Salam buat semua. Salam ukhuwah buat netizen kesayangan Atok semua. Atok terpanggil untuk menulis kisah baharu berkenaan tempat kita lagi. Bukan pasal banglo usang di Morib itu lagi. Anyway, thanks atas sambutan dan minat korang tentang banglo usang itu. Atok bangga korang ambil tahu juga tentang sejarah kampung kita itu. Walaupun ramai yang berkongsi berpengalaman masa remaja mereka di situ, tapi yang penting morib tetap di hati korang.
Kali ini Atok nak bangkitkan semula kisah Rumah Api di atas Bukit Jugra tu, bukan yang ada radar tu. Yang itu memang didirikan oleh kerajaan Malaysia pada tahun 1976. Atok kesahkan rumah api binaan Inggeris yang tidak ada maklumat tentang pembinaannya tetapi telah beroperasi sejak berdekad lama dahulu. Atok memang sangsi. Hati berkata-kata. Mungkin rumah api ini hanyalah cover up untuk operasi ketenteraan.
Memandangkan ada keratan akhbar tertulis tentang tanah milik RNAS (Royal Navy Air Station) di Kelanang Estate yang dibeli oleh pihak tentera British dengan harga $1,000,000 pada tahun 1940. Tambahan pula, terdapat asset militer (Lapangan Terbang Tentera Udara) di Pandamaran milik RAF (Royal Air Force) dan asset awam di Pelabuhan Swettenham. Dan… kebetulan pula, 1930an merupakan dekad kemajuan teknologi radar. Dengan kedudukan Bukit Jugra yang masih hutan dara dan terpencil, Atok yakin, stesen radar atau antenna telekomunikasi ketenteraan dibina di puncak Jugra itu . Keseluruhan kawasan puncak termasuk rumah api menjadi kawasan larangan tentera….cuma belum hampir pasti, teori konspirasi ini. Ya, Atok masih tak tahu. Nak cakap pun tak ada bukti kukuh. Malu nak tulis tanpa data jelas dan tepat. Bukit Jugra memang bermisteri sejak dahulu lagi, apatah lagi dengan news blanket sebegini. Tetapi kini Atok dah dapat pencerahan.
Memang rancangan British nak jadikan Jugra, Kelanang dan Morib kawasan tentera! Terperanjat betul korang dengan stetmen Atok ini,kan? Biar Atok ceritakan satu persatu. Biar jelas semuanya. Korang kalau nak bertanya biar Atok explain habis dahulu, baru mencelah.
Terkini....Markas TUDM Jugra |
Kemudian keluar lagi pengumuman dalam bentuk iklan dalam surat khabar tentang tender pembangunan di Kelanang Estate dalam tahun 1941. Cuba tuan-tuan bayangkan, Tanah milik tentera tetapi masih dibiarkan nama Kelanang Estate, seolah-olah estet ini masih milik korporat swasta. Yang peliknya tender dikeluarkan oleh PWD (JKR dahulu) dari Singapura. Pasti ada yang tak kena! Sepatutnya tender dikeluarkan oleh pengurusan estet itu sendiri walaupun diwar-warkan dalam akhbar di Singapura. Mungkin mereka nak sorokkan bahawa projek yang mereka jalankan itu projek tentera, bukan projek awam. Tetapi bagi pengintip-pengintip Jepun di Malaya, mereka dapat kesan tipudaya ini. Hal ini semestinya dilaporkan kepada unit pengintipan intelijen mereka. Kalau orang awam pun merasa pelik takkanlah spy-spy Jepun ini blur lagi, HAHAHA.
1. Sebenarnya rancangan British hendak menambahkan kekuatan air defence di Malaya tetapi semuanya sudah agak terlambat. Mereka merasakan kekuatan ketenteraan mereka di Singapura sudah cukup kebal untuk mempertahankan Malaya, tambahan pula mereka ada membuat persetujuan M.O.U dengan Belanda di Indonesia dan Amerika di Filipina untuk menghantar bantuan andai salah satu antara mereka diserang musuh. Mereka tahu Jepun musuh mereka tetapi selagi tidak diserang mereka takkan menyerang. Mereka tidak menyangka Jepun akan menyerang Filipina, Malaya dan Indonesia secara hampir 'serentak' dari Saigon dan Thailand.
Mereka tak menyangka sama sekali kerajaan Thai menikam belakang mereka dengan membenarkan Jepun menyerang Malaya melalui Singgora dan Pattani.
During July 1943, Japanese Prime Minister Hikeki Tojo announced that the Northern Malay States including Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis be surrendered to Thailand as part of a December 1941 agreement between Japan and the Thailand. On October 18, 1943 these areas were placed under the administration of the Thai Government.
2, Kesombongan British memakan diri sendiri, ditambahi pula dengan rancangan perang yang hanya berfokus di Eropah sehingga mengabaikan empayarnya yang kaya raya di Timur. Kalau tahun 1940-an, baru nak dibina infrastruktur perang...hmmm. makan asaplah nanti.
Korang tengokkanlah bilangan airfield, aerodome dan pertahanan udara di Malaya dan Singapura pada jadual di bawah. Semuanya outdated, underarmed, tak cukup meriam anti pesawat. Memang macam belum bersedia nak berperang. Korang bayangkanlah, bahan binaan menurap landasan pun terhad.. Menjelang bulan Disember 1941, pembangunan sistem pertahanan terhad dan ala kadar. Kakitangan untuk mengendalikan peralatan tak mencukupi. Yang paling membimbangkan, kompleks aerodome dan lapangan terbang ini tidak camouflage, senang dikesan sama ada dari udara atau sekeliling.
