Topic summary
Malayan Volunteer Army
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Defenders of the Homeland.
Malayan Volunteer Army
By April 1944, a Malayan Defenders of the Homeland Association (Ikatan Pembela Tanah Ayer Malaya), formally the Malayan Volunteer Army (Japanese: マライ義勇軍, romanized: Marai Giyūgun), was stationed in Johor Bahru in Japanese-occupied Malaya. It was staffed by some 2,000 Malays and Indians and modeled on the organization of the Indonesian PETA, intending to create a local pro-Japanese reserve force for the defense of Malaya and Singapore. It was reinforced by the part-time Malayan Volunteer Corps (Japanese: マライ義勇隊, romanized: Marai Giyūtai) and recruitment of local Heiho started in January 1945.