00086
ce Committee at Hong
teer or auxiliary Forces
ro by the three
vate the auxiliary
y of persommel
it at present be
1, however, that
sal, transport,
shed forthwith, undor
HONG KONG Volunteer
ild bo provided by
exo.
iliary Forces should
e will be required
the Force, of which
likely to be in the
a R.A.F. wish to
of landing and
stallations
ik by CHINESE War Lords"
rred to be no immediate rds but the situation
ronewed hostilities
ay well be a prelude pped with modern arms. tuality more than 6
ming Staff (LONDON) therofore be agreed.
Please
cm
CO 537/1260
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
2
restrictions. Further information is given in the enclosed Terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet
e that this copy is supplied subject to the National Archives' lerms and conditions and that your use of it may be subject to copynghl
(2)
00087
(b) Question.
"The degree to which the Colony could be defended against
such attacks by Yer Lords".
Answer.
It is considered that the Colory could be defendod successfully against at took by a War Lord on the scale envisaged by a garrison of two brigades and supporting ertillery backed by police and volunteer forces as outlined in Paragraph 3 ebove.
The defence force, to be successful, must posses a certain element of mobility to allow of offensive action as opposed to the adoption of purely passive defensivo taotios.
On condition that the air forces requested are provided, air defence against the scale of attack will be sufficient.
Such a characteristic will allow the local police and voluntour to be responsible for the maintance of law and order and internal accurity and release the operational forces for offensive action.
(c) Question.
"The logree to which the Colony could be fended against:
(i) hostile and united CHINA
(11) RUSSIA in alliance with CHINA".
Ansver
(i) Defence against u hostile and united CHINA will depend on the scale of attack, This cannot be estimated
A and is dependent on global strategy at the time. purely static defence against even a small force will achievɔ nothing. The possibility of air attack by national and free lance air forces is substantially increased and
An attack the sole of this attack my well be grunter.
by a hustile and united CHINA would be aided by active assist. nce from a high percentage of the CUINESE population of the Colony.
J even more
(ii) a this case the scale of aggression dependent an global strategy and proportionately more difficult to assess upon the present information available. Timely offensive action by BRITISH forces from H NG KONG co-ordinated with thrusts lsewhere on the CHINA cost and in East ASIA might well prove effective in maintaing HONG KONG as an advanced base for an indefinito
about can periol, but the forces required to bring this only be computed from the circumstances prevailing at the
time.
(a) Question.
"Recommendations for minimum forces requiod of all three
Services.
Ref.
CO 537/1260
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
2
se ol it may be subject to copyngh
restrictions Further information is given in the enclosed Terms and Conditions o
Please note that this copy is supplied subject to the National Archives terms and Conditions of supply of National Archives' leaflet.
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