Gin Drinkers Line
British military defensive line against the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong during the Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, part of the Pacific War.
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Battle of Hong Kong
One of the first battles of the Pacific War in World War II.
British defence studies concluded that Hong Kong would be extremely hard to defend in the event of a Japanese attack, but in the mid-1930s work began on improvements to defences including along the Gin Drinkers' Line.
Hong Kong Island
Island in the southern part of Hong Kong.
However, the Japanese took control of the Hong Kong skies on the first day of attack and outnumbered the defenders, who retreated from the Gin Drinkers Line and consequently from Kowloon under heavy aerial bombardment and artillery barrage.
Gin Drinkers Bay
Bay in Kwai Chung, Hong Kong.
Gin Drinkers Bay is known for the Gin Drinkers Line, which formed a defensive line against the Japanese invasion in 1941.
Shing Mun Reservoir
Reservoir in Hong Kong.
The remains of Gin Drinkers Line on the nearby hills show the defences of British forces against the Japanese invasion during World War II.
Shing Mun
Area between Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin in the New Territories of Hong Kong.
Gin Drinkers Line is across the area.
Christopher Maltby
Senior officer in the British Indian Army who served as Commander of British Troops in Hong Kong in 1941 before the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, after which he became a prisoner of war.
He initially established a 10-mile line of defence known as Gin Drinkers Line across the Southern part of the mainland but was rapidly forced to withdraw his troops back to Hong Kong Island.
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong comprised the elements of the British Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines) and Royal Air Force stationed in British Hong Kong.
Gin Drinkers Line 1930s
British Hong Kong
Colony and dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period under Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945.
Two days later, the Japanese breached the Gin Drinkers Line in the New Territories.
History of Hong Kong
The region of Hong Kong has been inhabited since the Old Stone Age, later becoming part of the Chinese Empire with its loose incorporation into the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC).
The British and the Indians retreated from the Gin Drinker's Line and consequently from Kowloon under heavy aerial bombardment and artillery barrage.