Soviet-Japanese Border War
Jun 21, 2017 17:49:25 GMT
best75, Aleksandr Vasilevsky, and 3 more like this
Post by Ivan Kolev on Jun 21, 2017 17:49:25 GMT
This presentation will be about the often overlooked but very important Soviet-Japanese Border War of 1935-1939.
Top Left: Pu Yi
Top Right: East and North Asia in 1939
Bottom: Josef Stalin
First, some background. Ever since the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Japan and Russia had rocky relations with each other. While the two empires were allied in World War One, the countries were only tied together as a result of their shared enmity of the Central Powers for their own very different reasons (Russia due to the Austro-Hungarian intervention in Serbia and Japan due to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 and the desire to acquire German Pacific and Asian territories). The alliance with the government of Russia also only lasted until October 1917, when Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks seized control of the capital of St. Petersburg, and subsequently got Russia out of the First World War.
The Japanese, while not exactly on the best terms with the previous governments of Russia, saw Bolshevism in Russia as a threat to Japanese interests in Asia, which was particularly worried of communism spreading to China and the creation of a Sino-Soviet Alliance. As a result, the IJA (Imperial Japanese Army) seized control of Russia's pacific provinces in Siberia, including Vladivostok. The Japanese were technically allied with the White movements of Russia, but primarily desired Russia's pacific states in order to use as a buffer territory against the Bolsheviks. By 1922, however, the Japanese were being pressured by the Allies, who had already withdrawn by 1920, to withdraw from Siberia. The Bolsheviks were also winning against the IJA by this time, so the Japanese agreed to evacuate Siberia in 1922. The Japanese intervention in the Russian Civil War resulted in the Soviet government and the Japanese Monarchy having enmity against each other from the Soviet Union's conception.
Despite their defeat in Siberia, the Japanese continued their imperial expansion in Asia. In 1931, the Japanese used the Mukden Incident, a staged explosion of a Japanese owned railway in Manchuria by Japanese imperial troops (The explosion was so small that the track wasn't damaged and a train actually went over the track minutes after the explosion by the way), as a pretext for invading Manchuria. By February 1932, all of Manchuria was under Japanese control. The Japanese established a puppet government in the region called Manchukuo, with its capital at Changchun. This puppet regime was led by Pu Yi, the last Qing Emperor of China. In 1933, the Japanese invaded Inner Mongolia, and established the puppet regime of Mengjiang in the area in 1939, with its capital at Kalgan. The ruler of this state was Prince Demchugdongrub, a Mongol prince. In July of 1937, the Japanese launched a full invasion of China following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War. By 1939, the Japanese had occupied much of Northwestern China and most of the coastal cities such as Guangzhou.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union had also established influence in many regions of China and Mongolia. In 1921, the Bolsheviks invaded Mongolia following White General Roman von Ungern-Sternberg's seizure of power there, and had him executed at a show trial two months following the invasion. When the Soviets invaded Mongolia, they established a satellite regime in the capital, Ulaan Bataar (Which means 'Red Hero' in Mongolian) which ensured Soviet dominance over Mongolia and one which was a communist ally. Several puppet leaders took power in the country until 1930, when Khorloogin Choibalsan became leader of the state. Choibalsan is often referred to as the 'Stalin of Mongolia' due to his many purges against dissidents of the regime, ethnic minorities like Kazakhs and Buryats, and Tibetan Buddhist clergy. His radical state atheism led to the mass executions of Buddhist priests and almost resulted in the complete eradication of Buddhism from that country. Up to 35,000 were killed under his rule form 1930-1952, when he died. Choibalsan was close allies with Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, who approved of Choibalsan's aggressive collectivization and state atheism. Stalin wanted to ensure Mongolia remained a vehement Soviet ally in order to act as a buffer to growing Japanese expansion in Asia. The Soviets also had an ally in Tannu Tuva, established as a communist satellite state of the USSR in 1921. Their first premier, Donduk Kuular, was not supportive of the USSR or Stalin, however. He promoted the idea of a theocratic state in Tuva dominated by the Buddhist clergy and supported possible unification with neighboring Mongolia. Stalin did not support Kuular's insubordination to Moscow, and in 1929, more radical communists backed by Stalin took control, and Kuular was executed in Kyzyl, the capital, in 1932. That same year, Salchak Toka, an atheist and communist hardliner, gained control. He was supportive of Stalin, and established state atheism and collectivization throughout the country.
In 1934, Stalin ordered an invasion of the Xinjiang province of China in response to the Leftist government there requesting for aid against the Nationalist forces in the Chinese Civil War. Xinjiang was then made the third de facto Soviet satellite state. This alarmed the Japanese, as it showed that Stalin had an interest in securing influence and allies in China.
The Soviets and Japanese both had major reasons to fight for their gains in Asia, with the Japanese government desiring the raw materials in China and buffer territory to use against the Soviets and the Soviets wanting buffer territory against the Japanese and also wanting to spread communism further into China. As a result, relations between the two nations became ever more strained. The situation wasn't aided by the fact that Josef Stalin provided aid to the Chinese in the Second Sino-Japanese War through the providing of tanks, guns, aircraft, and volunteers for the Chinese. The stage was set for a showdown between the two major powers of Northern Asia.
Top: Mongolian machine gunner at the Battle of Kalkhin Gol
Bottom Left: Soviet tanks and infantry moving against Japanese positions at Khalkhin Gol
Bottom Right: Georgy Zhukov with Khorloogiin Choibalsan
Ever since Japan established the puppet regime of Manchukuo in 1932, border conflicts along the Soviet-Manchukuo border became commonplace. Most of these conflicts were initially just recon missions conducted by both sides and small raids to gain weapons or supplies. The primary reason for the Japanese involvement in these border conflicts were that they wanted to expand their Manchukuo puppet state into Primorsky Krai (Russian maritime province including Vladivostok) and wanted to see how difficult it would be to launch a potential invasion North into Siberia, while the Russians launched raids in order to test how strong the Japanese presence was in Manchuria.
By 1935, the minor raids were becoming more heated. In January of that year, the Halhamiao Incident between Mongolian cavalry and a combined Manchu-Japanese tankette and infantry force resulted in around 50 dying (~40 Mongols and ~11 Manchu-Japanese) over control of fishing rights in a lake near the Halhamiao Buddhist Temple in Manchukuo straddling the Mongolian border. In October, 41 Manchu-Japanese troops were ambushed by 50 Soviet troops with machine guns near the town of Suifenho. 2 Japanese and 4 Manchu died, with 5 being wounded. On December 19th, the Battle for Buir Lake began between Mongol and Manchu troops. The Manchu met a Mongol force while on a recon mission and took 10 prisoners. On December 24th, 60 Mongol troops attempted to push the Manchu out of their positions by the lake, but were repulsed. This skirmish would continue until early January, with the Mongols even bringing in aircraft to serve as recon. The Mongols decided to withdraw following the arrival of Japanese troops near the lake. In March of 1936, Mongol and Soviet troops occupied the disputed town of Tauran, evicting the Manchu garrison in the region. The Soviets brought in bombers and armored cars to the town, but the Japanese quickly counter attacked. Three of the Soviet bombers were shot down by Japanese machine guns, and 400 Japanese soldiers routed the 134 Mongol and Soviet force, killing 56 and retaking the town.
The first major battle between Soviet and Japanese troops, however, was the Kenchazu Island Incident. In late June of 1937, the Soviets deployed troops across the Amur river separating Manchukuo and Soviet Siberia and occupied Kenchazu island. The local IJA unit responded quickly, constructing firing sites and shelling the three Soviet gunboats ferrying troops to the island. One sunk, another was severely damaged, while the last was forced to withdraw. Then, Japanese machine gunners fired on the Soviet troops trying to escape from their sinking gunboats. 37 Soviets were killed while no Japanese were killed, and the Soviets were forced to hand the island back to Manchukuo in fear of escalating the situation and intimidated by the swift and fierce Japanese response.
