"On the evening of 7th February, the Japanese 5th Imperial Guards
made a feint attack on Pulau Ubin. The Changi six inch guns, and
guns from Pulau Tekong fired on them, but because of being poorly
supplied with high explosive ammunition, the effect was not as good
as it might have been. The main Japanese assault on Singapore began
on the 8th February with a landing at Sarimbun on the western side
of the island. Changi was the subject of an artillery barrage on
that day and its guns replied with great intensity. The 15 inch
guns of the Johore Battery later fired on Japanese forces at Tengah
airfield on the other side of the island. Being coastal artillery,
they were well supplied with armour piercing ammunition, but had no
high explosive shells at all. Armour piercing ammunition would bury
itself deep in the ground before exploding rendering it pretty well
ineffective against troops. By the 12th February the situation in
Singapore was desperate and Lt. General Percival ordered the Changi
garrison to withdraw to Singapore town. Fortress Changi's role in
the defence of Singapore was over. Before they withdrew, the
Engineers blew up the guns which had been Changi's "raison d'etre".
The 15 inch guns had fired 194 rounds of armour piercing ammunition
at the Japanese forces. Not one singe round was fired against a
naval target."
