__NOTOC__ Operation Mailfist was a planned Allied offensive to liberate

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

from Japanese occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was intended to follow on from the landing in Malaya,

Operation Zipper During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya, as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore in Operation Mailfist. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it ...

, and take place between December 1945 and March 1946. However, it was not conducted as Japan surrendered shortly before Operation Zipper was to have been launched. Instead, Singapore was re-occupied in the unopposed

Operation Tiderace Operation Tiderace was the codename of the British plan to retake Singapore following the Japanese surrender in 1945. The liberation force was led by Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Command. Tiderace was ...

History

During early 1945 the Allied

South East Asia Command South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during the Second World War. History Organisation The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir ...

developed plans for the liberation of the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, which had been captured by Japanese forces during the

Malayan Campaign The Malayan campaign, referred to by Japanese sources as the , was a military campaign fought by Allies of World War II, Allied and Axis powers, Axis forces in British Malaya, Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 15 February 1942 during the World War ...

and

Battle of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

between December 1941 and February 1942. The plans called for a landing in October 1945 designated Operation Zipper near the towns of Port Swettenham and

Port Dickson Port Dickson (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ), colloquially referred to as PD, is a beach resort in Port Dickson District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. It is the second largest urban area in the state after Seremban, the state capital. The town's admi ...

in north-west Malaya by two divisions and a brigade. Operation Mailfist was to be conducted once the lodgement was secure, using an additional two divisions and another brigade which were to be landed as soon as possible after the Operation Zipper units. This force would then advance south through Malaya and re-take Singapore. As Singapore was heavily protected, the forces scheduled to reinforce the British East Indies Fleet in late 1945 included the

monitors Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

and which would have bombarded the island with their powerful guns. It was expected that Operation Mailfist would commence in December 1945 and conclude in March 1946. An offensive to re-take northern Malaya, designated Operation Broadsword, was to be conducted at the same time as the advance towards Singapore. The United States government opposed conducting military operations to liberate Malaya and Singapore on the grounds that the shipping and other resources used in the campaign would reduce those available for the planned invasion of Japan,

Operation Downfall Operation Downfall was the proposed Allied plan for the invasion of the Japanese home islands near the end of World War II. The planned operation was canceled when Japan surrendered following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ...

. However, the British government believed that it was necessary to liberate Singapore as early as possible on both military and political grounds. Following the Japanese surrender

was scaled down and brought forward, and was conducted in early September 1945 in order to rapidly liberate Malaya. Operation Mailfist was not conducted. Instead, it was replaced with

during which an Allied fleet transported troops directly to Singapore and re-occupied the city in early September without encountering any opposition.

References

Citations

Works consulted

* * * * * * {{cite book, last1=Warren, first1=Alan, title=Britain's Greatest Defeat : Singapore 1942, date=2006, publisher=Hambledon/Continuum, location=London, isbn=1852855975, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zosKzAoocu8C&q=%22Operation+Mailfist%22&pg=PA297 Mailfist Mailfist Mailfist Mailfist Mailfist Mailfist