Gin Drinkers Line

2022-08-11T22:48:58Z

78.146.113.27:

{{Use Hong Kong English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Chinese
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|pic=Tunnel Exit of Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue.jpg
|picsize=300px
|piccap=The "Regent Street" and "Shaftesbury Avenue" entrances on the Shing Mun Redoubt ("Strand Palace Hotel")
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|y=Jeuijáu wāan fòhngsin
|ci={{IPA-yue|tsɵ̄ytsɐ̌u wáːn fɔ̏ːŋsɪ̄n|}}
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The '''Gin Drinkers Line''', or '''Gin Drinkers' Line''', was a British military defensive line against the [[Battle of Hong Kong|Japanese invasion]] of Hong Kong during the [[Battle of Hong Kong]] in December 1941, part of the [[Pacific War]].

The concept came from France's [[Maginot Line]], built after [[World War I]]. The British believed the line could protect the colony from Japanese invasion for at least six months and even called it the "Oriental Maginot Line" ({{zh|東方馬奇諾防線}}). The Japanese generals also believed the line would stop their advance until the scouts found out the line was very weak. For example, only 30 soldiers defended [[Shing Mun]] [[Redoubt]] in the [[Battle of Hong Kong]].{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} It had a capacity of 120 men.

== Geographical location ==
[[File:Gin Drinkers Line.png|thumb|300px|The Gin Drinkers Line]]

The Line's name originated from [[Gin Drinkers Bay]], a former [[bay]] in nearby [[Kwai Chung]], [[New Territories]] (now [[Land reclamation in Hong Kong|reclaimed]] and part of [[Kwai Fong]]). It passed through [[Golden Hill, Hong Kong|Kam Shan]], the [[Shing Mun Reservoir]], [[Beacon Hill (Hong Kong)|Beacon Hill]], [[Lion Rock]], and [[Tate's Cairn]], ending at [[Port Shelter]] in [[Sai Kung District]]. Its total length was 18 kilometers. Its key points were the stretch between Beacon Hill and [[Sha Tin Pass]], and the [[Shing Mun]] [[Redoubt]], the latter of which also housed [[Headquarters#Military|command HQ]] for the Line.

The Line made use of the mountains north of the [[Kowloon Peninsula]] and was strategically important in preventing any southward invasion from the New Territories.

Names for the various entrances, passages, and exits were drawn from street names in Central London, such as "Oxford Street", "Regent Street", "Charing Cross", "Haymarket", "Piccadilly", and "Shaftesbury Avenue", which are inscribed over entrances and exits. The Shing Mun Redoubt was known as the "Strand Palace Hotel".<ref>''Mysteries of the Abandoned'' (documentary TV series), episode "Ruins of the Dust Belt", first broadcast February 4, 2021. [[Science Channel]]</ref>

== Construction ==
Construction lasted from 1936 to 1938. The Line was not a solid defensive line, but rather a series of defensive positions linked together by paths.<ref name=Cartwright>[http://www.hksw.org/Shing%20Mun.htm The Defence of Hong Kong - Shing Mun Redoubt and the Gin Drinker's Line; by John Cartwright]</ref> [[Bunkers]], concrete fortified [[machine gun]] posts, [[trenches]], and [[artillery batteries]] were built along the line: however, this artillery support may have been insufficient.<ref name=Cartwright />

=== Shing Mun Redoubt ===
[[File:Map of Shing Mun Redoubt.svg|thumb|300px|Map of Shing Mun Redoubt (PB=pillbox)]]
[[File:Gin Drinkers Line Artillery Observation Post 1B.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The artillery observation post the Shing Mun Redoubt]]
[[File:Shing Mun Redoubt Tunnel Regent St to Charing Cross crop.jpg|thumb|300px|Directional signs inside one of the tunnels]]

Defensive headquarters were located at Shing Mun Redoubt ({{zh|城門棱堡}} or {{zh|城門碉堡|labels=no}}) – also known as the "Strand Palace Hotel" – which had an observation post (acting as headquarters of the redoubt) that could call artillery support from [[Mount Davis, Hong Kong|Mount Davis]] battery and [[Stonecutters Island]] Fort, and four pillboxes (PB400-403) fitted with [[Vickers machine gun]]s and [[Bren light machine gun|Bren LMG]]s. There were 1.5 metre deep defensive channels or trenches, named after the roads of [[London]] such as [[Charing Cross]], to aid the British soldiers of the [[Middlesex Regiment]].

