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Soviet-Japanese War of 1945
Soviet-Japanese War of 1945 - part of World War II and the War on pacific ocean. It consisted of the Manchurian and South Sakhalin land, Kuril and three Korean tactical landing operations.
The Potsdam Declaration is a joint declaration issued on July 26, 1945 as part of the Potsdam Conference on behalf of the governments of Great Britain, the United States and China. It demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan in World War II with the threat of subsequent devastation of the country in case of refusal, and formulated the basic principles of a peaceful settlement.
On July 28, the Japanese government rejected the demands of the Potsdam Declaration. On August 6 and 9, the US bombs the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 8, the USSR joined the Potsdam Declaration and declared war on Japan. On August 14, Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration; On September 2, 1945, the act of surrender of Japan was signed.
Timeline of the conflict
April 13, 1941 - a neutrality pact was concluded between the USSR and Japan, in the declaration to which the USSR "de jure" recognized Manchukuo.
November 28 - December 1, 1943 - Tehran Conference. The Allies are charting the contours of the post-war structure of the Asia-Pacific region.
February 4 - February 11, 1945 - Yalta Conference. The Allies agree on the post-war structure of the world, including the Asia-Pacific region. The USSR undertakes to enter the war with Japan no later than 3 months after the defeat of Germany.
June 1945 - Japan begins preparations to repulse the landing on the Japanese islands.
July 12 - The Japanese ambassador in Moscow addresses the USSR with a request for mediation in peace negotiations. On July 13 he was informed that an answer could not be given in connection with the departure of Stalin and Molotov to Potsdam.
July 17 - August 2 - Potsdam Conference. The USSR confirms its commitment to enter the war with Japan no later than 3 months after the surrender of Germany.
July 26 - The United States, Britain and China, at war with Japan, formally formulate the terms of Japan's surrender in the Potsdam Declaration. Japan refuses to accept them.
August 8 - The USSR announced to the Japanese ambassador that it had joined the Potsdam Declaration and declared war on Japan.
August 10 - Japan officially declares its readiness to accept the Potsdam terms of surrender with a reservation regarding the preservation of the structure of imperial power in the country.
August 14 - Japan formally accepts the terms of unconditional surrender and communicates this to the Allies.
The question of the entry of the USSR into the war with Japan was resolved at a conference in Yalta on February 11, 1945 by a special agreement. It provided that Soviet Union will enter the war against Japan on the side of the Allied Powers 2-3 months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. Japan rejected the July 26, 1945 demand from the United States, Great Britain and China to lay down their arms and surrender unconditionally.
According to V. Davydov, on the evening of August 7, 1945 (two days before Moscow officially broke the neutrality pact with Japan), Soviet military aviation unexpectedly began to bomb the roads of Manchuria.
On August 8, 1945, the USSR declared war on Japan. By order of the Supreme High Command, back in August 1945, preparations began for a military operation to land an amphibious assault in the port of Dalian (Far) and liberate Lushun (Port Arthur), together with units of the 6th Guards Tank Army from the Japanese invaders on the Liaodong Peninsula of Northern China. The 117th Air Regiment of the Air Force of the Pacific Fleet was preparing for the operation, which was trained in Sukhodol Bay near Vladivostok.
On August 9, the troops of the Trans-Baikal, 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts, in cooperation with the Pacific Navy and the Amur River Flotilla, began fighting against Japanese troops on the front more than 4 thousand kilometers.
The 39th Combined Arms Army was part of the Transbaikal Front, commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky. Commander of the 39th Army - Colonel General I. I. Lyudnikov, member of the Military Council, Major General Boyko V. R., Chief of Staff, Major General Siminovsky M. I.
The task of the 39th Army was to break through, strike from the Tamtsag-Bulag ledge, Khalun-Arshan and, together with the 34th Army, the Hailar fortified regions. The 39th, 53rd combined-arms and 6th guards tank armies set out from the area of the city of Choibalsan on the territory of the MPR and advanced to the state border of the Mongolian People's Republic and Manchukuo at a distance of up to 250-300 km.
In order to better organize the transfer of troops to the areas of concentration and further to the areas of deployment, the headquarters of the Trans-Baikal Front sent special groups of officers to Irkutsk and to the Karymskaya station in advance. On the night of August 9, advanced battalions and reconnaissance detachments of three fronts in extremely unfavorable weather conditions - the summer monsoon, which brings frequent and heavy rains, - moved into enemy territory.
In accordance with the order, the main forces of the 39th Army crossed the border of Manchuria at 4:30 am on August 9. Reconnaissance groups and detachments began to operate much earlier - at 00:05. The 39th Army had at its disposal 262 tanks and 133 self-propelled artillery mounts. She was supported by the 6th bomber air corps of Major General I.P. Skok, based at the airfields of the Tamtsag-Bulag ledge. The army struck at the troops that were part of the 3rd Front of the Kwantung Army.
On August 9, the head patrol of the 262nd division went to the Khalun-Arshan - Solun railway. The Khalun-Arshan fortified area, as reconnaissance of the 262nd division found out, was occupied by parts of the 107th Japanese Infantry Division.
By the end of the first day of the offensive, Soviet tankers made a throw of 120-150 km. The forward detachments of the 17th and 39th armies advanced 60-70 km.
On August 10, the Mongolian People's Republic joined the statement of the USSR government and declared war on Japan.
Treaty of the USSR - China
On August 14, 1945, an agreement on friendship and alliance between the USSR and China, agreements on the Chinese Changchun Railway, on Port Arthur and the Far East were signed. On August 24, 1945, the treaty of friendship and alliance and the agreements were ratified by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China. The contract was concluded for 30 years.
Under the agreement on the Chinese Changchun Railway, the former CER and its part, the South Manchurian Railway, running from the Manchuria station to the Suifenhe station and from Harbin to Dalny and Port Arthur, became the common property of the USSR and China. The agreement was concluded for 30 years. After this period, the CCRR was subject to free transfer to the full ownership of China.
