Battle of Jitra The Battle of Jitra was a major engagement fought between the invading Japanese and Allied forces during the Malayan Campaign of the Second World War . The battle lasted from 11 – 13 December 1941 . The resulting defeat compelled Arthur Percival to order all Allied aircraft stationed in Malaya to withdraw to Singapore . Background . Allied defences at Jitra were not completed when the Pacific War broke out . Barbed wire lines had been erected and some anti - tank mine s laid but heavy rains had flooded the shallow trench es and gun pits . Many of the field telephone cables laid across the waterlogged ground also failed to work , resulting in a lack of communication during the battle . Two brigades of Major General David Murray - Lyon ' s 11th Indian Division held the front line . On the right were the 15th Indian Infantry Brigade , composed of 1st Leicestershires , the 1 / 14th Punjab Regiment and the 2 / 9th Jats ; on the left were the 6th Indian Infantry Brigade , composed of the 2nd East Surreys , the 1 / 8th and 2 / 16th Punjab Regiments . Batteries from the 155th Field Regiment , the 22nd Mountain Regiment and the 80th Anti - tank Regiment provided the artillery support . A third brigade — the 28th Indian Infantry Brigade , consisting of three Gurkha battalions — was placed in divisional reserve . The British front line was as long as , stretching across both roads and a railway , and far beyond on either side , from the jungle - clad hills on the right " via " flooded rice field s and a rubber estate to a tidal mangrove swamp on the left . After Operation Matador — a full - scale preemptive strike into Thailand — was canceled , the 11th Indian Division moved back into their defensive positions around Jitra . The Jitra position was still in an extremely poor condition on 8 December 1941 , and Murray - Lyon needed time to complete the defences . Malaya Command came up with a secondary plan to delay the Japanese ; three mini - Matadors ( Krohcol , Laycol and an armoured train ) , that would hopefully keep the Japanese away from Jitra long enough for Murray - Lyon to get his defences in shape . Krohcol invaded Thailand from southeast of Jitra and was partially successful in delaying the Japanese but unsuccessful in its main objective . The other two columns , Laycol and the armoured train operated from north of the Jitra position . Prelude . Laycol and the armoured train 9 December . After the Japanese landings at Singora and Patani on 8 December 1941 , they attacked 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 manned by a platoon from the 2 / 16th Punjab , which was sent to Perlis ( almost half way to Singora ) where it blew up a railway bridge and then withdrew back to Malaya . The second column — named Laycol — consisted of 200 truck - borne soldiers from the 1 / 8th Punjab Regiment , under Major Eric Robert Andrews , and supported by a couple of 2 - pounder anti - tank gun s ( from 273 Battery , 80th Anti - Tank Regiment ) and two sections of engineers . Laycol advanced up the Trunk Road from Jitra to across the Thai border at the town of Ban Sadao . Laycol had just completed their defensive positions at 21 : 00 on 9 December when the Japanese 5th Division ' s vanguard — about 500 men of the 5th Division Reconnaissance 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 Changlun , south of the border . When Laycol crossed the border they destroyed the bridge and parts of the road behind them hoping to delay the Japanese further . Battle . Changlun and Asun 10 – 11 December . Major General Murray - Lyon — realizing that the positions at Jitra were still not ready — ordered Brigadier K . A . Garrett to take the 1 / 14th Punjab and the 2 / 1st Gurkha Rifles to positions on the Trunk Road north of Jitra , in an attempt to delay the Japanese advance until 12 December . Garrett placed the 1 / 14th Punjab ( Lt . Col . James Fitzpatrick ) at Changlun , from the Thai border , and the 2 / 1st Gurkhas ( Lt . Col . Jack Fulton ) at the village of Asun ( Kampung Ansun ) just a few miles north of Jitra . Changlun . Lt . Col . Fitzpatrick ' s 1 / 14th Punjab — supported by the 4th Mountain battery ( from 22nd Mountain Regiment , IA ) , a section of 2 - pounder anti - tank guns ( from 2nd Battery , 80th Anti - Tank Regiment ) and a company of engineers — separated into two strong ambush positions ; one north of Changlun and one south of the village . The battalion was in position by early evening of 10 December . Lt . Col . Saiki ' s vanguard had completed repairs on the road and bridge , without any opposition , and