In 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army invades Malaya. The battle hardened Japanese forces quickly push Commonwealth troops – English, Indians, Australians, Scots, Chinese and Malays – south towards the key British trading port of Singapore. General Yamashita prepares to assault the so-called ‘impregnable fortress’ igniting already simmering ethnic and political tensions in the colony. Australia, for the first time, finds itself directly threatened.
Japanese Imperial Army soldiers pour onto Singapore Island under the skilful command of General Yamashita. They quickly break through a flimsy line of raw Australian troops, outmanoeuvre General Percival and drive his combined Commonwealth forces back to the Singapore city. Indian soldiers, seeking independence, join the Japanese and fire on their former masters. Australians leave their posts while Malays and Chinese divide along political and ethnic lines. The British finally begin evacuating Singapore but priority is given to the safety of whites. A tipping point is reached – the fall of all the colonial empires throughout the region is now inevitable. Australia is dragged kicking and screaming to the Asian table.