On July 29th, the Battle of Lake Khasan began between the forces of the Soviet Union and the Japanese Empire. The reason for this battle was that the Japanese believed the Soviet-Korean border was not supposed to be at the Tumen River, and that the 1860 Treaty of Peking which demarcated the border between Korea and Russia actually stated that a strip of a couple of kilometers including the strategically important hills of Changkufeng was meant to be a part of Japanese Korea. Both sides built up on each side of the Tumen, with the Soviets amassing around 23,000 men with 345 tanks, 250 aircraft, and 237 artillery pieces and the Japanese stationing 7,300 infantry with 37 artillery at the region. The Battle began on the 29th of July, with the Soviets launching a minor attack on Japanese positions. This was repulsed, and on the 31st, Japanese troops led by General Suetaka Kamezo launched a counterattack and took the hills of Changkufeng with 1,114 men against 300 Soviets, with an additional 6,000 troops arriving to reinforce their positions. From August 2nd to August 9th, the Soviets attacked Japanese positions at Changkufeng with the rest of their forces stationed near the region. The Soviets dealt relentless artillery strikes and assaults on Japanese positions for 7 days. Despite this, the Japanese held firm, with their anti-tank defenses resulting in the total destruction of 9 Soviet tanks and severe damage to 76 others. It was clear to the Japanese High Command, however, that there was no way that the army could hold onto Changkufeng for much longer without provoking all out war with the Soviet Union, and so on October 11th, all Japanese troops withdrew from the disputed region and Soviet troops retook the hills. 526 Japanese were killed with 913 wounded, while the Soviets lost 792 men and 3,279 wounded. While a Japanese military victory, the battle was a Soviet strategic victory as the battle established the Tumen River as the Soviet-Korean Border which was the Soviet government's claim.
The last and most decisive action of the Soviet-Japanese Border War, however, was the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. The battle originated due to a border dispute between Manchukuo and Mongolia. The Manchu claimed the Khalkhin Gol river as the border while the Mongolians claimed the border stretched East near the village Nomonhan. On May 11th, 1939, between 70-90 Mongol cavalry units entered the disputed territory in order for their horses to graze. The same day, Manchu forces sent a force to expel them. Two days later, a larger Mongol force entered the region to press Mongolia's claim. Now, the Manchukuo government had to call in Japanese support to dislodge the Mongolians, and on May 14th, a Japanese force kicked the Mongols out. Now, Mongolia requested Soviet military support, and, with Soviet aid, the Mongolians surrounded the Japanese unit led by Colonel Takemitsu Yamagata, killing 105 men and wounding 34. It was clear that this dispute was no longer over a unit accidentally crossing into disputed territory and instead over hegemony of the region between Japan and the USSR.
Not much action occurred in June of 1939, with both sides building up their forces. Soon, up 38,000 infantry, 137 armor, 400 aircraft, 300 artillery, 1,000 trucks, and 2,708 cavalry on the Japanese side were at Khalkin Gol as with up to 74,000 infantry, 550 armor, 450 armored cars, 900 aircraft, 634 artillery, 4,000 trucks, and 1,921 Mongolian cavalry on the Soviet side. The only major action this month was the bombing a Soviet air base in Mongolia on June 27th by the Japanese air force, but, fearing escalation of the conflict, no more aerial attacks would occur on non-disputed Mongolian soil. Also this month, Corps Commander Georgy Zhukov arrived at Khalkhin Gol.
