Attack of Japanese destroyers of the Russian squadron.

On the night of February 8 to 9 (January 26 to 27), 1904, 10 Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. The squadron battleships Tsesarevich, Retvizan and the cruiser Pallada received heavy damage from the explosions of Japanese torpedoes and ran aground to avoid sinking. Japanese destroyers were damaged by return fire from the artillery of the Russian squadron IJN Akatsuki And IJN Shirakumo. Thus began the Russo-Japanese War.

On the same day, Japanese troops began landing troops in the area of ​​​​the port of Chemulpo. While trying to leave the port and head to Port Arthur, the gunboat Koreets was attacked by Japanese destroyers, forcing it to return.

On February 9 (January 27), 1904, the battle of Chemulpo took place. As a result, due to the impossibility of a breakthrough, the cruiser “Varyag” was scuttled by their crews and the gunboat “Koreets” was blown up.

On the same day, February 9 (January 27), 1904, Admiral Jessen headed out to sea at the head of the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers to begin military operations to disrupt transport links between Japan and Korea.

On February 11 (January 29), 1904, near Port Arthur, near the San Shan-tao Islands, the Russian cruiser Boyarin was blown up by a Japanese mine.

On February 24 (February 11), 1904, the Japanese fleet tried to close the exit from Port Arthur by sinking 5 ships loaded with stone. The attempt was unsuccessful.

On February 25 (February 12), 1904, two Russian destroyers “Besstrashny” and “Impressive”, while going out for reconnaissance, came across 4 Japanese cruisers. The first managed to escape, but the second was driven into Blue Bay, where it was scuttled by order of Captain M. Podushkin.

On March 2 (February 18), 1904, by order of the Naval General Staff, the Mediterranean squadron of Admiral A. Virenius (battleship Oslyabya, cruisers Aurora and Dmitry Donskoy and 7 destroyers), heading to Port Arthur, was recalled to the Baltic Sea .

On March 6 (February 22), 1904, a Japanese squadron shelled Vladivostok. The damage was minor. The fortress was placed in a state of siege.

On March 8 (February 24), 1904, the new commander of the Russian Pacific squadron, Vice Admiral S. Makarov, arrived in Port Arthur, replacing Admiral O. Stark in this post.

On March 10 (February 26), 1904, in the Yellow Sea, while returning from reconnaissance in Port Arthur, he was sunk by four Japanese destroyers ( IJN Usugumo , IJN Shinonome , IJN Akebono , IJN Sazanami) Russian destroyer "Steregushchy", and "Resolute" managed to return to port.

Russian fleet in Port Arthur.

On March 27 (March 14), 1904, the second Japanese attempt to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor by flooding fire ships was thwarted.

April 4 (March 22), 1904 Japanese battleships IJN Fuji And IJN Yashima Port Arthur was bombarded with fire from Golubina Bay. In total, they fired 200 shots and main caliber guns. But the effect was minimal.

On April 12 (March 30), 1904, the Russian destroyer Strashny was sunk by Japanese destroyers.

On April 13 (March 31), 1904, the battleship Petropavlovsk was blown up by a mine and sank with almost its entire crew while going to sea. Among the dead was Admiral S. O. Makarov. Also on this day, the battleship Pobeda was damaged by a mine explosion and was out of action for several weeks.

April 15 (April 2), 1904 Japanese cruisers IJN Kasuga And IJN Nisshin fired at the inner roadstead of Port Arthur with throwing fire.

On April 25 (April 12), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers sank a Japanese steamer off the coast of Korea IJN Goyo-Maru, coaster IJN Haginura-Maru and Japanese military transport IJN Kinsu-Maru, after which he headed to Vladivostok.

May 2 (April 19), 1904 by the Japanese, with the support of gunboats IJN Akagi And IJN Chōkai, destroyers of the 9th, 14th and 16th destroyer flotillas, a third and final attempt was made to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor, this time using 10 transports ( IJN Mikasha-Maru, IJN Sakura-Maru, IJN Totomi-Maru, IJN Otaru-Maru, IJN Sagami-Maru, IJN Aikoku-Maru, IJN Omi-Maru, IJN Asagao-Maru, IJN Iedo-Maru, IJN Kokura-Maru, IJN Fuzan-Maru) As a result, they managed to partially block the passage and temporarily make it impossible for large Russian ships to exit. This facilitated the unhindered landing of the Japanese 2nd Army in Manchuria.

On May 5 (April 22), 1904, the 2nd Japanese Army under the command of General Yasukata Oku, numbering about 38.5 thousand people, began landing on the Liaodong Peninsula, about 100 kilometers from Port Arthur.

On May 12 (April 29), 1904, four Japanese destroyers of the 2nd flotilla of Admiral I. Miyako began sweeping Russian mines in Kerr Bay. While performing its assigned task, destroyer No. 48 hit a mine and sank. On the same day, Japanese troops finally cut off Port Arthur from Manchuria. The siege of Port Arthur began.

Death IJN Hatsuse on Russian mines.

On May 15 (May 2), 1904, two Japanese battleships were blown up and sank at a minefield laid the day before by the minelayer Amur. IJN Yashima And IJN Hatsuse .

Also on this day, a collision of Japanese cruisers occurred near Elliot Island. IJN Kasuga And IJN Yoshino, in which the second sank from the damage received. And off the southeastern coast of Kanglu Island, the advice note ran aground IJN Tatsuta .

