18th Div at Singapore

[Hanny]

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DuA ... re&f=false

"British 18th Division was somewhat hampered by a lack of jungle training and the personnel were unacclimatized to Malaya's weather."


18th arrived in cape town on 9th Dec, temperature in Cape town 17 to 27, received tropical kit and began acclimatisation, ordered on the 12th to Bombay for duty in Singapore, they set sail on the 14th. Arrived Bombay 27th Dec. Temperature in Bombay 18 to 32, Started route marches and finished acclimatisation for tropical region. Depart Bombay for Singapore Jan 19th arrive Singapore 29th.Temperature Singapore 24 to 30.

Total time period from 9th dec to 29th Jan, 51 days, days at sea 23. Days on land 28. Time spent in tropical region, 51 days, time required by war office for full acclimatisation, 21. 14 more days in Singapore before contact with Japs.

Royal Army Medical Corps 1939 gives 3 weeks full acclimatisation and 1 week for limited duty, if in transit on ship, 10 mins sunbathing on deck for day 1 rising by 10 mins per day, or 90 mins rising to 2 hours pt on deck was the Army regulations for acclimatisation, as set forth in War Office Manual, Service in hot climates. 18th followed those regulations so was it acclimatised for duty in Singapore, or have i missed something?

[Richard Anderson]

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DuA ... re&f=false

"British 18th Division was somewhat hampered by a lack of jungle training and the personnel were unacclimatized to Malaya's weather."


18th arrived in cape town on 9th Dec, temperature in Cape town 17 to 27, received tropical kit and began acclimatisation, ordered on the 12th to Bombay for duty in Singapore, they set sail on the 14th. Arrived Bombay 27th Dec. Temperature in Bombay 18 to 32, Started route marches and finished acclimatisation for tropical region. Depart Bombay for Singapore Jan 19th arrive Singapore 29th.Temperature Singapore 24 to 30.

Total time period from 9th dec to 29th Jan, 51 days, days at sea 23. Days on land 28. Time spent in tropical region, 51 days, time required by war office for full acclimatisation, 21. 14 more days in Singapore before contact with Japs.

Royal Army Medical Corps 1939 gives 3 weeks full acclimatisation and 1 week for limited duty, if in transit on ship, 10 mins sunbathing on deck for day 1 rising by 10 mins per day, or 90 mins rising to 2 hours pt on deck was the Army regulations for acclimatisation, as set forth in War Office Manual, Service in hot climates. 18th followed those regulations so was it acclimatised for duty in Singapore, or have i missed something?

They were originally in route to Suez for service in the Middle East...so were anticipating a dry heat.

[Hanny]

They were originally in route to Suez for service in the Middle East...so were anticipating a dry heat.

Dec is Winter season in Suez, so wrong deodorants ...anywho...im sure the Japs found a 500 mile march through the Malayan jungle, crossing major rivers etc, a tad more hampering. Smacks of an ex post facto excuse for a poor showing to me.

[aghart]

On paper it all sounds fine, reality tends to be different. I think the real problem is that 18th Division were in the wrong place on Singapore Island. Acclimatisation at that point I don't think was a major factor. Most of 18th Division saw very little (and in some cases "no") action on Singapore Island. Where they did see action, they generally held their ground and kept their shape. 53 Bde did not shine in Johore, that though was more to do with lack of physical fitness due to the sea voyage, going straight into a totally alien environment, and the mental unpreparedness for that environment.

Back to acclimatisation? India and Malaya are totally different, Indian troops had to get used to Malaya and the Argyll's arrived in Malaya from India and they too had to adapt. There is more to it than just getting used to the the tempreture, so counting days on the calender spent in the tropics is not good way of assessing acclimatisation.

[Hanny]

On paper it all sounds fine, reality tends to be different.

Nope reality is that cardio vascular training and better medical understanding have reduced todays in Theatre acclimatisation to under half the 1939 time period, ( that amount of time in UK had not changed sine the army took its own mounts to Hot climates and also rweflected equine tranistion tom hot climates and was no longer relavent) manuals used, and cardio vascular over strength training pre deployment aids in prep. UK uses 8 days in theatre plus prep for service in tropics.

https://www.army.mil/article/164641/tra ... nd_fiction


Fact: Acclimatization to the heat is extremely important and represents what might be the most important thing Soldiers and leaders can do to prepare. Acclimatization results from moderate exercise in the heat; and while full acclimatization may take up to two weeks of two hours per day of exposure, most of the changes occur within the first five to seven days. Heat acclimatization causes body core temperature to be lower at rest and at a given exercise intensity. Sweating starts sooner and reaches a higher rate, so evaporative heat loss is increased. While acclimatization causes sweat to become more dilute (less salty), the increased sweat rate will increase fluid replacement needs. Unit leaders should plan time for Soldiers to heat acclimatize before engaging in higher-intensity activities.

I think the real problem is that 18th Division were in the wrong place on Singapore Island. Acclimatisation at that point I don't think was a major factor. Most of 18th Division saw very little (and in some cases "no") action on Singapore Island. Where they did see action, they generally held their ground and kept their shape. 53 Bde did not shine in Johore, that though was more to do with lack of physical fitness due to the sea voyage, going straight into a totally alien environment, and the mental unpreparedness for that environment.

I agree it was poorly deployed, thats a command failure. I would go further in that it ought to have gone to Rangoon not Singapore, as the outcome in singapore was already determined and all the Div achieved was to go into captivity. That imo, was also Governmnt political failure.

Back to acclimatisation? India and Malaya are totally different, Indian troops had to get used to Malaya and the Argyll's arrived in Malaya from India and they too had to adapt. There is more to it than just getting used to the the tempreture, so counting days on the calender spent in the tropics is not good way of assessing acclimatisation.

But it is the way the worlds medical community advise the worlds military and athletes to do it now, and did it in the past. they juist allowed much longer for it back in WW2. The Complete U.S. Army Survival Guide to Tropical, Desert, Cold Weather ...
By Department of the Army
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AGO ... my&f=false

https://ksi.uconn.edu/prevention/heat-acclimatization/#

https://www.nata.org/practice-patient-c ... matization

Heat acclimation is a broad term that can be loosely defined as a complex series of changes or adaptations that occur in response to heat stress in a controlled environment over the course of 7 to 14 days