Singapore Burning: Heroism and Surrender in World War II
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Product Description
Sunday Times
'Smith succeeds brilliantly in weaving hundreds of individual stories into a coherent whole'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Daily Telegraph May 21,2005
...beautifully told, shrewd and fair in its judgments and on occasions wryly funny...the definitie book on this extraordinary drama
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Colin Smith has produced an excellent, extremely readable account of what Churchill described as ' the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British History'. Always interesting, beautifully written, with, at its core, a compelling narrative based on individual, first-hand accounts of the impact on 'ordinary' (though many are most extra-ordinary) people, this book is hard to put down.
As regards the behaviour of the Japanese, once again we are left struggling to understand how an enemy, often courageous in the extreme, could also display such heartless cruelty towards those captured. In the Author's own words, 'perhaps even the Japanese do not know the answer to this'.
Although the book does contain a significant amount of 'behind the scenes' detail related both to contemporary political machinations and to military strategy, the account is never boring, and is always enlivened by frequent reference to the relevance of such data to subsequent events in Singapore. This is, in essence, the compelling story of a unique period in our Colonial history, and of the individual men and women involved. The tale is all the more remarkable when one considers that these events took place a mere 63 years ago. A superb read.
As regards the behaviour of the Japanese, once again we are left struggling to understand how an enemy, often courageous in the extreme, could also display such heartless cruelty towards those captured. In the Author's own words, 'perhaps even the Japanese do not know the answer to this'.
Although the book does contain a significant amount of 'behind the scenes' detail related both to contemporary political machinations and to military strategy, the account is never boring, and is always enlivened by frequent reference to the relevance of such data to subsequent events in Singapore. This is, in essence, the compelling story of a unique period in our Colonial history, and of the individual men and women involved. The tale is all the more remarkable when one considers that these events took place a mere 63 years ago. A superb read.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is so much more than military history. Smith has established a style of bringing individual players to life - brave and cowardly, brilliant and incompetent, or just plain ordinary - while driving forward his plot remorselessly. You know how it is going to end, but you are desperate to know what is going to happen to the individuals whom Smith has brought to life so vividly. Some of these people are fascinating: the Australian sheep-farmers who turned their weekend soldiering into military competence and bravery; the Indian professionals who had their loyalty so severely tested by the Japanese; the Japanese officers at the pinnacle of their careers; the dour Scottish sergeant-major who led his soldiers out of danger; several women who show their courage in different ways - and so on.
Smith takes an analytical and challenging look at the sheer awfulness of what happened, and it makes sobering reading. Our strategic assumptions were wrong, and we assembled the wrong force, giving them the wrong orders. A bad hand can be played well, yet, with some honourable exceptions, we failed to do even that. You read with equal fascination the story of the officer who stems the tide with his inspired leadership and the story of the officer who made the culpable decision to withdraw when there was no need to.
It is an achievement to turn a well-documented defeat into a page-turner, and Smith has achieved this in spades.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I went to Singapore as a 9 year old with my parents (Father with 25 Company RASC). Both father and mother were keen amateur historians and set about tracing the lines of fighting on the islands and later, down Malaya from Kuala Lumpur south. There was still plenty of evidence to see. So the names I learned, from Muar to Parit Sulong and the barbarity dished out were reinforced by Colin Smiths book.
A brilliant read and I'm reading it again, just to take it all in!
Peter Laidler
A brilliant read and I'm reading it again, just to take it all in!
Peter Laidler
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The game of luck and chance by which all great endeavours are decided
Besides being a fine and interesting read, I was once again struck by the fine margins, the few key decisions, forced and unforced errors together with generous helping of pure... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Roberto 66
Scholarly yet eminently readible work
I used 'Singapore Burning' to provide background for the history of a family member who was captured at the fall of Singapore. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bryan Hunt
Comprehensive and Comprehendable
I grew up in Singapore. The history of the campaign has been largely misunderstood by many there, largely due to post-war myths, bias, perhaps even apathy. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Edmund Schirmer
Singapore Burning
I found the book immensely captivating from the first paragraph. Colin Smith combines a high level of scholaraship with an equally high level of writing. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Richard English
A comprehensive look at the Malayan campaign of 1941/42
The fall of Singapore, that bastion of the far east, represented a massive defeat for the British. The author has done a superb job in blending together the aerial, naval and land... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jared M
welsh wizard
colin smiths military history reads, almost like a novel. i read it in a week , which is very quick for me. Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2009 by Mr. John Miller
Excellent in every way
Quite simply the best all-round account of the Malayan campaign I have read.
I have been interested in this subject for about 20 years, ever since I first visited the... Read more
I have been interested in this subject for about 20 years, ever since I first visited the... Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2009 by schlockhorror
singapore learning
Fantastic book, excellent research, accurate information, all carefully woven into a true story with depth and understanding. Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2008 by T.
Singapore, Twilight of The British Empire in the Far East
I read this book with great interest shortly after I returned from a visit to Singapore during June of this year. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2008 by E. A. Redfearn
Excellent
A very good book,i read this in one go.its very well paced and the subject matter is very gripping.
Published on 22 April 2008 by C. Hollingshead
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