In July, the Japanese attempted to launch a full assault on Russo-Mongolian positions on the West bank of the Khalkhin Gol. Two regiments would cross the river, take Soviet positions at Baintsagan Hill, and then head South to secure the Kawatama Bridge. From there, two more regiments would cross the bridge and clean up resistance across the rest of the river, including the East Bank. At the start of the month, the first two regiments crossed the Khalkin Gol. These were able to successfully take Baintsagan Hill, but Georgy Zhukov understood that the Japanese would aim for the Kawatama Bridge, and so sent 450 tanks and armored cars to attack the two Japanese regiments which crossed the river from the three directions. The tanks pushed the regiments back to the lone pontoon bridge they had for supplies, and while they successfully retreated back across on July 5th, they could never regain the strength to push back across. On July 9th, Zhukov turned to the other two regiments which had by now been applying pressure to Soviet forces at the Kawatama Bridge. Zhukov, using armor, successfully repulsed them. The Japanese now retreated to the other side of the river to resupply and rearm. The rest of the month was fairly quiet in terms of action, with all Japanese troops disengaging from combat by July 25th. This action commenced by the Japanese ended up being a major blunder, as the cavalry the Japanese used to gain supplies from their supply base could only go so fast. Meanwhile, Zhukov used thousands of motorized vehicles to drive fresh supplies and men to replace the wounded and resupply his troops.
Zhukov now prepared for a mass assault in August. Zhukov knew from the Battle of Lake Khasan that the Japanese were not very willing to start an all out war with the Soviets at this stage, and so knew that he could use the best troops he had for a total assault at Khalkhin Gol. He launched three recon missions on the 3rd, 7th and 8th. At 5:45 AM on August 20th, Zhukov made his move, with a coordinated mass artillery and bomber bombardment of Japanese positions. Zhukov, with a total of 50,000 men, had infantry from his center pin down the Japanese forces on the opposite end of the river, while tanks and other infantry forces on his right and left swooped around the Japanese positions in a pincer maneuver, with the forces of the right and left wings meeting on August 25th near at Nomonhan Village. The Japanese attempted to receive their positions on the 26th and attempted a breakthrough on the 27th, but to no avail. After repeated bombings and artillery strikes on the Japanese for another four days, all Japanese forces in the Khalkhin Gol pocket surrendered to the Soviets. Minor actions occurred all the way until September 15th of 1939, but all major actions had finished by the end of August. The battle resulted in up to 20,000 Japanese casualties, 3,000 Manchu, 28,000 Soviets, and 1,000 Mongols, as with hundreds of aircraft, armor, cavalry and trucks being destroyed or put out of action. Despite losing more, the Soviets still won a decisive victory.
Signing of the Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact/Matsuoka-Molotov Pact
Following the battle, the Soviet-Japanese Border War effectively ended. The effects of the War are numerous. Following the Battle of Khalkin Gol, the Japanese dropped all ideas of invading Soviet possessions in Primorsky Krai or Mongolia, and instead opted to attack Dutch, British and American colonies in the Pacific and Southeast Asia in 1941. If the Soviet-Japanese Border War hadn't happened, it is very likely that the Japanese may have aided the Nazis in their invasion of the USSR, which could have proved disastrous for the Red Army. The war also resulted in Georgy Zhukov becoming recognized as a great military commander by the Soviet government, which would later lead to him being appointed to be in charge of forces at Stalingrad in 1942. He also used many of the same tactics he used in Stalingrad at Khalkhin Gol, such as the heavy use of armor and the use of the pincer maneuver.
The war also ultimately resulted in the Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact or the Matsuoka-Molotov Pact of April 1941. The pact established a Non-Aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Japan until 1946 and gave the Soviet Union dominance over Outer Mongolia (Which was where Choibalsan ruled) and Primorsky Krai while Japan gained dominance over Manchuria and Inner Mongolia. This pact would be the reason why Japan would not aid in the German invasion of the USSR in June of that year. This also allowed the Japanese and Soviets to deploy troops from the Far East to other fronts.
Also, the War resulted in the Soviets being able to sign the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 with Germany, which divided Eastern Europe between Germany and the USSR, with the USSR gaining Eastern Poland, Moldavia, the Baltic States and Finland while Germany gained Western Poland, Memelland from Lithuania and the rest of Eastern Europe to itself. Without the Soviet victory at Khalkhin Gol, the Soviets would have needed to use the troops needed in the invasions of Poland, Moldova, the Baltic States and the Winter War in the Far East instead.
