The Battle of Slim River

Knocked-out Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks on the Malayan roadside. © IWM MH 31389

With Japanese forces relentlessly advancing down the Malay Peninusla over the 1941 Christmas period, the Indian 11th Infantry Division under Acting Major-General Archibald Paris withdrew to new positions on the road to Trolak, five miles north of the Slim River which was crossed by a nearby rail bridge and a road bridge six miles further to the east.

After the initial bombardment of the British positions, the Japanese 41st Infantry Regiment attacked the 4/19th Hyderabad Regiment with tanks in the early hours of the 7th January 1942 in heavy rain. Their advance was impeded by anti-tank obstacles on the road and while negotiating them were hit by British artillery support. However the Hyderabads lost contact with the supporting artillery and having no anti-tank weapons, scattered as the Japanese broke through. Some fell back to the next defensive position of the 5/2nd Punjab Regiment where the tanks were hit by a combination of land mines, anti-tank rifles and Molotov cocktails.

The attacking force found a way around the destroyed tanks blocking the road leaving any surviving defenders to retreat over the Slim River. Approaching Trolak, the Japanese tanks now faced the 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regarded as one of the best jungle fighting units available. The attacking force drove through the Argylls splitting them and moved towards the railway bridge. Mounting a ferocious defence, the Argylls' were ground down into smaller fighting groups with some Argylls managing to escape before the rail bridge was demolished.

Members of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders training in the Malayan jungle. © IWM FE 352

As the tanks moved onwards to the Slim River road bridge, the British forces suffered heavy casualties with the tanks machine-gunning troops of the 5/14th Punjabis and soon after the 2/1st Gurkhas marching along both sides of the road as they drove by.

On reaching the road bridge the attackers were met by a battery of 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns which made no impression on their armour. The railway bridge was quickly taken and any demolition charges neutralised.

The Gurkha Rifles in the Malayan jungle. © IWM FE 237

The Japanese advance halted after three tanks sent over the road bridge met British field artillery, losing their lead tank and having to retreat back to the bridge.

This ‘Blitzkrieg’ advance by the Japanese cost an estimated 3,200 British troops and valuable equipment lost at minimal cost to the Japanese attackers. Ultimately it allowed Kuala Lumpur to be taken unopposed as the British forces retreated to Southern Malaya and Singapore.

Remarkably after the battle, some of the Argylls’ smaller fighting groups were still operating in the Malayan jungle right up to VJ day in August 1945 and Gurkha NCO Naik Nakam Gurung was finally found in October 1949 during the Malayan Emergency operations.

CWGC commemorates the fallen from the Battle of Slim River and the Malayan Campaign at many locations along the Malaysian peninsula including the Taiping War Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur (Cheras Road) Civil Cemetery and on the Singapore Memorial in the Kranji War Cemetery.

Taiping War Cemetery, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur (Cheras Road) Civil Cemetery, Malaysia

Singapore Memorial in the Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore