two other columns Laycol One of the other columns, consisting of 200 truck-borne troops from the 1/8th Punjabis, and a section of the 273rd Anti-Tank Battery all under the command of Major E.R.Andrews, had crossed the Thai border at the same time as Krohcol. The column, named Laycol after Brigadier William Lay, commander of the 6th Indian Infantry Brigade, crossed the frontier at 17:30 on 8 December 1941 and moved towards Songkhla to harass and delay the enemy. Laycol reached Ban Sadao, ten miles (16 km) north of the frontier at dusk, where it halted and took up a position north of the village. Laycol made contact with a Japanese mechanised column from Colonel Saeki's reconnaissance unit of the Japanese 5th Division with a company of tanks from the 1st Tank Regiment. The force was led by the tanks and moved in close formation with full headlights blazing. The two leading tanks were knocked out by the anti-tank guns, but the Japanese infantry quickly debussed and started an enveloping movement around the flanks of the Punjabis. Laycol withdrew on 11 December through the outpost position at Kampong Imam, destroying two bridges and partially destroying a third on the way back. Armoured train The last column was an armoured train, with 30 men from the 2/16th Punjab Regiment and some engineers, advancing into Thailand from Padang Besar in Perlis. This armoured train reached Khlong Ngae, in southern Thailand, and successfully destroyed a 200-foot (60 m) bridge before withdrawing back to Padang Besar. See also Operation Matador (1941) Japanese Invasion of Thailand Notes References External links OPERATIONS OF MALAYA COMMAND, FROM 8TH DECEMBER, 1941 TO 15th FEBRUARY, 1942 Section XVII: — The Opening of Hostilities 6–8 December 1941, paragraph 130 Chronology of Malaya and Singapore COFEPOW.org Military history of Malaysia Military history of Malaya during World War II Krohcol Military history of Thailand during World War II Thailand in World War II Krohcol 1941 in British Malaya 1941 in Thailand December 1941 events