The Soviet-Japanese Border War was incredibly important, yet incredibly overlooked. Anyway, next time I have a presentation series planned on Eastern Europe and then the Turkish Wars of Independence.
Top Left: Pu Yi
Top Right: East and North Asia in 1939
Bottom: Josef Stalin
First, some background. Ever since the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Japan and Russia had rocky relations with each other. While the two empires were allied in World War One, the countries were only tied together as a result of their shared enmity of the Central Powers for their own very different reasons (Russia due to the Austro-Hungarian intervention in Serbia and Japan due to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 and the desire to acquire German Pacific and Asian territories). The alliance with the government of Russia also only lasted until October 1917, when Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks seized control of the capital of St. Petersburg, and subsequently got Russia out of the First World War.
The Japanese, while not exactly on the best terms with the previous governments of Russia, saw Bolshevism in Russia as a threat to Japanese interests in Asia, which was particularly worried of communism spreading to China and the creation of a Sino-Soviet Alliance. As a result, the IJA (Imperial Japanese Army) seized control of Russia's pacific provinces in Siberia, including Vladivostok. The Japanese were technically allied with the White movements of Russia, but primarily desired Russia's pacific states in order to use as a buffer territory against the Bolsheviks. By 1922, however, the Japanese were being pressured by the Allies, who had already withdrawn by 1920, to withdraw from Siberia. The Bolsheviks were also winning against the IJA by this time, so the Japanese agreed to evacuate Siberia in 1922. The Japanese intervention in the Russian Civil War resulted in the Soviet government and the Japanese Monarchy having enmity against each other from the Soviet Union's conception.
Despite their defeat in Siberia, the Japanese continued their imperial expansion in Asia. In 1931, the Japanese used the Mukden Incident, a staged explosion of a Japanese owned railway in Manchuria by Japanese imperial troops (The explosion was so small that the track wasn't damaged and a train actually went over the track minutes after the explosion by the way), as a pretext for invading Manchuria. By February 1932, all of Manchuria was under Japanese control. The Japanese established a puppet government in the region called Manchukuo, with its capital at Changchun. This puppet regime was led by Pu Yi, the last Qing Emperor of China. In 1933, the Japanese invaded Inner Mongolia, and established the puppet regime of Mengjiang in the area in 1939, with its capital at Kalgan. The ruler of this state was Prince Demchugdongrub, a Mongol prince. In July of 1937, the Japanese launched a full invasion of China following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War. By 1939, the Japanese had occupied much of Northwestern China and most of the coastal cities such as Guangzhou.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union had also established influence in many regions of China and Mongolia. In 1921, the Bolsheviks invaded Mongolia following White General Roman von Ungern-Sternberg's seizure of power there, and had him executed at a show trial two months following the invasion. When the Soviets invaded Mongolia, they established a satellite regime in the capital, Ulaan Bataar (Which means 'Red Hero' in Mongolian) which ensured Soviet dominance over Mongolia and one which was a communist ally. Several puppet leaders took power in the country until 1930, when Khorloogin Choibalsan became leader of the state. Choibalsan is often referred to as the 'Stalin of Mongolia' due to his many purges against dissidents of the regime, ethnic minorities like Kazakhs and Buryats, and Tibetan Buddhist clergy. His radical state atheism led to the mass executions of Buddhist priests and almost resulted in the complete eradication of Buddhism from that country. Up to 35,000 were killed under his rule form 1930-1952, when he died. Choibalsan was close allies with Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, who approved of Choibalsan's aggressive collectivization and state atheism. Stalin wanted to ensure Mongolia remained a vehement Soviet ally in order to act as a buffer to growing Japanese expansion in Asia. The Soviets also had an ally in Tannu Tuva, established as a communist satellite state of the USSR in 1921. Their first premier, Donduk Kuular, was not supportive of the USSR or Stalin, however. He promoted the idea of a theocratic state in Tuva dominated by the Buddhist clergy and supported possible unification with neighboring Mongolia. Stalin did not support Kuular's insubordination to Moscow, and in 1929, more radical communists backed by Stalin took control, and Kuular was executed in Kyzyl, the capital, in 1932. That same year, Salchak Toka, an atheist and communist hardliner, gained control. He was supportive of Stalin, and established state atheism and collectivization throughout the country.
