Recommendations please for a good book on the campaign in Malaya, 1941-2

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by JeremyC, Jul 27, 2022.

  1. JeremyC

    JeremyC Well-Known Member

    Dear all,

    As it says in the title, I'm looking for recommendations on a good book on the campaign in Malaya, from December 8th 1941 to February 15th 1942. If possible, a view from both sides.

    As anyone reading this will probably know, everyone and his dog seems to have an opinion on the loss of Singapore and there must be dozens of books out there. I'm looking for recommendations for a good, up-to-date, one.

    I read Louis Allen's "Singapore 1941-1942" years ago, but I was wondering if this was now outdated by subsequent research - on the other hand, I see it's been updated and revised twice. Is it still a good source?

    Thanks, all.
     
  2. Maureene

    Maureene Well-Known Member

    There are many online books available about the fall of Singapore

    See the FIBIS Fibiwiki page Second World War, in particular Second World War - FIBIwiki

    Maureen
     
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  3. davidbfpo

    davidbfpo Patron Patron

    Been a few years, have a look at the books by Karl Hack, a historian now with the Open University.
     
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  4. JeremyC

    JeremyC Well-Known Member

    Thank you very much indeed. I've used FIBIS in the past, but hadn't realised it had such a good bibliography - especially on military topics. Excellent!
     
  5. JeremyC

    JeremyC Well-Known Member

    Thank you - yes. I had spotted some of his work and was wondering about them. May well be time to stick a toe in the water . . . .
    Thanks for the recommendation!
     
  6. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    Brian Farrell, The Defence and Fall of Singapore
    Alan Warren, Britain's Greatest Defeat
    Raymond Callahan, The Worst Disaster
    Blackburn and Hack, already recommended
    Also official histories by Woodburn-Kirby, Prasad, Long, and Roskill.
    For the air there is a work called Bloody Shambles, whose author I can't recall.
     
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  7. JeremyC

    JeremyC Well-Known Member

    Wow - it's like London buses - a post gets no answer for weeks and then three come along at once!!

    Seriously - thanks very much indeed. I'll have to work through these and get the ones that seem to be best for me, but at least I now have something to go on.

    "Bloody Shambles" seems to be a three-volume set covering the whole of the air war in South-East Asia:

    “Bloody Shambles, Vol. 1: The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore” is by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull, with Yasuho Izawa. It covers December 1941-April 1942.

    “Bloody Shambles: Vol. 2: The Defence of Sumatra to the Fall of Burma” is by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull, with Yasuho Izawa. It covers December 1941-April 1942.

    “Air War for Burma: The Third and Concluding Volume of the Bloody Shambles series: The Allied Air Forces fight back in South-East Asia 1942-1945” is by Christopher Shores.
     
  8. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

    The Bloody Shambles books are very well done.
    Some other recent titles:
    [​IMG]
    Focused on the Indian Army
    [​IMG]
    Focused on the Australian Army
    [​IMG]
    Looks at the Japanese Army
    Brian Cull also wrote a couple more books on the air battles with a more narrative flow.1
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    And Osprey did a book on the air and land campaigs too if you want quick overviews
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I'd also recommend the following:
    [​IMG]
    Which looks at the role the governor and the civilian colonial authorities played in the defeat. The poor co-ordination and at times out right hostility between the civilian and military authorties hindered the defence of the region significantly.
     
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