On this day, Thailand, a Japanese puppet state, declares war on the Allies.
In September 1939, when the war erupted in Europe, Thailand announced its neutrality, which greatly upset both France and England.
Surrounded by colonies of these European powers, Thailand was expected to support the Allied cause and counteract Japanese advances in the Pacific. Instead, Thailand shifted its stance towards forming a “friendship” with Japan, even incorporating a futuristic map depicting “Greater Thailand” encroaching onto Chinese land into its school textbooks.
The first significant clash between Thailand and the Allies occurred following France’s capitulation to Germany and the establishment of the Vichy regime. Thailand viewed this as a chance to redraw the boundaries of French Indochina. The Vichy administration’s refusal to negotiate with the Thais prompted Thai troops to invade French Indochina, where they engaged in combat with French forces.
Japan intervened in support of Thailand, leveraging its political alliance with Germany to compel Vichy France to relinquish 21,000 square miles to Thailand.
On December 8, 1941, as part of a sweeping campaign through the South Pacific Islands following the Pearl Harbor bombing, Japanese forces executed an amphibious landing on Thailand’s coast.
Importantly, Thailand’s prime minister, Lang Pipul, collaborated with the Japanese, aligning with the Axis powers’ objectives to seize territories in China and dominate the South Pacific. Eager to benefit from the situation, Pipul declared war on the United States and England.
In October, he assumed dictatorial authority over Thailand, becoming a devoted puppet of the Japanese.
