How many wars with Japan. Victory over Japan (70 photos). Kuril landing and South Sakhalin offensive operations

Cherevko K.E.
Soviet-Japanese war. August 9 - September 2, 1945

(To the 65th anniversary of the victory over militaristic Japan)

If the preservation of the neutrality pact between the USSR and Japan in 1941-1945. allowed the Soviet Union to transfer troops and military equipment from the Soviet Far East and from Eastern Siberia to the Soviet-German front, then the defeat of Japan's European allies put on the agenda the issue of the accelerated redeployment of the Soviet armed forces from Europe in the opposite direction, so that the USSR could fulfill its obligation to its allies in time to enter the war on their side with Japan, which waged an aggressive war against them since 1941, no later than three months after the defeat of Nazi Germany, was given to them at the Yalta Conference on February 12, 1945.

On June 28, the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander approved war plan with japan, according to which all preparatory measures were to be completed by August 1, 1945, and it was instructed to start the fighting itself by special order. At first, these actions were planned to begin on August 20-25 and be completed in one and a half to two months, and in case of success, even in a shorter time. The troops were tasked with blows from the Mongolian People's Republic, the Amur Region and Primorye to dismember the troops Kwantung Army, to isolate them in Central and Southern Manchuria and completely liquidate scattered enemy groupings.

In response to a memorandum from the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral N.N. Kuznetsov dated July 2, Stalin gave him a number of instructions, in accordance with which the Soviet naval commander put before the Pacific Fleet of the USSR following tasks:

to prevent the landing of Japanese troops in Primorye and the penetration of the Japanese Navy into the Tatar Strait;
disrupt communications of the Japanese Navy in the Sea of Japan;
inflict air strikes on the ports of Japan upon detection of an accumulation of enemy military and transport ships there;
to support ground forces operations to occupy naval bases in North Korea, on South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, and also to be ready for an amphibious landing on Northern Hokkaido.

Although the implementation of this plan was originally scheduled for 20-25 August 1945, it was later moved by the General Staff of the Red Army to midnight from 8 to 9 August.

Japanese Ambassador to Moscow Sato was warned that from 9 August Soviet Union will be at war with his state. On August 8, less than one hour before this deadline, he was summoned by Molotov to the Kremlin at 17:00 Moscow time (23:00 Japan time), and he was immediately read and handed the declaration of war by the USSR government. He received permission to send it by telegraph. (True, this information never reached Tokyo, and Tokyo was first informed about the USSR's declaration of war on Japan from a message from Moscow Radio at 4:00 on August 9.)

In this regard, attention is drawn to the fact that Stalin signed the directive on the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan on August 9 at 16:30 on August 7, 1945, i.e. after receiving news of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which marked the beginning of "atomic diplomacy" against our country.

In our opinion, if Stalin, before the Yalta Conference, had agreed with the opinion of Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Lozovsky that, while continuing negotiations on the renewal of the neutrality pact with Japan, not to allow the allies to "draw the USSR into the Pacific War" against her, expressed in his memorandum notes to Molotov dated January 10 and 15, 1945, then the United States - with its allies, quickly achieving the defeat of Japan as a result of the use nuclear weapons, would immediately occupy a dominant position in East Asia and sharply undermine the geostrategic positions of the USSR in this region.

On August 9, 1945, the advanced and reconnaissance detachments of the Trans-Baikal, 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts, respectively, under the command of Marshals of the Soviet Union R.Ya. Malinovsky and K.A. Meretskov and General of the Army M.A. Purkaev under the general command of Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky crossed the state border between the USSR and Manchukuo and wedged into enemy territory. With the onset of dawn, they were joined by the main forces of the three fronts, border guards and sailors of the Red Banner Amur River Flotilla. On the same day, Soviet aviation began to operate.

Well mobilized and trained Soviet troops Having behind them the experience of the war with the Nazi armies, armed with first-class weapons for that time, many times greater than the number of the enemy in the directions of the main attacks, relatively easily crushed the scattered units of the Kwantung Army, which offered stubborn resistance only in separate points. Almost complete absence Japanese tanks and aviation allowed individual Soviet units to penetrate into the depths of Manchuria almost without hindrance.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, after the start of the Soviet-Japanese war, discussions continued on the issue on the adoption of the Potsdam Declaration.

On August 10, the government of Japan, in accordance with the opinion of the emperor, unanimously approved the decision to adopt the Potsdam Declaration, subject to the preservation of the prerogatives of the emperor. “Now, after the atomic bombing and the entry of the Russians into the war against Japan,” wrote Japanese Foreign Minister S. Togo, “no one objected in principle to the adoption of the Declaration.”

On August 10, the corresponding note was sent to USA. China was also made aware of its content. And on August 13, an official response was received from Washington, which indicated that the final form of government would be established on the basis of the free will of the Japanese people. To discuss the response of the US government and make a final decision, on August 14, a meeting of the government and the high command of the army and navy was convened in the emperor's bomb shelter, at which, despite military opposition, the emperor proposed a draft of his rescript on the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Japan on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, and after its approval On August 15, this document was sent to the USA by the majority of cabinet members.

On August 18, the commander of the Kwantung Army, General Yamada, at a meeting with the Soviet command in Shenyang (Mukden), announced the order on the cessation of hostilities and the disarmament of the Kwantung Army. And on August 19, in Changchun, he signed the act of surrender.

On August 17, having received a radiogram with Yamada's statement about his readiness to immediately cease hostilities and disarm, Vasilevsky sent him a reply by radio in which he ordered the Kwantung Army to cease hostilities not immediately, but at 12.00 on August 20, referring to the fact that "Japanese troops went over to counteroffensive on a number of sectors of the front.

During this time, the Soviet troops managed to significantly expand the territories that were part of the zone where they were supposed to accept the surrender of the Japanese armed forces, in accordance with Order No. 1 of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Allied Powers on pacific ocean General D. MacArthur dated August 14. (The day after that, he issued a directive on the cessation of hostilities against Japan and, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Allied Powers, handed it over to the Chief of Staff of the Red Army, General A.I. Antonov, but received an answer that he could take the proposed actions only if will receive an order from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR to this effect.)

In order to maximize the expansion of the zone, which by the time of the surrender of the armed forces of Japan would have been under the control of the Soviet troops, on August 18-19 they landed airborne assault forces in Harbin, Girin and Shenyang (with the capture of Emperor Manchukuo Pu-yi), Changchun and in a number of other cities of Manchuria, and also made significant progress in other areas, in particular, on August 19 they occupied the city of Chengde and reached the Liaodong Peninsula, and on August 22-23 they occupied Port Arthur and Dalny, contrary to the initial intentions of the Americans to send their troops here, ahead of the Russians, under on the pretext that the Kwantung Peninsula is allegedly not included in Manchuria as a Soviet zone for accepting the surrender of the armed forces of Japan.

IN North Korea, the troops in which, as in South Korea, were subordinated to the command of the Kwantung Army, the joint actions of the troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front and the Red Navy Pacific Fleet landings were made, in particular in Pyongyang and Kanko (Hamhin), where they accepted the surrender of Japanese troops.

By August 19, Soviet troops had destroyed 8,674 Japanese troops and captured 41,199 Japanese soldiers and officers.

In accordance with order No. 106 of the commander of the Kwantung Army, General Yamada, dated August 16, the troops subordinate to him in Manchuria and Korea, as well as the troops of Manchukuo, were ordered to immediately stop hostilities, to concentrate in their places of deployment in this moment, and in large cities - on the outskirts and when Soviet troops appear through Soviet parliamentarians, surrender positions, weapons collected in advance to stop resistance, preventing damage to military property and weapons, food and fodder concentrated in other places, control the surrender of Manchukuo troops.

