The History of World War IIs Battle of Singapore

The Battle of Singapore was fought January 31 to February 15, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945) between the British and Japanese armies. The British army of 85,000 men was led by Lieutenant  General Arthur Percival, while the Japanese regiment of 36,000 men was headed by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita. Battle Background   On December 8, 1941, Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashitas Japanese 25th Army began invading British Malaya from Indochina and later from Thailand. Though outnumbered by the British defenders, the Japanese concentrated their forces and utilized combined arms skills learned in earlier campaigns to repeatedly flank and drive back the enemy. Quickly gaining air superiority, they inflicted a demoralizing blow on December 10 when Japanese aircraft sank the British battleships HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales. Utilizing light tanks and bicycles, the Japanese swiftly moved through the peninsulas jungles. Defending Singapore Though reinforced, Lieutenant General Arthur Percivals command was unable to halt the Japanese and on January 31 withdrew from the peninsula to the island of Singapore. Destroying the causeway between the island and Johore, he prepared to repel the anticipated Japanese landings. Considered a bastion of British strength in the Far East, it was anticipated that Singapore could hold or at least offer protracted resistance to the Japanese. To defend Singapore, Percival deployed three brigades of Major General Gordon Bennetts 8th Australian division to hold the western part of the island. Lieutenant General Sir Lewis Heaths Indian III Corps was assigned to cover the northeastern part of the island while the southern areas were defended by a mixed force of local troops led by Major General Frank K. Simmons. Advancing to Johore, Yamashita established his headquarters at the Sultan of Johores palace. Though a prominent target, he correctly anticipated that the British would not attack it for fear of angering the sultan. Utilizing aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathered from agents that infiltrated the island, he began to form a clear picture of Percivals defensive positions. The Battle of Singapore Begins On February 3, Japanese artillery began hammering targets on Singapore and air attacks against the garrison intensified. British guns, including the citys heavy coastal guns, responded but in the latter case, their armor-piercing rounds proved largely ineffective. On February 8, the first Japanese landings began on Singapores northwest coast. Elements of the Japanese 5th and 18th Divisions came ashore at Sarimbun Beach and met fierce resistance from Australian troops. By midnight, they had overwhelmed the Australians and forced them to retreat. Believing that future Japanese landings would come in the northeast, Percival elected not to reinforce the battered Australians. Widening the battle, Yamashita conducted landings in the southwest on February 9. Encountering the 44th Indian Brigade, the Japanese were able to drive them back. Retreating east, Bennett formed a defensive line just east of Tengah airfield at Belem. To the north, Brigadier Duncan Maxwells 27th Australian Brigade inflicted heavy losses on Japanese forces as they attempted to land west of the causeway. Maintaining control of the situation, they held the enemy to a small beachhead. The End Nears Unable to communicate with the Australian 22nd Brigade on his left and concerned about encirclement, Maxwell ordered his troops to fall back from their defensive positions on the coast. This withdrawal allowed the Japanese to begin landing armored units on the island. Pressing south, they outflanked Bennetts Jurong Line and pushed towards the city. Aware of the deteriorating situation, but knowing that the defenders outnumbered the attackers, Prime Minister Winston Churchill cabled General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India, that Singapore was to hold out at all costs and should not surrender. This message was forwarded to Percival with orders that the latter should fight to the end. On February 11, Japanese forces captured the area around Bukit Timah as well as much of Percivals ammunition and fuel reserves. The area also gave Yamashita control of the bulk of the islands water supply. Though his campaign had been successful to date, the Japanese commander was desperately short of supplies and sought to bluff Percival into ending this meaningless and desperate resistance. Refusing, Percival was able to stabilize his lines in the southeast part of the island and repelled Japanese attacks on February 12. The Surrender Slowly being pushed back on February 13, Percival was asked by his senior officers about surrendering. Rebuffing their request, he continued the fight. The next day, Japanese troops secured Alexandra Hospital and massacred around 200 patients and staff. Early on the morning of February 15, the Japanese succeeded in breaking through Percivals lines. This coupled with the exhaustion of the