HONG KONG’S DEFENSES NEAR COLLAPSE
British Crown Colony of Hong Kong • December 22, 1941 The British Crown Colony of Hong Kong consisted of Hong Kong Island (since 1842) and the Kowloon peninsula (since 1860) opposite the island. The New Territories across Kowloon Bay on the South China mainland was leased for 99 years. (See map below.) Together with several hundred…