On May 16 (May 3), 1904, two Japanese gunboats collided during an amphibious operation southeast of the city of Yingkou. The boat sank as a result of the collision IJN Oshima .

On May 17 (May 4), 1904, a Japanese destroyer was hit by a mine and sank IJN Akatsuki .

On May 27 (May 14), 1904, not far from the city of Dalniy, the Russian destroyer Attentive hit rocks and was blown up by its crew. On the same day, Japanese advice note IJN Miyako hit a Russian mine and sank in Kerr Bay.

On June 12 (May 30), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers entered the Korea Strait to disrupt Japan's sea communications.

On June 15 (June 2), 1904, the cruiser Gromoboy sank two Japanese transports: IJN Izuma-Maru And IJN Hitachi-Maru, and the cruiser "Rurik" sank a Japanese transport with two torpedoes IJN Sado-Maru. In total, the three transports carried 2,445 Japanese soldiers and officers, 320 horses and 18 heavy 11-inch howitzers.

On June 23 (June 10), 1904, the Pacific squadron of Rear Admiral V. Vitgoft made the first attempt to break through to Vladivostok. But when the Japanese fleet of Admiral H. Togo was discovered, she returned to Port Arthur without engaging in battle. At night of the same day, Japanese destroyers launched an unsuccessful attack on the Russian squadron.

On June 28 (June 15), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers of Admiral Jessen again went to sea to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications.

On July 17 (July 4), 1904, near Skrypleva Island, the Russian destroyer No. 208 was blown up and sank in a Japanese minefield.

On July 18 (July 5), 1904, the Russian minelayer Yenisei hit a mine in Talienwan Bay and the Japanese cruiser sank IJN Kaimon .

On July 20 (July 7), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers entered the Pacific Ocean through the Sangar Strait.

On July 22 (July 9), 1904, the detachment was detained with smuggled cargo and sent to Vladivostok with a prize crew of the English steamer Arabia.

On July 23 (July 10), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers approached the entrance to Tokyo Bay. Here an English steamer with smuggled cargo was searched and sunk Night Commander. Also on this day, several Japanese schooners and a German steamer were sunk Tea, traveling with smuggled cargo to Japan. And the English steamer captured later Kalhas, after inspection, was sent to Vladivostok. The cruisers of the detachment also headed to their port.

On July 25 (July 12), 1904, a squadron of Japanese destroyers approached the mouth of the Liaohe River from the sea. The crew of the Russian gunboat "Sivuch", due to the impossibility of a breakthrough, after landing on the shore, blew up their ship.

On August 7 (July 25), 1904, Japanese troops fired at Port Arthur and its harbors for the first time from land. As a result of the shelling, the battleship Tsesarevich was damaged, and the squadron commander, Rear Admiral V. Vitgeft, was slightly wounded. The battleship Retvizan was also damaged.

On August 8 (July 26), 1904, a detachment of ships consisting of the cruiser Novik, the gunboat Beaver and 15 destroyers took part in Tahe Bay in shelling of the advancing Japanese troops, causing heavy losses.

Battle in the Yellow Sea.

On August 10 (July 28), 1904, during an attempt to break through the Russian squadron from Port Arthur to Vladivostok, a battle took place in the Yellow Sea. During the battle, Rear Admiral V. Vitgeft was killed, and the Russian squadron, having lost control, disintegrated. 5 Russian battleships, the cruiser Bayan and 2 destroyers began to retreat to Port Arthur in disarray. Only the battleship Tsesarevich, the cruisers Novik, Askold, Diana and 6 destroyers broke through the Japanese blockade. The battleship "Tsarevich", the cruiser "Novik" and 3 destroyers headed to Qingdao, the cruiser "Askold" and the destroyer "Grozovoy" - to Shanghai, the cruiser "Diana" - to Saigon.

On August 11 (July 29), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment set out to meet the Russian squadron, which was supposed to break out from Port Arthur. The battleship "Tsesarevich", the cruiser "Novik", the destroyers "Besshumny", "Besposhchadny" and "Besstrashny" arrived in Qingdao. The cruiser Novik, having loaded 250 tons of coal into bunkers, set out to sea with the goal of breaking through to Vladivostok. On the same day, the Russian destroyer Resolute was interned by the Chinese authorities in Chifoo. Also on August 11, the team scuttled the damaged destroyer Burny.

On August 12 (July 30), 1904, the previously interned destroyer Resolute was captured in Chifoo by two Japanese destroyers.

On August 13 (July 31), 1904, the damaged Russian cruiser Askold was interned and disarmed in Shanghai.

August 14 (August 1), 1904, four Japanese cruisers ( IJN Izumo , IJN Tokiwa , IJN Azuma And IJN Iwate) intercepted three Russian cruisers (Russia, Rurik and Gromoboy) heading towards the First Pacific Squadron. A battle took place between them, which went down in history as the Battle of the Korea Strait. As a result of the battle, the Rurik was sunk, and the other two Russian cruisers returned to Vladivostok with damage.

On August 15 (August 2), 1904, in Qingdao, German authorities interned the Russian battleship Tsarevich.

On August 16 (August 3), 1904, the damaged cruisers Gromoboy and Rossiya returned to Vladivostok. In Port Arthur, the proposal of the Japanese general M. Nogi to surrender the fortress was rejected. On the same day, in the Pacific Ocean, the Russian cruiser Novik stopped and inspected an English steamer Celtic.

