The Battle of Hong Kong through the eyes of people who survived it
There was little festive cheer 75 years ago, as the Battle of Hong Kong raged to a bloody conclusion. Some of the people who lived through the invasion recall how they suddenly found themselves in a war zone
Invasion of the New Territories and Kowloon: December 8-12, 1941
Before dawn on Monday, December 8, 75 years ago, Imperial Japanese troops in Guangdong stole over the border into Hong Kong. That same morning, the Japanese launched attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, British Malaya and Thailand.
Barbara Anslow (née Redwood), then a young stenographer for Hong Kong’s colonial government, interviewed in November 2016 – “It was 6:30 in the morning. I was in bed when there came a ring at my doorbell. A Chinese messenger brought a note from my boss at ARP HQ [Air Raid Precautions Headquarters], where I’d worked for two years, saying, ‘Get to work by 7:00.’ He didn’t say why. I had some breakfast and rushed over. The deputy director of ARP, Mr [Michael Lee] Bevan, said that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour. Well, we didn’t know where Pearl Harbour was. All I could think of was the Pearl River [...] But as the morning wore on we discovered that the Japanese had attacked the Americans and war was expected to come to us. Just after 8 o’clock, air-raid sirens sounded.”
Following a five-minute raid shortly after 8am, Britain’s token air force – which consisted of five biplanes – lay destroyed on the ground at Kai Tak airfield.
Largely inexperienced in combat, numbering 11,000 men, the defenders were also outgunned by the 38,400 land troops Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai would deploy in the attack on Hong Kong. Furthermore, Japanese naval and air forces dwarfed those the British commanded.
Kwong Chi-man, assistant professor of history at Baptist University, interviewed in November 2016 – “Fighting Chinese guerillas in Guangdong had forged Japan’s 38th Division and 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade into experienced units, with specific training in attacking pillboxes and defensive positions. In addition, the Japanese had a significant advantage in firepower. The Japanese infantry could expect support from grenade launchers, mortars and artillery pieces of all sizes from infantry guns to heavy siege guns.”