by late afternoon had started heading down the Trunk Road toward the 1 / 14th Punjabs position at Changlun . At about 21 : 00 on 10 December , Saeki ' s first two tanks to reach the ambush position north of Changlun were destroyed by the anti - tank guns and the Punjabis inflicted more casualties on the Japanese supporting infantry before pulling out and retreating south of Changlun . It was early morning on 11 December before the Japanese caught up with the 1 / 14th Punjabs at their next ambush position . In full daylight , Saeki ' s men were able to send a flanking party around the Punjabs position forcing them to withdraw before they were cut off . Fitzpatrick decided to withdraw his mostly intact battalion back to the Gurkha ' s position at Asun . At this point in the battle , Major General Murray - Lyon arrived at Fitzpatrick ' s Headquarters and ordered him to set up another ambush north of Asun . Murray - Lyon , Garrett , Fitzpatrick and all four of his company commanders then drove south to see the new ambush site , leaving the 1 / 14th Punjab to pack up and join them . By early afternoon , it had started to rain heavily , reducing visibility to a few feet . Half loaded onto their transport and facing the wrong way , the 1 / 14th Punjab were caught completely unprepared by a number of Japanese tanks appearing out of the rain and driving into the middle of the battalion . Saeki ' s tanks scattered the battalion with only 270 Punjabis managing to make their way back to British lines . The Japanese rapidly drove through the destroyed battalion and headed toward Asun . Fitzpatrick — a couple of miles down the Trunk Road — learned of the disaster from the few survivors racing toward Asun . Fitzpatrick and the few men with him attempted to build a roadblock but was severely wounded when the Japanese tanks reached him . Garrett gathered the 270 - odd survivors and escaped south . By early evening on 11 December , Saeki ' s column had reached the Gurkha ' s position at Asun . Asun . Lt . Col . Jack Fulton ' s 2 / 1st Gurkhas were positioned on the south bank of a fast - flowing stream just to the north of Asun . Unlike the Punjabs , the Gurkhas had no anti - tank guns attached to them , but Engineers had placed demolition charges on the road bridge . The arrival of the survivors of the 1 / 14th Punjab gave a few minutes warning to the Gurkhas who attempted to blow the bridge , but the heavy rain may have damaged the charges . As the first of Saeki ' s tanks arrived , Havildar Manbahadur Gurung , using a Boys anti - tank rifle managed to stop the first two tanks on the bridge ; effectively blocking it . Saeki ' s infantry — with typical Japanese speed — moved across the stream on either flank supported by heavy mortar and machine gun fire . The mostly young and inexperienced Gurkhas soon broke and scattered . By 19 : 00 on 11 December , the small Japanese force had broken through the Gurkas . Most of the 2 / 1st Gurkhas were captured , but Lt . Col . Fulton managed to save around 200 of his 550 men . Jitra . British positions at Jitra . After the destruction of Brigadier Garrett ' s two battalions north of Jitra , the small but very confident Saeki Detachment was speeding down the main Trunk Road to the 11th Indian Division defensive line at Jitra . Murray - Lyon had placed the majority of his two brigades to the east and west of Jitra with a four battalion front to face any attack . The 6th Indian Brigade covered the west of Jitra following the line of the Jitra River . The 2 / 16th Punjab on the extreme left flank and the 2nd East Surrey Regiment closer to Jitra . The 1 / 8th Punjab — minus the two companies that formed Laycol — were covering the Kodiang road through the state of Perlis at Kanjong Iman . On 10 December , the 1 / 8th Punjab were withdrawn from Perlis , demolishing bridges as they retreated . At the same time as Garrett ' s force on the Singora Road was being destroyed by Saeki , a premature demolition of a bridge on the Kodiang road left a large number of the 1 / 8th Punjab stranded on the wrong side of a river . The 15th Indian Brigade ( now under the command of Brigadier Carpendale ) was tasked with covering the main Trunk Road at Jitra itself . The 1st Leicestershire Regiment were covering the road and town north of the Jitra River with the 2 / 9th Jat Regiment on the east flank . The 2 / 2nd Gurkhas covered the divisional area behind the Leicesters and Jats positions , while the remaining Gurkha battalion ( 2 / 9th Gurkhas ) were protecting the 11th Indian Divisions line of retreat . By late afternoon of 11 December , Murray - Lyon had lost the better part of three battalions and was now without any reserve units to commit to the main battle . Battle 11 – 13 December . With the survivors of Garrett ' s two battalions streaming through the 11th Indian Division and his line of retreat threatened by the Japanese advance south of Jitra at Kroh , General Murray - Lyon requested permission from Malaya Command to retire from Jitra to a position he had already selected about southward , at Gurun . It was a natural stronghold , though it had also not been put into a state of active readiness . General Arthur Percival firmly refused it , fearing that such an early and long retreat would have a demoralizing effect on both the troops and civilian population . Murray - Lyon was told that the battle must be fought out at Jitra . At 20 : 30 on 11 December , Saeki ' s advance guard overran a forward patrol of the 1st Leicesters but was held up by an improvised roadblock until dawn of 12 December . Saeki — believing he was still attacking small British delaying forces — launched his men into a three - hour attack on the Leicesters and Jat positions without success . By midday of 12 December , Col . Saeki realized he was fighting against the main 11th Indian Division positions . General Kawamura ( commanding the Imperial Japanese Army ' s 9th Brigade — placed the 11th and 41st Infantry Regiments in readiness to resume the attack that night . Without waiting for Kawamura ' s plan , Saeki ' s advance guard impulsively attacked again , this time into D Company of the 2 / 9th Jats resulting in a wedge being driven between the Leicesters and Jats and D Company was practically cut off . The Leicesters attempted to close the gap during the afternoon but failed and lost heavy casualties . Lt . Col R . C . S . Bates led two of his companies from the 1 / 8th Punjab in an attack on the wedge , which failed and Bates along with two of his officers and twenty - three men were killed . The Jats D Company , running out of ammunition , was overrun soon after . At the same time Lt . Col C . K . Tester the 2 / 9th Jats CO had lost contact with his A Company on the right flank . At 19 : 30 on 12 December , Murray - Lyon again sought leave to fall back to the position at Gurun . General Percival finally agreed and Murray - Lyon was given permission to withdraw at his own discretion . The withdrawal from Jitra on the night of 12 / 13 December was when the 11th Indian Division incurred most of its casualties . Due to extremely poor communications , Murray - Lyon ' s orders for withdrawal failed to reach many of his forward companies who would still be in their positions at daylight of 13 December . At midnight on 13 December , a Japanese effort to rush the single bridge over the River Bata was violently repulsed by the 2 / 2nd Gurkha Rifles . Two hours later , the bridge was blown and the battalion withdrew through a rearguard formed by the 2 / 9th Gurkha Rifles , who fought another fierce engagement before withdrawing at 04 : 30 . By noon , all contact between both sides ended . General Murray - Lyon ' s task now was to try to hold North Kedah and block Japanese tanks on good natural obstacles , and to dispose his forces so as to obtain real depth on the two parallel North – South roads which traversed the rice - growing area , and thus get greater scope for his artillery . At 22 : 00 , the 11th Indian Division were ordered to withdraw to the south bank of the River Kedah at Alor Star , beginning at midnight . Aftermath . The Battle of Jitra and the retreat to Gurun had cost the 11th Indian Division heavily in manpower and strength as an effective fighting force . The Division had lost one Brigade commander wounded ( Garrett ) , one Battalion commander killed ( Bates ) and another captured ( Fitzpatrick ) . The Division had lost the equivalent of nearly three battalions of infantry and was in no condition to face another Japanese assault without reinforcements , reorganization and rest . After 15 hours of bitter combat , the Japanese 5th Division had captured Jitra and with it a large quantity of Allied supplies in the area . Around that same time , Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft conducted massive air raids on Penang , killing more than 2 , 000 civilians . After the destruction of most of the Allied aircraft at Alor Star , General Percival ordered that until reinforcements arrive , all aircraft will only be used in the defence of Singapore and for the protection of supply convoys moving north into Malaya . Murray - Lyon was relieved of command on 23 December .