ABSTRACT
The British commander, Admiral Tom Phillips, was as well known for his short stature as for his tall oratory. His fleet set out from Singapore, he said, looking for trouble. In Northern Malaya, Japanese forces were pressing strongly against Kota Bharu, which saw bitter night fighting for possession of the airport. Twenty-five Japanese troop transports were seen sailing south down the coast of Thailand. Other Japanese forces were advancing in the Singora-Patani areas. In Hong Kong, British forces claimed the successful rebuff of Japanese attacks by "searing artillery fire" from strong mainland defenses that brought the Japanese assault to a halt. It was in this belief that The New York Times published a set of rules for conduct in an air raid since, for the moment, an air raid was the only feasible means of attack on either coast. The mobilization of American industry for war can be appreciated in a single classified advertisement in the Chicago Tribune.