The agreement on Port Arthur provided for the transformation of this port into a naval base, open to warships and merchant ships only from China and the USSR. The duration of the agreement was determined at 30 years. After this period, the naval base of Port Arthur was to be transferred to the ownership of China.
Dalniy was declared a free port, open to trade and navigation of all countries. The Chinese government agreed to allocate wharfs and warehouses in the port for leasing to the USSR. In the event of a war with Japan, the regime of the naval base of Port Arthur, determined by the agreement on Port Arthur, was to extend to Dalny. The term of the agreement was set at 30 years.
Then, on August 14, 1945, an agreement was signed on relations between the Soviet commander-in-chief and the Chinese administration after the entry of Soviet troops into the territory of the Northeastern provinces for joint military operations against Japan. After the arrival of Soviet troops in the territory of the Northeastern provinces of China, the supreme authority and responsibility in the zone of military operations in all military matters was assigned to the commander-in-chief of the Soviet armed forces. The Chinese government appointed a representative who was to establish an administration and lead it in the territory cleared of the enemy, assist in establishing interaction between the Soviet and Chinese armed forces in the returned territories, and ensure active cooperation between the Chinese administration and the Soviet commander in chief.
fighting
Soviet-Japanese War
On August 11, units of the 6th Guards Tank Army under General A. G. Kravchenko crossed the Greater Khingan.
The first of the rifle formations to reach the eastern slopes of the mountain range was the 17th Guards Rifle Division of General A.P. Kvashnin.
During August 12-14, the Japanese launched many counterattacks in the areas of Linxi, Solun, Wanemyao, Buhedu. However, the troops of the Trans-Baikal Front inflicted strong blows on the counterattacking enemy and continued to move rapidly to the southeast.
On August 13, formations and units of the 39th Army captured the cities of Ulan-Khoto and Thessalonica. Then launched an offensive against Changchun.
On August 13, the 6th Guards Tank Army, which included 1019 tanks, broke through the Japanese defenses and entered the strategic space. The Kwantung Army had no choice but to retreat across the Yalu River to North Korea, where its resistance continued until August 20.
In the Hailar direction, where the 94th Rifle Corps was advancing, it was possible to encircle and eliminate a large grouping of enemy cavalry. About a thousand cavalrymen, including two generals, were taken prisoner. One of them, Lieutenant General Goulin, commander of the 10th military district, was taken to the headquarters of the 39th army.
On August 13, 1945, US President Harry Truman gave the order to occupy the port of Dalniy before the Russians landed there. The Americans were going to do this on ships. The Soviet command decided to get ahead of the United States: while the Americans sailed to the Liaodong Peninsula, the Soviet troops would land their troops on seaplanes.
During the Khingan-Mukden front-line offensive operation, the troops of the 39th Army attacked the troops of the 30th, 44th armies and the left flank of the 4th separate Japanese army from the Tamtsag-Bulag ledge. Having defeated the enemy troops, covering the approaches to the Great Khingan passes, the army captured the Khalun-Arshan fortified region. Developing the offensive on Changchun, it advanced 350-400 km with battles and by August 14 it entered the central part of Manchuria.
Marshal Malinovsky set a new task for the 39th Army: to occupy the territory of southern Manchuria in the shortest possible time, acting with strong forward detachments in the direction of Mukden, Yingkou, Andong.
By August 17, the 6th Guards Tank Army had advanced several hundred kilometers - and about one hundred and fifty kilometers remained to the capital of Manchuria, the city of Changchun.
On August 17, the First Far Eastern Front broke the resistance of the Japanese in the east of Manchuria, occupied the largest city in that region - Mudanjian.
On August 17, the Kwantung Army received an order from its command to surrender. But he did not immediately reach everyone, and in some places the Japanese acted contrary to the order. In a number of sectors, they carried out strong counterattacks and regrouped, trying to occupy advantageous operational lines on the Jinzhou - Changchun - Jilin - Tumen line. In practice, hostilities continued until September 2, 1945. And the 84th Cavalry Division of General T.V. Dedeoglu, which was surrounded on August 15-18 to the north-east of the city of Nenani, fought until September 7-8.
By August 18, along the entire length of the Trans-Baikal Front, the Soviet-Mongolian troops reached the Beiping-Changchun railway, and the strike force of the front's main grouping - the 6th Guards Tank Army - broke out on the approaches to Mukden and Changchun.
On August 18, the commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops on Far East Marshal A. Vasilevsky ordered the occupation of the Japanese island of Hokkaido by the forces of two rifle divisions. This landing was not carried out due to the delay in the advance of Soviet troops in South Sakhalin, and then postponed until the instructions of the Headquarters.
On August 19, Soviet troops took Mukden (airborne assault of the 6th guards that, 113 sk) and Changchun (airborne assault of the 6th guards that) - the largest cities of Manchuria. At the airfield in Mukden, the emperor of the state of Manchukuo, Pu Yi, was arrested.
By August 20, South Sakhalin, Manchuria, the Kuril Islands and part of Korea were occupied by Soviet troops.
Landing forces in Port Arthur and Dalniy
On August 22, 1945, 27 aircraft of the 117th Aviation Regiment took off and headed for the port of Dalniy. In total, 956 people participated in the landing. The landing force was commanded by General A. A. Yamanov. The route ran over the sea, then through the Korean Peninsula, along the coast of Northern China. Sea roughness during landing was about two points. Seaplanes landed one after another in the bay of the port of Dalniy. The paratroopers were transferred to inflatable boats, on which they sailed to the pier. After landing, the landing force acted according to the combat mission: they occupied a shipyard, a dry dock (a structure where ships are repaired), and storage facilities. The Coast Guard was immediately withdrawn and replaced by its sentries. At the same time, the Soviet command accepted the surrender of the Japanese garrison.
