apr 7, 1940 - WW2 Japan hits HK Hard!
Description:
1937: The Japanese invade China. By 1938, much of China was occupied by Japanese forces, including Guangdong province, just to the north of Hong Kong. Refugees fleeing the Japanese occupied areas pushed HK’s population to one and a half million in 1939.
December 1941: After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Great Britain, as an ally of the U.S., was officially at war with Japan. Hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese troops attack Hong Kong from the north. Allied forces withdraw from New Territories and Kowloon to HK Island.
Despite valiant efforts by British and Australian forces (and Hong Kong Volunteers), British forces surrendered on Christmas day (known in Hong Kong as “Black Christmas”) after 18 days of fierce fighting.
Hong Kong would be under Japanese rule for 3 years and 8 months. During that time, British and Allied nationals were interned in camps and two-thirds of the Hong Kong Chinese population fled to China.
Trade grinded to a halt and HK’s currency plummeted in value. Buildings and factories were stripped and materials sent to Japan. Tremendous food shortages became the norm.
August 1945: The Japanese surrender. The British Royal Navy arrive to re-establish British rule over a battered colony with a population of only about 600,000.
Added to timeline:
HK ruptured Timeline
The Great Timeline of HK
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