The most manoeuvrist campaign the Australian Army has ever fought.

How did the Imperial Japanese Army advance 700 miles down the Malayan Peninsula in 55 days when outnumbered 2:1? Doctrine suggests a force ratio of 3:1 in the attack, and yet the Japanese were victorious with 1/6 of the forces doctrinally required. This episodes sets the scene by looking at the Commanders, the forces employed and the timeline the rapid advance from the Kota Bharu all the way to the causeway across to Singapore. We will use the principles of war to study the mistakes at the tactical, operational and strategic levels. The principles are – Selection and Maintenance of the Aim, Surprise, Security, Sustainment, Concentration of Force, Cooperation, Flexibility, Offensive Action, Economy of Effort and Maintenance of Morale. In some cases, the principles were followed, sometimes bent, and sometimes broken. Almost always it was to the favour of the Japanese. We look at Leaders who played key roles in the campaign. LTGEN Arthur Percival – General Officer Commanding Malaya Force Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham Commander in Chief Far East LTGEN Tomoyuki Yamashita – Commander of the 25th Army. The Malayan Campaign set the scene for the Fall of Singapore, which was described by Churchill as “the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history.” For more details on the Malayan Campaign, visit our episode list - https://theprinciplesofwar.com/catego...