garrisons anti-aircraft ammunition led Percival to meet with his commanders at Fort Canning. During the meeting, Percival proposed two options: an immediate strike at Bukit Timah to regain the supplies and water or surrendering. Informed by his senior officers that no counterattack was possible, Percival saw little choice other than surrender. Dispatching a messenger to Yamashita, Percival met with the Japanese commander at the Ford Motor Factory later that day to discuss terms. The formal surrender was completed shortly after 5:15 that evening. The Aftermath of the Battle of Singapore The worst defeat in the history of British arms, the Battle of Singapore and the preceding Malayan Campaign saw Percivals command suffer around 7,500 killed, 10,000 wounded, and 120,000 captured. Japanese losses in the fighting for Singapore numbered around 1,713 killed and 2,772 wounded. While some of the British and Australian prisoners were kept at Singapore, thousands more were shipped to Southeast Asia for use as forced labor on projects such as the Siam–Burma (Death) Railway and Sandakan airfield in North Borneo. Many of the Indian troops were recruited into the pro-Japanese Indian National Army for use in the Burma Campaign. Singapore would remain under Japanese occupation for the remainder of the war. During this period, the Japanese massacred elements of the citys Chinese population as well as others who opposed their rule. Immediately after the surrender, Bennett turned over command of the 8th Division and escaped to Sumatra with several of his staff officers. Successfully reaching Australia, he was initially regarded as a hero but was later criticized for leaving his men. Though blamed for the disaster at Singapore, Percivals command was badly under-equipped for the duration of the campaign and lacked both tanks and sufficient aircraft to achieve victory on the Malay Peninsula. That being said, his dispositions prior to the battle, his unwillingness to fortify Johore or the north shore of Singapore, and command errors during the fighting accelerated the British defeat. Remaining a prisoner until the end of the war, Percival was present at the Japanese surrender in September 1945.

9 Ways of Saying Down in Spanish

Down is one of those simple, everyday words that can be especially challenging to translate to Spanish. One reason is that it can function as five parts of speech: most commonly an adverb, but also as a preposition, verb, noun and adjective. But even within those categories, theres no consistent way of translating the word. In many cases, the best approach to take in translation is to reword the English and then translate that. For example, if you try translating a sentence such as Im down to only one dollar word-for-word, youll find yourself confused at best. Instead, try using the verb quedar, often used to indicate a remaining quantity. The idea is expressed with Me queda sà ³lo un dà ³lar, which literally means Only one dollar remains for me. Down as the Opposite of Up That said, in many contexts — such as when down means the opposite of up and indicates motion or direction — it is possible to use the adverb abajo, either by itself or in combination with other words, or the related verb bajar, which typically means to go down. This includes most cases where down is functioning as an adverb. Some examples: When I look down I feel dizzy. Cuando miro para abajo me mareo.The accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. El accidente lo dejà ³ paralizado desde el cuello para abajo.The Bilbao Market has gone down 22.72 points at midsession. La Bolsa de Bilbao ha bajado 22,72 puntos a media sesià ³n.Its essential that the roots grow downward in order to maximize the absorption of water. Es esencial que las raà ­ces crezcan hacia abajo para que maximizar su absorcià ³n de agua.Gravitational force pulls the satellite downward. La fuerza gravitatoria tira del satà ©lite hacia abajo.We have to get down from the train at the border. Tenemos que bajar del tren en la frontera.Everyone from the governor down is immersed in a web of corruption. Todos desde el gobernador para ajabo està ¡n inmersos in una aurealoa de corrupcià ³n.Another possibility for adventurers is to camp down in the canyon. Otra posibilidad para los aventureros es acampar abajo en el caà ±Ãƒ ³n.The temperature went down from 30 degrees to 20 degrees. La temperatura se bajà ³ de 30 grados hasta 20 grados.I prefer to sleep face down. Prefiero dormir boca abajo. Down as an Adjective When down functions as a adjective in English, it often has a specialized meaning that depends on the context. Youll usually be best off recasting the English before translating: The wireless network is down today. La red inalà ¡mbrica no funciona hoy. (Literally, the wireless network isnt working today.)She knew he was down with the flu because she called him twice. Sabà ­a que à ©l estaba enfermo de influenza porque ella le llamà ³ dos veces. (Down here is being used as roughly synonymous with sick.)Were down 10 points. Estamos perdiendo por diez puntos. (Literally, were losing by 10 points.)Its a shame that he is