On the same day, August 22, at 3 p.m., planes with landing forces, covered by fighters, took off from Mukden. Soon part of the aircraft turned to the port of Dalniy. The landing in Port Arthur, consisting of 10 aircraft with 205 paratroopers, was commanded by the deputy commander of the Trans-Baikal Front, Colonel General V. D. Ivanov. As part of the landing was intelligence chief Boris Likhachev.
The planes landed on the airfield one by one. Ivanov gave the order to immediately occupy all exits and capture the heights. The paratroopers immediately disarmed several nearby parts of the garrison, capturing about 200 Japanese soldiers and officers. marines. Having captured several trucks and cars, the paratroopers headed for the western part of the city, where another part of the Japanese garrison was grouped. By evening, the vast majority of the garrison capitulated. The head of the naval garrison of the fortress, Vice Admiral Kobayashi, surrendered along with his headquarters.
Disarmament continued the next day. In total, 10 thousand soldiers and officers of the Japanese army and navy were taken prisoner.
Soviet soldiers released about a hundred prisoners: Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.
On August 23, an airborne assault force of sailors, led by General E. N. Preobrazhensky, landed in Port Arthur.
On August 23, in the presence of Soviet soldiers and officers, the Japanese flag was lowered and the Soviet flag was raised over the fortress under a triple salute.
On August 24, units of the 6th Guards Tank Army arrived in Port Arthur. On August 25, new reinforcements arrived - marines on 6 flying boats of the Pacific Fleet. 12 boats splashed down at Dalniy, landing an additional 265 Marines. Soon, units of the 39th Army arrived here as part of two rifle and one mechanized corps with units attached to it and liberated the entire Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Dalian (Far) and Luishun (Port Arthur). General V. D. Ivanov was appointed commandant of the Port Arthur fortress and head of the garrison.
When units of the 39th Army of the Red Army reached Port Arthur, two detachments of American troops on high-speed landing craft tried to land on the coast and take a strategically advantageous line. Soviet soldiers opened automatic fire into the air, and the Americans stopped their landing.
As it was calculated, by the time the American ships approached the port, it was completely occupied by the Soviet units. After standing for several days on the outer roadstead of the port of Dalniy, the Americans were forced to leave the area.
On August 23, 1945, Soviet troops entered Port Arthur. The commander of the 39th Army, Colonel General I. I. Lyudnikov, became the first Soviet commandant of Port Arthur.
The Americans did not fulfill their obligations to share the burden of the occupation of the island of Hokkaido with the Red Army, as agreed by the leaders of the three powers. But General Douglas MacArthur, who had great influence with President Harry Truman, strongly opposed this. And the Soviet troops never set foot on Japanese territory. True, the USSR, in turn, did not allow the Pentagon to place its military bases in the Kuriles.
On August 22, 1945, the advanced units of the 6th Guards Tank Army liberated the city of Jinzhou
On August 24, 1945, a detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Akilov from the 61st Panzer Division of the 39th Army in the city of Dashicao captured the headquarters of the 17th Front of the Kwantung Army. In Mukden and Dalny, Soviet troops were released from Japanese captivity large groups American soldiers and officers.
On September 8, 1945, a parade of Soviet troops took place in Harbin in honor of the victory over imperialist Japan. The parade was commanded by Lieutenant-General K.P. Kazakov. The parade was hosted by the head of the Harbin garrison, Colonel-General A.P. Beloborodov.
To establish a peaceful life and the interaction of the Chinese authorities with the Soviet military administration in Manchuria, 92 Soviet commandant's offices were created. Major General A. I. Kovtun-Stankevich became the commandant of Mukden, Colonel Voloshin became the commandant of Port Arthur.
In October 1945, the ships of the US 7th Fleet with the Kuomintang landing approached the port of Dalniy. The squadron commander, Vice Admiral Settle, intended to enter the ships into the port. Commandant of the Far, Deputy. The commander of the 39th Army, Lieutenant General G.K. Kozlov, demanded that the squadron be withdrawn 20 miles from the coast in accordance with the sanctions of the mixed Soviet-Chinese commission. Settle continued to persist, and Kozlov had no choice but to remind the American admiral of the Soviet coastal defense: "She knows her task and will do it perfectly." Having received a convincing warning, the American squadron was forced to get out. Later, the American squadron, simulating an air raid on the city, also unsuccessfully tried to penetrate Port Arthur.
Withdrawal of Soviet troops from China
After the war, the commandant of Port Arthur and the commander of the grouping of Soviet troops in China on the Liaodong Peninsula (Kwantung) until 1947 was I. I. Lyudnikov.
On September 1, 1945, by order of the commander of the BTiMV of the Transbaikal Front No. 41/0368, the 61st Panzer Division was withdrawn from the troops of the 39th Army into front-line subordination. By September 9, 1945, she should be prepared to go under her own power to winter quarters in the city of Choibalsan. The 76th Orsha-Khinganskaya Red Banner Division of the NKVD escort troops was formed on the basis of the command and control of the 192nd Rifle Division to guard Japanese prisoners of war, which was then withdrawn to the city of Chita.
In November 1945, the Soviet command submitted to the Kuomintang authorities a plan for the evacuation of troops by December 3 of that year. In accordance with this plan, Soviet units were withdrawn from Yingkou and Huludao and from the area south of Shenyang. In the late autumn of 1945, Soviet troops left the city of Harbin.
However, the withdrawal of Soviet troops, which had begun, was suspended at the request of the Kuomintang government until the organization of the civil administration in Manchuria was completed and the Chinese army was transferred there. On February 22 and 23, 1946, anti-Soviet demonstrations were held in Chongqing, Nanjing and Shanghai.
In March 1946, the Soviet leadership decided to immediately withdraw the Soviet Army from Manchuria.
On April 14, 1946, the Soviet troops of the Trans-Baikal Front, led by Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky, evacuated from Changchun to Harbin. Immediately, preparations began for the evacuation of troops from Harbin. On April 19, 1946, a meeting of the city's public was held, dedicated to seeing off the units of the Red Army leaving Manchuria. On April 28, Soviet troops left Harbin.
