Operation Krohcol, or the Battle for The Ledge, was a British operation in December 1941 to invade southern Thailand following the Japanese invasion of Malaya and of Thailand during World War II. It was authorised by Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival as a "mini Matador" after Operation Matador, a pre-emptive strike into Thailand which had been opposed by the British government and was not carried out. Due to delays in authorisation by Percival and in the forwarding of his order, the need to reorganise the troops for Krohcol instead of Matador, and resistance from Thai policemen the Kroh column did not reach the Ledge in time.
Mini Matador
As an alternative to Matador, three ad hoc columns were put together to harass and delay the Japanese advance from their beachheads at Songkhla and Pattani.
Krohcol was the most important of the three. Krohcol was tasked with the destruction of the feature known as the Ledge. Destruction of the Ledge would effectively block the road from Pattani, thereby ensuring the security of 11th Indian Infantry Division's lines of communication and retreat. For the Japanese, capture of the Ledge would allow them access to the rear areas of the 11th Indian Division, either forcing the British to retreat from Perak and Kedah, or if they were fast enough, they could even cut the 11th Indian Division off entirely.
Forces
British Commonwealth Forces
It was named Krohcol as it was operating from the town of Kroh at the Perak-Thailand border and 'col' is short for column (meaning battle group).
The original Krohcol was to consist of: 3/16th Punjab Regiment - Lt. Col. Henry Dawson Moorhead 5/14th Punjab Regiment - Lt. Col. Cyril Lovesy Lawrence Stokes ( in captivity on 15 February 1942 following the Battle of Slim River) 10th Indian Mountain Battery - Major D.G.C. Cowie 45th Field Company, Royal Bombay Sappers & Miners - Major J.R. Dinwiddie
The column that departed Kroh consisted of men from the 3/16th Punjab and some engineers under the command of Lt Col Henry Moorhead, carried in the Marmon-Herrington AWD trucks of the 2nd/3rd Australian Motor Transport Company under Major G.A.C. Kiernan. Krohcol was under its designated strength and delayed due to a second battalion the 5/14th Punjab Regiment and a light artillery battery failing to arrive on time. The column left without them. The column's objective was a six-mile (10 km) stretch of road cut through a steep hillside and bounded on the other side by sheer drop into a river and known as The Ledge. Blowing the hillside on to the road would cause the Japanese invasion force considerable delay.
Thailand Forces
Royal Thai Police
Opposing this Commonwealth invasion force was the resistance of the policemen and volunteers from Betong under Major Prayoon Rattanakit, who caused further delays to the column. The Thai Police were, at the same time combating the Japanese 5th Division at Pattani, prior to a ceasefire between the two sides.
Japanese Forces
'''IJA 5th Infantry Division'’'
42nd Infantry Regiment - Colonel Tadao Ando
Battalion, 42nd Regiment - Major Shigeharu Asaeda
2 Companies, 14th Tank Regiment
Battle of Betong
Krohcol crossed the frontier some 14 hours after the landings at Kota Bharu, on 8 December, and met opposition force from Thai policemen and civilian volunteers led by Major Prayoon Rattanakit, police commissioner of the town of Betong.
This force harassed the British column from the safety of the surrounding forests and felled rubber trees across the narrow road, slowing down the progress of the Bren gun carriers. In the meantime much of the Thai population of Betong evacuated the town, leaving behind Chinese and Indian merchants. Thai resistance delayed the Punjabis until the following afternoon and they did not reach the town of Betong, only five miles (8 km) inside the frontier, until the evening of 9 December.
When Krohcol entered Betong, a Thai constable commanding a police unit allowed them to pass through unopposed. He then approached Lt Col Moorhead and courteously apologised for the "mistake." However, it is not known why Moorhead did not immediately push on to the Ledge, but the delay proved fatal.
Race for the Ledge
10 December
On the morning of 10 December, 3/16th Punjab set off from Betong and headed for the Ledge, 26 miles (42 km) away. The Japanese 42nd Regiment of the 5th Division with two companies of light tanks, which had landed at Pattani at 03:00, won the race, reaching the Ledge at midday on 10 December.