Military history of Malaysia

The Battle of Opium Hill on 14 February 1942 involved 42 soldiers commanded by Lt. Adnan Bin Saidi who defended their position against attack from the 18th Division of the Japanese Imperial Army under Lt. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi.

The Kor Armor DiRaja (Malay; English: Royal Armoured Corps) can trace its roots to the formation on 1 September 1952 of the Federation Reconnaissance Squadron.

The Royal Malaysian Navy originated from the Straits Settlement Volunteer Reserve Force formed on 27 April 1934 in Singapore.

When the Second World War broke out in 1939, Britain strengthened its Naval Force in Southeast Asia by forming a unit called the "Malay Section of The Royal Navy" to protect the security of Singapore and Malaya.

Due to shortage of funds, the British disbanded the force after World War II in April 1947.

The first aircraft acquired for Squadron No 1 was a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer which served the RMAF for 12 years.

Independence for Malaya removed the major grounds for the rebellion, and by 1960 Chin Peng had ordered an end to the fighting.

Three years after the end of the Emergency, the merger of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah) to form the current Federation of Malaysia was opposed militarily by the Sukarno regime of Indonesia.