Reasons for the success of the Japanese and the defeat of the british.

The Japanese planed their movement thoroughly. They capitalized on the weaknesses of the British, and seized British ammunition supplies and military maps.

The british underestimated the Japanese. They believed that the jungles of Malaya formed a natural barrier and that the Japanese would have difficulty moving through jungles. The wrongly believed Singapore was an impregnable fortress. They thought they were adequately prepared as they had set up their naval base at the northern part of Singapore facing Johor Straits, established military airfields in Tengah and Sembawang, placed guns in positions they believed would defend Singapore and built underground bunkers in Labrador, Fort canning and Sembawang.