Editing Christmas Island (section)

===Japanese invasion===
{{main|Battle of Christmas Island}}
From the outbreak of the [[South-East Asian theatre of World War II]] in December&nbsp;1941, Christmas Island was a target for Japanese occupation because of its rich phosphate deposits.<ref name=Klemen/> A naval gun was installed under a British officer, four [[non-commissioned officer]]s (NCOs) and 27&nbsp;Indian soldiers.<ref name="Klemen">{{Cite web |last=Klemen |first=L. |date=1999–2000 |title=The Mystery of Christmas Island, March&nbsp;1942 |url=https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/christmas.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121080434/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/christmas.html |archive-date=21 January 2016 |access-date=16 July 2011 |website=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942}}</ref> The first attack was carried out on 20&nbsp;January 1942 by the {{Jsub|I-59}}, which torpedoed the Norwegian freighter ''Eidsvold''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=L. |first=Klemen |date=1999–2000 |title=Allied Merchant Ship Losses in the Pacific and Southeast Asia |url=https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/allied_losses.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514072436/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/allied_losses.html |archive-date=14 May 2012 |access-date=16 July 2011 |website=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942}}</ref> The vessel drifted and eventually sank off West White Beach. Most of the European and Asian staff and their families were evacuated to [[Perth]].

In late February and early March&nbsp;1942, there were two aerial bombing raids. Shelling from a Japanese naval group on 7&nbsp;March led the [[district officer]] to hoist the [[white flag]].<ref name=Klemen/> But after the Japanese naval group sailed away, the British officer raised the [[Union Flag]] once more.<ref name=Klemen/> During the night of 10–11&nbsp;March, mutinous Indian troops, abetted by [[Sikh]] policemen, killed an officer and the four British NCOs in their quarters as they were sleeping. "Afterwards all Europeans on the island, including the district officer, who governed it, were lined up by the Indians and told they were going to be shot. But after a long discussion between the district officer and the leaders of the mutineers the executions were postponed and the Europeans were confined under armed guard in the district officer's house".<ref name=Klemen/>

At dawn on 31&nbsp;March 1942, a dozen Japanese bomber aircraft launched an attack, destroying the radio station. The same day, a Japanese fleet of nine vessels arrived, and the island was surrounded. About 850&nbsp;men of the Japanese 21st and 24th&nbsp;[[Imperial Japanese Navy Land Forces|Special Base Forces]] and 102nd&nbsp;Construction Unit came ashore at Flying Fish Cove and occupied the island.<ref name=Klemen/> They rounded up the workforce, most of whom had fled to the jungle. Sabotaged equipment was repaired, and preparations were made to resume the mining and export of phosphate. Only 20 men from the 21st&nbsp;Special Base Force were left as a garrison.<ref name=Klemen/>

Isolated acts of sabotage and the torpedoing of the cargo ship {{ship||Nissei Maru}} at the wharf on 17 November 1942<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cressman |first=Robert J. |title=Chapter IV: 1942 |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1942.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820205155/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1942.html |archive-date=20 August 2011 |access-date=16 July 2011 |website=Hyperwar |series=The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War&nbsp;II}}</ref> meant that only small amounts of phosphate were exported to Japan during the occupation. In November&nbsp;1943, over 60% of the island's population were evacuated to [[Surabaya]] prison camps, leaving a population of just under 500&nbsp;Chinese and Malays and 15&nbsp;Japanese to survive as best they could. In October&nbsp;1945, {{HMS|Rother|K224|6}} re-occupied Christmas Island.<ref>Public Record Office, England War Office and Colonial Office Correspondence/Straits Settlements.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=J. Pettigrew |year=1962 |title=Christmas Island in World War II |journal=Australian Territories |volume=2 |issue=1}}</ref><ref>Interviews conducted by J. G. Hunt with Island residents, 1973–1977.</ref><ref>Correspondence J. G. Hunt with former Island residents, 1973–1979.</ref>

After the war, seven mutineers were traced and prosecuted by the Military Court in Singapore. In 1947, five of them were [[capital punishment|sentenced to death]]. However, following representations made by the newly independent government of India, their sentences were reduced to [[penal labor|penal servitude]] for [[life imprisonment|life]].<ref name=Klemen/>