In accordance with the 1945 treaty, the 39th Army remained on the Liaodong Peninsula, consisting of:
113 sc (262 sd, 338 sd, 358 sd);
5 Guards sk (17 Guards Rifle Division, 19 Guards Rifle Division, 91 Guards Rifle Division);
7 mech.d, 6 guards adp, 14 zenads, 139 apabr, 150 UR; as well as the 7th Novoukrainian-Khingan Corps transferred from the 6th Guards Tank Army, which was soon reorganized into the division of the same name.
7th Bomber Aviation Corps; in joint use Naval base Port Arthur. The place of their deployment was Port Arthur and the port of Dalniy, that is, the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula and the Guandong Peninsula, located on the southwestern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula. Small Soviet garrisons remained along the CER line.
In the summer of 1946, the 91st Guards. SD was reorganized into the 25th Guards. machine gun artillery division. 262, 338, 358 sd were disbanded at the end of 1946 and the personnel transferred to the 25th guards. pulad.
Troops of the 39th Army in China
In April-May 1946, in the course of hostilities with the PLA, the Kuomintang troops came close to the Guandong Peninsula, practically to the Soviet naval base of Port Arthur. In this difficult situation, the command of the 39th Army was forced to take countermeasures. Colonel M. A. Voloshin with a group of officers left for the headquarters of the Kuomintang army advancing in the direction of Guangdong. The Kuomintang commander was told that the territory beyond the border marked on the map in the zone 8-10 km north of Guandang was under fire from our artillery. If the Kuomintang troops advance further, dangerous consequences may arise. The commander reluctantly promised not to cross the dividing line. This most managed to calm the local population and the Chinese administration.
In 1947-1953, the Soviet 39th Army on the Liaodong Peninsula was commanded by Colonel General, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Afanasy Pavlantievich Beloborodov (headquarters in Port Arthur). He was also the senior commander of the entire grouping of Soviet troops in China.
Chief of Staff - General Grigory Nikiforovich Perekrestov, who commanded the 65th Rifle Corps in the Manchurian strategic offensive operation, a member of the Military Council - General I.P. Konnov, head of the political department - Colonel Nikita Stepanovich Demin, commander of artillery - General Yuri Pavlovich Bazhanov and deputy for civil administration - Colonel V. A. Grekov.
In Port Arthur there was a naval base, the commander of which was Vice Admiral Vasily Andreevich Tsipanovich.
In 1948, an American military base operated on the Shandong Peninsula, 200 kilometers from the Far East. Every day, a reconnaissance aircraft appeared from there and flew around and photographed Soviet and Chinese objects, airfields at low altitude along the same route. Soviet pilots stopped these flights. The Americans sent a note to the USSR Foreign Ministry with a statement about the attack of Soviet fighters on a "light passenger aircraft that had gone off course", but reconnaissance flights over Liaodong were stopped.
In June 1948, a major joint exercise of all military branches was held in Port Arthur. The general leadership of the exercises was carried out by Malinovsky, S.A. Krasovsky, the commander of the Air Force of the Far Eastern Military District, arrived from Khabarovsk. The exercises took place in two main stages. On the first - a reflection of the amphibious assault of a mock enemy. On the second - an imitation of a massive bombing strike.
In January 1949, a Soviet government delegation headed by A.I. Mikoyan arrived in China. He inspected Soviet enterprises, military installations in Port Arthur, and also met with Mao Zedong.
At the end of 1949, a large delegation headed by the premier of the State Administrative Council of the PRC, Zhou Enlai, arrived in Port Arthur, who met with the commander of the 39th Army, Beloborodov. At the suggestion of the Chinese side, a general meeting of the Soviet and Chinese military was held. At a meeting attended by more than a thousand Soviet and Chinese military personnel, Zhou Enlai made a big speech. On behalf of the Chinese people, he presented the banner to the Soviet military. Words of gratitude to the Soviet people and their army were embroidered on it.
In December 1949 and February 1950, at the Soviet-Chinese talks in Moscow, an agreement was reached to train "cadres of the Chinese navy" in Port Arthur with the subsequent transfer of part of the Soviet ships to China, prepare a plan for a landing operation on Taiwan in the Soviet General Staff and send to PRC grouping of air defense forces and the required number of Soviet military advisers and specialists.
In 1949, the 7th BAK was reorganized into the 83rd mixed air corps.
In January 1950, Hero of the Soviet Union General Yu. B. Rykachev was appointed commander of the corps.
The further fate of the corps was as follows: in 1950, the 179th infantry regiment was reassigned to the aviation of the Pacific Fleet, but it was based in the same place. The 860th bap became the 1540th mtap. Then the shad was brought to the USSR. When the MiG-15 regiment was deployed in Sanshilipu, the mine-torpedo regiment was transferred to the Jinzhou airfield. Two regiments (fighter on La-9 and mixed on Tu-2 and Il-10) moved to Shanghai in 1950 and provided air cover for its facilities for several months.
On February 14, 1950, the Soviet-Chinese Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance was signed. At that time, Soviet bomber aircraft were already based in Harbin.
On February 17, 1950, a task force of the Soviet military arrived in China, consisting of: Colonel General Batitsky P.F., Vysotsky B.A., Yakushin M.N., Spiridonov S.L., General Slyusarev (Transbaikal Military District). and a number of other specialists.
On February 20, Colonel General Batitsky P.F. with his deputies met with Mao Zedong, who had returned from Moscow the day before.
The Kuomintang regime, which has entrenched itself in Taiwan under the protection of the United States, is being intensively equipped with American military equipment and weapons. In Taiwan, under the leadership of American specialists, aviation units are being created to deliver strikes against major cities of the PRC. By 1950, there was a direct threat to the largest industrial and shopping center- Shanghai.
