Here is a part from Wiki about the bikes.
It was a terrible occupation in Singapore.
“Japanese land based aircraft found and sank the two capital ships on 10 December,[19] leaving the east coast of the Malayan peninsula exposed and allowing the Japanese to continue their amphibious landings. Japanese forces quickly isolated, surrounded, and forced the surrender of Indian units defending the coast. They advanced down the Malayan peninsula overwhelming the defences, despite their numerical inferiority. The Japanese forces also used bicycle infantry and light tanks, allowing swift movement through the jungle. The Allies, however, having thought the terrain made them impractical, had no tanks, and only a few armoured vehicles, which put them at a severe disadvantage.[20]”
All of Singapore’s defenses faced south. The big, ship killing guns were in bunkers on Sentosa island and couldn’t really turned to fire north over the city towards the attacking Japanese - not that an armor piecing round would be any good against infantry anyway.
The British basically surrendered to keep the Japanese from destroying the city.
Good Lord!! Why were the allies always thinking something was impossible at the beginning of the war and before it!!!
You cant get through Franc except through the Maginot line.
Thanks wont work in this terrain.
Boy did we (the west) learn our lessons the hard way.
I should like to read more about this is I am VERY unfamiliar with the ground war against Japan.
Most movies and history lessons were about the decisive naval battles.