On August 20 (August 7), 1904, a battle took place near Sakhalin Island between the Russian cruiser Novik and Japanese IJN Tsushima And IJN Chitose. As a result of the battle "Novik" and IJN Tsushima received serious damage. Due to the impossibility of repairs and the danger of the ship being captured by the enemy, the commander of the Novik, M. Schultz, decided to scuttle the ship.

On August 24 (August 11), 1904, the Russian cruiser Diana was interned by the French authorities in Saigon.

On September 7 (August 25), 1904, the submarine Forel was sent from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.

On October 1 (September 18), 1904, a Japanese gunboat was blown up by a Russian mine and sank near Iron Island. IJN Heiyen.

On October 15 (October 2), 1904, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky left Libau for the Far East.

On November 3 (October 21), a Japanese destroyer was blown up by a mine placed by the Russian destroyer Skory and sank near Cape Lun-Wan-Tan IJN Hayatori .

On November 5 (October 23), 1904, in the inner roadstead of Port Arthur, after being hit by a Japanese shell, the ammunition of the Russian battleship Poltava detonated. As a result of this, the ship sank.

On November 6 (October 24), 1904, a Japanese gunboat hit a rock in the fog and sank near Port Arthur IJN Atago .

On November 28 (November 15), 1904, the submarine Dolphin was sent from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.

On December 6 (November 23), 1904, Japanese artillery, installed on the previously captured height No. 206, began a massive shelling of Russian ships stationed in the internal roadstead of Port Arthur. By the end of the day, they sunk the battleship Retvizan and suffered heavy damage to the battleship Peresvet. To remain intact, the battleship Sevastopol, the gunboat Brave and destroyers were taken out from under Japanese fire to the outer roadstead.

On December 7 (November 24), 1904, due to the impossibility of repairs after damage received from Japanese shelling, the battleship Peresvet was sunk by its crew in the western basin of Port Arthur harbor.

On December 8 (November 25), 1904, Japanese artillery sunk Russian ships in the internal roadstead of Port Arthur - the battleship Pobeda and the cruiser Pallada.

On December 9 (November 26), 1904, Japanese heavy artillery sank the cruiser Bayan, the minelayer Amur and the gunboat Gilyak.

December 25 (December 12), 1904 IJN Takasago During a patrol, she hit a mine laid by the Russian destroyer "Angry" and sank in the Yellow Sea between Port Arthur and Chieffo.

On December 26 (December 13), 1904, in the Port Arthur roadstead, the gunboat Beaver was sunk by Japanese artillery fire.

Submarines of the Siberian flotilla in Vladivostok.

On December 31 (December 18), 1904, the first four Kasatka-class submarines arrived in Vladivostok from St. Petersburg by rail.

On January 1, 1905 (December 19, 1904), in Port Arthur, by order of the crew command, the battleships Poltava and Peresvet, half-sunk in the internal roadstead, were blown up, and the battleship Sevastopol was sunk in the outer roadstead.

On January 2, 1905 (December 20, 1904), the commander of the defense of Port Arthur, General A. Stessel, gave the order to surrender the fortress. The siege of Port Arthur is over.

On the same day, before the surrender of the fortress, the clippers “Dzhigit” and “Robber” were sunk. The 1st Pacific Squadron was completely destroyed.

On January 5, 1905 (December 23, 1904), the submarine "Dolphin" arrived from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.

January 14 (January 1), 1905, by order of the commander of the Vladivostok port from the Forel submarines.

On March 20 (March 7), 1905, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhdestvensky passed the Strait of Malacca and entered the Pacific Ocean.

On March 26 (March 13), 1905, the submarine “Dolphin” left Vladivostok for a combat position on Askold Island.

On March 29 (March 16), 1905, the submarine "Dolphin" returned to Vladivostok from combat duty near Askold Island.

On April 11 (March 29), 1905, torpedoes were delivered to Russian submarines in Vladivostok.

On April 13 (March 31), 1905, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhdestvensky arrived at Cam Ranh Bay in Indochina.

On April 22 (April 9), 1905, the submarine “Kasatka” set out on a combat mission from Vladivostok to the shores of Korea.

On May 7 (April 24), 1905, the cruisers Rossiya and Gromoboy left Vladivostok to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications.

On May 9 (April 26), 1905, the 1st detachment of the 3rd Pacific squadron of Rear Admiral N. Nebogatov and the 2nd Pacific squadron of Vice Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky united in Cam Ranh Bay.

On May 11 (April 28), 1905, the cruisers Rossiya and Gromoboy returned to Vladivostok. During the raid they sank four Japanese transport ships.

On May 12 (April 29), 1905, three submarines - "Dolphin", "Kasatka" and "Som" - were sent to Preobrazheniya Bay to intercept the Japanese detachment. At 10 o'clock in the morning, near Vladivostok, near Cape Povorotny, the first battle involving a submarine took place. "Som" attacked the Japanese destroyers, but the attack ended in vain.

On May 14 (May 1), 1905, the Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron under Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky left for Vladivostok from Indochina.

On May 18 (May 5), 1905, the submarine Dolphin sank near the quay wall in Vladivostok due to an explosion of gasoline vapors.

On May 29 (May 16), 1905, the battleship Dmitry Donskoy was scuttled by his crew in the Sea of ​​Japan near the island of Dazhelet.

On May 30 (May 17), 1905, the Russian cruiser Izumrud landed on rocks near Cape Orekhov in St. Vladimir Bay and was blown up by its crew.

On June 3 (May 21), 1905, in the Philippines in Manila, American authorities interned the Russian cruiser Zhemchug.