The special order. This document stated that military personnel and civilians who find themselves under the control of the enemy on the basis of the emperor's rescript on the cessation of hostilities under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, are considered Japanese authorities not as prisoners of war (chore), but only as internees (yokuryusya). At the same time, the surrender of weapons and submission to the enemy are not, from their point of view, capitulation.

However, this definition of these actions by the Japanese side, although it deserves a positive assessment, since it reduced the bloodshed, did not receive international legal recognition.

It is also important to note the fact that as a result of negotiations on August 18 in the village of Dukhovnoye on the actual surrender of the Japanese troops mentioned above on August 20, the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, General X. Khata obtained from the command of the Red Army consent to ensure the security of the Japanese civilian population. However, the obligation was later broken, and these persons were deported to labor camps following the Japanese military personnel.

These days, in relation to the Japanese in the areas occupied by the Red Army, it was proposed to act in accordance with the telegram of Beria, Bulganin and Antonov No. 72929 to Vasilevsky of August 16, in which, in accordance with the Potsdam Declaration, he indicated the axis:

Prisoners of war of the Japanese-Manchurian army will not be taken out to the territory of the USSR. Prisoner-of-war camps must be organized, if possible, in places where the Japanese troops are disarmed... Food for prisoners of war should be provided according to the standards that exist in the Japanese army stationed in Manchuria at the expense of local resources.”

Although the Japanese often, albeit without enthusiasm, mostly obeyed the orders of their superiors to surrender, battles with small groups of Japanese who ignored these orders were fought in the most diverse regions of Manchuria, especially in the hills. The local Chinese population, who hated their enslavers, actively helped the Soviet troops in their discovery and destruction or capture.

The surrender of Japanese troops on all fronts as a whole was completed by 10 September. In total, during combat operations, Soviet troops captured 41,199 Japanese military personnel and accepted the surrender of 600,000 Japanese soldiers and commanding officers.

“Yes, this issue has been resolved,” Stalin declared at this historic meeting ... “They did enough business in the Soviet Far East in the years civil war. Now their militaristic aspirations have come to an end. It's time to pay off your debts. So they will give them away." And by signing GKO resolution No. 9898ss on the admission, accommodation and labor service of Japanese military personnel. Orally ordered Comrade Vorobyov from the People's Commissariat of Defense through the secretary of the State Defense Committee, "so that he would certainly and in a short time hand over 800 tons of barbed wire to the NKVD", and ordered Beria, who was present at the meeting, to take the implementation of this decision under his control.

This step, illegal from the point of view of the Potsdam Declaration, can, however, be explained both by Japan's attack on Russia in 1904, and Japanese intervention in Russia in 1918-1925, and the active position of Japan in the armed border conflicts of the 30s, as well as the difficult internal economic situation.

On the morning of August 9, Soviet artillery began shelling the Japanese border outpost Handenzawa (Handasa), located at 50 degrees north latitude. The Japanese resisted fiercely for three days, hiding in permanent structures, until they were surrounded and destroyed by two battalions of Soviet troops attacking them.

On August 11, Soviet troops launched an offensive in South Sakhalin against the fortified area of Koton (Pobedino) near the Soviet-Japanese border. Japanese troops put up stubborn resistance. The fighting continued until August 19, when the Japanese side officially completely ceased resistance and the surrender of 3,300 Japanese troops was accepted.

In the battles for Maoka (Kholmsk), occupied on August 20, the Japanese lost 300 people, 600 were taken prisoners, and the Soviet soldiers - 77 killed and wounded. Otomari, on the other hand, was taken relatively easily with the capture of 3,400 Japanese troops. Japanese literature contains the assertion that in response to the proposal of the Japanese side to stop hostilities in South Sakhalin, made on August 17 after receiving an order from Tokyo for a rescript of the emperor on unconditional surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, Soviet troops in this area, fulfilling the initial order to accept surrender of the Japanese troops from 12.00 on August 20, they refused their offer under the pretext that it was allegedly accompanied by certain conditions, i.e. was not unconditional.

In addition, the Soviet side was aware that in the previous days, the Japanese, in order to regroup forces with the aim of more successful resistance, tried three times to achieve an end to the fighting, using fake truce envoys for this.

This, according to the Japanese side, led to the death of some of the "genuine" truce truants during the skirmish.

By August 25, after the occupation of the cities of Maoka (Kholmsk), Khonto (Nevelsk) and Otomari (Korsakov), the occupation of South Sakhalin by Soviet troops in cooperation with the Soviet Pacific Fleet was completed.

On August 12, the US Navy began military operations in its combat zone south of the Fourth Kuril Strait, subjecting not only the Matua Islands, but also Paramushir Island to fierce artillery fire, in violation of the agreement reached with the USSR at the Potsdam Conference.

On the same day, US Secretary of State Byrnes ordered their Navy to prepare to occupy the combat zone. "at the appropriate time". On August 14, the original version of the general order to the allied forces No. 1 without mentioning the Kuriles was sent to Stalin.

On August 14, in accordance with the agreement reached between the military representatives of the USSR and the USA at the Potsdam Conference, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff - sent to the State Coordinating Committee on naval war a memorandum on preparations for accepting the surrender of Japanese troops in the zone of the Kuril Islands south of the Fourth Kuril (Onekotan) Strait, which is why Kurile Islands and were not mentioned in the original version of General Order No. 1 of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Allied Powers, General MacArthur.

However, the lack of mention of the Kuriles in this order received by Stalin alerted him, and he suggested that by doing so the American side was trying to evade its obligation to transfer all the Kuril Islands to the USSR, in accordance with the agreement reached in Crimea. That is why, early in the morning of August 15 (Vladivostok time), Stalin ordered Vasilevsky, together with the Pacific Fleet, to prepare for a landing on the Kuril Islands.

On August 16, upon receipt of Truman's telegram of August 15, Stalin raised the question of including all the Kuriles, and not just the Northern ones, in the zone where the surrender of Japanese troops was accepted by Soviet troops. On August 17, a positive response to this proposal was received, and Vasilevsky immediately ordered the landing of troops in the Northern Kuriles.

In his response, Stalin stressed that the Liaodong Peninsula was part of Manchuria, i.e. the Soviet surrender zone of the Kwantung Army, and proposed that Korea be divided along 38 degrees north latitude. on the Soviet and American zones of occupation.

In addition, Stalin proposed that the northern part of Hokkaido from the city of Rumoi to the city of Kushiro be included in the Soviet zone of occupation. The corresponding order N ° 10 on preparations for the occupation of this area from August 19 to September 1 by the troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front and Pacific Fleet dated August 18 was sent to the Soviet command. According to the Japanese historian X. Wada, Truman's consent to the Soviet occupation of all the Kuriles was explained by the fact that Stalin went so far as not to claim the occupation of South Korea.

question about occupation of hokkaido was discussed at a meeting of members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR with the participation Soviet military leaders June 26-27, 1945 in the course of consideration of preparations for war with Japan. Marshal Meretskov's proposal to occupy this island was supported by Khrushchev, while Voznesensky, Molotov and Zhukov opposed it.

The first of them substantiated his opinion with the assertion that it was impossible to "substitute" our army under the blow of a powerful Japanese defense, the second declared that the landing on this island - gross violation the Yalta Agreement, and the third considered the proposal made just a gamble.

