|
The Battle of Christmas Island was a small engagement which began on 31 March 1942, during World War II. Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers against their British officers, Japanese troops were able to occupy Christmas Island without any resistance. However, the American submarine caused severe damage to the Japanese cruiser . ==Background== At the time, Christmas Island was a British possession under administrative control of the Straits Settlement, situated south of Java. It was important for two reasons: it was a perfect control post for the east Indian Ocean and it was an important source of phosphates,〔 which were needed by Japanese industry. After the occupation of Java, Japanese Imperial General Headquarters issued orders for "Operation X" (the Invasion and Occupation of Christmas Island) on 14 March 1942.〔 Rear Admiral Shōji Nishimura was assigned to command the Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet's Occupation Force, with the light cruiser as his flagship. The fleet also consisted of the light cruisers and , and destroyers , , , , , , and , oiler ''Akebono Maru'' and transports ''Kimishima Maru'' and ''Kumagawa Maru'', with 850 men of the 21st and 24th Special Base Forces and the 102nd Construction Unit. Opposing this invasion force was a gun that had been built in 1900 and had been mounted on Christmas Island in 1940. The British garrison—a detachment of the Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery—numbered 32 troops. They were led by a British officer, Captain L.W.T. Williams. Williams' force consisted of an Indian officer - Subadar Muzaffar Khan, 27 Punjabi Indian gunners and NCOs, and four British NCOs.〔(A Tale of Two Mutinies )〕 A group of Punjabi troops, apparently believing Japanese propaganda concerning the liberation of India from British rule, and probably acting with the tacit support of some or all of the local Sikh police officers, mutinied. They shot and killed Williams and the four British NCOs and tossed their bodies into the sea.〔 They then locked up the District Officer and the few other European inhabitants of the island pending an execution that apparently was thwarted by the Japanese occupation.〔〔Woodmore, ''Christmas Island Explorer's Guide''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Christmas Island」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|