The Sittang River arises at the western edge of the Shan Plateau and flows south into the Gulf of Martaban. Its basin is separated from the Irrawady by the low Pegu Yoma mountain range. The river is unnavigable at all times of the year due to a strong tidal bore and swift currents, though its volume increases with the monsoon, and timber is floated downriver. The river does not carry nearly as great a burden of silt as the Irrawady, making its basin considerably less fertile. The lack of silt and the tidal bore have prevented the formation of a significant river delta.
The lower Sittang is unfordable and was therefore a
significant military barrier, both in 1942 during the first Burma campaign and in 1945 during the
final Burma campaign. The British
destroyed the bridge across the Sittang on 23 February 1942 in an
effort to stop the Japanese invasion
of Burma, only to trap their own 17 Indian
Division on the far side. Most of the men were able to get back across
the river, but without their equipment, and the division was hors de combat.
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2007 by Kent G. Budge. Index
