Not the Slightest Chance

Until now, the story of the Battle of Hong Kong has defied a coherent retelling. Over a third of its defenders were killed in battle or died in captivity; those who survived seldom spoke about their experiences; and written accounts recorded while in combat were largely destroyed during the Japanese occupation. The only primary historical material that remains was written from memory in POW camps, or years after the fact.

This book represents the first attempt to piece together all existing accounts of the December 1941 fighting between the Garrison and the invading Japanese. Banham makes use of the Garrison’s small size – only 14,000 soldiers – to weave a historical account from the perspectives of individuals, rather than big battalions. His story covers the fighting phase by phase, and considers the individual actions that made up the battle, the military strategies, and the many controversies that arose both during the struggle and after.

Military historians interested in the Hong Kong battle, and the role of Canadian and British forces in the combat, will welcome this original and comprehensive account.