[9] During April, the British and Indian IV Corps advanced 300 miles (480 km) from Central Burma down the valley of the Sittang River.

After the fall of Rangoon, the Fourteenth Army HQ under Slim moved to Ceylon to plan operations to recapture Malaya and Singapore.

[11] They were joined by Major General Hideji Matsui's 105th Independent Mixed Brigade, also known as "Kani" Force (men of anti-aircraft batteries, airfield construction battalions, naval anchorage units and NCO schools) which had faced IV Corps.

[3] The Japanese trapped in the Pegu Yomas prepared a break-out operation to rejoin the Burma Area Army and escape into Thailand with them.

[2] The Japanese were allowed to advance, unaware that their plans were known to the British, until many of their troops were in exposed positions and then a barrage of shell fire and bombing started.

[3] Royal Air Force cab rank patrols under the direction of visual control posts, called upon squadrons of Spitfires and Thunderbolts on Japanese targets.

[4] British forward observation officers on the far side of the Sittang, continued to call down artillery fire on the Japanese as the survivors attempted to reform and move south; casualties were appalling and it was in reality a one-sided battle.

[6] The 600 men of the Japanese 13th Naval Guard Force broke out separate from the main body, due to confusion and ambushes and only a handful survived.

The 54th Division having suffered heavily from cholera and dysentery, stepped off from the Pegu Yomas and crossed the flooded paddy fields to the Sittang.

A visual Controller, Flight Lieutenant J. Taylor and a corporal, were able to direct around seventeen aircraft at a time on to targets only 250 yards (230 m) from their post – both were wounded by bomb-splinters from RAF fighter-bombers.

The Allied liaison organisation Force 136 operated with them and used Westland Lysanders to remove the seriously wounded, prisoners and documents and bring in urgent stores.

[4] By the time the battle had died down only a few Japanese units made it across, having reached the Sittang by 7 August before the whole area was cleared by Allied infantry.

[2] The break-out was a dismal failure and sapped Japanese morale further; the ragged elements were continually harassed by Karen guerrillas and the RAF.

[4] The British and Allied forces in addition to having claimed 1,500 being sick to disease throughout the period had suffered no more than 95 men killed and 322 wounded, a small number of these coming from "friendly fire".

The loss of so many Japanese troops was largely due to British air power and artillery fire; the soldiers that fought here coined the battle a gunners war.