| In this photo printed in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, Japanese soldiers hold bamboo logs on their backs, so others can cross a stream. The Imperial Japanese 25th Army traveled light to facilitate fast movement down the Malay peninsula to Singapore. Senior United Kingdom Royal Army officers advised Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival (December 26, 1887 – January 31, 1966) General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malaya Command, to raise defenses in depth along the peninsula, but Percival considered the jungle impassible. Using bicycles and forced marches, the 25th Army rapidly outmaneuvered the larger Allied forces. After the Japanese had conquered Singapore, they awarded a commendation to the Saeki Detachment [(Lieutenant Colonel Shizuo Saeki (February 20, 1894 – May 15, 1980)], part of the Imperial Japanese Army’s 5th Division: “After landing at Singora, [they] advanced rapidly, broke through active resistance on the frontier, and in darkness and torrential rain drove a deep wedge in the Jitra line, throwing the enemy into confusion, which in the opening battle of the campaign started the collapse of a strong position. Throughout the rest of the campaign, the unit under command of Colonel [Toshiki] Tamura [(September 24, 1899 – May 29, 1945)], under heavy fire, crossed hundreds of large and small bridges destroyed by the enemy, repaired them rapidly by working day and night, and thus greatly facilitated the operations of the rest of the Army.” This commendation was noted in Colonel Masanobu Tsuji’s (October 11, 1902 – declared dead July 20, 1968) book, Singapore: The Japanese Version. But Tsuji, a master of self-effacing promotion, left out Tsuji was ordered to join Saeki on December 8, and with 3 Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks, and may have even outranked him in the attack on the Jitra line. Thus, since the Imperial Japanese Army did not offer individual commendations, just unit commendations, he is publishing his own exploits. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2009.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.35 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 4351 x 2721 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 26, 1942 |
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| Country | Malaya |
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| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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