Far East Campaign

The Far East Campaign was the theatre of the the Pacific War of World War II encompassing the fighting in the British Empire's Asian colonies when they were attacked by the Japanese. (AUDIO: The Forsaken)

History
At war with China since July 1937, (PROSE: The Shadow of Weng-Chiang) Japan sought to expand its empire over the rest of the Asian continent (PROSE: Warlords of Utopia) and establish the Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. (PROSE: The Face of the Enemy) This ambition precipitated the attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, (PROSE: Only Connect) the subsequent conquest of the Philippines (PROSE: Happily Ever After Is a High-Risk Strategy) and many other islands throughout the Pacific Ocean. (COMIC: Lunar Lagoon, PROSE: Endgame)

In the second week of February 1942, the Japanese turned their attention on the British Empire and invaded its colonies in the Far East, fighting the British Army for control of Singapore. Outmatched, the Allied leaders organised a hurried evacuation of soldiers and civilians by sea. (AUDIO: The Forsaken)

Prem and Kunal, two Hindu brothers from India stationed in Singapore at the time of the Japanese invasion, were part of a section who found a boat on which to escape. Kunal was killed before he had a chance to join the others. His death was witnessed by the Thijarians. (TV: Demons of the Punjab)

Some Japanese forces were diverted from the main assault to capture the island of Kenga. Japanese scouting parties and air raids by the Imperial Army Air Fleet harassed the British during the week following the start of the invasion. Captain Clive Freeman and his men, including Corporal Gibbs and Privates Lawson and James Jackson, encountered one of the many ambushes set up by the Japanese in the jungle as they awaited the chance to evacuate. Freeman was killed but his form was taken by the Forsaken, which infiltrated the party to feed on the fear of the other British soldiers and civilians waiting to escape the island. The Forsaken was defeated by the Second Doctor who caused it to feed on its own fear. Soon afterwards, the survivors were able to escape Kenga when another boat arrived to aid in the evacuation.

The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the fall of Singapore "the largest capitulation in British military history." (AUDIO: The Forsaken)

Fighting spread into Siam where Indian soldiers saw further engagement. (TV: Demons of the Punjab) Action also took place in the jungles of Burma (PROSE: Just War) where Major-General Scobie took part in numerous excursions. (PROSE: The Scales of Injustice)

After the surrender of Nazi Germany on 8 May 1945, Churchill urged his generals to commit more forces now freed from the fighting in Europe to the Far East. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshall Alan Brooke, urged Churchill to let the British people rest and enjoy the newly-won peace for at least a day, arguing the Americans and Australians were already winning against the Japanese in the Pacific. (AUDIO: Churchill Victorious) Churchill's stance partly contributed to his defeat in the general election. (AUDIO: Subterfuge)

Japan surrendered on 2 September 1945 after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans. (COMIC: Sky Jacks)