When Stalin asked how many troops would be needed for this operation, Zhukov replied that four armies full membership with artillery, tanks and other equipment. Limiting himself to a general statement of the fact that the USSR was ready for war with Japan, Stalin returned to this issue after the success of the Soviet troops in the battles on the fields of Manchuria. The corresponding order - No. 10 on preparations for the occupation of Hokkaido from September 19 to September 1 by the troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front and the Pacific Fleet of the USSR dated August 18 was sent to Vasilevsky.

agreeing to the Soviet occupation of all the Kuriles, subject to the division of Korea with the United States into zones of occupation at 38 degrees north latitude, Truman categorically rejected Stalin's proposal for the occupation of Northern Hokkaido by the Soviet side. As a result, the said Order No. 1.0 was canceled by Vasilevsky after Stalin's reply of August 22 to Truman on his telegram of August 18.

The refusal of the United States to occupy the northern part of the island of Hokkaido by Soviet troops, where Stalin, in order not to formally violate the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration on the return of Japanese prisoners of war to their homeland, was going to move them for forced labor in special camps, led to the fact that he gave a new order. Vasilevsky's order of August 18, 1945 (to change the original above-mentioned order of Beria and others dated August 16 to send them to the metropolis) had another tragic consequence that adversely affected post-war Soviet-Japanese relations - Japanese military personnel who laid down their arms and internees civilians from areas occupied by Soviet troops, on the basis of the order of the State Defense Committee of the USSR No. 9898ss of August 23 (initially 0.5 million people), were sent to special camps in Siberia and the Far East. There they were engaged in forced labor in a harsh climate unusual for the Japanese.

On August 16, Soviet landing craft with troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Army and the people's militia left Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and on August 18 in the morning began landing on the heavily fortified islands of Shumshu (Northern Kuriles) and Paramushir. The enemy met them with heavy fire, and he believed that he was repelling an attack not by Soviet, but by American troops, since the Japanese garrisons did not know about the USSR's entry into the war with Japan, and thick fog made it difficult to identify the enemy.

In the battles for Shumshu, 8800 Soviet soldiers fought, of which 1567 people died. against 23 thousand Japanese, of which 1018 people died. Until August 24, fighting continued for the island of Paramushir.

Battle for the Northern Kuriles began after the adoption by Japan of the Potsdam Declaration and the sending of an order to the Japanese troops to cease hostilities, with the exception of the continuation of active hostilities by the enemy, and the unconditional surrender of Japanese troops on the terms of the said declaration.

In our opinion, heavy losses on both sides could have been avoided if, a few days later, the Soviet side entered into negotiations with the Japanese garrisons of the Kuril Islands, which by that time, in addition to the emperor's rescript on surrender, had received the same order from their command. As a result, on the morning of August 23, the surrender of all the Japanese began, the total number of which on about. Shumshu reached, judging only by the personnel of the 73rd and 91st infantry divisions, 13,673 people. This point of view is supported by the bloodless occupation of the islands of OneKotan by Soviet troops on August 25, the islands of Matua, Urup and Iturup on August 28 and their landing on the islands of Kunashir and Shikotan on September 1, capturing 63,840 Japanese troops without fighting.

Simultaneously with the cancellation of the order to land on Hokkaido, Vasilevsky sent a telegram to the commander of the USSR Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov and the commander of the STOF Yumashev, in which, referring to the emperor's rescript on surrender, he suggested that the latter consider the possibility of transporting the main forces of the 87th rifle corps of Sakhalin to South Kuriles (Kunashir and Iturup Islands), bypassing the island of Hokkaido, with a report on their opinion no later than the morning of August 23.

This telegram shows that in connection with the cancellation of the Soviet landing on Hokkaido, the Soviet command, reacting flexibly to the changing situation, decided to try to use this landing to occupy the South Kuriles, after Kuznetsov and Yumashev reacted positively to Vasilevsky's request, starting landing troops here before official signing of the Instrument of Surrender.

As a result, on August 26 began, in fact, separate military operation without the participation of troops, ships and aircraft intended to occupy the Northern and Middle Kuriles up to and including Urup Island.

Captain V. Leonov, having received order N ° 12146 in the city of Korsakov on that day to occupy the islands of Kunashir and Iturup by September 3, due to lack of fuel on August 28 at 21.50 limited himself to sending only two trawlers to Iturup. On August 28, a forward detachment of Soviet troops landed on this island. The Japanese garrison of the island expressed their readiness to surrender.

On September 1, fearing the small number of Soviet troops, Captain G.I. Brunstein landed on the island of Kunashir, first a forward detachment from the first trawler, and then a second detachment to reinforce him. And although these detachments did not meet the resistance of the Japanese, the occupation of Kunashir was completed only by September 4th. Shikotan Island from the Lesser Kuril Ridge was also occupied by Soviet troops without a fight on September 1.

The operation is Occupation of the Habomai (Flat) Islands- they received these names later, and then they were called Suisho - began on September 2, when Captain Leonov received an order from his command to prepare an operational plan for the occupation of these islands and instructed Captain First Rank Chicherin to lead relevant group troops in case they are occupied. Due to poor communication in complex weather conditions According to him, Leonov could not clearly explain to Chicherin that only the landing plan was required, and not its implementation, which began on September 3rd.

Arriving in Kunashir at 6.00 on the same day, Chicherin organized two groups for landing on the Habomai Islands: the first to occupy the islands of Shibotsu (Zeleny Island), Suisho (Tanfilyev Island), Yuri (Yuri Island) and Akiyuri (Anuchina Island) , and the second - for the occupation of the islands of Taraku (Polonsky Island) and Harukarumoshir (Dyomin Islands).

On September 3, these groups set off without the sanction of a higher Soviet command to these islands and, without meeting any resistance from the Japanese, completed their occupation on September 5; after the signing by the Japanese side of the official Act of Surrender. At the same time, the headquarters of the Far Eastern District called them "native Russian territories" (but only with Japanese names), although these islands could be taken away from Japan only as a punishment for aggression, and not as "native Russian territories", which they were not .
Having a political and administrative map of Japan, the Soviet command could know that these islands are not administratively part of the Kuril Islands (Chishima), but belong to the Hanasaki district of Hokkaido prefecture. But from the point of view of the usual geographical use in a number of official publications, including explanatory dictionaries and lectures, the Habomai Islands were included in Japan as part of the Kuril Islands. But if the Americans, focusing on the political and administrative division of Japan, occupied them as part of their zone of occupation - the prefectures of Hokkaido, then the Soviet side, obviously, would not insist on a different, usual and, therefore, legally legitimate interpretation of the boundaries of the Kuril Islands, so as not to conflict with the United States. And since the Soviet troops were ahead of the American ones in one way or another, the latter, knowing that the Kuriles (Tishima) in common usage included the Habomai Islands, given their small strategic importance, in turn, did not begin to conflict with the USSR and insist that when distributing the zones for accepting the surrender of Japanese troops, the United States took as a basis the political and administrative division of the country, postponing this issue until negotiations on a peaceful settlement with Japan.

In connection with the above considerations, it is curious that upon arrival at Habomai, the fighters of the Chicherin detachment first of all asked if American troops had landed here, and calmed down only after receiving Negative answer.

It does not matter from a legal point of view, in our opinion, and the reproach addressed to our country that the occupation of the Habomai Islands by the Soviet side occurred after the signing of the Act of Surrender, which legally implemented the final version of MacArthur's general order No. 1 on the distribution of surrender zones of Japanese troops, since these documents do not define the deadline for the implementation of the said order.

