In the midst of darkness, on the night of 8 February 1942, Japanese invasion forces crossed the Straits of Johore and landed on the shores of Sarimbun on the northwestern coast of Singapore. They had struck at the weakest link in the British defense of Singapore.
Initial contact was made with the 22nd Australian Brigade, a force of just 750 men defending the area. The small defense force was thinly stretched over too wide an area which, in the morning, had already been bombed and strafed by Japanese planes and artillery. The defense force was disadvantaged, not only by its inferior numbers, but also by the mangrove swamps and heavy jungle, which hampered the construction of defense obstacles. Under heavy fire from the enemy, the 22nd Australian Brigade lost the battle.
Following their successful landing at Sarimbun, the Japanese sent star shell flares into the night sky, signaling to Japanese Command Headquarters at the Sultan of Johore's palace, that full-scale landings of the Japanese divisional troops could begin. ^^^
