1942 or Showa 17 Set Japanese World War II Maps - Battle of Singapore

This is a rare set of two 1942 or Showa 17 Japanese maps of Singapore tracing the events of the Battle of Singapore. Each map depicts Singapore Island in its entirety, from the Johor Strait to the Singapore Strait, and traces one week of the two-week battle. The top map in the image illustrates British defensive positions throughout the island. Known as 'The Gibraltar of the East', Singapore served as a military fortress for the British Empire and was thought to be unconquerable. This, however, proved to be hubris, as the Japanese invaded the Malay Peninsula north of Singapore instead of attempting to land troops the island itself. The bottom map in the image traces the fighting during the Battle of Singapore, which raged from February 8th through the 15th and ended with the surrender of all Allied forces on the island. The Japanese advance is illustrated by the blue arrows. Deemed the 'worst military defeat' in British history by Winston Churchill, over 80,000 British, Indian, and Australian soldiers were captured in Singapore by the Japanese.

These two maps were published in February 1942, shortly after the Japanese defeated the British and occupied Singapore. We are aware of no other examples.