Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 2, 2012

The Singapore strategy of the British Empire was a military defence policy that evolved in a series of war plans from 1919 to 1941. It aimed to deter or defeat aggression by the Empire of Japan by basing a fleet of the Royal Navy in the Far East. Ideally, this fleet would be able to intercept and defeat a Japanese force heading south towards India or Australia, but to be effective, it required a well-equipped base. Singapore was chosen as the most suitable location in 1919. Work continued on a naval base and its defences over the next two decades.The Singapore strategy was the cornerstone of British Imperial defence policy in the Far East during the 1920s and 1930s. A combination of financial, political and practical difficulties ensured that it could not be implemented. The strategy ultimately led to the despatch of Force Z to Singapore and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse by Japanese air attack on 10 December 1941. The subsequent ignominious fall of Singapore was described by Winston Churchill as "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history". (Read the full article...)

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