The Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor at 7.55am on Sunday, December 7, 1941 is generally regarded as the event that marked the beginning of the war in the Pacific. In reality, a related invasion an hour and 20 minutes earlier was in fact the seminal event. What was this?
Answer: At 2:15 am on the morning of 8 December 1941, advance troops of the 25th Army led by Lieutenant General Yamashita landed at Kota Bharu on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, with the aim of seizing Singapore to the south. This landing was an hour and 20 minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor and thus, strictly speaking, marks the beginning of the Pacific War.
Source: Sinister Twilight – The Fall of Singapore by Noel Barber; General Historical Texts
