User:Tristan benedict/Battle of Malaya Articles/Sandbox

Battles in Kedah and Perak

After the Battle of Jitra the 11th Indian Division was in extremely poor condition.

Laycol

After the Japanese invasion of Thailand|Japanese landings at Singora and Patani on 8 December 1941 the Japanese attacked straight toward north west Malaya. To help delay the Japanese three columns were dispatched from Malaya. In front of the 11th Indian Division two columns were sent out, the first was an armoured train was sent to Perlis (almost half way to Singora) where it blew up a railway bridge. The second column, named Laycol, consisted of 200 truck borne soldiers from the 1/14th Punjab Regiment under Major Andrews and supported by a couple of anti-tank guns. Laycol advanced up the Trunk Road from Jitra to ten miles across the Thai border at the town of Sadao. Laycol had just completed their defensive positions at 9pm on 9 December when the Japanese 5th Division's vanguard (about 500 men of the 5th Division Reconnaisance Regiment and 1st Tank Regiment under Lt.Col. Saeki) came down the Trunk Road with lights blazing. Laycol's anti-tank guns destroyed two tanks and damaged a third before Laycol packed up and headed back to the 1/14th Punjab positions at Chungla, six miles south of the border. When Laycol crossed the border they destroyed the bridge and parts of the road behind them.