In 1934, Stalin ordered an invasion of the Xinjiang province of China in response to the Leftist government there requesting for aid against the Nationalist forces in the Chinese Civil War. Xinjiang was then made the third de facto Soviet satellite state. This alarmed the Japanese, as it showed that Stalin had an interest in securing influence and allies in China.
The Soviets and Japanese both had major reasons to fight for their gains in Asia, with the Japanese government desiring the raw materials in China and buffer territory to use against the Soviets and the Soviets wanting buffer territory against the Japanese and also wanting to spread communism further into China. As a result, relations between the two nations became ever more strained. The situation wasn't aided by the fact that Josef Stalin provided aid to the Chinese in the Second Sino-Japanese War through the providing of tanks, guns, aircraft, and volunteers for the Chinese. The stage was set for a showdown between the two major powers of Northern Asia.
Top: Mongolian machine gunner at the Battle of Kalkhin Gol
Bottom Left: Soviet tanks and infantry moving against Japanese positions at Khalkhin Gol
Bottom Right: Georgy Zhukov with Khorloogiin Choibalsan
Ever since Japan established the puppet regime of Manchukuo in 1932, border conflicts along the Soviet-Manchukuo border became commonplace. Most of these conflicts were initially just recon missions conducted by both sides and small raids to gain weapons or supplies. The primary reason for the Japanese involvement in these border conflicts were that they wanted to expand their Manchukuo puppet state into Primorsky Krai (Russian maritime province including Vladivostok) and wanted to see how difficult it would be to launch a potential invasion North into Siberia, while the Russians launched raids in order to test how strong the Japanese presence was in Manchuria.
By 1935, the minor raids were becoming more heated. In January of that year, the Halhamiao Incident between Mongolian cavalry and a combined Manchu-Japanese tankette and infantry force resulted in around 50 dying (~40 Mongols and ~11 Manchu-Japanese) over control of fishing rights in a lake near the Halhamiao Buddhist Temple in Manchukuo straddling the Mongolian border. In October, 41 Manchu-Japanese troops were ambushed by 50 Soviet troops with machine guns near the town of Suifenho. 2 Japanese and 4 Manchu died, with 5 being wounded. On December 19th, the Battle for Buir Lake began between Mongol and Manchu troops. The Manchu met a Mongol force while on a recon mission and took 10 prisoners. On December 24th, 60 Mongol troops attempted to push the Manchu out of their positions by the lake, but were repulsed. This skirmish would continue until early January, with the Mongols even bringing in aircraft to serve as recon. The Mongols decided to withdraw following the arrival of Japanese troops near the lake. In March of 1936, Mongol and Soviet troops occupied the disputed town of Tauran, evicting the Manchu garrison in the region. The Soviets brought in bombers and armored cars to the town, but the Japanese quickly counter attacked. Three of the Soviet bombers were shot down by Japanese machine guns, and 400 Japanese soldiers routed the 134 Mongol and Soviet force, killing 56 and retaking the town.
The first major battle between Soviet and Japanese troops, however, was the Kenchazu Island Incident. In late June of 1937, the Soviets deployed troops across the Amur river separating Manchukuo and Soviet Siberia and occupied Kenchazu island. The local IJA unit responded quickly, constructing firing sites and shelling the three Soviet gunboats ferrying troops to the island. One sunk, another was severely damaged, while the last was forced to withdraw. Then, Japanese machine gunners fired on the Soviet troops trying to escape from their sinking gunboats. 37 Soviets were killed while no Japanese were killed, and the Soviets were forced to hand the island back to Manchukuo in fear of escalating the situation and intimidated by the swift and fierce Japanese response.