On September 2, 1945, the official ceremony of signing the Act of Surrender took place aboard the US battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

On the Japanese side, this document, on behalf of the Emperor and the Government of Japan, was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs M. Shigemitsu and a representative of the Imperial Headquarters of the Japanese Armed Forces, Chief General Staff E. Umezu, from the allied powers - General D. MacArthur, from the USA - Admiral C. Nimitz, from the Republic of China - Su Yongchang, from Great Britain - B. Fraser, from the USSR - Major General K.N. Derevyanko, then representatives of Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

This document proclaimed acceptance by Japan of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of the Allied Powers- United States, China and Great Britain, joined by the Soviet Union, consent to the unconditional surrender of all armed forces of Japan and the armed forces under its control and the immediate cessation of hostilities, as well as the obligation to comply with all orders of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Allied Powers, necessary for the implementation this surrender and the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, or any other representative appointed by the Allied Powers.

This document also ordered the Japanese government and the General Staff to immediately release all allied prisoners of war and civilian internees, and ordered the emperor and government to be subordinated to the Supreme Commander of the armed forces of the allied powers.

An important feature of the Far Eastern campaign of the Soviet armed forces in 1945 was concentration of troops and equipment in the directions of the main strikes. For example, the military leadership of the Trans-Baikal Front concentrated 70% of rifle troops and up to 90% of tanks and artillery on the direction of the main attack. This made it possible to increase superiority over the enemy: in infantry - 1.7 times, in guns - 4.5 times, mortars - 9.6 times, tanks and self-propelled guns - 5.1 times and aircraft - 2.6 times. On the 29-kilometer breakthrough section of the 1st Far Eastern Front, the ratio of forces and means was as follows: in manpower - 1.5: 1, in guns - 4: 1, tanks and self-propelled guns - 8: 1, in favor of the Soviet troops. A similar situation developed in the breakthrough areas in the direction of the main attack of the 2nd Far Eastern Front.

As a result of the selfless actions of the Soviet troops, significant damage was inflicted on the enemy in terms of manpower and equipment, more than half a million Japanese military personnel were captured and large trophies were taken.

In addition, the Japanese lost about 84,000 killed.

During the Soviet-Japanese War, the courage and heroism of Soviet soldiers. Over 550 formations, units, ships and institutions of the Soviet Armed Forces were awarded guard ranks and honorary titles or awarded military orders of the USSR. 308 thousand soldiers from the Far East were awarded military orders and medals for their personal exploits.

87 soldiers and officers - the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and six, in addition, were awarded the second Gold Star medal.

September 30, 1945, in commemoration of the brilliant victory of the Soviet armed forces in the final campaign of the Great Patriotic War the medal "For the victory over Japan" was established, which was awarded to more than 1.8 million people.

From the period of the invasion of Japanese troops into Manchuria in 1931, under the influence of the Japanese military, the Japanese government began to pursue an anti-Soviet policy, which led to a series of border incidents and armed conflicts in the second half of the 30s. and created in 1941 the threat of Japan's war against the USSR in alliance with Germany and Italy ("Special maneuvers of the Kwantung Army"), despite the conclusion in the same year of the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact. Under these conditions, guided by the principles of modern international law, which allows non-compliance with treaties with aggressors, reflected in the UN Charter of 1945, the Soviet Union, reciprocating the cooperation of the allied powers, primarily the United States, Great Britain and China, contrary to the neutrality pact, decided to enter into a war against Japan, which unleashed an aggressive war against these states.

What were results of the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945? What was her historical meaning and, most importantly for the topic of this work, the role of the Soviet Union in the victory over Japan and thus the end of World War II? The main result of the USSR's war against Japan was its defeat in this war as an integral part of the war in the Pacific and the Far East, as a result of adventurism in the expansionist foreign policy of Japanese militarism. An important role in its failure was also played by the underestimation of the growth of the Soviet military-industrial potential and positive changes in the military doctrine of our country in the 1930s and 1940s compared with the period of the Russo-Japanese War.

The Japanese military doctrine did not take into account the qualitatively increased combat power of the armed forces of our country compared to the period of the Russo-Japanese war, as well as the close coordination and interaction of all branches of the armed forces. By the end of the 30s. certain changes took place in this assessment, which kept Tokyo from entering the war with the USSR in 1941.

With the same stamina and fighting spirit of the Japanese and Soviet military personnel, the latter gained in strength due to the extraordinary power of simultaneous coordinated fire support from artillery, armored forces and aviation.

Some historians reproach the USSR for the fact that the occupation of the southernmost islands of Khabomai (Flat) - the southern part of the Lesser Kuril Ridge - took place after the signing of the Act of Surrender from September 3 to 5, 1945. But this was not the only exception, because the battles with the occupation of the territory, occupied by Japanese troops, there were another 40 days after the decision to surrender and on the Asian continent, i.e. after the signing of the aforementioned document ending the war with Japan both in certain areas of Manchuria and North China, as well as in the area of the southern seas, moreover, the Chiang Kai-shekists, without disarming some Japanese formations, threw them into battle as anti-communist mercenaries in all provinces of North China up to before 1946

As for the opinion of foreign scientists from among the critically thinking modern opponents of the Soviet policy towards Japan, let us consider the point of view of Professor Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, a Japanese by nationality who moved to the United States a long time ago, is interesting, especially as a reflection of the attitude of the Japanese to this war and its consequences for Soviet-Japanese relations. “It would be too unrealistic to expect that the consciousness of Japan's guilt for unleashing the war would also be extended to relations with the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, until the Japanese begin a self-critical assessment (in this respect. - K. Ch.) of their past, striking a difficult balance between their commitment to militarism, expansion and war and their justified demand to correct the negative aspects of the Stalinist foreign policy, this historian writes, not without reason, “genuine reconciliation between the two countries is impossible.”

Hasegawa concludes that "the most important reason for this tragedy" is Tokyo's rejection of the Potsdam Declaration immediately after its presentation, which would rule out in principle both the possibility of a war with the USSR and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki! And one cannot but agree with this conclusion.

The Soviet Union, with its armed forces, made an important contribution to the victory of the allies over militaristic Japan in the war in the Far East during the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945 - an integral part of the war of its allies in the Pacific Ocean of 1941-1945, but in a broader sense and World War II 1939-1945.

The accession of the USSR to the Potsdam Declaration and its entry into the war against Japan was a decisive factor in Tokyo's decision on the unconditional surrender of its armed forces on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration of the Allies after the use of atomic weapons by the United States against the Japanese civilian population in the sense that this event is contrary to calculations on mediation The Soviet Union in ending the war in the Pacific dispelled the last hope of the imperial government for its end without a crushing defeat, counting on a split in the ranks of the Allied coalition.

The victory of the USSR in this war played a huge role in the successful completion of World War II.

Preparing for war

The threat of war between the USSR and Japan has existed since the second half of the 1930s. In 1938, there were clashes on Lake Khasan, in 1939 there was a battle at Khalin Gol on the border of Mongolia and Manchukuo. In 1940, the Soviet Far Eastern Front was created, which indicated a real threat of the outbreak of war.

But the escalation of the situation western borders forced the USSR to seek a compromise in relations with Japan. The latter, in turn, sought to strengthen its borders with the USSR. The result of the coincidence of interests of the two countries is the non-aggression pact signed on April 13, 1941, according to Article 2 of which: "If one of the parties to the agreement becomes the object of hostilities with one or more third countries, the other side will remain neutral throughout conflict."

In 1941, the countries of the Nazi coalition, except for Japan, declared war on the USSR, and in the same year Japan attacked the United States, initiating the war in the Pacific.

