Rehearsal for War

the long version

In 1957, while working on his thesis, Yap Hong Kuan was given unprecedented access to Special Branch files that provided him with detailed information on the underground resistance forces that fought the Japanese and went on to form the nucleus of the field regiments of the Malayan Communist Party. Owing to the sensitive nature of the material, Yap's thesis was prohibited from publication for more than 40 years. The text has now been rewritten and updated by Ban Kah Choon who has added much new information. This book provides a comprehensive and insightful account of the motivations, leaders, doctrines and organizational structure of the underground resistance forces that fought the Japanese Occupation army from 1942 to 1945.