OKlah, berbalik kita pada kisah Kelanang airfield. Memang dalam perancangan hendak dibina mengikut model RNAS Sembawang di Singapura yang telah dibina pada tahun 1939 sebelum perang dunia bermula. Cuma di Kelanang ini, airfieldnya pada skala yang lebih kecil berbanding Sembawang. Di Sembawang ada dua landasannya, berbanding di Kelanang cuma satu. Kalau di RNAS Sembawang, kapal servisnya ialah HMS Nassar, HMS Eagle manakala di Kelanang pula HMS Malaya dan HMS Rajawali. Segala keperluan telekomunikasi dan logistik kapal tersebut akan diuruskan oleh RNAS masing-masing. Pasti ramai yang berasa pelik, kenapa Navy ada air station? Tuan puan, Tentera Laut British dah lama ada unit udaranya. Kapal perang induknya adalah aircraft carrier, kapal frigetnya ada helikopter. Merekakan kuasa dunia!
Anyway sekali lagi,lihat bahan-bahan grafik di bawah dan perhatikan Rancangan Ketenteraan mereka.
Sebenarnya, kelemahan ketenteraan British terutamanya pertahanan udara sudah dikenalpasti. Berikut antara sebab-sebab kelemahan yang terpaksa ditelan walaupun pahit.
Tawaran Tender membina jalanraya dan landasan bertarikh 6 Ogos 1941 |
Tawaran Tender membekal dan memasang peralatan bertarikh 19 Ogos 1941 |
Tawaran Tender membina kuarters bertarikh 5 September 1941 |
Tawaran Tender memasang tangki petrol bertarikh 18 Disember 1941 (nota Jepun dah masuk Malaya) |
Tawaran Tender untuk kerja-kerja Besi bertarikh 1 Januari 1942 (nota Jepun dah masuk Malaya) |
Pergerakan tentera Jepun ketika menawan Malaya |
Bukti Serangan bom Jepun ke atas Klang pada 11 Januari 1942 |
Kemungkinan besar beginilah rupa bentuk hangar pesawat Zero milik Jepun di Kelanang Airfield |
Peta Intipan Tentera Berikat tahun 1945 yang menunjukkan lokasi Morib/Kelanang Airfield |
Site Description
Sembawang Airfield is located inland from the northern coast of Singapore. To the north is the Johore Strait and beyond is the southern tip of Malaysia. To the east is Seletar Airfield.
Construction
Built prewar with two intersecting runways.
Wartime History
By February 5, 1942 Japanese shelling reaches the airfield preventing RAF flight operations. Occupied by the Japanese until the end of the war.
Japanese Units Based at Sembawang
3rd Kokugun (3rd Air Army) Ki-21
1 Yasen Hojyu Hikotai (1 Auxiliary Battlefield Unit) (Ki-84) 1945
In 1934/35 a part of the Bukit Sembawang Rubber Estate on Singapore Island was purchased by the Air Ministry for construction of a grass airfield for the Royal Air Force. Approval for the construction was given in 1936, and British Army engineers started work in the following year. The station was planned for the operation of two RAF bomber squadrons but the airfield was transferred to Admiralty control in 1939 under the command of Captain P.G.L. Cazalet RN. It was planned to develop the site into a Naval Air Station and Air Repair Yard to support a proposed Eastern Fleet with up to four fleet aircraft carriers. The landing ground had three prepared strips running N/S, NE.SW, and NW/SE with a max run approx. 1,100 yards : the shortest, N/S was little used and the other two were to be lengthened by 300 yards in March 1940.
The course of the war in Europe and the deteriorating situation in the Far East meant that these plans were put on hold and the station, by now basically complete as an operational airfield, was again transferred in May 1940, this time to the Royal Australian Air Force under the command of Group Captain J. McCauliey RAAF. There are only two RN squadrons recorded as operating from RNAS Sembawang during this period, 813 and 824 Naval Air Squadrons arrived on the station on March 17th 1940, each equipped with nine Swordfish Mk.1. They had moved from the nearby RAF Kallang after disembarking from HMS EAGLE the day before when the ship arrived for a refit in the Naval Dockyard. The two squadrons remained at Sembawang until re-embarking on May 8th.
RNAS Sembawang was located in the North East part of Singapore island. It was quite a large station, still showing the scars of the Second World War and it had an air of dereliction. A lot of buildings had been severely damaged and only their foundations were left showing. 1911 flight's hangar, one of two small corrugated iron hangars, still showed signs of shrapnel damage in the roof. On the dispersal in front of the hangar was the filled in outline of what looked like a small bomb or mortar crater. However there were still a number of substantial buildings remaining which appeared to be undamaged. There were a number of other small Navy and Army units on the station. One half of 1911 flight's barrack block was occupied by the RAF 61 Signals unit. Once more the unique nature of 656 Squadron hit me. I was now on a Royal Naval Air Station and a member of a flight, which apart from us aircraft servicing personnel who were RAF, was otherwise manned by Army pilots of the Glider Pilots Regiment, Gunners of the Royal Artillery, Army signallers and drivers. To add to the confusion, as a Junior Technician my badge of rank was a single upside down stripe. The Army personnel thought that I was the equivalent to a Lance Corporal which I was not. I soon made some good friends and settled down to life on the flight. Compared to life on a RAF station it was certainly different! We seemed to be a bit of a rag tag bunch, but looking back that was probably due to the nature of the tasks the flight had to carry out and the unpredictable hours we worked. The flight operated Auster AOP Mk 9 aircraft and was responsible for reconnaissance operations against the Communist Terrorists in the state of Johore on the Malay Peninsular. It's`area of responsibility covered several hundreds of square miles of jungle, rubber, Pineapple and oil Palm estates. Deep in the jungle were logging camps and small cultivated area's.
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