Ramba uchiverenga ndima ino - Muusiku hwaDecember 7/8, 1941, awa imwe pamberi pokurwiswa kwePearl Harbor, Umambo hweJapan hwakatanga kupinda muMalaya
. Maawa mana pashure pokurwiswa kwePearl Harbor, Hondo yeHong Kong yakatanga. Kunyange zvazvo kupindura kweBritain kwokukurumidza kwakanga kuri kuraira nhamba yezvikamu kuti zvitsauswe kuFar East, hapana chimwe chakanga chiri kuMiddle East chakabviswa panguva ino. Sezvo konoi yaiva ne18th Infantry Division yakanga ichangosvika kuCape of Good Hope apo Japan yakapinda muhondo, yakachinjirwa kuFar East musi wa9 December. Panzvimbo pokuwedzera Operation Crusader sezvakanga zvarongwa, boka racho rakatumirwa kuIndia. Lionel Wigmore, munyori wenhau dzakaitika weAustralia weMalayan campaign, akanyora kuti kutsauswa kwacho kwakaratidza kuti "... kuchengetedzwa kweSingapore uye kuchengetedzwa kwekutaurirana kweIndian Ocean kwaive kwechipiri pakukosha chete kune kuchengetedzwa kweUnited Kingdom... "