Operation Jurist referred to the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
recapture of
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
following
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's
surrender
Surrender may refer to:
* Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy
* Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power
Film and television
* ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...
in 1945.
Jurist was launched as part of
Operation Zipper, the overall
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
plan to liberate
Malaya, including
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
.
While a larger
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
fleet sailed on to Singapore through the
Malacca Strait
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, conne ...
under
Operation Tiderace
Operation Tiderace was the codename of the British plan to retake Singapore following the Surrender of Japan, Japanese surrender in 1945. The liberation force was led by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Comman ...
, a detachment of
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
warships, led by
Vice Admiral Harold Walker, moved towards
Penang Island
Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...
, arriving off the island on 28 August 1945. The Japanese garrison in Penang surrendered on 2 September and a party of
Royal Marine
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
commandos landed on Penang Island the following day, thus returning Penang to British rule.
Consequently, Penang became the first state in Malaya to be liberated by the British; Singapore would only be formally surrendered to the British on 12 September, while the rest of Malaya was subsequently liberated in the following weeks.
Background
During the final phases of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the
Soviet Union launched an invasion of Manchuria, while the
Americans were also planning a massive invasion of Japan itself. Concurrently, the British-led
Southeast Asia Command, fresh from their success in
reconquering Burma from Japanese hands, drew up plans to recapture
Japanese-held Malaya, codenamed
Operation Zipper.
The original plans had called for an amphibious assault on the western coast of Malaya by over 100,000
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
infantry, equivalent to two
divisions and a
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
, to capture
Port Swettenham
Port Klang ( ms, Pelabuhan Klang) is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham ( ms, Pelabuhan Swettenham) but renamed Port Klang in July 1972, it is the largest port in the country. It is l ...
in Selangor and
Port Dickson
Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Podeksen'', Jawi: ) is a beach resort in Port Dickson District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It is the second largest urban area in Negeri Sembilan after Seremban, its state capital. The town's admin ...
in
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...
. Once the beachhead was secured and reinforced, two separate thrusts were to be accomplished—
Operation Mailfist
__NOTOC__
Operation Mailfist was a planned Allied offensive to liberate Singapore from Japanese occupation during World War II. It was intended to follow on from the landing in Malaya, Operation Zipper, and take place between December 1945 and Marc ...
southwards to
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and Operation Broadsword north towards
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
. The British had expected to commence Operation Zipper on 9 September 1945 and Operation Mailfist in December 1945, concluding in the liberation of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
by March 1946.
The Americans opposed the British plans of reconquering Malaya on the grounds that such a campaign would divert a considerable amount of shipping and other resources from their planned invasion of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, Operation Downfall. However, the
British government
ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd
, image = HM Government logo.svg
, image_size = 220px
, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
, image_size2 = 180px
, caption = Royal Arms
, date_es ...
believed that it was necessary to liberate Singapore as soon as possible on both military and political grounds.
However, the sudden
surrender of Japan
The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
in the face of Soviet conquests in Manchuria and Sakhalin Islands, and the
American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forestalled all the plans.
Operation Zipper, therefore, had to be reduced in scale; while the bulk of the Allied forces would be allocated for the liberation of Singapore under
Operation Tiderace
Operation Tiderace was the codename of the British plan to retake Singapore following the Surrender of Japan, Japanese surrender in 1945. The liberation force was led by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Comman ...
, a detachment of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
fleet and the accompanying
Royal Marine
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
commandos were tasked with the liberation of Penang instead, codenamed Operation Jurist. The liberation of Penang, which was to be carried out prior to Operation Tiderace, was intended to test Japanese intentions; up to that point, it was still unclear whether the
Japanese forces in Malaya would surrender or continue resisting the Allies.
Order of battle
British
The Royal Navy's Task Force 11 allocated to Operation Jurist consisted of the following ships.
File:HMS Nelson off Spithead for the Fleet Review.jpg, served as the flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
's Task Force 11
File:HMS Petard 1943 IWM A 21715.jpg, Royal Navy destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
Vice Admiral Harold Walker, with his
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
HMS ''Nelson'', was appointed the commander of the detachment.
In addition, Royal Marine commandos of the
3rd Brigade formed the ground forces for Operation Jurist.
Japanese
Air strength in both Malaya and
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
was estimated to be a little more than 170 aircraft.
The Japanese Seventh Area Army, which was responsible for the defence of Malaya (including Singapore) and
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
, included about 26,000 soldiers stationed in Malaya. Meanwhile, the port facilities in
George Town, which had been used by the submarine fleets of the
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
navies, were by then heavily damaged by the repeated
Allied aerial bombardment of the city.
[Thursday, 11 January 1945 - HQ AAF](_blank)
retrieved 8 August 2016 The
Penang Strait
The Penang Strait is an 11 kilometre-wide strait that separates Penang Island from mainland Malay Peninsula. Penang Island is to the west of the channel, while Seberang Perai, the mainland half of the State of Penang, is to the east. The norther ...
was also mined to impede Japanese merchant shipping passing through Penang.
File:The Surrendering of Penang (5316021050).jpg, Rear Admiral Jisaku Uozomi (second from right) discussing the surrender of Penang with Vice Admiral Harold Walker aboard HMS ''Nelson''
File:Japanese Surrender Party Boarding HMS Nelson (5316037412).jpg, The Japanese surrender delegation boarding HMS ''Nelson'' on 2 September 1945.
