28. The Western Allies Convinced Themselves That the Japanese Were Natural Jungle Fighters
After Japan joined WWII in December of 1941, early Japanese successes in jungle terrain created a perception that the Japanese were gifted ”jungle fighters”. The British in particular convinced themselves that their foes were “natural” jungle fighters during the Malay Campaign, when the Japanese invaded the Malay Peninsula from the north. The Japanese brushed aside or sidestepped all opposition, and capped it off by capturing the fortress city of Singapore at the peninsula’s southern tip, despite being outnumbered by the British.