always down on himself. Es là ¡stima que à ©l se menosprecie a sà ­ mismo. (The phrase to be down on someone is a colloquial way of indicating that someone devalues someone.)They have me down for 2 p.m. Tengo una cita para 2 de la tarde. (Literally, I have an appointment for 2 p.m.)The down payment normally is a percentage of the price of the house. El pago inicial normalmente es un porcentaje del precio de la casa. Down as a Particle Down is a part of many English phrasal verbs — verbs that are made up of a verb followed by down to form a phrase that has a meaning separate from the verb by itself. To translate, these two-word verbs must be learned separately just as any other vocabulary. Here are a few of many possible examples: My mother isnt going to back down so easily. Mi madre no va a recular tan fà ¡cil.The bar was shut down for not meeting safety requirements. El bar fue clausurado por no cumplir las medidas de seguridad.He bowed down before the statue. Se inclinà ³ ante la estatua.The Iowa woman burned down a friends house because she defriended her on Facebook. La mujer de Iowa incendià ³ la casa de una amiga porque la eliminà ³ del Facebook.The government is cracking down on illegal arms sales. El gobierno toma medidas enà ©rgicas contra la venta ilegal de armas.My cousin is unable to  hold down a job. Mi prima no puede durar en un trabajo. (Literally, my cousin is unable to last in a job.)The mayor played down the murders. El alcalde no le dio tanta importancia a los asesinatos. (Literally, the mayor did not give much importance to the murders.) Down as a Noun The down of a bird is typically referred to as el plumà ³n, although a down pillow is referred to as una almohada de plumas. The down of a fruit is known as la pelusa. In football, a down is usually un down. Down as a Verb As a verb, down usually refers to shooting something down from the sky. A good verb to use is derribar. The Soviets downed the plane with a simple attack.  Los sovià ©ticos  derribaron el avià ³n  con un simple ataque.   Down Syndrome The congenital condition is known as el sà ­ndrome de Down, sometimes abbreviated as SD. (Sources: Sample sentences are adapted from a variety of sources written by native Spanish speakers. Among those consulted for this lesson are 20minutos; Twitter conversations; Biologà ­a y Geologà ­, Ciencias pra el uno Contemporà ¡neo; Visià ³n Santigueà ±a; Tatoeba; Namancambre Tours; Finanzas Prà ¡cticas; Yahoo.mx and TN.com.ar.)

General Mills Motivational Profile Free Essays

General Mills has been making food products for 150 years and is the 6th largest food producer in the world. Consumers recognize General Mills as the makers of Gold Medal flour, Cheerios cereal, and Betty Crocker cake mixes. But General Mills also produces Progresso soups and even the organic lines, Muir Glen and Cascadian Farms. We will write a custom essay sample on General Mills Motivational Profile or any similar topic only for you Order Now Internationally, General Mills provides other products to 130 countries. Employees recognize General Mills as a positive place to work because of the company’s commitment to a strong ethic of service, achievement, and integrity. General Mills encourages its employees to volunteer and gives five percent of every pre-tax dollar to charitable organizations. While taking care of communities, General Mills also takes care of its employees with benefits ranging from corporate childcare to a generous vacation package and flexible hours. Because employees feel valued and inspired, General Mills enjoys a very low rate of employee turnover. For more than 100 years, General Mills has been dedicated to enriching people’s lives. General Mills stands by its commitment to championship brands, championship people, championship innovation, and championship performance. The company develops superior products designed to make consumers’ lives â€Å"easier, healthier, and more fun,† (General Mills, Values, n. d. ) General Mills endorses a philosophy of community action, corporate social responsibility, and integrity. Since 2000, the company has donated five percent of its pre-tax profits to charitable organizations. In 2009, General Mills gave more than $90. million dollars to support education, food banks, and overseas development. For example, through General Mill’s ‘African Women and Children’s Hunger Project, experts share food growing technologies with villagers in Africa. 