Beyond Yamashita and Percival

Beyond Yamashita and Percival PDF Author: Shaari Isa
Publisher: Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books
ISBN: 9674608265
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
This novel is set against the background of the Malay Peninsula and Singapore during the Second World years of 1941 to 1945. As implied from the title, is is not merely a story about two generals, Yamashita and Percival, but also the effect of their decisions upon the lives of people who were caught in the war the British residents and the locals of diverse cultures. The novel focuses on the theme of love and war. It discusses the frailties of human emotion that led to both. It portrays the lives of the various societies there at the time before, during and after the outbreak of the war: first the British, the elite society during the colonial years with their comfortable life, quite ignorant of Japanese clandestine activities, which were to have such a profound effect on their lives soon after. Amidst all these the novel also portrays the love, illicit and otherwise that inevitably grew out the events related to the war. In addition, the novel also looks at other parts of the social environment, at the effects of the war on the local population: the Malays who saw the war as an opportunity to prepare themselves towards self-government and independence; the Chinese who looked upon the Japanese as their bitter enemies for invading their homeland, China, and who must opposed at all costs; the Indians who were indifferent to all events around them; their main concern being to earn just enough for themselves and for their families back home in India. This is a novel dominated by historical facts related to the war period interlaced with fictional events related to the life and the loves of the fictional characters during the war. It carries a message about the meaninglessness of war; that pride of the victor is just temporary and trivial but the human suffering caused by the war is unfathomable and simply unforgivable. Shaari Isa has equal love for academic and creative writings. He began his career as a teacher and subsequently became a professional accountant and a university lecturer. His writings reflects his deep concern for social order, clear thinking and human happiness. He lives in Kuala Lumpur.

Beyond Yamashita and Percival

Beyond Yamashita and Percival PDF Author: Shaari Isa
Publisher: Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books
ISBN: 9674608265
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Get Book

Book Description
This novel is set against the background of the Malay Peninsula and Singapore during the Second World years of 1941 to 1945. As implied from the title, is is not merely a story about two generals, Yamashita and Percival, but also the effect of their decisions upon the lives of people who were caught in the war the British residents and the locals of diverse cultures. The novel focuses on the theme of love and war. It discusses the frailties of human emotion that led to both. It portrays the lives of the various societies there at the time before, during and after the outbreak of the war: first the British, the elite society during the colonial years with their comfortable life, quite ignorant of Japanese clandestine activities, which were to have such a profound effect on their lives soon after. Amidst all these the novel also portrays the love, illicit and otherwise that inevitably grew out the events related to the war. In addition, the novel also looks at other parts of the social environment, at the effects of the war on the local population: the Malays who saw the war as an opportunity to prepare themselves towards self-government and independence; the Chinese who looked upon the Japanese as their bitter enemies for invading their homeland, China, and who must opposed at all costs; the Indians who were indifferent to all events around them; their main concern being to earn just enough for themselves and for their families back home in India. This is a novel dominated by historical facts related to the war period interlaced with fictional events related to the life and the loves of the fictional characters during the war. It carries a message about the meaninglessness of war; that pride of the victor is just temporary and trivial but the human suffering caused by the war is unfathomable and simply unforgivable. Shaari Isa has equal love for academic and creative writings. He began his career as a teacher and subsequently became a professional accountant and a university lecturer. His writings reflects his deep concern for social order, clear thinking and human happiness. He lives in Kuala Lumpur.

Beyond Fear

Beyond Fear PDF Author: Ian Cardozo
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
ISBN: 9357082336
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
A story from a third-generation soldier of the 1st Battalion, the 5th Gorkha Rifles (FF) who was killed in combat. A ghost story narrated to the author by an officer of the Garhwal Rifles while on a visit to Lansdowne. A gripping account of the air raid on Pakistan's airfield at Sargodha in 1965 led by Wing Commander O.P. Taneja, VrC. These are some of the stories featured in Major General Ian Cardozo's book Beyond Fear, stories that inform the reader that fear is not exceptional. It is common to all human beings. The question is: Do we face fear or run away from it? Through these thirteen stories, he reveals to the reader how military personnel conquer fear. He calls it 'biting the bullet'. Through the twists and turns of his stories, he brings out how honour, love, courage, trust, hope, faith and loyalty help the soldier in his quest to conquer fear and that these very qualities can help the reader deal with fear in their everyday lives. These stories also show that real life can sometimes be stranger than fiction.

The Fall of Malaya and Singapore

The Fall of Malaya and Singapore PDF Author: Jon Diamond
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473845580
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
In just 10 weeks from 8 December 1941 to mid February 1942, British and Imperial forces were utterly defeated by the numerically inferior Japanese under General Yamashita. British units fought hard on the Malayan mainland but the Japanese showed greater mobility, cunning and tactical superiority. Morale was badly affected by the loss of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse to Japanese aircraft on 19 December as they sought out enemy shipping. Panic set in as military and civilians withdrew south to Singapore. Thought to be an impregnable fortress, its defences against land attacks were shockingly deficient. General Percival's leadership was at best uninspired and at worst incompetent. Once the Allied troops withdrew to Singapore it was only a matter of time before surrender became inevitable. To make matters worse reinforcements arrived but only in time to be made POWs. The whole catastrophe is brilliantly described in this highly illustrated book.

