The island of Singapore, with a land of area
of less than 600 square kilometres, lies off the southern tip of the Malayan
Peninsula. With its strategic location and natural deep water harbour straddling
the lucrative trade route between Asia and Japan, its small size and lack of
natural resources makes it a natural objective for anyone with intentions of
controlling the trade in the region. As such, colonial power Britain, which has
controlled the island and its Malayan hinterland since the mid-19th century, saw
Singapore as a vital interest and the best choice to build a naval base in the
1930s. With war clouds looming, the Sembawang Naval Base was completed with
great fanfare in the 1930s.
Imperial Japan, with territorial ambitions
over all of Asia, saw the Naval Base as a significant threat and Singapore as a
vital piece of its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. With the threat of
war approaching the late 1930s, plans were drawn up to mount an land assault on
Singapore via it's Malayan hinterland. When war broke out in December 1941,
attacks were launched across a wide swath of Asia, including Malaya, Singapore,
Burma, Borneo and the Philippines. A significant amount of Imperial Japanese
Army and Navy resources were devoted to the invasion of Malaya and Singapore
alone, underscoring how important the Japanese viewed the capture of the
strategic island.
The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force (IJNAF)
was heavily involved in the assault on Singapore, beginning on the 8th of
December 1941 to the 15th of February 1942. The unit involved was the IJNAF's
22nd Air Flotilla based in newly-occupied Indo-China. Beginning in November
1941, 3 Kokutais (Flying Groups/Regiments) of long-range land-based
attack bombers were based around the Saigon area to prepare and support the
forthcoming invasion of Malaya, Singapore and Borneo. Each Kokutai
usually consisted of 30+ aircraft, subdivided into Chutais (Companies) of
8-9 aircraft each and then further subdivided into flights of 3 aircraft. As of
7 December 1941, the strength of the 22nd Air Flotilla comprised of:
Genzan Kokutai - 36 Mitsubishi G3M2/3 Nells
(Type 96 Rikko or Land-Based attack bomber) based at Saigon
Mihoro Kokutai - 36 Mitsubishi G3M2/3 Nells
(Type 96 Rikko) based at Thu Dau Moi
Kanoya Kokutai (Detachment) - 27 Mitsubishi
G4M1 Bettys (Type 1 Isshikirikko) based at Thu Dau Moi
Attached Fighter Unit - 25 Mitsubishi A6M2
Zeros based at Soc Trang, 12 Mitsubishi A5M4 Claudes at Saigon
In addition 12 Mitsubishi C5M Babs
reconnaisance/observation aircraft were also based at Soc Trang.
It was a testimony to the design of their
aircraft and propulsion systems (along with the sacrificing of weight such as
armour) that the Nells, Bettys and Zeros were able to fly the 600+ miles to
Singapore and back without any problem. In fact, the Genzan Kokutai Nell
that located and directed all 3 bomber Kokutais to attack the HMS Prince
of Wales and Repulse stayed aloft for a total of 12 hours without refueling!
In addition to interdicting the sea lanes
around Singapore as well as long range patrols in the South China Sea (which
they encountered and shot down a number of Allied patrol planes), the 3 bomber
Kokutais, with their escort and reconnaisance elements, were heavily
involved in attacking Singapore proper. The following is a summary of IJNAF
operations over Singapore, during the combined aerial blitz by the Japanese Army
and Navy Air Forces in January 1942.