In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, Stalin pledged to the Allies to declare war on Japan 2-3 months after the end of hostilities in Europe. At the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, the Allies issued a general declaration demanding Japan's unconditional surrender. In the same year, in the summer, Japan tried to conduct separate negotiations with the USSR, but to no avail.

On August 8, 1945, the USSR unilaterally withdrew from the Soviet-Japanese non-aggression pact and declared war on the Empire of Japan.

The course of the war

The commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops during the invasion of Manchuria was Marshal of the Soviet Union O.M. Vasilevsky. There were 3 fronts: Trans-Baikal, First Far Eastern and Second Far Eastern Fronts (commanders R.Ya. Malinovsky, K.P. Meretskov and M.O. Purkaev), with a total number of 1.5 million people. They were opposed by the Kwantung Army under the command of General Yamada Otozo.

As stated in the "History of the Great Patriotic War": "In the units and formations of the Kwantung Army, there were absolutely no machine guns, anti-tank rifles, rocket artillery, small and large-caliber artillery (in infantry divisions and brigades, as part of artillery regiments and divisions, in most cases there were 75-mm guns )."

Despite the efforts of the Japanese to concentrate as many troops as possible on the islands of the empire itself, as well as in China south of Manchuria, the Japanese command also paid attention to the Manchurian direction.
That is why the nine infantry divisions that remained in Manchuria at the end of 1944, the Japanese deployed an additional 24 divisions and 10 brigades until August 1945.

True, the Japanese were able to use only untrained young conscripts to organize new divisions and brigades, who made up more than half of the personnel of the Kwantung Army. Also, in the newly created Japanese divisions and brigades in Manchuria, in addition to the small number of combat personnel, artillery was often absent.

The most significant forces of the Kwantung Army - up to ten divisions - were deployed in the east of Manchuria, which bordered on the Soviet Primorye, where the first Far Eastern Front was stationed as part of 31 infantry divisions, a cavalry division, a mechanized corps and 11 tank brigades.

In the north of Manchuria, the Japanese concentrated one infantry division and two brigades - while they were opposed by the 2nd Far Eastern Front, consisting of 11 infantry divisions, 4 infantry and 9 tank brigades.

In the west of Manchuria, the Japanese deployed 6 infantry divisions and one brigade against 33 Soviet divisions, including two tank, two mechanized corps, a tank corps and six tank brigades.

In central and southern Manchuria, the Japanese had several more divisions and brigades, as well as two tank brigades and all combat aviation.

It should be noted that the tanks and aircraft of the Japanese army in 1945, according to the criteria of that time, they were obsolete. They roughly corresponded to the Soviet tanks and aircraft of 1939. This also applies to Japanese anti-tank guns, which had a caliber of 37 and 47 mm - that is, capable of fighting only light Soviet tanks.

Considering the experience of the war with the Germans, the fortified areas of the Japanese were bypassed by mobile units and blocked by infantry.

The 6th Guards advanced from Mongolia to the center of Manchuria. tank army General Kravchenko. On August 11, the army’s equipment stopped due to lack of fuel, but the experience of German tank units was used - the delivery of fuel to tanks by transport aircraft. As a result, until August 17, the 6th Guards Tank Army advanced several hundred kilometers - and about one hundred and fifty kilometers remained to the capital of Manchuria, the city of Chanchun.

The First Far Eastern Front at that time broke the Japanese defenses in eastern Manchuria, taking The largest city in this region - Mudanjian.

In a number of areas, Soviet troops had to overcome the stubborn resistance of the enemy. In the zone of the 5th Army, the Japanese defenses in the Mudanjiang area held out with particular ferocity. There were cases of stubborn resistance by Japanese troops in the lines of the Trans-Baikal and 2nd Far Eastern fronts. The Japanese army also launched numerous counterattacks.

On August 17, 1945, in Mukden, Soviet troops captured the Emperor of Manchukuo Pu I ( the last Emperor China)

On August 14, the Japanese command requested a truce. But military operations on the Japanese side did not stop. Only three days later, the Kwantung Army received an order from the command to surrender, which came into force on August 20.

On August 18, a landing was launched on the northernmost of the Kuril Islands. On the same day, the commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East ordered the occupation of the Japanese island of Hokkaido by the forces of two infantry divisions. This landing was not carried out due to the delay in the advance of Soviet troops on South Sakhalin, and then postponed until the orders of the Headquarters.

Soviet troops occupied the southern part of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Manchuria and part of Korea, capturing Seoul. The main fighting on the continent continued for another 12 days, until 20 August. But separate battles continued until September 10, which became the day of the complete surrender of the Kwantung Army. The fighting on the islands completely ended on 1 September.