15,000 villagers now have access to grain processing equipment and 20,000 villagers have improved access to water for crop irrigation. General Mills’ culture of philanthropy extends to its employees. Over 82% of the company’s volunteers report volunteering to their organization of choice or one supported by General Mills. Additionally, General Mills encourages charitable contributions by matching employees’ donations, dollar for dollar, to nonprofit groups. They have given millions of dollars to support education, food banks, and the arts. In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked General Mills as the 4th most respected company in the United States and the 11th most respected company in the world. General Mills uses innovative strategies worldwide to reduce its environmental footprint, starting with its product packaging. The paperboard used for General Mills’ cereal is made from 100 % recycled paper, and has been for decades. The company is working toward reducing energy use by 15% and greenhouse emissions by 20% in the next year. General Mills has also set tough goals for creating healthier food products. Almost every product line is undergoing research and redevelopment to produce products that include more whole grains and less salt and sugar. General Mills believes in conducting business with integrity. The code of conduct report outlines the company’s belief in maintaining the highest standards of quality in relationships, products, and conduct. The report states that the company will treat people fairly, keep its promises, and maintain the trust of consumers and investors. General Mills requires employee adherence to careful management of finances and assets, compliance with all local, national, and international laws, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest. General Mills has 30,000 employees worldwide and is the 6th largest food company in the world. With operations in over thirty countries, General Mills values a diverse workforce and has a strict no-discrimination policy. The company seeks talented, bright employees from many backgrounds. Additionally, General Mills places value on creating community partnerships throughout the world. Through respectful communication and an appreciation for different customs and cultural practices, the company has forged positive business and community relationships worldwide. General Mills is publicly held and includes a board, stockholders, and managers. The Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Kendall J. Powell joined the company in 1979 as a marketing assistant. Over the years, he took on increasingly responsible positions and is an example of the company’s commitment to developing its employees. Additional employees come from a variety of backgrounds, including marketing, health and nutrition, finance, production, research, and communications. General Mills ranked 155 on the Fortune 500 list of the best companies to work for and holds position 90 on Fortunes 1000 best companies to work for in 2010. This is up nine positions from 2009. The average annual pay in the most common professional job is approx $46,200. Not only is General Mills recognized by respected financial reporting businesses such as Fortune, but is highly regarded as a great place to work by its employees. One fact that supports the idea that General Mills is a great place to work is the company is named on Fortunes â€Å"Top Company: Low Turnover† list that includes companies with a 3% voluntary leave during the past 12-month period. With such a low turnover rate, the first question that comes to mind is â€Å"What makes this company so great? † One important factor may be that the company has several attractive family-friendly benefits. Recently the infant-care center at headquarters was expanded by 43 percent, and the company subsidizes 25 percent of infant care costs. This fact alone would certainly make this company an attractive choice to many family oriented workers. General Mills employs approximately 17,000 workers in the United States. General Mills reports that â€Å"employees who lead healthy, fulfilling lives are more likely to make a strong contribution in the work place. † There are a multitude of factors that support this believe and contribute to the low turnover rate recognized and reported in Fortune. Some of the supporting factors include: generous vacation time, paid holiday, and summer hour benefits. For example, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, headquarter employees are offered an option to work longer days Monday through Thursday and work a half day on Friday. Flexible work schedules and telecommuting when business conditions allow are available. The company also offers paid leave for new fathers and parents who are adopting children. General Mills has received many corporate recognition awards. A few notable recognitions include: Fortune’s â€Å"America’s Most Admired Companies† and â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work for. † General Mills has also received recognition by Working Mother magazine as â€Å"Best Companies for Woman of Color,† Business Week â€Å"America’s Top Givers† and Business Ethics â€Å"100 Best Corporate Citizens. † Another important note is General Mill’s commitment to diversity may also play a major role in retaining employees for a longer period. General Mills published that they see diversity as a strategy rather than a policy. The company believes that his strategy gives them a global advantage as well as a competitive advantage when drafting and marketing products. Their commitment to this strategy is supported by the fact that they aggressively seek minority suppliers to provide the services that make their products possible. As part of this focus, they set minority business entrepreneur purchasing goals. They