The Battle of Hong KongBy: Steph Gerend & Veronica Bolis

“Outnumbered and outgunned, Canadian soldiers are overwhelmed in their first major battle of [WWII]”-CBC

Who, When, Where?

Japanese forces against Hong Kong

December 8th- 25th 1941

Only 8 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbour

Hong Kong, China

(Colyer, Jill et al)

Dates

Dates: 

December 8 1941, Japan attacks Hong Kong. 

December 13th and December 17th, the Japanese demanded the defenders’ surrender only to be quickly rejected. 

December 18th- The Japanese crossed from the mainland in the darkness and invaded the island. 

Christmas Day 1941, the battered allies had no choice but to surrender. 

(The Defense of Hong Kong)

Important Contributions

Key People: Brigadier Lawson, Company Sergeant-Major John Robert 

Key Countries: Hong Kong (colony of Britain), Japan, Canada, India, Britain, and Singapore

(The Defense of Hong Kong)

How did we involve ourselves?Canada decided to apply the Royal Rifles and the Winnipeg

Grenadiers to help defend Hong Kong

This became the first Canadian Army unit to fight in WWII

19,76 Canadian soldiers set for China from Vancouver on board the Awatea

Canadians arrived in Hong Kong on November 16 and joined the defense force made up of troops from India, Hong Kong, Britain, and Singapore which added up to 14,000 troops in total

Although no combat was happening in China yet, they began training to defend the colony

Only three weeks later 14,000 troops found themselves putting their skills to the test, for that was when the Japanese invaded

(The Defense of Hong Kong)

What went down?On the morning of December 8th 1941 Japanese forces attacked the British controlled city of Hong Kong in China

Japanese planes targeted and bombed airports, and ground forces

Japanese forces swarmed the frontier and occupied all the way into the mainland portion of the colony

They fought through the night and kept pushing back the Hong Kong defenses

After three days of warfare all the frontier defenses had been pushed back to Hong Kong

The Japanese were able to maintain the offensive due to their greater numbers, battle experience, access to reinforcements and armaments, and total air domination

(The Defense of Hong Kong)

Map of where they were pushed back to(Strategi

c Map- OnWar)

Prisoners of WarAlthough Canadians in Hong Kong had many losses and terrible odds, they held out for more than 17 days before surrendering on “Black Christmas”

The surviving Canadians then became Prisoners of War (POW) for more than three and a half years

They were held in Hong Kong in early 1943 and then Japan until their liberating in September 1945

Unfortunately, Canadians and other Allies were relatively inexperienced, exhausted from continual battle and bombardment, and had no hope of receiving additional supplies or reinforcement

(The Defense of Hong Kong)

Prison CampsCanadian POW became extremely malnourished and weak from the inadequate diet made up of rice, occasional greens, and rare meat, or fish

They lived in huts infested with rodents, that were too cold and damp in the winter

They were forced to do manual labour work such as mines, shipyards, and construction work

They were hit hard by disease and abused by their guards

Many died from the plague due to the fact that the Japanese hardly ever supplied them with medicine

Over 260 Canadian POW died before they were liberated

Those who did survive escaped with their thin, started, and abused bodies proving how harsh the conditions had been

(The Defense of Hong Kong)

The Ultimate Sacrifice

From the 2,000 Canadians that ventured to Hong Kong to defend them, more than 550 died

Many died in the horrible combat in December 1941, and many others died in the harsh conditions of the Japanese prison camps

Those who did survive would be shaken forever, with crushed health, and memories of the extreme hardships that they were faced with

(The Defense of Hong Kong)

Significance of this battle

For Canadians:

Men and Women of Canada who fought in the defense of Hong Kong had often put themselves in harm’s way, even offering their lives in the worldwide quest for peace, freedom and the preservation of human values.

This battle is a lasting reminder of the high price of war and the sacrifice and effort that Canadians and the Allies would put forth to eventually triumph in the Second World War.

Canada and the world recognize the great effort and sacrifices made by Canadians, and an effort that lives on in our hearts and minds.

(Colyer, Jill et al)

Significance of this battle con’t

Defense:

Allies offered brave resistance and took part in many counter attacks.

Canadians suffered many casualties including the death of Brigadier Lawson

Company Sergeant- Major John Robert Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers won the Victoria Cross during the fighting.

(Colyer, Jill et al)

Enigma Machinehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1421782837&feature=player_detailpage&x-yt-cl=84359240&v=S5CjKEFb-sM

The Trailer that we just showed you is from the new movie called The

Imitation Game. It is based on a true story and relates to World War 2 History.

This movie is all about the Germans way of communicating through codes to

their members. Germans would create a code that wouldn’t be understood

by many people without the use of technology. The Canadians knew about

these codes and were trying to get the enigma codes from the Germans who

were in Hong Kong. This is the reason why Canadians came to Hong Kong.

These codes were deciphered by the enigma machines that were mainly

used and recognized by the Germans. A great knowledge of mathematics

and computer technology were needed to decipher codes and recreate codes

as well. We thought that we would show you guys this trailer as a creative

way to see how the enigma machines were used back then. 

Enigma Machine

(BBC Enigma Machine)

Primary Visual(Battle of Hong Kong)

Primary Visual

(British in Hong Kong)

Primary Written

(Hong Kong Article)

Secondary Visual

(Battle of Hong Kong)

Secondary Written(Japanese occupies Hong Kong)

Interesting Facts

German military messages enciphered on the Enigma machine were first broken by the Polish crypotologists working for Military Intelligence

While Japan had been an allie of Britain in the First World War, their alliance ended in 1922. Increasing Japanese militarism in the 1930s, particularly in China, began to pose a threat to British overseas possessions

It has been claimed that as a result of the information gained by the Enigma Machine, hostilities between Germany and the Allied forces were curtailed by two years

Works CitedBattle of Hong Kong: Attack on Japanese Landing Crafts in Victoria Harbour. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

Canada at War. Digital image. Http://www.canadaatwar.ca/images/. OnWar, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014.

Clancey, Patrick Clancey,. "HyperWar: Six Years of War: The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific [Chapter 14].” HyperWar: Six Years of War: The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific [Chapter 14]. HyperWar Foundation, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.

Colyer, Jill et al. Creating Canada: A History - 1914 to the Present. Toronto, ON.: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2010. Print.

Copp, Terry. Hong Kong Battle 2. Digital image. Legion, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.

Enigma Machine. Digital image. BBC, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.

"Featured Topics." HISTORY. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.

Japan Attacks Hong Kong. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.

Montgomery, Marc. "Remembering the Battle of Hong Kong." RCI English. N.p., Friday 6 Dec. 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.

"Museum of Coastal Defense." Latitudes. Amikejo Publication, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2015.

"The Defense of Hong Kong." Veterans Affairs Canada. Government of Canada, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.

"War Against Japan." Canadian Soldiers. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.