The Soviet-Japanese War of 1945 was the main component of the last period of the Second World War and a special campaign of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union of 1941-45.
Even at the Tehran conference in 1943, the heads of government of the USSR, the USA and
Great Britain, the Soviet delegation, meeting the proposals of the allies and striving to strengthen anti-Hitler coalition, agreed in principle to enter the war against militaristic Japan after the defeat of fascist Germany.
At the Crimean Conference in 1945, US President F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill, not hoping for quick win over Japan, again turned to the Soviet government with a request to enter the war in the Far East. True to its allied duty, the Soviet government promised to oppose Japan after the end of the war with fascist Germany.
On February 11, 1945, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill signed a secret agreement, which provided for the entry of the USSR into the war in the Far East 2-3 months after the surrender of Germany.
On April 5, 1945, the Soviet government denounced the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact, signed on April 13, 1941. The statement on the reasons for the denunciation stated that the pact was signed "... before the German attack on the USSR and before the outbreak of war between Japan, on the one hand, and England and the United States of America, on the other. Since that time, the situation has changed radically. Germany attacked the USSR, and Japan, an ally of Germany, helps the latter in her war against the USSR.In addition, Japan is at war with the United States and England, which are allies of the Soviet Union.In this situation, the Neutrality Pact between Japan and the USSR lost its meaning.
Difficult relations between the USSR and Japan had a long history. They began after Japan's participation in the intervention in the Soviet Far East in 1918 and its capture until 1922, when Japan was expelled from its territory. But the danger of war with Japan existed for many years, especially since the second half of the 1930s. In 1938, there were well-known clashes on Lake Khasan, and in 1939, the Soviet-Japanese battle on the Khalkhin Gol River on the border of Mongolia and Manchukuo. In 1940, the Soviet Far Eastern Front was created, which indicated a real risk of starting a war.
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria and later North China turned the Soviet Far East into a zone of constant tension. Incessant conflicts kept the entire population and especially the troops in anticipation of war. Every day they were waiting for real battles - in the evening no one knew what would happen in the morning.
The Japanese were hated: every Far East resident, young and old, knew, as they wrote in books and newspapers then, that it was they who threw partisan Lazo and his comrades alive into the furnace of a steam locomotive. Although at that time the world did not yet know what the secret Japanese “731 detachment” was doing with the Russians in Harbin before the war.
As is known, in the initial period of the war with Germany, the Soviet Union had to keep a significant contingent of its troops in the Far East, part of which was sent to the defense of Moscow at the end of 1941. The transferred divisions played an important role in the defense of the capital and the defeat of the German troops. The redeployment of troops was facilitated by the entry of the United States into the war with Japan after its attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor.
It is very important to note that Japan is stuck in a war with China, in which, by the way, he lost 35 million people. This figure, which our media began to print quite recently, speaks of the unusually cruel nature of the war for China, which, in general, is typical of the Asian mentality.
It is this circumstance that explains Japan's non-entry into the war against the USSR, and not the reports of our intelligence officer Richard Sorge (who, most likely, was a double agent, which in no way detracts from his merits). I believe that this is why Sorge, of course, a great intelligence officer, did not comply with the order Moscow about returning to the Union, where he would have been shot much earlier before his execution in a Japanese dungeon.
It must be said that the Soviet Union, long before 1945, began to prepare for a fight with Japan, which was explained by the increased power of the army and the skill of its headquarters. Already from the end of 1943, part of the replenishment of the Soviet army entered the Far East to replace those who served here earlier and had a good military training. Throughout 1944, the troops being formed in the course of continuous exercises were preparing for future battles.
The troops of the Soviet Union throughout the war with Germany, who were in the Far East, rightly believed that their hour had come to stand up for their homeland, and honor should not be lost. The hour of retribution has come with Japan for the unsuccessful Russian-Japanese war of the beginning of the century, for the loss of its territories, Port Arthur and Russian ships of the Pacific Fleet.
From the beginning of 1945, troops released on the Western Front began to arrive in the Far East. The first echelons from the Soviet-German front in 1945 began to arrive already in March, then month after month the intensity of traffic increased and by July it reached its maximum. From the moment it became clear that our troops would advance to punish what was then called "militarist" Japan, the army lived in expectation of retribution for years of Japanese threats, provocations and attacks.
The troops being transferred from the West to the eastern theater of operations had good equipment, honed over years of fierce battles, but, most importantly, the Soviet army had gone through the school great war, the school of fighting near Moscow and near Kursk, the school of street fighting in Stalingrad, Budapest and Berlin, the assault on the fortifications of Koenigsberg, the crossing of large and small rivers. The troops received invaluable experience, or rather, experience paid for by the millions of lives of our soldiers and commanders. The air battles of Soviet aviation over the Kuban and in other military operations showed the increased experience of the Soviet army.
At the end of the war with Germany, this was the experience of the winners, able to solve any problems, regardless of any of their losses. The whole world knew this, and the military leadership of Japan understood this.
In March-April 1945, the Soviet Union sent an additional 400 thousand people to the troops of its Far Eastern group, bringing the group to 1.5 million people, 670 T-34 tanks (and a total of 2119 tanks and self-propelled guns), 7137 guns and mortars and many other military equipment . Together with the troops deployed in the Far East, the regrouped formations and units made up three fronts.
At the same time, in the units and formations of the Japanese Kwantung Army, opposing the Soviet troops in Manchuria, where the main hostilities were unfolding, there were absolutely no machine guns, anti-tank rifles, rocket artillery, there was little RGK and large-caliber artillery (in infantry divisions and brigades as part of artillery regiments and divisions in most cases, only 75 mm guns were available).
The idea of this operation, the largest in terms of scope in World War II, provided for military operations on an area of about 1.5 million square kilometers, as well as in the waters of the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.
The Soviet-Japanese War was of great political and military importance. So on August 9, 1945, at an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council for the Leadership of the War, Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki said: “The entry into the war of the Soviet Union this morning puts us completely in a hopeless situation and makes it impossible to continue the war.”
The Soviet Army defeated the strong Kwantung Army of Japan. The Soviet Union, having entered the war with the Empire of Japan and, having made a significant contribution to its defeat, hastened the end of World War II. American leaders and historians have repeatedly stated that without the entry of the USSR into the war, it would have continued for at least another year and would have cost an additional several million human lives.
The commander-in-chief of the American armed forces in the Pacific, General MacArthur, believed that "Victory over Japan can only be guaranteed if the Japanese ground forces are defeated." US Secretary of State E. Stettinius stated the following:
“On the eve of the Crimean Conference, the American Chiefs of Staff convinced President Roosevelt that Japan could only capitulate in 1947 or later, and defeating her could cost America a million soldiers.”
Today, the experience of the Soviet army, which carried out this military operation, is being studied in all military academies of the world.
As a result of the war, the USSR returned to its territory the territories annexed by Japan from the Russian Empire at the end of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 following the Peace of Portsmouth (southern Sakhalin and, temporarily, Kwantung with Port Arthur and Dalniy), as well as previously ceded to Japan in 1875, the main group of the Kuril Islands and the southern part of the Kuril Islands assigned to Japan by the Shimoda Treaty of 1855.
The fighting against Japan showed an example of the interaction of several countries, primarily: the USSR, the USA and China.
Today's relations between Russia, the heir state and legal successor of the USSR and Japan, are complicated by the absence of a peace treaty between our countries. Modern Japan does not want to recognize the results of the Second World War and demands the return of the entire southern group of the Kuriles received by Russia as an indisputable result of the victory, paid for by the lives of Soviet warrior heroes.
We see the rapprochement of the positions of our countries in the joint development of disputed territories.
* * *
Separately, we should dwell on our losses in this little-remembered war. According to various sources, the Soviet troops lost more than 30 thousand people, including 14 thousand dead. Against the background of the victims and destruction that the country suffered in the war with the Germans, this seems to be not much.
But I would like to remind you that as a result of the Japanese attack on Sunday morning on December 7, 1941, at the central base of the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy, the Americans lost 2403 people killed and 1178 wounded (4 battleships, 2 destroyers of the American fleet, several ships were sunk on this day by the Japanese were severely injured).
This day is celebrated by the United States of America as the National Day of Remembrance for the victims of Pearl Harbor.
Unfortunately, the Soviet-Japanese War, the grandiose battle of World War II, despite its uniqueness and scale, still remains little known and little studied by historians in Russia. The date of signing the surrender of Japan is not usually celebrated in the country.
In our country, no one commemorates the fallen in this war, because someone decided that these numbers are small compared to the incalculable losses on the Soviet-German front.
And this is wrong, we must cherish every citizen of our country and remember everyone who gave their lives for our beloved Motherland!

The Russo-Japanese War arose from the ambition to carry out the expansion of Manchuria and Korea. The parties were preparing for war, realizing that sooner or later they would go to battles in order to resolve the “Far Eastern issue” between the countries.

Causes of the war

The main reason for the war was the clash of the colonial interests of Japan, which dominated the region, and Russia, which claimed to be a world power.

After the "Meiji Revolution" in the Empire of the Rising Sun, Westernization proceeded at an accelerated pace, and at the same time, Japan increasingly grew territorially and politically in its region. Having won the war with China in 1894-1895, Japan received part of Manchuria and Taiwan, and also tried to turn economically backward Korea into its colony.

In Russia, in 1894, Nicholas II ascended the throne, whose authority among the people after Khodynka was not at its best. He needed a "small victorious war" to win back the love of the people. There were no states in Europe where he could easily win, and Japan, with its ambitions, was ideally suited for this role.

The Liaodong Peninsula was leased from China, a naval base was built in Port Arthur, and a railway line was built to the city. Attempts through negotiations to delimit spheres of influence with Japan did not produce results. It was clear that it was going to war.

Plans and tasks of the parties

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia had a powerful land army, but its main forces were stationed west of the Urals. Directly in the proposed theater of operations was a small Pacific Fleet and about 100,000 soldiers.

The Japanese fleet was built with the help of the British, and training was also carried out under the guidance of European specialists. The Japanese army was about 375,000 fighters.

The Russian troops developed a plan for a defensive war until the imminent transfer of additional military units. After creating a numerical superiority, the army had to go on the offensive. Admiral E. I. Alekseev was appointed commander-in-chief. The commander of the Manchurian army, General A.N. Kuropatkin, and vice-admiral S.O. Makarov, who assumed the post in February 1904, were subordinate to him.

