During the outbreak of World War II, the British made sure to make Singapore impenetrable. This led to the installation of several big guns at the hill in Labrador Park. Such was the reputation of these guns that Singapore became known as Fortress Singapore owing to its supposed impenetrability because of the massive guns. It is true, one of the guns still installed at Labrador Park is indeed large and can shoot enemies from far away, however if the enemy manages to get near, then they’re out of luck.
The Big Gun takes at least three people to operate. One to spot the enemy and tell the operator which direction to aim the gun at. Another guy is needed to load the gun with massive bullets. Finally, one guy to actually rotate, aim and fire the gun. The gun supposedly can shoot 360 degrees but such is the trust of the British on the effectivity of these big guns that little preparation has been made to protect the area behind the gun itself – the rest of Singapore. The expectation was that the invading Japanese forces will be entering Singapore by sea right through these straits bounded by Labrador Park.
Unfortunately, this assumption proved wrong as the Japanese took the northern route through dense forest to invade Singapore. The guns were practically useless here since they were meant to attack sea based invaders. In addition, Japanese warplanes made short work of the big guns of Singapore, shattering the myth of Fortress Singapore. Some of the guns were destroyed by the British themselves to prevent Japanese usage against them. The gun remains as a reminder of a more violent past, and it is hoped that such machines will never be needed again.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/LabradorPark.kmz}]