Liberation of Penang
The Royal Navy's Task Force 11, carrying the Royal Marine commandos, departed
Rangoon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
,
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
on 27 August 1945. The task force arrived off Penang Island on 28 August, met by a small fishing boat with Japanese officers on board.
Initially, the Japanese officers in Penang prevaricated.
Japan's surrender had taken the Japanese high command in Singapore by surprise, with many among them unwilling to surrender and vowing to fight to the death. However, Field Marshal Count
Terauchi, the commander of all Japanese forces in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
, then ordered Japanese soldiers and servicemen in the region to lay down their arms. Things came to a head when an impatient Vice Admiral Walker issued an ultimatum for the Japanese officers stationed in Penang to sign the surrender documents on his flagship by the morning of 3 September.
Eventually, the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
Rear Admiral Jisaku Uozomi, accompanied by his officers and the Japanese
Governor of Penang
The governor of Penang ( ms, Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pulau Pinang) is the head of state of the Malaysian state of Penang. The role of governor is largely ceremonial with the power vested in the executive branch of the state government led by the ...
at the time,
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Shinohara Seiichiro, boarded HMS ''Nelson'' on the evening on 2 September.
Inside the battleship, Vice Admiral Harold Walker, Rear Admiral Uozomi and Lieutenant General Seiichiro signed the surrender of the Japanese garrison stationed in Penang. Soon afterwards, Rear Admiral Uozomi reportedly fainted and was rushed to hospital.
In the morning of 3 September, a party of Royal Marine commandos landed at
Weld Quay in George Town. After raising the
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
, the Royal Marines, led by a local band, marched to the
Eastern & Oriental Hotel
The Eastern & Oriental Hotel (popularly known as ''E&O Hotel'') is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in George Town, Penang, Malaysia that was established in 1885 by the Sarkies Brothers. The sea-fronting hotel is known for its luxurious ac ...
, where representatives of the Asian communities in Penang were waiting to formally hand back the city's administration to the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
The Royal Marine detachment then spread out across George Town, encountering no resistance. Subsequent Royal Marine landing parties then took over the important military facilities on Penang Island, including the
Bayan Lepas Airport and a seaplane base at
Gelugor
Gelugor is a southern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, between Jelutong and Sungai Dua, and nearly south of the city centre.
Gelugor had been ...
. The British commandos also confiscated Japanese military vehicles and marched the Japanese
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
through the streets of George Town; the captured Japanese soldiers then surrendered their firearms before boarding the
ferries
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...
to mainland
Malay Peninsula, which at that point was still under Japanese jurisdiction.
By the end of the day, with the island's police force under British control, George Town became the first city in
Malaya to be recaptured by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
However, hunger riots broke out across Penang Island, as years of brutal Japanese occupation took their toll on the depleted food supplies.
File:Royal Marines Parade in Penang (5316034010).jpg, Royal Marine commandos on confiscated Japanese vehicles in George Town on 3 September 1945
File:Reoccupation of Penang (5315445771).jpg, Japanese prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
being marched through the streets of George Town on 3 September 1945
File:The Surrender of Penang (5315432815).jpg, A Royal Navy officer inspecting the Japanese soldiers at the seaplane base at Gelugor
Gelugor is a southern suburb of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. Named after a plant species, Gelugor lies along the eastern seaboard of Penang Island, between Jelutong and Sungai Dua, and nearly south of the city centre.
Gelugor had been ...
Aftermath
Penang became the first state in Malaya to be liberated by the British from Japanese rule. Over the following weeks, the rest of Malaya was gradually liberated as well. Under Operation Tiderace, the larger British and
French naval force arrived off Singapore on 4 September, formally accepting the official Japanese surrender of the island on 12 September.
On 9 September, another component of Operation Zipper commenced when an amphibious assault was launched at
Morib
Morib is a mukim in Kuala Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia, under the administration of Zone 18 of Kuala Langat Municipal Council. Morib Beach is a quiet seaside tourist attraction. It was one of the first landing points on the west coast ...
,
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
.
British troops also reached
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
on 12 September, where the 6,000 strong Japanese garrison surrendered on the next day.
On the other hand, the British were slow at reestablishing control over all of Malaya; for instance, British forces would not reach the eastern state of
Pahang
Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
for another three weeks. This allowed a growing communist insurgency to take over a number of smaller towns throughout Malaya. It was only much later in 1945 when the
Malayan Communist Party
The Malayan Communist Party (MCP), officially the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), was a Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist communist party which was active in British Malaya and later, the modern states of Malaysia and Singapore from ...
's armed wing, the
Malayan Peoples' Anti Japanese Army (MPAJA), agreed to surrender their weapons.
To restore order and curb the communists, all of Malaya was placed under
British Military Administration beginning 12 September. British military rule would only end on 1 April 1946, whereupon it was replaced by the
Malayan Union
The Malayan Union was a union of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government to simplify administratio ...
. Concurrently on 1 April 1946, the
Straits Settlements was dissolved, and the now separate
British crown colonies of
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
and
Malacca
Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...
became part of the Malayan Union.
References
{{coord missing, Malaysia
Jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...
Military history of Malaya during World War II
Jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...
Jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...
1940s in British Malaya
British Malaya in World War II
Military history of the British Empire and Commonwealth in World War II
South-East Asian theatre of World War II
South West Pacific theatre of World War II