One of the few moments where British troops managed to inflict any form of effective defense against Japanese tactics occurred near Kampar on the Dipang River.

Soon afterwards the advance guard from Colonel Ando's 42nd Regiment reached the Hyderabad positions and launched a probing attack which was beaten off with the loss of 60 Japanese dead.

Within fifteen minutes Japanese engineers were dismantling the road block and Ando's infantry were pushing back the Hyderabads who were now reduced to scattered groups.

The infantry were immediately followed by Shimada's tanks, which easily broke through the remaining Hyderabads, scattering them into the jungle and by 4 am were headed toward the next British unit.

[3] A few Hyderabads fell back to the next battalion (Lt. Col. (Charles) Cecil Deakin's 5/2nd Punjab Regiment) alerting the Punjabis to the tanks heading towards their position.

[3] Shimada lost his two leading tanks to land mines and Boys anti-tank rifles in front of the more experienced Punjabi position.

Even with that warning, the first four of Shimada's tanks were mistaken for Punjab Bren Carriers and drove straight through the Argylls, neatly dividing the battalion.

[3] The Argylls were reduced to many small groups, but they fought ferociously and managed to delay the Japanese infantry longer than either of the other two battalions, holding them up until about 7.30 am.

The force east of the road (C and B Companies) under Col. Robertson fought their way into the rubber estate and tried to flank the Japanese advance by heading south through the jungle inland and breaking up into small parties.

2nd Lieutenant Ian Primrose reports that after he regained consciousness from an injury during the fighting he discovered that the Japanese were dividing the wounded into those who said they could walk and those who said they could not.

[3] Before reaching the 28th Gurkha Brigade Shimada's tanks were offered a perfect target in the form of Lt. Col. Cyril Livesy Lawrence Stokes' 5/14th Punjabis, who were in marching order (long columns of units following each other) on either side of the road to Trolak.

[7] His battalion suffered heavy casualties before Watanabe's tanks carried on toward the road bridge (5/14th Punjabis mustered 146 officers and soldiers by 8 January[8]).

[citation needed] Like the Punjabis, the last battalion of Selby's brigade, the 2/1st Gurkhas under Lt. Col. Jack Oswald Fulton, were on the march either side of the road as the Japanese tanks reached them.

[4] This time though, the marching column of Gurkhas were facing away from the approaching Japanese, and Watanabe's tanks caught them from behind: the death toll was even higher than that of the Punjabis.

[4] Upon reaching the road bridge at 8.30 a.m. Watanabe found it defended by a battery of Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns from the Singapore and Hong Kong Artillery Regiment.

[3][9] It was still only early morning and the Japanese attack had managed to scatter the entire 11th Indian Division, leaving most of its survivors attempting to escape across the Slim River.

[3] In the last part of this 25 kilometre (16 mile) Blitzkrieg-like attack, Watanabe, now in control of the road bridge, sent a force of three tanks under the command of Ensign Toichero Sato to explore the other side of the river.

[4] Lt. Col. Arthur Harrison, a British artillery commander who had narrowly escaped being killed by Watanabe's tank, remarked with obvious admiration; Heedless of danger and of their isolation they had shattered the division: they had captured the Slim Bridge by their reckless and gallant determination.[3]Lt.

[1]The 11th Indian Infantry Division had suffered huge casualties, although some would eventually make their way back to join in the fight for Singapore, many more would still be in the jungle after the surrender.

[4] General Wavell, after meeting survivors of the battle, was appalled by the condition they were in and ordered the 11th Indian Division out of the front line.