On June 9 (May 27), 1905, the Russian cruiser Aurora was interned by the American authorities in the Philippines in Manila.

On June 29 (June 16), 1905, in Port Arthur, Japanese rescuers raised the Russian battleship Peresvet from the bottom.

On July 7 (June 24), 1905, Japanese troops began the Sakhalin landing operation to land troops of 14 thousand people. While Russian troops numbered only 7.2 thousand people on the island.

On July 8 (July 25), 1905, in Port Arthur, Japanese rescuers raised the sunken Russian battleship Poltava.

On July 29 (July 16), 1905, the Japanese Sakhalin landing operation ended with the surrender of Russian troops.

On August 14 (August 1), 1905, in the Tatar Strait, the Keta submarine launched an unsuccessful attack on two Japanese destroyers.

On August 22 (August 9), 1905, negotiations began in Portsmouth between Japan and Russia through the mediation of the United States.

On September 5 (August 23) in the USA in Portsmouth, a peace treaty was signed between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire. According to the agreement, Japan received the Liaodong Peninsula, part of the Chinese Eastern Railway from Port Arthur to the city of Changchun and South Sakhalin, Russia recognized the predominant interests of Japan in Korea and agreed to the conclusion of a Russian-Japanese fishing convention. Russia and Japan pledged to withdraw their troops from Manchuria. Japan's demand for reparations was rejected.

The Russo-Japanese War was supposed to be “small and victorious” for Russia, but it became the catalyst for a series of events that were bound to happen sooner or later. Let's figure out what the results of this war were.

Major battles of the war

Let's summarize the battles of the Russo-Japanese War into a general table.

date	Place	Bottom line
	Chemulpo	Defeat of "Varyag" and "Korean" from the Japanese squadron
	Port Arthur	The Japanese fleet disabled 90% of the Russian Pacific squadron
April 1904	Manchuria	The clash between the Russian and Japanese armies on land showed the former's unwillingness to wage war
	Port Dalniy	Capitulation of the port to the Japanese army
	Port Arthur	The defense of the city ended with its surrender by General Stoessel
		Russian victory, retreat by order of General Kuropatkin
		Retreat of Russian troops by order of General Kuropatkin
	Tsushima Strait	Destruction of the Second and Third Pacific Squadrons of the Russian Fleet
		The southern part of the island is occupied by the Japanese

Rice. 1. Tsushima battle.

2 years before the start of the war, S. Yu. Witte, a Russian diplomat, visited the Far East. In a report to Nicholas II, he argued that Russia was not ready for war and could well lose it, but no one wanted to listen to him.

Results of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905

After the economic exhaustion of both countries, the warring parties moved on to negotiations, which it was decided to hold in Portsmouth under the mediation of American President Roosevelt. On August 23, 1905, a peace treaty was signed between Russia and Japan. Due to the revolution that began in Petrograd, and then throughout Russia, Japanese diplomats demanded the complete surrender of Russia. However, thanks to the diplomatic skills of S. Yu. Witte managed to conclude a peace that was most beneficial for Russia. Thus, according to the results of the peace, Russia was obliged to fulfill the following points:

• transfer southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands to Japan;
• recognize Japan's right to colonial expansion in Korea;
• renounce claims to Manchuria;
• transfer ownership of Port Arthur to Japan;
• pay indemnity to Japan for the maintenance of prisoners.

The highest circles of the empire treated S. Yu. Witte with disgust, envying his talents and successes. Upon his return from peace negotiations, he was dubbed “Count of Polus-Sakhalinsky” in the circles of the political elite.

Rice. 2. Portrait of S. Yu. Witte.

The war in the Far East also caused damage to the Russian economy. Industry began to stagnate, and then life itself became more expensive. Industrialists insisted on concluding peace. Even the leading countries of the world understood that the outbreak of the revolution was dangerous for the world order and tried to stop the war.

In Russia, a strike of workers began throughout the country. The state was in a state of stupor for two years.

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In human equivalent, Russia lost 270 thousand soldiers with 50 thousand killed. Japan's territories were comparable numerically, but victory in such a major war made it the number one state in its region, strengthening its status as an empire.

The war showed Nicholas as a short-sighted politician. The historical significance of defeat in this war for Russia was to reveal all the problems that had accumulated in the country over many decades and give Nicholas II time to solve them, which he would never use rationally.

Causes of the Russo-Japanese War

1. Contradictions between Russia and Japan over spheres of influence in China

2. Economic expansion of Russia into China and military expansion of Japan in Korea.

3. Construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER)

4. Russia's lease of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur as a naval base

5. For the Russian government, war is a means of preventing revolution, and for Japan it is a vital necessity, because without colonies, the rapidly growing Japanese economy was awaiting collapse.

The main events of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the course of military operations

	Events of the war (military actions took place both at sea and on land)
	A defensive alliance against Japan was concluded between Russia and China, and construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) began.
	Russia leased from China a part of the Liaodong Peninsula with the Port Arthur fortress.
	Russian troops were brought into Manchuria
	England supported Japan and entered into an alliance with it
	Russian-Japanese negotiations on the fate of Manchuria and Korea have reached a dead end
	Beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. Attack of the Japanese fleet on the Russian Far Eastern squadron. Loss of the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets in Chemulpo Bay off the coast of Korea
	Japanese troops landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and southern Manchuria.
	An attempt to fight with the enemy, most of the team and the commander of the Pacific Fleet S.O. died. Makarov
27.01.1904 - 20.12.1904	Heroic defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The fortress withstood 6 assaults and was surrendered as a result of the betrayal of commandant A.M. Stoessel
11.08 - 21.08.1904	Defeat of Russian troops near Laoyang
	Ineffective Russian counter-offensive on the Shah River
06.02 - 25.02.1905	Defeat of Russian troops near Mukden (Manchuria)
14.05 - 15.05.1905	The battle in the Tsushima Strait under the command of Z.P. Rozhestvensky. Defeat of the Russian fleet at Tsushima
	The Japanese occupied Sakhalin Island. Russia had to go to peace negotiations.
	A peace agreement was signed in the city of Portsmouth (USA).