Chinese air defense was extremely weak. At the same time, at the request of the PRC government, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution to create a group air defense and send it to the People's Republic of China to carry out the combat international task of organizing the air defense of the city of Shanghai and conducting combat operations; - appoint Lieutenant General Batitsky P.F. as commander of the air defense group, General Slyusarev S.A. as deputy, Colonel Vysotsky B.A. as chief of staff, Colonel Baksheev P.A. as deputy for political affairs, Colonel Yakushin as commander of fighter aircraft M.N., head of logistics - Colonel Mironov M.V.
The air defense of Shanghai was carried out by the 52nd anti-aircraft artillery division under the command of Colonel S. L. Spiridonov, the chief of staff, Colonel Antonov, as well as units of fighter aviation, anti-aircraft artillery, anti-aircraft searchlight, radio engineering and rear formed from the troops of the Moscow Military District.
The combat strength of the air defense group included:
three Chinese anti-aircraft artillery regiments of medium caliber, armed with Soviet 85-mm cannons, POISO-3 and rangefinders.
anti-aircraft regiment of small caliber, armed with Soviet 37-mm guns.
fighter aviation regiment MIG-15 (commander lieutenant colonel Pashkevich).
In February 1945, a conference was held in Yalta, which was attended by representatives of the countries that were part of Great Britain and the United States, managed to get the Soviet Union to agree to take a direct part in the war with Japan. In exchange for this, they promised him to return the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin, lost during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905.
Termination of the peace treaty
At the time when the decision was made in Yalta, the so-called Neutrality Pact was in force between Japan and the Soviet Union, which was concluded back in 1941 and was supposed to be valid for 5 years. But already in April 1945, the USSR announced that it was breaking the treaty unilaterally. Russo-Japanese War (1945), the reasons for which were that the Land of the Rising Sun in last years acted on the side of Germany, and also fought against the allies of the USSR, became almost inevitable.
Such a sudden statement literally plunged the leadership of Japan into complete disarray. And this is understandable, because her position was very critical - the Allied forces inflicted significant damage on her in the Pacific Ocean, and industrial centers and cities were subjected to almost continuous bombardment. The government of this country was well aware that it was almost impossible to achieve victory in such conditions. But still, it still hoped that it would somehow be able to wear down and achieve more favorable conditions for the surrender of its troops.
The United States, in turn, did not count on the fact that they would get an easy victory. An example of this is the battles that unfolded for the island of Okinawa. About 77 thousand people fought here from Japan, and about 470 thousand soldiers from the United States. In the end, the island was taken by the Americans, but their losses were simply amazing - almost 50 thousand killed. According to him, if the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 had not begun, which will be briefly described in this article, then the losses would have been much more serious and could have amounted to 1 million soldiers killed and wounded.
Announcement of the outbreak of hostilities
On August 8, in Moscow, the document was handed over to the Japanese Ambassador to the USSR at exactly 17:00. It said that the Russo-Japanese War (1945) was actually starting the very next day. But since there is a significant time difference between the Far East and Moscow, it turned out that only 1 hour remained before the start of the offensive of the Soviet Army.
In the USSR, a plan was developed, consisting of three military operations: the Kuril, Manchurian and South Sakhalin. All of them were very important. But nevertheless, the Manchurian operation was the most large-scale and significant.
Side forces
On the territory of Manchuria, the Kwantung Army, commanded by General Otozo Yamada, opposed. It consisted of about 1 million people, more than 1 thousand tanks, about 6 thousand guns and 1.6 thousand aircraft.
At the time when the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 began, the forces of the USSR had a significant numerical superiority in manpower: only there were one and a half times more soldiers. As for equipment, the number of mortars and artillery exceeded the similar enemy forces by 10 times. Our army had 5 and 3 times more tanks and aircraft, respectively, than the corresponding weapons of the Japanese. It should be noted that the superiority of the USSR over Japan in military equipment consisted not only in its numbers. The equipment at the disposal of Russia was modern and more powerful than that of its opponent.
Enemy strongholds
All participants in the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 were well aware that sooner or later, but it had to start. That is why the Japanese created a significant number of well-fortified areas in advance. For example, we can take at least the Hailar region, where the left flank of the Trans-Baikal Front of the Soviet Army was located. Barrage structures on this site were built for more than 10 years. By the time the Russo-Japanese War began (August 1945), there were already 116 pillboxes, which were interconnected by underground passages made of concrete, a well-developed system of trenches and a significant number. This area was covered by Japanese soldiers, whose number exceeded the divisional one.
In order to suppress the resistance of the Hailar fortified area, the Soviet Army had to spend several days. Under war conditions, this is a short period, but during the same time the rest of the Trans-Baikal Front moved forward by about 150 km. Given the scale of the Russo-Japanese War (1945), the obstacle in the form of this fortified area turned out to be quite serious. Even when his garrison surrendered, the Japanese warriors continued to fight with fanatical courage.
In the reports of Soviet military leaders one can very often see references to the soldiers of the Kwantung Army. The documents said that the Japanese military specially chained themselves to the beds of machine guns so as not to have the slightest opportunity to retreat.
evasive maneuver
The Russo-Japanese War of 1945 and the actions of the Soviet Army were very successful from the very beginning. I would like to mention one outstanding operation, which consisted in a 350-kilometer throw of the 6th Panzer Army through the Khingan Range and the Gobi Desert. If you take a look at the mountains, they seem to be an insurmountable obstacle to the passage of technology. Passes that had to be passed Soviet tanks, were located at an altitude of about 2 thousand meters above sea level, and the slopes sometimes reached a steepness of 50⁰. That is why cars often had to zigzag.
In addition, the advancement of equipment was also complicated by frequent heavy rains, accompanied by flooding of rivers and impassable mud. But, despite this, the tanks still moved forward, and already on August 11 they overcame the mountains and reached the Central Manchurian Plain, in the rear of the Kwantung Army. After such a large-scale transition, the Soviet troops began to experience an acute shortage of fuel, so they had to arrange for additional delivery by air. By using transport aviation managed to transport about 900 tons of tank fuel. As a result of this operation, more than 200 thousand Japanese soldiers were captured, as well as a huge amount of equipment, weapons and ammunition.