Jalan Singapura: 700 Years of Movement in Singapore

Jalan Singapura: 700 Years of Movement in Singapore PDF Author: Eisen Teo
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd
ISBN: 9814828742
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 676

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Book Description
Eisen Teo is a senior history researcher and docent with a Singapore-based heritage consultancy. He graduated with a first class honours in History from the National University of Singapore. He spends his free time researching on Singapore history, transport, and urban issues, and exploring the concrete jungle that is Singapore

The Library of Congress World War II Companion

The Library of Congress World War II Companion PDF Author: David M. Kennedy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416553061
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1017

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Book Description
An indispensable reference on World War II produced by the Library of Congress and edited by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David M. Kennedy. With hundreds of illustrations and quotations from contemporary documents, this will be the most authoritative popular reference on World War II. The noted historian John Keegan called World War II "the largest single event in human history." More than sixty years after it ended, that war continues to shape our world. Going far beyond accounts of the major battles, The Library of Congress World War II Companion examines, in a unique and engaging manner, this devastating conflict, its causes, conduct, and aftermath. It considers the politics that shaped the involvement of the major combatants; military leadership and the characteristics of major Allied and Axis armed services; the weaponry that resulted in the war's unprecedented destruction, as well as debates over the use of these weapons; the roles of resistance groups and underground fighters; war crimes; daily life during wartime; the uses of propaganda; and much more. Drawn from the unparalleled collections of the institution that has been called "America's Memory," The Library of Congress World War II Companion includes excerpts from contemporary letters, journals, pamphlets, and other documents, as well as first-person accounts recorded by the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The text is complemented by more than 150 illustrations. Organized into topical chapters (such as "The Media War," "War Crimes and the Holocaust," and two chapters on "Military Operations" that cover the important battles), the book also include readers to navigate through the rich store of information in these pages. Filled with facts and figures, information about unusual aspects of the war, and moving personal accounts, this remarkable volume will be indispensable to anyone who wishes to understand the World War II era and its continuing reverberations.

Singapore Burning

Singapore Burning PDF Author: Colin Smith
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141906626
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 969

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Book Description
Churchill's description of the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, after Lt-Gen Percival's surrender led to over 100,000 British, Australian and Indian troops falling into the hands of the Japanese, was no wartime exaggeration. The Japanese had promised that there would be no Dunkirk in Singapore, and its fall led to imprisonment, torture and death for thousands of allied men and women. With much new material from British, Australian, Indian and Japanese sources, Colin Smith has woven together the full and terrifying story of the fall of Singapore and its aftermath. Here, alongside cowardice and incompetence, are forgotten acts of enormous heroism; treachery yet heart-rending loyalty; Japanese compassion as well as brutality from the bravest and most capricious enemy the British ever had to face.

Between Two Oceans

Between Two Oceans PDF Author: Malcolm H. Murfett
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
Drawing on a range of archaeological and historical sources gleaned from research in Britain, India, Singapore, the USA and Canada, this book traces the geo-strategic development of Singapore from its first settlement in the 13th centry, through the turbulent phases of the Early Modern period, to the dramatic military events that have been such a distinctive feature of the 20th century.

The 100 Worst Military Disasters in History

The 100 Worst Military Disasters in History PDF Author: John T. Kuehn
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
The 100 Worst Military Disasters in History is a fascinating collection that educators, students, and historians will all find useful in helping them understand the causes and consequences of the most infamous military failures in history. The dynamics of military disaster are equally, if not more, important as understanding how to achieve success on the battlefield. This comprehensive book covers the complete gamut of human history as it tells the compelling stories of the worst military debacles of all time. It covers battles, campaigns, and wars, starting with the ancient Persians and Greeks and finishing with the U.S. conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not limited to land warfare, however, the book also includes a number of the most disastrous naval engagements and campaigns in world history. The 100 Worst Military Disasters in History opens with a detailed introduction illuminating the role military strategy and politics played in some of the worst battlefield failures throughout history. The entries are augmented with several engaging sidebars related to various military disasters. This eclectic collection includes coverage of many lesser known military disasters such as the Taiping Rebellion, during which 20 times more Chinese died than the number of people killed in the American Civil War.

Beyond a Boundary

Beyond a Boundary PDF Author: Cyril Lionel Robert James
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822313830
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
In C. L. R. James's classic Beyond a Boundary, the sport is cricket and the scene is the colonial West Indies. Always eloquent and provocative, James--the "black Plato," (as coined by the London Times)--shows us how, in the rituals of performance and conflict on the field, we are watching not just prowess but politics and psychology at play. Part memoir of a boyhood in a black colony (by one of the founding fathers of African nationalism), part passionate celebration of an unusual and unexpected game, Beyond a Boundary raises, in a warm and witty voice, serious questions about race, class, politics, and the facts of colonial oppression. Originally published in England in 1963 and in the United States twenty years later (Pantheon, 1983), this second American edition brings back into print this prophetic statement on race and sport in society.

The Defence and Fall of Singapore

The Defence and Fall of Singapore PDF Author: Brian Farrell
Publisher: Monsoon Books
ISBN: 9814423890
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 592

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Book Description
Shortly after midnight on 8 December 1941, two divisions of crack troops of the Imperial Japanese Army began a seaborne invasion of southern Thailand and northern Malaya. Their assault developed into a full-blown advance towards Singapore, the main defensive position of the British Empire in the Far East. The defending British, Indian, Australian and Malayan forces were outmanoeuvred on the ground, overwhelmed in the air and scattered on the sea. By the end of January 1942, British Empire forces were driven back onto the island of Singapore Itself, cut off from further outside help. When the Japanese stormed the island with an an-out assault, the defenders were quickly pushed back into a corner from which there was no escape. Singapore’s defenders finally capitulated on 15 February, to prevent the wholesale pillage of the city itself. Their rapid and total defeat was nothing less than military humiliation and political disaster. Based on the most extensive use yet of primary documents in Britain, Japan, Australia and Singapore, Brian Farrell provides the fullest picture of how and why Singapore fell and its real significance to the outcome of the Second World War.