Reasons for defeat in the war

Support for Japan from England and the USA.

Russia's poor preparation for war. Military-technical superiority of Japan.

Mistakes and ill-considered actions of the Russian command.

Lack of rapid transfer of reserves to the Far East

Results of the Russo-Japanese War

Korea was recognized as Japan's sphere of influence.

Japan took possession of South Sakhalin.

Japan received fishing rights along the Russian coast.

Russia leased the Liaodong Peninsula and the Port Arthur fortress to Japan

2. The defeat of Russia in the war with Japan was the reason for the start of the First Russian Revolution, because the main argument in favor of autocracy was undermined: maintaining the military power and external greatness of the country.

3. Weakening of Russia’s position in the Far East

(1904-1905) - a war between Russia and Japan, which was fought for control of Manchuria, Korea and the ports of Port Arthur and Dalny.

The most important object of the struggle for the final division of the world at the end of the 19th century was economically backward and militarily weak China. It was to the Far East that the center of gravity of the foreign policy activity of Russian diplomacy was shifted from the mid-1890s. The close interest of the tsarist government in the affairs of this region was largely due to the appearance here by the end of the 19th century of a strong and very aggressive neighbor in the person of Japan, which had embarked on the path of expansion.

By decision of the Japanese commander-in-chief, Marshal Iwao Oyama, Maresuke Nogi's army began the siege of Port Arthur, while the 1st, 2nd and 4th armies that landed at Dagushan moved towards Liaoyang from the southeast, south and southwest. In mid-June, Kuroki's army occupied the passes southeast of the city, and in July repelled an attempted Russian counter-offensive. Yasukata Oku's army, after the battle of Dashichao in July, captured the port of Yingkou, cutting off the Manchurian army's connection with Port Arthur by sea. In the second half of July, three Japanese armies united near Liaoyang; their total number was more than 120 thousand against 152 thousand Russians. In the battle of Liaoyang on August 24 - September 3, 1904 (August 11-21, O.S.), both sides suffered huge losses: the Russians lost more than 16 thousand killed, and the Japanese - 24 thousand. The Japanese were unable to encircle the army of Alexei Kuropatkin, which retreated in good order to Mukden, but they captured Liaoyang and the Yantai coal mines.

The retreat to Mukden meant for the defenders of Port Arthur the collapse of hopes for any effective assistance from the ground forces. The Japanese 3rd Army captured the Wolf Mountains and began intensive bombardment of the city and the interior roadstead. Despite this, several assaults she launched in August were repulsed by the garrison under the command of Major General Roman Kondratenko; the besiegers lost 16 thousand killed. At the same time, the Japanese were successful at sea. An attempt to break through the Pacific Fleet to Vladivostok at the end of July failed, Rear Admiral Vitgeft was killed. In August, the squadron of Vice Admiral Hikonojo Kamimura managed to overtake and defeat the cruiser detachment of Rear Admiral Jessen.

By the beginning of October 1904, thanks to reinforcements, the number of the Manchurian army reached 210 thousand, and the Japanese troops near Liaoyang - 170 thousand.

Fearing that in the event of the fall of Port Arthur, the Japanese forces would increase significantly due to the liberated 3rd Army, Kuropatkin launched an offensive to the south at the end of September, but was defeated in the battle on the Shahe River, losing 46 thousand killed (the enemy - only 16 thousand) , and went on the defensive. The four-month “Shahei Sitting” began.

In September-November, the defenders of Port Arthur repelled three Japanese assaults, but the 3rd Japanese Army managed to capture Mount Vysokaya, which dominates Port Arthur. On January 2, 1905 (December 20, 1904, O.S.), the head of the Kwantung fortified area, Lieutenant General Anatoly Stessel, having not exhausted all possibilities for resistance, surrendered Port Arthur (in the spring of 1908, a military court sentenced him to death, commuted to ten years imprisonment).

The fall of Port Arthur sharply worsened the strategic position of the Russian troops and the command tried to turn the situation around. However, the successfully launched offensive of the 2nd Manchu Army towards the village of Sandepu was not supported by other armies. After joining the main forces of the Japanese 3rd Army

Their numbers were equal to the number of Russian troops. In February, Tamemoto Kuroki's army attacked the 1st Manchurian Army southeast of Mukden, and Nogi's army began to encircle the Russian right flank. Kuroki's army broke through the front of Nikolai Linevich's army. On March 10 (February 25, O.S.), 1905, the Japanese occupied Mukden. Having lost more than 90 thousand killed and captured, Russian troops retreated north to Telin in disarray. The major defeat at Mukden meant the Russian command lost the campaign in Manchuria, although it managed to retain a significant part of the army.