The Japanese headquarters hoped to use the advantage in manpower to eliminate the Russian naval base in Port Arthur and transfer military operations to Russian territory.

The course of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905.

Hostilities began on January 27, 1904. The Japanese squadron attacked the Russian Pacific Fleet, which was stationed without much protection on the Port Arthur roadstead.

On the same day, the cruiser Varyag and gunboat"Korean". The ships refused to surrender and took up battle against 14 Japanese ships. The enemy paid tribute to the heroes who accomplished the feat and refused to give up their ship to the delight of the enemies.

Rice. 1. The death of the cruiser Varyag.

The attack on Russian ships stirred up the broad masses of the people, in which even before that “hat-captive” moods were formed. Processions were held in many cities, even the opposition ceased its activities for the duration of the war.

In February-March 1904, the army of General Kuroka landed in Korea. The Russian army met her in Manchuria with the task of delaying the enemy without accepting a pitched battle. However, on April 18, in the battle of Tyurechen, the eastern part of the army was defeated and there was a threat of encirclement of the Russian army by the Japanese. Meanwhile, the Japanese, having an advantage at sea, carried out the transfer of military forces to the mainland and besieged Port Arthur.

Rice. 2. Poster The enemy is terrible, but God is merciful.

The first Pacific squadron, blockaded in Port Arthur, took the battle three times, but Admiral Togo did not accept the pitched battle. He was probably afraid of Vice Admiral Makarov, who was the first to use the new tactics of waging a naval battle "stick over T".

A great tragedy for Russian sailors was the death of Vice Admiral Makarov. His ship hit a mine. After the death of the commander, the First Pacific Squadron ceased to conduct active operations at sea.

Soon the Japanese managed to pull large artillery under the city and bring up fresh forces in the amount of 50,000 people. The last hope was the Manchurian army, which could lift the siege. In August 1904, she was defeated at the battle of Liaoyang, and it looked quite real. The Kuban Cossacks posed a great threat to the Japanese army. Their constant attacks and fearless participation in battles harmed communications and manpower.

The Japanese command began to talk about the impossibility to continue the war. If the Russian army went on the offensive, it would have happened, but Commander Kropotkin gave an absolutely stupid order to retreat. The Russian army had many chances to develop the offensive and win the general battle, but Kropotkin retreated every time, giving the enemy time to regroup.

In December 1904, the commander of the fortress, R. I. Kondratenko, died and, contrary to the opinion of soldiers and officers, Port Arthur was surrendered.

In the company of 1905, the Japanese outstripped the Russian offensive, inflicting a defeat on them at Mukden. Public sentiment began to express dissatisfaction with the war, unrest began.

Rice. 3. Battle of Mukden.

In May 1905, the Second and Third Pacific Squadrons formed in St. Petersburg entered the waters of Japan. During the Battle of Tsushima, both squadrons were destroyed. The Japanese used new types of shells filled with "shimosa", melting the side of the ship, and not piercing it.

After this battle, the participants in the war decided to sit down at the negotiating table.

Summing up, we will summarize in the table “Events and dates of the Russo-Japanese War”, noting which battles took place in the Russo-Japanese War.

The last defeats of the Russian troops had grave consequences, resulting in the First Russian Revolution. She is not in chronological table, but it was this factor that provoked the signing of peace against Japan, exhausted by the war.

Results

During the war years in Russia, a huge amount of money was stolen. Embezzlement in the Far East flourished, which created problems with the supply of the army. In the American city of Portsmouth, through the mediation of US President T. Roosevelt, a peace treaty was signed, according to which Russia transferred southern Sakhalin and Port Arthur to Japan. Russia also recognized Japan's dominance in Korea.

The defeat of Russia in the war was of great importance for the future political system in Russia, where the power of the emperor will be limited for the first time in several hundred years.

What have we learned?

Speaking briefly about the Russo-Japanese War, it should be noted that if Nicholas II had recognized Korea for the Japanese, there would have been no war. However, the race for colonies gave rise to a clash between the two countries, although back in the 19th century, the attitude towards the Russians among the Japanese was generally more positive than towards many other Europeans.

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The article describes the causes of the Soviet-Japanese armed conflict, the preparation of the parties for war, the course of hostilities. Given a characteristic international relations before the outbreak of World War II in the east.

Introduction

Active hostilities in the Far East and in the Pacific Ocean were the result of the contradictions that had arisen in the pre-war years between the USSR, Great Britain, the USA and China, on the one hand, and Japan, on the other. The Japanese government sought to capture new territories rich in natural resources and the establishment of political hegemony in the Far East.

Since more since late XIX century Japan spent many wars, as a result of which it acquired new colonies. It included the Kuril Islands, southern Sakhalin, Korea, Manchuria. In 1927, General Giichi Tanaka became the prime minister of the country, whose government continued its aggressive policy. In the early 1930s, Japan increased the size of its army and created a powerful Navy, which was one of the strongest in the world.

In 1940, Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe developed a new foreign policy doctrine. The Japanese government planned to create a colossal empire stretching from Transbaikalia to Australia. Western countries pursued a dual policy towards Japan: on the one hand, they sought to limit the ambitions of the Japanese government, but on the other hand, they did not interfere with the intervention of northern China. To implement its plans, the Japanese government entered into an alliance with Germany and Italy.

Relations between Japan and the Soviet Union deteriorated markedly in the prewar period. In 1935, the Kwantung Army entered the border regions of Mongolia. Mongolia hastily concluded an agreement with the USSR, units of the Red Army were introduced into its territory. In 1938, Japanese troops crossed the state border of the USSR in the region of Lake Khasan, but the invasion attempt was successfully repelled by Soviet troops. Japanese sabotage groups were also repeatedly thrown into Soviet territory. The confrontation escalated even more in 1939, when Japan launched a war against Mongolia. USSR, in compliance with the agreement with Mongolian Republic intervened in the conflict.

After these events, Japan's policy towards the USSR changed: the Japanese government was afraid of a collision with a strong western neighbor and decided to temporarily abandon the seizure of territories in the north. Nevertheless, for Japan, the USSR was actually the main enemy in the Far East.

Non-aggression pact with Japan

In the spring of 1941, the USSR signed a non-aggression pact with Japan. In the event of an armed conflict of one of the states with any third countries, the second power undertook to remain neutral. But the Japanese Foreign Minister made it clear to the German ambassador in Moscow that the concluded neutrality pact would not prevent Japan from fulfilling the terms of the Tripartite Pact during the war with the USSR.

Before the outbreak of World War II in the east, Japan was negotiating with American leaders seeking recognition of the annexation of Chinese territories and the conclusion of new trade treaties. The ruling elite of Japan could not decide against whom to direct the blow in a future war. Some politicians considered it necessary to support Germany, while another part called for an attack on the Pacific colonies of Great Britain and the United States.

As early as 1941, it became obvious that Japan's actions would depend on the situation on the Soviet-German front. The Japanese government planned to attack the USSR from the east if Germany and Italy succeeded, after the capture German troops Moscow. Also great importance had the circumstance that the country needed raw materials for its industry. The Japanese were interested in capturing areas rich in oil, tin, zinc, nickel and rubber. Therefore, on July 2, 1941, at the imperial conference, it was decided to start a war against the USA and Great Britain. But the Japanese government did not completely abandon plans to attack the USSR until Battle of Kursk when it became clear that Germany would not win the Second World War. Along with this factor, the active military operations of the allies in the Pacific forced Japan to repeatedly postpone and then completely abandon its aggressive intentions against the USSR.

