70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

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Zaf1
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#31

Post by Zaf1 » 05 Sep 2010, 00:46

Thanks Steve and I think you're right about the building. Much of the trees in the background is still the same.

Regards

Zaf

Krisgage
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#32

Post by Krisgage » 23 Dec 2010, 23:19

@ Zaf1 - Great job preserving and presenting the forgotten part of the history and battle. I am from Singapore and an enthusiast in military history in Singapore and Malaya. So far, I could cover only Singapore as I am not familiar with the places in Malaysia. I hope I could one day pay a visit to the museum , the war buildings and you ! I am new here and cannot send you PM. I hope I can contact you. Thanks


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Zaf1
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#33

Post by Zaf1 » 24 Dec 2010, 04:45

Thank you Krisgage, it's great to hear from you and I'd love to meet you! I visited many of the WW2 battlefields in Malaysia and some in Singapore. If you want to find information about WW2 battlefield relics in Singapore you can visit here http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/battle ... iiproject/

You can see more photos at my facebook albums at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/prof ... 1646206486you can send email to me at [email protected]

Regards

Zaf

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Peter H
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#34

Post by Peter H » 03 Jan 2011, 00:54

Sequence of events,Japanese time,7 December 1941.

From The Other Nuremberg,Arnold C.Brackman,1989.

0045 Japanese seize Shanghai International Settlement without firing a shot
0140 Kota Bharu : first shots fired
0305 Singora,Patani landings in Thailand
0320 Pearl Harbor
0520 British gunboat Peterel sunk off Shanghai
0610 Singapore air attack
0805 Guam attacked
0900 Hong Kong attacked
1140 Imperial rescript declaring war.

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Zaf1
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#35

Post by Zaf1 » 03 Jan 2011, 18:17

Dear Peter,

Thanks for this information. it seems that this occupation of Shanghai International Settlement was the initial troop operation but without firing a shot. This action was followed by the sinking of Peteral off Shanghai also in Shanghai. At around this time there were many small incidents prior to actual military action in various place in Asia Pacific itself including the action by USS Ward sinking a Japanese midget sub around an hour before the main air attack began .

Regards

Zaf

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Peter H
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#36

Post by Peter H » 03 Jan 2011, 23:38

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Graham B
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#37

Post by Graham B » 05 Feb 2011, 10:28

Zaf
I've often wondered why the Kota Bahru landing was 70 minutes before Pear Harbour (they were planned to be synchronised). Most accounts talk about the time difference, and international date line, but that hardly explains why it was early.
Until I read a Japanese account from one of the troops who landed there (in Guns of February by Henry Frei) who says that because of the rough weather, they brought the landing time forward by 70 minutes.
Do you have any explanation, or read any other reason?

Regards
Graham B

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Zaf1
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#38

Post by Zaf1 » 05 Feb 2011, 12:53

Dear Graham,

I think I read somewhere that the attack on Pearl Harbor was supposed to take place earlier than the one at Kota Bharu, but there was some delays in getting the aircraft carriers align to enable the planes to take off properly into the wind, getting into formation or that sort of thing.

If you plan to come here I can help to arrange your accommodation here. If you want to stay right on the beach where the landing took place there is a resort called Perdana Resort at PCB beach. It is not very far from where the first Japanese landing took place in small estuary to the right. On this beach from the resort one can see that place at the far end of the photo. This entire beach was also a battlefield as well. Some of the relics such as the British 0.303in bullet was found buried in the sand on the left side of the beach. There was a 3/17th Dogra regiment's pillbox on this beach but it had been eroded into the sea. This resort also had a corner about the war with some photos but not much else.

Regards

Zaf
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Part of the beach where the battle took place is now the Perdana Beach Resort
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SAM_3449.JPG
The beach where the Japanese landed, on the far end is K. Pak Amat where the first landing began
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A British 0.303 in bullet found buried in the sand at PCB beach
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Graham B
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#39

Post by Graham B » 06 Feb 2011, 10:09

Zaf
That would be excellent and very kind of you to suggest. I've got to progress my research and writing before I can contemplate a visit, but certainly I will visit Kota Bahru and let you know well in advance.
Thank you for this, I appreciate your kind suggestion.
Regards,
Graham B

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Zaf1
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#40

Post by Zaf1 » 23 Feb 2011, 16:21

You're welcome Graham,

Percival commented on the Kota Bharu landing:

Initial Action at Kota Bahru.

672. Only those who have given insufficient thought to the matter could venture to criticise the station commander at Kota Bahru for not having launched his aircraft to the attack on receipt of the news, at 0030 hours on 8th December, 1941, that ships were lying off the coast. It is equally easy to criticise the A.O.C. for ordering away only a reconnaissance to clear up the situation. But that both were correct in doing as they did, in the circumstances which existed at that particular moment, is beyond doubt. War had not broken out: Pearl Harbour had not been attacked and the U.S.A. was still neutral: there was grave risk that the Japanese might stage a bait in order to induce us to strike the first blow, and by doing so reinforce that section of the American Public which was then strongly opposed to America entering the war, a danger against which all in Malaya had been warned emphatically by G.H.Q. Admittedly 45 minutes were lost before the first air action was taken, but it is merely academic to conjecture what might have happened if it had been taken at once.

Regards

Zaf

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Zaf1
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#41

Post by Zaf1 » 17 Mar 2011, 15:52

Hi

A few of us went to the former British airfield at Machang, one of the 3 airfields in Kelantan. This airfield was also attacked the same day the Japanese army landed at Kota Bharu. We went to look for relics and dug up a few, which part of the Mysore (Indian State Force) troops guarding the airfield in 1941.

Regards

Zaf
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D ring hook for Bren gun ammunition pouch
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matthew hainer
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#42

Post by matthew hainer » 31 Mar 2011, 23:04

Is this a acurate depiction of the British defense of the Kota Bharu area.

http://www.oocities.org/dutcheastindies/kota_bharu.jpg

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Peter H
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#43

Post by Peter H » 02 Jun 2011, 11:07

On ebay recently,cannot remember seller.

Kota Bharu landing---under the wire
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#44

Post by OpanaPointer » 02 Jun 2011, 11:14

Peter H wrote:Sequence of events,Japanese time,7 December 1941.

From The Other Nuremberg,Arnold C.Brackman,1989.

0045 Japanese seize Shanghai International Settlement without firing a shot
0140 Kota Bharu : first shots fired
0305 Singora,Patani landings in Thailand
0320 Pearl Harbor
0520 British gunboat Peterel sunk off Shanghai
0610 Singapore air attack
0805 Guam attacked
0900 Hong Kong attacked
1140 Imperial rescript declaring war.
Plate No 1-1.jpg
Plate No 1-2.jpg
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Zaf1
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Re: 70 Minutes Before Pearl Harbor: Kota Bharu 1941

#45

Post by Zaf1 » 02 Jun 2011, 14:51

Thanks for the photo Peter,

The barbed wire in the picture is a bit smaller than the actual wires. The British made a double-apron barbed wire on the beach at Kota Bharu

The double-apron barbed wires:

http://pillboxes-suffolk.webeden.co.uk/ ... 4537170353

Thanks for the Imperial Rescript OpanaPointer

Regards

Zaf

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