Trying to achieve a turning point in the war, the Russian government sent the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Zinovy ​​Rozhestvensky, created from part of the Baltic Fleet, to the Far East, but on May 27-28 (May 14-15, O.S.) in the Battle of Tsushima, the Japanese fleet destroyed the Russian squadron . Only one cruiser and two destroyers reached Vladivostok. At the beginning of summer, the Japanese completely ousted Russian troops from North Korea, and by July 8 (June 25, O.S.) they captured Sakhalin.

Despite the victories, Japan's forces were exhausted, and at the end of May, through the mediation of US President Theodore Roosevelt, it invited Russia to enter into peace negotiations. Russia, finding itself in a difficult internal political situation, agreed. On August 7 (July 25, O.S.), a diplomatic conference opened in Portsmouth (New Hampshire, USA), which ended on September 5 (August 23, O.S.), 1905, with the signing of the Portsmouth Peace. According to its terms, Russia ceded to Japan the southern part of Sakhalin, the rights to lease Port Arthur and the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and the southern branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway from Changchun station to Port Arthur, allowed its fishing fleet to fish off the coast of the Japanese, Okhotsk and Bering Seas, recognized Korea became a zone of Japanese influence and renounced its political, military and trade advantages in Manchuria. At the same time, Russia was exempt from paying any indemnities.

Japan, which as a result of the victory took a leading place among the powers of the Far East, until the end of World War II celebrated the day of the victory at Mukden as Ground Forces Day, and the date of the victory at Tsushima as Navy Day.

The Russo-Japanese War was the first major war of the 20th century. Russia lost about 270 thousand people (including over 50 thousand killed), Japan - 270 thousand people (including over 86 thousand killed).

In the Russo-Japanese War, for the first time, machine guns, rapid-fire artillery, mortars, hand grenades, radio telegraphs, searchlights, barbed wire, including high-voltage wire, sea mines and torpedoes, etc. were used on a large scale.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

This may seem strange, but for Russia today, World War II is not yet completely over. The country does not have a peace treaty with one of the countries of the aggressive bloc. The reason is territorial issues.

This country is the Japanese Empire, the territory is the Southern Kuril Islands (they are now on everyone’s lips). But is it really that they were not so divided by two great countries that they got involved in a world massacre for the sake of these sea rocks?

No, of course. The Soviet-Japanese War (it is correct to say so, since in 1945 Russia did not act as a separate subject of international politics, acting exclusively as the main, but still only an integral part of the USSR) had deep reasons that did not appear in 1945. And no one then thought that the “Kuril issue” would drag on for so long. The reader will be briefly told about the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 in the article.

5 laps

The reasons for the militarization of the Japanese Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century are clear - rapid industrial development, coupled with territorial and resource limitations. The country needed food, coal, and metal. The neighbors had all this. But they didn’t want to share just like that, and at that time no one considered war to be an unacceptable way to resolve international issues.

The first attempt was made back in 1904-1905. Russia then shamefully lost to a tiny but disciplined and united island state, losing Port Arthur (everyone has heard of it) and the southern part of Sakhalin in the Treaty of Portsmouth. And even then, such small losses became possible only thanks to the diplomatic talents of the future Prime Minister S. Yu. Witte (although he was nicknamed “Count Polosakhalinsky” for this, the fact remains a fact).

In the 1920s, in the Land of the Rising Sun, maps called “5 circles of national interests of Japan” were printed. There, different colors in the form of stylized concentric rings indicated the territories that the ruling circles of the country considered it right to conquer and annex. These circles included almost the entire Asian part of the USSR.

Three tankers

At the end of the 30s, Japan, which had already successfully waged wars of conquest in Korea and China, “tested the strength” of the USSR. There were conflicts in the Khalkhin Gol region and on Lake Khasan.

It turned out bad. The Far Eastern conflicts marked the beginning of the brilliant career of the future “Marshal of Victory” G.K. Zhukov, and the entire USSR sang a song about three tank crews from the banks of the Amur, which included a phrase about samurai under the pressure of steel and fire (later it was remade, but this is the original version) .

Although Japan agreed with its allies on the distribution of future spheres of influence within the framework of the Anti-Comintern Pact (also called the “Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis”, although it requires a rich imagination to understand what the axis looks like in the author’s understanding of such a term), it did not indicate when exactly each side must take its own.

The Japanese authorities did not consider themselves so bound by obligations, and events in the Far East showed them that the USSR was a dangerous adversary. Therefore, in 1940, a treaty on neutrality in case of war was concluded between the two countries, and in 1941, when Germany attacked the USSR, Japan chose to deal with Pacific issues.

Allied duty

But the USSR also did not have much respect for treaties, so within the framework of the anti-Hitler coalition, talk immediately began about its entry into the war with Japan (the USA was shocked by Pearl Harbor, and England was afraid for its colonies in South Asia). During the Tehran Conference (1943), a preliminary agreement was reached on the USSR's entry into the war in the Far East after Germany's defeat in Europe. The final decision was made during the Yalta Conference, when it was stated that the USSR would declare war on Japan no later than 3 months after the defeat of Hitler.

But the USSR was not led by philanthropists. The country's leadership had its own interest in this matter, and not only provided assistance to the allies. For their participation in the war, they were promised the return of Port Arthur, Harbin, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Ridge (transferred to Japan by treaty by the tsarist government).

Atomic blackmail

There was another good reason for the Soviet-Japanese War. By the time the war ended in Europe, it was already clear that the Anti-Hitler coalition was fragile, so that the allies would soon turn into enemies. At the same time, “Comrade Mao’s” Red Army fought fearlessly in China. The relationship between him and Stalin is a complex issue, but there was no time for ambition here, since we were talking about the possibility of enormously expanding the communist-controlled space at the expense of China. Little was required for this - to defeat the almost million-strong Kwantung Japanese Army stationed in Manchuria.