== The Battle of Hong Kong ==
=== 8 December 1941: initial contact ===
On the morning of 8 December 1941, Japanese forces bombed [[Kai Tak Airport]], wresting control of the skies from the British and initiating the [[Battle of Hong Kong]]. At noon, the Japanese advance guard crossed the [[Sham Chun River|Shenzhen River]] to invade the [[New Territories]]. The northern garrison fell back to the Gin Drinkers Line, destroying roads and bridges on the way to make it more difficult for the invaders. By dusk, the Japanese had taken [[Tai Po]].

There were only three [[British Army]] battalions manning the Gin Drinkers Line: the [[Royal Scots#Second World War (1939–1945)|2nd Battalion, Royal Scots]] in the west, the [[14th Punjab Regiment#Second World War|2/14th Battalion, Punjab Regiment]] in the centre and the [[Rajput Regiment#The Two World Wars|5/7th Battalion, Rajput Regiment]] in the east. It was hoped that they could hold for at least three weeks and inflict casualties on the Japanese.<ref name=Cartwright />

=== 9 December: Japanese sneak attack ===

On 9 December, Japanese advance scouts of the 228th Regiment headed towards [[Tai Mo Shan]], and discovered that British defences were weak at "225 High Ground" near Shing Mun Redoubt and Shing Mun Reservoir. The high ground dominated all positions of the western portion of the Line. Therefore, the Japanese advanced a sneak attack.

At 21:00 that evening, the [[lieutenant]] in charge and ten elite soldiers began the sneak attack. [[Combat engineer]]s successfully breached the barbed wire and destroyed bunkers. By 07:00 on 10 December, they had taken the high ground and 27 [[prisoner of war|POWs]], opening a breach in the Line. The success surprised Japanese commanders who had thought at least a month was required to break the British defences, and thereby diverted more forces from [[mainland China]] to boost manpower. They also thought that a premature breakthrough would lead to rear forces and artillery troops falling behind, but ultimately agreed to launch a general assault.

=== 10 December: general assault ===
Japanese forces then opened a two-pronged assault on the Gin Drinkers Line. By the next day, they had already claimed Kam Shan and Tate's Cairn. [[Major General]] [[Christopher Maltby]] knew that the position was untenable and at noon decided to withdraw the garrison to [[Hong Kong Island]] to preserve its strength, signalling the defeat of the Line. Defenders to the west of the Line began retreating towards the island at 20:00. The Rajput Battalion stayed behind as a [[rear guard]], only retreating on the morning of 13 December towards [[Devil's Peak, Hong Kong|Devil's Peak]] and [[Lei Yue Mun]] towards Hong Kong Island. This was also the final retreat of British forces from the Kowloon Peninsula.

== Reasons for failure ==

The Gin Drinkers Line was and still is considered to be a complete failure. The line and the whole of Kowloon were abandoned by the British troops in just two days. There can be said to be three main reasons:

# '''Insufficient troops:''' although their weaponry was sound, there were not enough British soldiers to maximise the Line's potential. For example, the Shing Mun Redoubt could have garrisoned over 120 men, but was garrisoned by just 30 troops, because many of the troops suffered from malaria, since the area around the redoubt was known to contain a lot of mosquitos.
# '''Underestimation of the Japanese:''' the British assumed that the Japanese did not wage night battles and relaxed their guard.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} They were also overconfident in the Line's capabilities and believed that the Japanese could be easily repulsed.

== Today ==
Most of the Line's remains cannot be found. There are still some defensive structures left at Shing Mun Redoubt, and pillboxes at Lion Rock, Tate's Cairn, and Port Shelter.

{{wide image|Mountains of Kowloon.jpg|850px|Eastern part of Gin Drinkers Line. [[Lion Rock]] is in the centre left. Kowloon and Hong Kong Island are on the right side. The New Territories are on the left.}}

==See also==
*[[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong]]
*[[Battle of Hong Kong]]

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2022}}

'''Further reading'''
* {{cite journal |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= 2011|title=Survey Findings on Japanese World War II Military Installations in Hong Kong |url=https://www.hkis.org.hk/hkis/general/journal/SBEvol21b.pdf |journal=Surveying & Built Environment |publisher= [[Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors]] |volume= |issue=Special issue to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong,8 December to 25 December 1941 |pages=21–42; 58–77 |doi= |access-date=}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Gin Drinkers Line}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.hiking.gov.hk/trail/info/id/NTdJUjdNOGM2REpMSEZydGkwNHJSQT09 |title=War Relics Trail (Shing Mun) |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=[[Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department]] |access-date= |quote=}}

[[Category:British World War II defensive lines]]
[[Category:World War II sites in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Subterranean Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Battle of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Military of Hong Kong under British rule]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Shing Mun]]

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Gin Drinkers Line