On December 7, 1941 the Japanese arrived in the city of Kota Bahru in British Malaya (present day Malaysia). They arrived just a few hours before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Within two months, the Japanese had conquered present day Peninsular Malaysia. On February 8, 1942 they crossed the causeway and entered into the British colony of Singapore. Singapore was ill prepared for this rapid invasion as all of their guns and cannons had been permanently mounted pointing out towards the ocean. The Japanese merely crossed the bridge between the two countries and began in what would be one of the British empire's worst defeats (p 449, Finlay et al).
By February 20 the Japanese had seized Bukit Timah. This was an important achievement as not only was Bukit Timah the highest point on the island (162 meters) in order to provide good views, but from Bukit Timah there were roads that led straight to the center of the city. The Japanese built man-made caves in the jungle hills of Bukit Timah to store supplies and ammunition. These caves are still standing today. These are a few photographs of them. The bars were installed recently to protect the bats that live in the caves from being disturbed by tourists.
Citation: http://library.thinkquest.org/12405/15.htm
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