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The Singapore strategy was a naval defence policy of the United Kingdom that evolved in a series of war plans from 1919 to 1941. It aimed to deter aggression by Japan by providing a base for a fleet of the Royal Navy in the Far East , able to intercept and defeat a Japanese force heading south towards India or Australia.
Singapore was considered so important that Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered Percival to fight to the last man. The Japanese attacked the weakest part of the island defences and established a beachhead on 8 February. Percival had expected a crossing in the north and failed to reinforce the defenders in time.
Germany is a member of the NATO while Singapore remains as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, both of which involve the United Kingdom as a leading member and ally. In 2015, the Singapore Army has undergone a major upgrade exercise of the armour arsenal that saw the Ministry of Defence procuring refurbished Leopard 2 tanks as the primary battle tank of armour-related operations since 2008.
By late 1947, the economy began to recover, facilitated by a growing demand for tin and rubber around the world, but it would take several more years before the economy returned to pre-war levels. [77] The failure of Britain to defend Singapore had destroyed its credibility as an infallible ruler in the eyes of Singaporeans.
The history of the Republic of Singapore began when Singapore was expelled from Malaysia and became an independent republic on 9 August 1965. [1] After the separation, the fledgling nation had to become self-sufficient, however was faced with problems including mass unemployment, housing shortages and lack of land and natural resources such as petroleum.
The self-governance of Singapore was carried out in several stages. Since the founding of Singapore in 1819, Singapore had been under the colonial rule of the British. The first local elections on a limited scale for several positions in the government of Singapore started in 1948 following an amendment to the Constitution of Singapore.
The Japanese naval fleet in Singapore consisted of the destroyer Kamikaze [14] and two cruisers, Myōkō and Takao, both of which had been so badly damaged before that they were being used as floating anti-aircraft batteries. Two ex-German U-boats, I-501 and I-502 were also in Singapore. [15] Both were moored at Singapore Naval Base. [16]
The causes of World War II have been given considerable attention by historians. The immediate precipitating event was the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany on September 1, 1939, and the subsequent declarations of war on Germany made by Britain and France, but many other prior events have been suggested as ultimate causes.