The situation in the Far East during the Second World War

Despite the fact that hostilities in the Far East never began, the USSR was forced to keep a large military grouping in this region throughout the war, the size of which was different periods varied. Until 1945, the Kwantung Army was located on the border, which included up to 1 million servicemen. The local population also prepared for defense: men were mobilized into the army, women and teenagers studied air defense methods. Fortifications were built around strategically important objects.

The Japanese leadership believed that the Germans would be able to capture Moscow before the end of 1941. In this regard, it was planned to launch an offensive against the Soviet Union in the winter. On December 3, the Japanese command ordered the troops in China to prepare for the transfer to the north. The Japanese were going to invade the USSR in the Ussuri region, and then launch an offensive in the north. To implement the approved plan, it was necessary to strengthen the Kwantung Army. Troops liberated after the fighting in the Pacific were sent to the Northern Front.

However, the hopes of the Japanese government for a quick German victory did not come true. The failure of the blitzkrieg tactics and the defeat of the Wehrmacht armies near Moscow testified that the Soviet Union was a strong enough adversary whose power should not be underestimated.

The threat of a Japanese invasion intensified in the fall of 1942. Nazi German troops advanced into the Caucasus and the Volga. The Soviet command hastily transferred 14 rifle divisions and more than 1,500 guns from the Far East to the front. Just at this time, Japan did not conduct active battles in the Pacific. However, the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief foresaw the possibility of a Japanese attack. The Far Eastern troops received replenishment from local reserves. This fact became known to Japanese intelligence. The Japanese government again delayed entry into the war.

The Japanese attacked merchant ships in neutral waters, preventing the delivery of goods to the Far Eastern ports, and repeatedly violated state borders, committed sabotage on Soviet territory, threw propaganda literature across the border. Japanese intelligence collected information about the movements of the Soviet troops and transmitted them to the headquarters of the Wehrmacht. Among the reasons for the USSR's entry into the Japanese War in 1945 were not only obligations to the allies, but also concern for the security of its borders.

Already in the second half of 1943, when the turning point in the course of World War II ended, it became clear that, following Italy, which had already withdrawn from the war, Germany and Japan would also be defeated. The Soviet command, foreseeing a future war in the Far East, from that time almost did not use the Far Eastern troops on the Western Front. Gradually, these units of the Red Army were replenished with military equipment and manpower. In August 1943, the Primorsky Group of Forces was created as part of the Far Eastern Front, which indicated preparations for a future war.

At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the Soviet Union confirmed that the agreement between Moscow and the Allies on participation in the war with Japan remained in force. The Red Army was to begin military operations against Japan no later than 3 months after the end of the war in Europe. In return, I. V. Stalin demanded territorial concessions for the USSR: the transfer of the Kuril Islands to Russia and the part of Sakhalin Island assigned to Japan as a result of the war of 1905, the transfer of the Chinese port of Port Arthur (on modern maps - Luishun ). The Dalniy commercial port was to become an open port, with the interests of the USSR being predominantly observed.

By this time, the US and British Armed Forces had inflicted a number of defeats on Japan. However, her resistance was not broken. The US, Chinese and British demand for unconditional surrender on 26 July was rejected by Japan. This decision was not unfounded. The United States and Great Britain did not have sufficient forces to carry out landing operation in the Far East. According to the plans of the American and British leaders, the final defeat of Japan was envisaged no earlier than 1946. The Soviet Union, having entered the war with Japan, significantly brought the end of World War II closer.

Forces and plans of the parties

Soviet-Japanese War or Manchurian operation began on August 9, 1945. The Red Army was faced with the task of defeating Japanese troops in China and North Korea.

Back in May 1945, the USSR began the transfer of troops to the Far East. 3 fronts were formed: the 1st and 2nd Far Eastern and Transbaikal. The Soviet Union used border troops, the Amur military flotilla and ships of the Pacific Fleet in the offensive.

The Kwantung Army included 11 infantry and 2 tank brigades, more than 30 infantry divisions, cavalry and mechanized units, a suicide brigade, and the Sungari River Flotilla. The most significant forces were deployed in the eastern regions of Manchuria, bordering on the Soviet Primorye. In the western regions, the Japanese deployed 6 infantry divisions and 1 brigade. The number of enemy soldiers exceeded 1 million people, but more than half of the fighters were conscripts younger ages and of limited use. Many Japanese units were understaffed. Also, the newly created units lacked weapons, ammunition, artillery and other military equipment. Outdated tanks and aircraft were used in Japanese units and formations.

On the side of Japan, the troops of Manchukuo, the army of Inner Mongolia and the Suiyuan army group fought. In the border areas, the enemy built 17 fortified areas. The command of the Kwantung Army was carried out by General Otsuzo Yamada.

The plan of the Soviet command provided for two main strikes by the forces of the 1st Far Eastern and Trans-Baikal Fronts, as a result of which the main enemy forces in the center of Manchuria would be pincered, divided into parts and defeated. The troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, consisting of 11 rifle divisions, 4 rifle and 9 tank brigades, in cooperation with the Amur military flotilla, were supposed to strike in the direction of Harbin. Then the Red Army was to occupy large settlements Shenyang, Harbin, Changchun. The fighting took place on a stretch of more than 2.5 thousand km. on the map of the area.

Start of hostilities

Simultaneously with the beginning of the offensive of the Soviet troops, aviation carried out bombing of areas of large concentrations of troops, strategically significant objects and communication centers. Pacific Fleet ships attacked Japanese naval bases in North Korea. The offensive was led by the commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East, A. M. Vasilevsky.

As a result of the military operations of the troops of the Trans-Baikal Front, which, having crossed the Gobi Desert and the Khingan Mountains on the first day of the offensive, advanced 50 km, significant groups of enemy troops were defeated. The offensive was hampered natural conditions terrain. There was not enough fuel for the tanks, but the units of the Red Army used the experience of the Germans - the supply of fuel by transport aircraft was organized. On August 17, the 6th Guards Tank Army reached the approaches to the capital of Manchuria. Soviet troops isolated the Kwantung Army from the Japanese units in Northern China and occupied important administrative centers.

The Soviet group of troops advancing from Primorye broke through the border fortifications. In the Mudanjiang area, the Japanese launched a series of counterattacks, which were repulsed. Soviet units occupied Kirin and Harbin, and, with the assistance of the Pacific Fleet, liberated the coast, capturing strategically important ports.

Then the Red Army liberated North Korea, and since mid-August, hostilities have already taken place in China. On August 14, the Japanese command initiated surrender negotiations. On August 19, enemy troops began to surrender en masse. However, the hostilities of World War II continued until early September.

Simultaneously with the defeat of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria, Soviet troops carried out the South Sakhalin offensive operation and landed troops on the Kuril Islands. During the operation in the Kuril Islands on August 18-23, Soviet troops, with the support of the ships of the Peter and Paul Naval Base, captured Samusya Island and occupied all the islands of the Kuril chain by September 1.

Results

As a result of the defeat of the Kwantung Army on the continent, Japan could no longer continue the war. The enemy lost important economic regions in Manchuria and Korea. The Americans carried out atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and captured the island of Okinawa. On September 2, an act of surrender was signed.

The USSR included the territories lost Russian Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century: South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. In 1956, the USSR restored relations with Japan and agreed to the transfer of the Habomai Islands and the Shikotan Islands to Japan, subject to the conclusion of a Peace Treaty between the countries. But Japan has not come to terms with territorial losses and negotiations on the ownership of the disputed regions still do not stop.