The Japanese Blitzkrieg during the World War II put a higher price on the lives of allied soldiers, catching them off guard, and underestimating the fighting capabilities of the Japanese. This period witnessed several attacks and invasions across many allied territories, including the Philippines, Guam, Thailand, and North Borneo.
Winston Churchill was optimistic about the military support the United States would bring to ease Britain's burden during the war, including 45,000 tanks and 43,000 planes in 1942 and 75,000 tanks and 100,000 planes the following year, despite the extreme toll it took on debt, resources, and people's lives.
The Allied soldiers often talked about the chaos caused by Japanese aircraft strafing everything around them. The racism of some of the people involved prevented them from assuming that the Japanese would be such good fighters, leading to underestimations, misassessments, and blunders in the Pacific Theater in WWII.
The story of the Battle of Wake Island highlights the intense fighting that occurred during the first Japanese Blitzkrieg period, with the Marines requesting reinforcements but ultimately being overrun by the Japanese.
The reality of Hong Kong's situation in the face of a British and French rivalry meant they could not simply surrender, even when it was the most rational option to take. The different goals and objectives of the British and Americans at the time also made surrendering impossible.