had been drawing closer. Twice that morning big formations of Japanese bombers had been over,but there had been no sign of any British ’plane all day.[br]Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com