An Unpleasant and Devastating Fight: The Battle For the Sittang Bridge February 21-22, 1942

“We arrived at Mokpalin, from the south…There were masses of troops but no staffs… We were at the south of the railway station but west of the line, and throughout the day the Japs were attacking on the other side of the line… After a bit the Kawkareik Brigadier turned up… and really did get things organized. We were very glad to see him. We were to form a box round Mokpalin, we being in the S.W. corner.” –Officer of the 8th Burma Rifles about the battle for the Sittang Bridge.

The situation for the Allies in Burma was increasingly desperate following the Japanese invasion that began in December 1941. After nearly a month of fighting the British Dominion forces were in full retreat, hoping to meet with reinforcements being rushed to the theater and to regroup behind the Sittang River. Key to this goal was the successful withdrawal of the Indian 17th Division. That division had been engaged in a running fight with the Japanese 33rd (214th and 215th Regiments) and 55th (143rd Regiment) Divisions from the outset of the invasion. Both sides converged on the only major bridge over the Sittang river north of Rangoon, a railway span near the town of Sittang. An Allied success here could potentially thwart the Japanese offensive and save Rangoon. Another victory for the Japanese could lead to the capture of that major port and even more conquests by the sons from the land of the Rising Sun.

Each copy of An Unpleasant and Devastating Fight is composed of the following:

One 11 by 17 inch hex map One sheet of 70 double-sided, unmounted counters 8 pages of rules

Infantry units are battalions, all other units are companies. A hex is approximately 800 yards across. Each turn represents six hours of time. Players will need a standard deck of playing cards and a six-sided die to play the game. A custom card set that replaces the standard deck of playing cards is also available.

An Unpleasant and Devastating Fight is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh and features graphics by Ilya Kudriashov.

-description from designer