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The Battle
On 12th February, men of the 1st Battalion Malay Regiment and the 44th Indian Brigade stopped advancing troops of the Japanese 18th Division in their attempts to capture the huge British supply depot at Alexandra Barracks. The Japanese suffered heavy casualties as they come up against Malay Regiment machine-gunners. Heavy fighting continued and the Japanese were reinforced with tanks.
On 13th February, the Japanese 18th Division started to attack the south-western coast along the Pasir Panjang ridge and astride of Raja Road. The Japanese 56th Infantry Regiment, supported by a considerable force of artillery, attacked the ridge during the morning.
One of the units defending the line was the B Company of the Malay Regiment. Under the heavy fire of the Japanese troops supported by artillery and tanks, B Company was forced to retreat to the rear. But before all of them could retreat, the Japanese army succeeded in breaking through B Company's position. In the battle, B Company troops fought hand-to-hand combat using bayonets against the Japanese. A few from B Company managed to save themselves while others were caught as prisoners-of-war. This penetration led to the withdrawal after dark of both 44th Indian and 1st Malay Brigade to the general line Mount Echo (junction of Raja and Depot Road) Buona Vista.
The 2nd Attack
On 14th February, the Japanese again launched a heavy attack at 0830 hours, supported by intense mortar and artillery fire, on the front held by the 1st Malay Brigade. The defenders beat off this and a number of other attacks. The fighting included bitter hand-to-hand combat, and losses from both sides were heavy. At 1600 hours an attack supported by tanks eventually succeeded in penetrating the left, and the defenders on this flank were forced back to a line from the junction of the Ayer Rajar and Depot Road through the Brick Works and along the canal to Bukit Chermin. Owing to the failure of units on both its flanks to hold their ground, the 1st Malay Bde withdrew at 1430 hours. It was at this point that C Company of the Malay Regiment received instructions to move to a new defence positionPt. 226, Opium Hill.
Opium Hill or Bukit Chandu in Malay was named after an opium-processing factory located at the foot of the hill. This was also where C Company of the Malay Regiment made their final stand against the Japanese attack. Opium Hill was a key defence position for two important reasons. It was situated on high ground overlooking the island to the north; and secondly, if the Japanese gained control of the ridge, it gave them direct passage to the Alexandra area. The British army had its main ammunition and supply depots, military hospital and other key installations located in the Alexandra area.
C Company's position was separated from D Company by a big canal. Oil was burning in the canal, which flowed from Normanton Depot. The burning oil prevented C Company soldiers from retreating further south. The company was under the command of Capt H.R. Rix, a brave and daring British officer. He encouraged the men to defend Opium Hill down to the last soldier. His bravery was exemplified in the battle and he was killed together with many of his Malay Regiment soldiers in the last defence battle at Pasir Panjang.
The Japanese Trick
The Japanese troops pressed their attack on Opium Hill in the afternoon but under the guise of a deception. They sent a group of soldiers, dressed in Punjabi uniforms, passing themselves off as Punjabi soldiers from the British army. C Company saw through this trick as they knew that soldiers of the British army usually marched in a line of three whereas the Japanese disguised Punjabi soldiers were in a line of four. When the disguised soldiers reached the Malay Regiment's defence line, C Company's squad opened fire on them with their Lewis machine guns. Some of the Japanese troops were killed and the rest badly wounded. Those who survived rolled and crawled downhill to save themselves.
The Final Attack
Two hours later, the Japanese launched an all-out assault in great numbers. The attack overwhelmed the strength of the Malay Regiment. Greatly outnumbered and short of ammunition and supplies, the Malay Regiment continued to resist the Japanese troops. All kinds of arms such as grenades, small arms and bayonets were used by troops of the Malay Regiment. It was reported that 2nd Lt Adnan handled a Lewis machine gun against the Japanese troops. Some soldiers engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat using bayonets. Yet, they stood their ground frustrating their enemy. In the ensuing battle, men and officers fell. Adnan was seriously wounded but he refused to retreat and instead encouraged his men to fight to the last. It was this disregard of danger that inspired the company to stand up gallantly.
Mubin Sheppard, an ex-officer and former POW, had this to say about his friend, the late Adnan Bin Saidi, "He was he |
