Gin Drinkers Line

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gin Drinkers Line Map
Ski jump at Shing Mun

The Gin Drinkers Line was a British line of defense near Hong Kong against the Japanese invaders in the Pacific War .

The defensive position consisted of a large number of bunkers , trenches and artillery positions . The name was taken from Gin Drinkers Bay near Kwai Chung . Construction began in 1936. The defensive line connects several hills in the Kowloon area . The positions were named after streets in London to give the defenders a sense of home.

The concept was derived from the French Maginot line . The position should enable the British to hold off attackers for at least six months. It was also called the "Asian Maginot Line". Even the Japanese generals classified the line as a real obstacle until they found out through patrols that almost all positions were not fully occupied. For example, only 30 soldiers were stationed in a 120-man bunker. That's why the Gin Drinkers Line, like the Maginot Line, was a failure. The British abandoned the positions and the region around Kowloon after just two days.

There are some remains to be seen today, mostly near Shing Mun Reservoir . This is exactly where the Japanese army made its breakthrough .

literature

  • Lawrence WC Lai, Stephen NG Davies, YK Tan, P. Yung: The Gin Drinker's Line. Reconstruction of a British colonial defense line in Hong Kong using aerial photo information. In: Property Management. Volume 27, 2009, No. 1, pp. 16-41, doi : 10.1108 / 02637470910932656 .
  • Bernard Lowry: The Gin Drinkers Line: Its Place in the History of Twentieth Century Fortifications. In: Surveying & Built Environment. Special Issue: 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong, 8 December to 25 December 1941. 2011, pp. 58–68 (PDF).

Web links