The United States had no desire to fight the Japanese face to face. Although technical and numerical superiority allowed them to win at low cost (for example, the landing on Okinawa in the spring of 1945), the spoiled Yankees were very frightened by military samurai morality. The Japanese equally calmly chopped off the heads of captured American officers with swords and committed hara-kiri for themselves. There were almost 200 thousand dead Japanese in Okinawa, and a few prisoners - officers ripped open their bellies, privates and local residents drowned themselves, but no one wanted to surrender to the mercy of the winner. And the famous kamikazes were defeated, rather, by moral influence - they did not achieve their goals very often.

Therefore, the United States took a different route - nuclear blackmail. There was not a single military presence in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Atomic bombs destroyed 380 thousand (in total) civilian population. The atomic “bogeyman” was also supposed to restrain Soviet ambitions.

Realizing that Japan would inevitably capitulate, many Western leaders already regretted getting the USSR involved in the Japanese issue.

Forced march

But in the USSR at that time blackmailers were categorically disliked. The country denounced the neutrality pact and declared war on Japan exactly on time - August 8, 1945 (exactly 3 months after the defeat of Germany). It was already known not only about successful atomic tests, but also about the fate of Hiroshima.

Before that, serious preparatory work had been carried out. Since 1940, the Far Eastern Front existed, but it did not conduct military operations. After the defeat of Hitler, the USSR carried out a unique maneuver - 39 brigades and divisions (tank and 3 combined arms armies) were transferred from Europe along the only Trans-Siberian railway during May-July, which amounted to about half a million people, more than 7,000 guns and more than 2,000 tanks. This was an incredible indicator of moving so many people and equipment over such a distance in such a short time and under such unfavorable conditions.

The command was also worthy. General management was carried out by Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky. And the main blow to the Kwantung Army was to be delivered by R. Ya. Malinovsky. Mongolian units fought in alliance with the USSR.

Excellence comes in different forms

As a result of the successful transfer of troops, the USSR achieved clear superiority over the Japanese in the Far East. The Kwantung Army numbered about 1 million soldiers (probably somewhat less, since the units were short-staffed) and was provided with equipment and ammunition. But the equipment was outdated (if compared with the Soviet one, it was pre-war), and among the soldiers there were many recruits, as well as forcibly conscripted representatives of conquered peoples.

The USSR, by combining the forces of the Trans-Baikal Front and the arriving units, could field up to 1.5 million people. And most of them were experienced, experienced front-line soldiers who went through Crimea and Rome on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. Suffice it to say that 3 directorates and 3 divisions of the NKVD troops took part in the hostilities. But only the victims of the “revelatory” articles of the 90s can believe that these units only knew how to shoot the wounded trying to go to the rear or suspect honest people of treason. Anything happened, of course, but... There were no barrier detachments behind the NKVDists - they themselves never retreated. These were very combat-ready, well-trained troops.

Take in pincers

This aviation term best characterizes the strategic plan called the Manchurian Operation of R. Ya. Malinovsky to defeat the Kwantung Army. It was assumed that a simultaneous very powerful blow would be delivered in several directions, which would demoralize and split the enemy.

That's how it was. Japanese General Otsuzo Yamada was amazed when it turned out that the guards of the 6th Tank Army were able to overcome the Gobi and Greater Khingan in 3 days, advancing from Mongolia. The mountains were steep, and the rainy season ruined the roads and overflowed the mountain rivers. But the Soviet tank crews, who were able to almost carry their vehicles by hand through the Belarusian swamps during Operation Bagration, could not be prevented by some streams and rain!

At the same time, attacks were carried out from Primorye and from the Amur and Ussuri regions. This is how the Manchurian operation was carried out - the main one in the entire Japanese campaign.

8 days that shook the Far East

This is exactly how long (from August 12 to August 20) the main combat operations of the Russo-Japanese War (1945) took place. The terrible simultaneous attack of three fronts (in some areas, Soviet troops managed to advance more than 100 km in one day!) at once split the Kwantung Army, deprived it of part of its communications, and demoralized it. The Pacific Fleet interrupted communication between the Kwantung Army and Japan, the opportunity to receive help was lost, and even contacts were limited in general (there was also a minus - many groups of soldiers of the defeated army were for a long time not aware of the fact that they had been given the order to surrender). Mass desertion of recruits and those conscripted by force began; officers committed suicide. The “emperor” of the puppet state of Manchukuo Pu Yi and General Otsuzo were captured.

In turn, the USSR perfectly organized the supply of its units. Although this could be accomplished almost only with the help of aviation (huge distances and the lack of normal roads interfered), heavy transport aircraft coped with the task perfectly. Soviet troops occupied vast territories in China, as well as northern Korea (present-day DPRK). On August 15, Hirohito, Emperor of Japan, announced on the radio that surrender was necessary. The Kwantung Army received the order only on the 20th. But even before September 10, individual detachments continued hopeless resistance, trying to die undefeated.