also develop relationships with national minority organizations and build employee support and development. With this in mind, I think it is clear that this company strives to stay focused on people. They understand reinforcing values that are important to people through happy employees, good brands, innovation and performance, will result in long term commitments from their employees and long term profits from their customers. On May 16, 2007, before the Joint Economic Committee, Scott A. Weisberg, Vice President, Compensation, Benefits, and Staffing for General Mills Incorporated stated, â€Å"we strive to be a â€Å"cradle-to-grave† employer, which means we hire many of our employees at the entry level and hope they spend their entire career with General Mills. We believe this continuity translates into performance and a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Our benefits package reflects this core philosophy – our benefits are imbued with incentives to encourage people to stay. Our defined benefit pension program is one of our principal vehicles to reinforce employee retention. † This is the philosophy that drives General Mills motivational strategies, which have resulted in an employee retention rate doubled that of their competitors. Their recruiting approach is to attract top candidates with the intention of keeping them for their entire working tenure to draw on their expertise as they evolve into mentors (Ziegler, 2009). General Mills acknowledges the success of the company is strongly connected to their employees. For these reasons, General Mills is one of the top companies to work for. When employees leave, especially long time employees, a significant loss of knowledge and experience leaves with them. The cost to search for and train new people is substantial. According to Kelly Baker, vice president of Corporate Diversity for General Mills, â€Å"to attract and retain and keep those people very, very focused and productive we need to offer a place where they want to be (WCCO, 2008). † General Mills achieves this by offering some of the most comprehensive benefit and incentive programs in the country. According to one employee, it was the benefits and incentives that attracted them to the company and has definitely keep them there (WCCO, 2008). Another employee commented about being more productive because of the on-site conveniences and concierge service (WCCO, 2008). The benefits and incentives offered by General Mills create a workplace that motivates employees intrinsically and extrinsically. These benefits and incentives are designed to help employees achieve a balance between work and home life. The motivational techniques applied by General Mills gives the company the ability to create a flexible, inclusive, and challenging workplace, which in turn drives productivity and innovation. If General Mills has one area in which they can improve, it would be how long employees have to wait for promotions. Low voluntary turnover is a double edged sword. The benefit of retaining employees is the knowledge base, work experience, reduced recruiting and training costs. The consequence is promotions are harder to come by because employees stay in the workforce longer. The risk to General Mills, they may see more voluntary turnover as younger workers decide to move on to companies in which the chance for promotion is more attainable. One approach General Mills could take is asking employees if there is a particular area of the company they are interested in learning. For example, a person in human resources may be interested in learning about strategic planning. The human resources employee is matched to a mentor in the strategic planning department and begins training. Now the human resources employee has the opportunity to promote in either department. As General Mills continues to grow and expand internationally, their strong vision of community partnerships and service will help them adapt to economic and cultural changes. General Mills will continue to provide high quality foods to consumers while fostering a work environment that elicits high performance from every employee. References General Mills Corporate Website (2010) Careers. Why work at General Mills. A great place to work. Retrieved May 4, 2010, from http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/careers/basic_benefits.aspx General Mills (n.d.) General Mills Social Responsibility. Retrieved May 7, 2010 from http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/commitment/2010_CSR.pdf WCCO. (2008, May 29). Go inside 1 of the best places to work. Retrieved from http://wcco.com/business/best.work.places.2.736220.html Weisberg, S. (2007, May 16). Testimony to the joint economic committee. The economic impact of elder care. The employer perspective. Retrieved from http://jec.senate.gov/archive/Hearings/05.16.07%20Elder%20Care/Testimony%20-%20Weisberg.pdf Ziegler, S. (2009, May 21). General Mills is a place employees come to say. Star Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.startribune.com/business/44610022.html How to cite General Mills Motivational Profile, Papers