Height Defenders Sharp
The Japanese War of 1945 continued. On the sector of the 1st Far Eastern Front, Soviet troops encountered unprecedentedly fierce enemy resistance. The Japanese were well entrenched on the heights of Camel and Ostraya, which were among the fortifications of the Khotous fortified area. It must be said that the approaches to these heights were indented by many small rivers and were very swampy. In addition, wire fences and excavated scarps were located on their slopes. The firing points of the Japanese soldiers were cut down in advance right in the rocky granite rock, and the concrete caps protecting the bunkers reached a thickness of one and a half meters.
During the fighting, the Soviet command offered the defenders of Ostra to surrender. As an envoy to the Japanese, a man from among local residents, but they treated him extremely cruelly - the commander of the fortified area himself cut off his head. However, there was nothing surprising in this act. From the moment the Russo-Japanese War began (1945), the enemy basically did not go to any negotiations. When the Soviet troops finally entered the fortification, they found only dead soldiers. It is worth noting that the defenders of the height were not only men, but also women who were armed with daggers and grenades.
Features of military operations
The Russo-Japanese War of 1945 had its own specific features. For example, in the battles for the city of Mudanjiang, the enemy used kamikaze saboteurs against units of the Soviet Army. These suicide bombers tied themselves with grenades and threw themselves under tanks or at soldiers. There was also such a case when about two hundred "live mines" lay on the ground next to each other in one sector of the front. But such suicidal actions did not last long. Soon soviet soldiers became more vigilant and managed to destroy the saboteur in advance before he came close and exploded next to equipment or people.
Surrender
The Russo-Japanese War of 1945 ended on August 15, when the country's emperor Hirohito addressed his people on the radio. He stated that the country had decided to accept the terms of the Potsdam Conference and capitulate. At the same time, the emperor called on his nation to observe patience and unite all forces to build a new future for the country.
3 days after Hirohito's appeal, the call of the Kwantung Army command to its soldiers was heard on the radio. It said that further resistance is pointless and there is already a decision to surrender. Since many Japanese units did not have contact with the main headquarters, their notification continued for several more days. But there were also cases when fanatical military personnel did not want to obey the order and lay down their arms. Therefore, their war continued until they died.
Effects
It must be said that the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 was truly of great not only military but also political significance. managed to completely defeat the strongest Kwantung Army and complete the Second world war. By the way, its official end is considered to be September 2, when the act of surrender of Japan was finally signed in Tokyo Bay right on board the battleship Missouri, owned by the United States.
As a result, the Soviet Union regained the territories that had been lost back in 1905 - a group of islands and part of the South Kuriles. Also, according to the peace treaty signed in San Francisco, Japan renounced any claims to Sakhalin.
My friends, before presenting you with a selection of photographs, I would like to acquaint you with a wonderful publication that reveals little known facts about that war and the main reasons for the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.
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Alexey Polubota
Unconditional Samurai Surrender
Japan was forced to surrender its weapons not by American nuclear strikes, but by Soviet troops
September 2 is the day the Second World War ended. It was on this day in 1945 that Japan, Germany's last ally, was forced to sign an unconditional surrender. In Russia this date for a long time remained, as it were, in the shadow of the Great patriotic war. Only in 2010, September 2 was declared the Day of Military Glory of Russia. Meanwhile, the defeat by the Soviet troops of more than a million Kwantung Army in Manchuria is one of the brilliant successes of Russian weapons. As a result of the operation, the main part of which lasted only 10 days - from August 9 to 19, 1945, 84 thousand Japanese soldiers and officers were destroyed. Nearly 600,000 were taken prisoner. The losses of the Soviet Army amounted to 12 thousand people. Pretty convincing statistics for those who like to repeat that Soviet marshals and generals won only because they filled up the enemies with corpses.
Today, the version is very common that the Japanese were forced to lay down their arms by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that thanks to this, the lives of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers were saved. However, a number of historians believe that it was the lightning defeat of the Kwantung Army that showed Japanese emperor futility of further resistance. Back in 1965 historian Gar Alperowitz declared that atomic strikes on Japan were of little military importance. English explorer Ward Wilson in his recently published book Five Myths About nuclear weapons also concludes that it was not American bombs that influenced the Japanese resolve to fight.
It was the entry of the USSR into the war with Japan and the rapid defeat of the Kwantung Army by the Soviet troops that served as the main factors for the accelerated end of the war and the unconditional surrender of Japan, agrees Head of the Center for Japanese Studies of the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Kistanov.- The fact is that the Japanese were not going to give up quickly. They were preparing for a fierce struggle with the United States for their main islands. This is evidenced by the fierce battles in Okinawa, where the American troops landed. These battles showed the US leadership that bloody battles were ahead, which, according to the assumptions of military experts, could drag on until 1946.
Recently published interesting fact: In the mountains near Kyoto, the Americans discovered a special device designed to launch live projectiles that would be controlled by suicide bombers. A kind of projectile aircraft. The Japanese simply did not have time to use them. That is, in addition to the kamikaze pilots, there were other soldiers who were ready to become suicide bombers.
The total strength of the Kwantung Army in China and Korea with allied units was more than a million people. The Japanese had a layered defense and all the necessary resources to wage a protracted fierce war. Their soldiers were determined to fight to the end. But Soviet army By that time, she had colossal experience in warfare. The troops that went through fire and water very quickly defeated the Kwantung Army. In my opinion, this is what finally broke the will of the Japanese command to fight.
"SP": - Why is it still believed that it was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that forced Japan to capitulate quickly?
To belittle the role of the USSR in World War II, sticking out the importance of the United States, is a general trend. See what's happening in Europe. Propaganda there is so successful that if you ask ordinary people, many will answer that the United States and its Western allies made the greatest contribution to the victory over the Nazi coalition.
