The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya , from 8 December 1941 to 31 January 1942 during the Second War World . By 1940 , the army commander in Malaya , Lieutenant -General Lionel Bond conceded that a successful defence of Singapore demanded the defence of the whole peninsula , and that the naval base alone would not be sufficient to deter a Japanese invasion . The defence strategy rested on two basic assumptions : first , that there would be sufficient early warning of an attack to allow for reinforcement of British troop , and second , that American help was at hand in case of attack . By late 1941, it became clear that neither of these assumptions had any real substance . Once the Second World War commenced, Britain and the Middle East received higher priorities in the allocation of men and material. The desired Malayan air forces strength of 300–500 aircraft was never reached . When the Japanese invaded, they had over 200 Tanks . The British had plans for a pre-emptive invasion of southern Thailand, named Operation Matador , to forestall Japanese landings , but decided not to use them .
Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_Campaign ( Date Accessed : 17 February 2013 )
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