The Gin Drinkers Line, or Gin Drinkers' Line, was a British military defensive line against the 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" (). 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. It had a capacity of 120 men.
Geographical location
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 reclaimed and part of Kwai Fong). It passed through Kam Shan, the Shing Mun Reservoir, 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 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".
Construction
According to Jason Wordie, author of Ruins of War: A guide to Hong Kong’s Battlefields and Wartime Sites, when the line was constructed, the Shing Mun reservoir scheme was the "largest water project in the British Empire", and the initial purpose of the line was to safeguard this project.
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. Bunkers, concrete fortified machine gun posts, trenches, and artillery batteries were built along the line: however, this artillery support may have been insufficient.
A 2012 study identified and mapped 93 pillboxes along the former line.
Shing Mun Redoubt
thumb|300px|Map of Shing Mun Redoubt (PB=pillbox)
300px|thumb|right|The artillery observation post the Shing Mun Redoubt
thumb|300px|Directional signs inside one of the tunnels
Defensive headquarters were located at Shing Mun Redoubt ( or ) – 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 battery and Stonecutters Island Fort, and four pillboxes (PB400-403) fitted with Vickers machine guns and Bren LMGs. It was built on the northern slopes of Smuggler’s Ridge. 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 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 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots in the west, the 2/14th Battalion, Punjab Regiment in the centre and the 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.
Further reading
See also
- Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
- Battle of Hong Kong
- Eight Mountains of Kowloon