Americans tend to exaggerate their own merits. In addition, arguing that it was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that persuaded Japan to capitulate, they, as it were, justify this barbaric act. Like, we saved the lives of American soldiers.
Meanwhile, the use of atomic bombs did not really frighten the Japanese. They didn't even fully understand what it was. Yes, it became clear what was applied powerful weapon. But then no one knew about radiation. In addition, the Americans dropped bombs not on armed forces but on peaceful cities. Military factories and naval bases were damaged, but mostly civilians died, and the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army did not suffer much.
"SP": - Japan has been considered an ally of the United States for several decades. Does the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki leave an imprint on the attitude of the Japanese towards the United States, or is it a page of history that has long been turned over for them?
Such things, of course, are not forgotten. The attitude of many ordinary Japanese towards the United States is by no means the most cordial. There is no justification for that barbaric bombardment. I was in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, I saw museums dedicated to this tragedy. Terrible impression. In Hiroshima, near the memorial, there is a special storage where tablets with the names of the victims of this bombing are placed. So, until now, this list continues to grow - people die from the effects of radiation.
The paradox of history lies in the fact that yesterday's worst enemies are today's allies. This affects how Japanese officials and the official media cover those events. In publications of the Japanese press, it is very rare to find a mention of who dropped the atomic bombs. Usually they talk about it in a very abstract way. Here, they say, a tragedy happened, bombs fell. Not a word about the USA. You might think that atomic bombs fell from the moon. Moreover, I admit that as a result of such silence, some young Japanese are sure that the USSR did it, in relation to which the media broadcast a lot of negativity.
But, I repeat, for the most part, ordinary Japanese did not forget and did not forgive that bombardment. Especially negative attitudes towards Americans are widespread in Okinawa, which until 1972 remained under direct US occupation. This small island is still home to 75% of US military bases in Japan. These bases cause a lot of trouble for the local population, from the noise of the planes to the antics of some American soldiers. Excesses happen from time to time. The Japanese still cannot calm down after several marines raped a Japanese schoolgirl 18 years ago.
All this leads to the fact that actions are regularly held with demands to withdraw the main American base. The latest protests from Okinawans were related to the transfer of new American aircraft to the island.
The Korean Peninsula and China were a very important logistics and resource base for Japan, - says Konstantin Asmolov, an orientalist, candidate of historical sciences, an employee of the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - There was even a plan to evacuate the Japanese imperial court to Korea in case fierce battles broke out on the islands themselves in Japan. By the time of application nuclear strike, many Japanese cities were destroyed by conventional bombing. For example, when American aircraft burned Tokyo, about 100,000 people died. From the way the Japanese initially reacted to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was clear that they were not very scared. For them, in general, there was not much difference - the city was destroyed by one bomb or a thousand. The defeat of the Kwantung Army by the Soviet troops and the loss of the most important strategic platform on the mainland became a much more serious blow for them. That is why we can say that the USSR, at the cost of 12 thousand dead soldiers, significantly accelerated the end of World War II.
What was the role of the USSR in the defeat of Japan can be judged by this fact, - says Andrey Fursov, historian, director of the Center for Russian Studies at the Institute for Fundamental and Applied Research of the Moscow University for the Humanities. - At the very end of the war, Churchill gave the order to develop Operation Unthinkable, which implies a strike by American and British troops with the participation of those controlled by the Western Allies German divisions July 1, 1945. Two counter-arguments were raised against this operation by Anglo-American military experts. First, the Soviet Army is too strong. Second - the USSR is very necessary in order to defeat Japan. Despite the fact that already in 1943 a turning point occurred in the Pacific War, and the Americans successfully pushed the enemy back, they perfectly understood that it would be very difficult to “squeeze” Japan without the Soviet Union. The Kwantung Army held vast territories in China and Korea. And the Americans had no experience of a serious land war. Therefore, the operation "Unthinkable" was decided not to be carried out.
If the USSR had not defeated the Kwantung Army the way it did - quickly and effectively, then the losses of the Americans in World War II (about 400 thousand people) would have been an order of magnitude higher. Not to mention the huge financial costs.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not play a military role. On the one hand, it was Japan's unjustifiably cruel revenge for Pearl Harbor, and on the other hand, it was an act of intimidation for the USSR, which had to show the full power of the United States.
Today, the United States and Great Britain really want to present everything in such a way that the role of the USSR in the victory over Japan was minimal. It must be admitted that they have achieved great success in their propaganda. Young people in these countries know little about Russia's involvement in World War II. Some are even sure that the USSR fought on the side of Nazi Germany. Everything is being done to push Russia out of the ranks of the winners.
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victory over Japan. Photo album.
1. Movement Soviet infantry across the steppes of Manchuria. Transbaikal front. 1945
48. The American B-29 bomber took off from the island of Tinian in the early morning of August 6 with the "Baby" on board. At 08:15, the bomb was dropped from a height of 9400 meters, and after 45 seconds of falling, it exploded at an altitude of 600 meters above the city center. In the photo: a column of smoke and dust over Hiroshima reached a height of 7000 meters. The size of the dust cloud on earth reached 3 km.
50. Atomic bomb Fat Man was dropped from a B-29 aircraft and exploded at 11:02 am at an altitude of 500 m above Nagasaki. The power of the explosion was about 21 kilotons.
54. Battleship US Pacific Fleet battleship Missouri, on which the Japanese Surrender Act was signed. Tokyo bay. 1945
56. Participants in the signing of the act of surrender of Japan: Hsu Yong-chan (China), B. Fraser (Great Britain), K.N. Derevyanko (USSR), T. Blamey (Australia), L.M. Cosgrave (Canada), F .Leclerc (France). September 02, 1945
61. The moment of signing the act of surrender of Japan by General Y. Umezu. Tokyo bay. September 02, 1945
67. The moment of signing the act of surrender of Japan on board the American battleship "Missouri". From the USSR, the act is signed by Lieutenant General K.N. Derevyanko. At the microphone - MacArthur. September 02, 1945
69. Japanese Surrender Act.Signatory parties: Japan, USSR, USA, China, Great Britain, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands.