On July 29th, the Battle of Lake Khasan began between the forces of the Soviet Union and the Japanese Empire. The reason for this battle was that the Japanese believed the Soviet-Korean border was not supposed to be at the Tumen River, and that the 1860 Treaty of Peking which demarcated the border between Korea and Russia actually stated that a strip of a couple of kilometers including the strategically important hills of Changkufeng was meant to be a part of Japanese Korea. Both sides built up on each side of the Tumen, with the Soviets amassing around 23,000 men with 345 tanks, 250 aircraft, and 237 artillery pieces and the Japanese stationing 7,300 infantry with 37 artillery at the region. The Battle began on the 29th of July, with the Soviets launching a minor attack on Japanese positions. This was repulsed, and on the 31st, Japanese troops led by General Suetaka Kamezo launched a counterattack and took the hills of Changkufeng with 1,114 men against 300 Soviets, with an additional 6,000 troops arriving to reinforce their positions. From August 2nd to August 9th, the Soviets attacked Japanese positions at Changkufeng with the rest of their forces stationed near the region. The Soviets dealt relentless artillery strikes and assaults on Japanese positions for 7 days. Despite this, the Japanese held firm, with their anti-tank defenses resulting in the total destruction of 9 Soviet tanks and severe damage to 76 others. It was clear to the Japanese High Command, however, that there was no way that the army could hold onto Changkufeng for much longer without provoking all out war with the Soviet Union, and so on October 11th, all Japanese troops withdrew from the disputed region and Soviet troops retook the hills. 526 Japanese were killed with 913 wounded, while the Soviets lost 792 men and 3,279 wounded. While a Japanese military victory, the battle was a Soviet strategic victory as the battle established the Tumen River as the Soviet-Korean Border which was the Soviet government's claim.
The last and most decisive action of the Soviet-Japanese Border War, however, was the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. The battle originated due to a border dispute between Manchukuo and Mongolia. The Manchu claimed the Khalkhin Gol river as the border while the Mongolians claimed the border stretched East near the village Nomonhan. On May 11th, 1939, between 70-90 Mongol cavalry units entered the disputed territory in order for their horses to graze. The same day, Manchu forces sent a force to expel them. Two days later, a larger Mongol force entered the region to press Mongolia's claim. Now, the Manchukuo government had to call in Japanese support to dislodge the Mongolians, and on May 14th, a Japanese force kicked the Mongols out. Now, Mongolia requested Soviet military support, and, with Soviet aid, the Mongolians surrounded the Japanese unit led by Colonel Takemitsu Yamagata, killing 105 men and wounding 34. It was clear that this dispute was no longer over a unit accidentally crossing into disputed territory and instead over hegemony of the region between Japan and the USSR.
Not much action occurred in June of 1939, with both sides building up their forces. Soon, up 38,000 infantry, 137 armor, 400 aircraft, 300 artillery, 1,000 trucks, and 2,708 cavalry on the Japanese side were at Khalkin Gol as with up to 74,000 infantry, 550 armor, 450 armored cars, 900 aircraft, 634 artillery, 4,000 trucks, and 1,921 Mongolian cavalry on the Soviet side. The only major action this month was the bombing a Soviet air base in Mongolia on June 27th by the Japanese air force, but, fearing escalation of the conflict, no more aerial attacks would occur on non-disputed Mongolian soil. Also this month, Corps Commander Georgy Zhukov arrived at Khalkhin Gol.
