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The
only known WW2 British coastal battery on mainland Malaysia!
This website is a personal historical project of mine and was first created
in January 2006. Currently this
is the only website on the interweb specifically documenting this historical
WW2 site at Pengerang. This site does not however pretend to be
a serious academic study of coastal batteries, but purely exsists to inform
and educate the casual user.
During WW2 the Pengerang battery was part of Singapore's defences defending
the eastern approach to the Royal Naval base at Sembawang and also providing
close defence of Calder Harbour. As far as I can tell the Pengerang battery
did not come under direct attack during Singapore's fall. What's interesting
to note was that Pengerang must have been one of the last British military
footholds held on the Malayan mainland right up to their surrender on
Singapore on 15th February 1942.
Today at least
95% of the land that the WW2 Pengerang facility once occupied is now taken
up by Johor's 2nd largest 75 hectare naval base, KD Pularek, a naval training
academy.
On this naval land would have been the coastal battery, defensive positions
and the observation post. The observation post and its admin buildings
would have been on top of the 600 foot hill then called Johore Hill, now
known as Bukit Pengerang.
So far I have made 6 trips to
the battery and on each trip I have found something new. As you can imagine
the area is very overgrown and hard to properly study by one person alone.
As of yet I have been unable to locate any period plans of the Pengerang
defences and so can't really be sure of its full extent and composition.
And with much of the battery on Naval land it's now impossible to see exactly
what is left of the original facility.
Thanks
goes to the fellow historians I have met on the internet and for their sharing
of information. Much of this website would not be possible without their
generosity and love of history. |
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A lot of effort and research has been put into this website.
If you wish to use any information from this site, please
ensure proper and clear credit is given.
Thank you. |
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