The events of the Soviet-Japanese War continued to develop at a rapid pace. Simultaneously with the actions on the continent, steps were taken to defeat the Japanese garrisons on the islands. On August 11, the 2nd Far Eastern Front began operations in the south of Sakhalin. The main task was the capture of the Koton fortified area. Although the Japanese blew up the bridge, trying to prevent the tanks from breaking through, this did not help - it took Soviet soldiers only one night to establish a temporary crossing using improvised means. The battalion of Captain L.V. Smirnykh especially distinguished himself in the battles for the fortified area. He died there, receiving the posthumous title of Hero of the Soviet Union. At the same time, ships of the North Pacific Flotilla landed troops at the largest ports in the south of the island.

The fortified area was captured on August 17. The surrender of Japan (1945) occurred on the 25th, after the last successful landing in the port of Korsakov. From it they tried to take valuable things home. All of Sakhalin came under the control of the USSR.

However, the Yuzhno-Sakhalin operation of 1945 went somewhat slower than Marshal Vasilevsky had planned. As a result, the landing on the island of Hokkaido and its occupation did not take place, as ordered by the marshal on August 18.

Kuril landing operation

The islands of the Kuril ridge were also captured through amphibious landings. The Kuril landing operation lasted from August 18 to September 1. Moreover, in fact, battles were fought only for the northern islands, although military garrisons were located on all of them. But after fierce battles for the island of Shumshu, the commander of the Japanese troops in the Kuril Islands, Fusaki Tsutsumi, who was there, agreed to capitulate and surrendered himself. After this, the Soviet paratroopers no longer encountered any significant resistance on the islands.

On August 23-24 the Northern Kuril Islands were occupied, and on the 22nd the occupation of the southern islands began. In all cases, the Soviet command allocated airborne units for this purpose, but more often the Japanese surrendered without a fight. The largest forces were allocated to occupy the island of Kunashir (this name is now widely known), since it was decided to create a military base there. But Kunashir also surrendered virtually without a fight. Several small garrisons managed to evacuate to their homeland.

Battleship Missouri

And on September 2, the final surrender of Japan (1945) was signed on board the American battleship Missouri. This fact marked the end of World War II (not to be confused with the Great Patriotic War!). The USSR was represented at the ceremony by General K. Derevyanko.

Little blood

For such a large-scale event, the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 (you learned about it briefly from the article) was inexpensive for the USSR. In total, the number of victims is estimated at 36.5 thousand people, of which slightly more than 21 thousand died.

Japanese losses in the Soviet-Japanese War were greater. They had more than 80 thousand dead, more than 600 thousand were captured. Approximately 60 thousand prisoners died, almost all of the rest were repatriated before the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. First of all, those soldiers of the Japanese army who were not Japanese by nationality were sent home. The exceptions were those participants in the Russo-Japanese War of 1945 who were convicted of war crimes. A significant part of them was transferred to China, and there was a reason for it - the conquerors dealt with participants in the Chinese Resistance, or at least those suspected of it, with medieval cruelty. Later in China, this topic was explored in the legendary film “Red Kaoliang”.

The disproportionate ratio of losses in the Russo-Japanese War (1945) is explained by the clear superiority of the USSR in technical equipment and the level of training of soldiers. Yes, the Japanese sometimes offered fierce resistance. At the height of Ostraya (Khotou fortified area), the garrison fought until the last bullet; the survivors committed suicide, and not a single prisoner was taken. There were also suicide bombers who threw grenades under tanks or at groups of Soviet soldiers.

But they did not take into account that they were not dealing with Americans who were very afraid of dying. The Soviet soldiers themselves knew how to cover the embrasures with themselves, and it was not easy to scare them. Very soon they learned to detect and neutralize such kamikazes in time.

Down with Portsmouth shame

As a result of the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945, the USSR got rid of the shame of the Portsmouth Peace, which ended the hostilities of 1904-1905. He again owned the entire Kuril ridge and all of Sakhalin. The Kwantung Peninsula also passed to the USSR (this territory was then transferred to China by agreement after the proclamation of the People's Republic of China).

What other significance does the Soviet-Japanese War have in our history? Victory in it also contributed to the spread of communist ideology, so successfully that the result outlived its creator. The USSR no longer exists, but the PRC and the DPRK do, and they never tire of astonishing the world with their economic achievements and military power.

Unfinished War

But the most interesting thing is that the war with Japan is not actually over for Russia yet! There is no peace treaty between the two states to this day, and today’s problems around the status of the Kuril Islands are a direct consequence of this.

A general peace treaty was signed in 1951 in San Francisco, but there was no USSR signature on it. The reason was precisely the Kuril Islands.

The fact is that the text of the treaty indicated that Japan was refusing them, but did not say who should own them. This immediately created the basis for future conflicts, and for this reason, Soviet representatives did not sign the treaty.

However, it was impossible to remain in a state of war forever, and in 1956 the two countries signed a declaration in Moscow to end such a state. Based on this document, diplomatic and economic relations now exist between them. But a declaration of an end to the state of war is not a peace treaty. That is, the situation is again half-hearted!

The declaration indicated that the USSR, after concluding a peace treaty, agreed to transfer back to Japan several islands of the Kuril chain. But the Japanese government immediately began to demand the entire Southern Kuril Islands!

This story continues to this day. Russia continues it as the legal successor of the USSR.

In 2012, the head of one of the Japanese prefectures, heavily damaged by the tsunami, presented President V.V. Putin with a purebred puppy in gratitude for Russian assistance in eliminating the consequences of the disaster. In response, the president gave the prefect a huge Siberian cat. The cat is now almost on the payroll of the prefect's office, and all the employees adore and respect him.

This cat's name is Mir. Maybe he can purr understanding between two great states. Because wars must end, and after them peace must be concluded.