In July, the Japanese attempted to launch a full assault on Russo-Mongolian positions on the West bank of the Khalkhin Gol. Two regiments would cross the river, take Soviet positions at Baintsagan Hill, and then head South to secure the Kawatama Bridge. From there, two more regiments would cross the bridge and clean up resistance across the rest of the river, including the East Bank. At the start of the month, the first two regiments crossed the Khalkin Gol. These were able to successfully take Baintsagan Hill, but Georgy Zhukov understood that the Japanese would aim for the Kawatama Bridge, and so sent 450 tanks and armored cars to attack the two Japanese regiments which crossed the river from the three directions. The tanks pushed the regiments back to the lone pontoon bridge they had for supplies, and while they successfully retreated back across on July 5th, they could never regain the strength to push back across. On July 9th, Zhukov turned to the other two regiments which had by now been applying pressure to Soviet forces at the Kawatama Bridge. Zhukov, using armor, successfully repulsed them. The Japanese now retreated to the other side of the river to resupply and rearm. The rest of the month was fairly quiet in terms of action, with all Japanese troops disengaging from combat by July 25th. This action commenced by the Japanese ended up being a major blunder, as the cavalry the Japanese used to gain supplies from their supply base could only go so fast. Meanwhile, Zhukov used thousands of motorized vehicles to drive fresh supplies and men to replace the wounded and resupply his troops.
Zhukov now prepared for a mass assault in August. Zhukov knew from the Battle of Lake Khasan that the Japanese were not very willing to start an all out war with the Soviets at this stage, and so knew that he could use the best troops he had for a total assault at Khalkhin Gol. He launched three recon missions on the 3rd, 7th and 8th. At 5:45 AM on August 20th, Zhukov made his move, with a coordinated mass artillery and bomber bombardment of Japanese positions. Zhukov, with a total of 50,000 men, had infantry from his center pin down the Japanese forces on the opposite end of the river, while tanks and other infantry forces on his right and left swooped around the Japanese positions in a pincer maneuver, with the forces of the right and left wings meeting on August 25th near at Nomonhan Village. The Japanese attempted to receive their positions on the 26th and attempted a breakthrough on the 27th, but to no avail. After repeated bombings and artillery strikes on the Japanese for another four days, all Japanese forces in the Khalkhin Gol pocket surrendered to the Soviets. Minor actions occurred all the way until September 15th of 1939, but all major actions had finished by the end of August. The battle resulted in up to 20,000 Japanese casualties, 3,000 Manchu, 28,000 Soviets, and 1,000 Mongols, as with hundreds of aircraft, armor, cavalry and trucks being destroyed or put out of action. Despite losing more, the Soviets still won a decisive victory.
Signing of the Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact/Matsuoka-Molotov Pact
Following the battle, the Soviet-Japanese Border War effectively ended. The effects of the War are numerous. Following the Battle of Khalkin Gol, the Japanese dropped all ideas of invading Soviet possessions in Primorsky Krai or Mongolia, and instead opted to attack Dutch, British and American colonies in the Pacific and Southeast Asia in 1941. If the Soviet-Japanese Border War hadn't happened, it is very likely that the Japanese may have aided the Nazis in their invasion of the USSR, which could have proved disastrous for the Red Army. The war also resulted in Georgy Zhukov becoming recognized as a great military commander by the Soviet government, which would later lead to him being appointed to be in charge of forces at Stalingrad in 1942. He also used many of the same tactics he used in Stalingrad at Khalkhin Gol, such as the heavy use of armor and the use of the pincer maneuver.
The war also ultimately resulted in the Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact or the Matsuoka-Molotov Pact of April 1941. The pact established a Non-Aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Japan until 1946 and gave the Soviet Union dominance over Outer Mongolia (Which was where Choibalsan ruled) and Primorsky Krai while Japan gained dominance over Manchuria and Inner Mongolia. This pact would be the reason why Japan would not aid in the German invasion of the USSR in June of that year. This also allowed the Japanese and Soviets to deploy troops from the Far East to other fronts.
Also, the War resulted in the Soviets being able to sign the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 with Germany, which divided Eastern Europe between Germany and the USSR, with the USSR gaining Eastern Poland, Moldavia, the Baltic States and Finland while Germany gained Western Poland, Memelland from Lithuania and the rest of Eastern Europe to itself. Without the Soviet victory at Khalkhin Gol, the Soviets would have needed to use the troops needed in the invasions of Poland, Moldova, the Baltic States and the Winter War in the Far East instead.
The Soviet-Japanese Border War was incredibly important, yet incredibly overlooked. Anyway, next time I have a presentation series planned on Eastern Europe and then the Turkish Wars of Independence.