70. Exhibition of Japanese captured military equipment. Park of Culture and Leisure. M. Gorky. Moscow. 1946
Photographer: Temin V.A. GARF, F.10140. Op.2. D. 125. L.2
All photos are clickable
In August-September 1945, the Far Eastern Front in full force took part in the military campaign of the Soviet Armed Forces to defeat the most powerful Japanese grouping. ground forces in Manchuria, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
Background and preparation for war
The capitulation of fascist Germany sharply worsened the military-political position of Hitler's eastern partner. In addition, the United States and England had superiority in forces at sea, and reached the near approaches to the metropolis of Japan. Nevertheless, Japan was not going to lay down its arms, rejected the ultimatum of the United States, Britain and China to surrender.
Meeting the persistent proposals of the American-British side, the Soviet delegation agreed to enter the war against militaristic Japan after the defeat of Nazi Germany was completed. At the Crimean Conference of the three allied powers in February 1945, the date for the entry of the USSR into the war was specified - three months after the surrender of Nazi Germany. After that, preparations began for a military campaign in the Far East.
To fulfill the strategic plan, the Soviet Supreme High Command deployed three fronts: the Trans-Baikal, 1st and 2nd Far Eastern. The Pacific Fleet, the Red Banner Amur Flotilla, border troops and air defense troops were also involved in the operation. For three months the number personnel the entire group increased from 1185 thousand to 1747 thousand people. The troops that arrived were armed with over 600 rocket launchers, 900 heavy and medium tanks and self-propelled guns.
The grouping of Japanese and puppet troops consisted of three fronts, separate army, part of the forces of the 5th Front, as well as several separate regiments, a military river flotilla and two air armies. Its basis was the Kwantung Army, which included 24 infantry divisions, 9 mixed brigades, 2 tank brigades and a suicide squad. The total number of enemy troops exceeded 1 million people, they were armed with 1215 tanks, 6640 guns and mortars, 26 ships and 1907 combat aircraft.
State Committee Defense created for the strategic leadership of military operations the High Command of the Soviet troops in the Far East. Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky was appointed commander-in-chief, Lieutenant-General I.V. Shikin was appointed a member of the Military Council, and Colonel-General S.P. Ivanov was appointed chief of staff.
On August 8, 1945, the Soviet government published a Statement stating that from August 9, the Soviet Union would consider itself in a state of war with Japan.
The beginning of the war
On the night of August 9, all units and formations received the Statement of the Soviet government, appeals from the military councils of the fronts and armies, and combat orders to go on the offensive.
The military campaign included the Manchurian strategic offensive operation, the South Sakhalin offensive and the Kuril landing operation.
Manchurian strategic offensive operation - the main component war - was carried out by the forces of the Trans-Baikal, 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts in cooperation with the Pacific Fleet and the Amur military flotilla. The plan, described as "strategic pincers", was simple in concept but grandiose in scope. It was planned to encircle the enemy in a total area of 1.5 million square kilometers.
Aviation struck at military facilities, areas of concentration of troops, communication centers and communications of the enemy in the border zone. The Pacific Fleet cut communications linking Korea and Manchuria with Japan. The troops of the Trans-Baikal Front overcame the waterless desert-steppe regions and the Great Khingan mountain range and defeated the enemy in the Kalgan, Solun and Hailar directions, and on August 18–19 reached the approaches to the most important industrial and administrative centers of Manchuria.
The troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union K. A. Meretskov broke through the border fortified areas of the enemy, repelled strong counterattacks in the Mudanjiang area, and then liberated the territory North Korea. The troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front under the command of Army General M.A. Purkaev crossed the Amur and Ussuri rivers, broke through the long-term enemy defenses in the Sakhalyan region, and overcame the M. Khingan mountain range. Soviet troops entered the Central Manchurian Plain, divided the Japanese troops into isolated groups and completed the maneuver to encircle them. On August 19, Japanese troops almost everywhere began to surrender.
Kuril landing operation
The successful military operations of the Soviet troops in Manchuria and South Sakhalin created the conditions for the liberation of the Kuril Islands. And in the period from August 18 to September 1, the Kuril landing operation was carried out, which began with a landing on about. Shumshu. On August 23, the garrison of the island, despite its superiority in forces and means, capitulated. On August 22–28, Soviet troops landed on other islands in the northern part of the ridge up to about. Urup inclusive. August 23 - September 1, the islands of the southern part of the ridge were occupied.
South Sakhalin offensive operation
The South Sakhalin operation of the Soviet troops on August 11-25 to liberate South Sakhalin was carried out by the troops of the 56th rifle corps 16th Army of the 2nd Far Eastern Front.
By the end of August 18, Soviet troops had captured all the heavily fortified strongholds in the border zone, defended by the troops of the 88th Japanese Infantry Division, units of the border gendarmerie and detachments of reservists. As a result of the operation, 18,320 Japanese soldiers and officers surrendered.
Japan's unconditional surrender was signed on September 2, 1945 aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay by Foreign Minister Shigemitsu, Chief of the Japanese General Staff Umezu, and Lieutenant General K.M. Derevianko.
As a result, the millionth Kwantung Army was completely defeated, which led to the end of the Second World War of 1939-1945. According to Soviet data, its losses in killed amounted to 84 thousand people, about 600 thousand were taken prisoner. The losses of the Red Army amounted to 12 thousand people.
Soviet-Japanese War had a huge political and military value. The Soviet Union, having entered the war with the Empire of Japan and made a significant contribution to its defeat, hastened the end of World War II. Historians have repeatedly stated that without the entry into the war of the USSR, it would have continued for at least another year and would have cost an additional several million human lives.
