In the winter of 1945, the leaders of the Big Three met at the next conference in Yalta. The result of the meeting was the decision to enter the USSR into the war with Japan. For opposing Hitler's eastern ally Soviet Union was supposed to get back the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, which became Japanese under the Portsmouth Peace of 1905. The exact date for the start of the war has not been established. It was planned that active fighting in the Far East would begin a few months after the defeat of the Third Reich and the complete end of the war in Europe.

The USSR began implementing the agreements reached at the end of the summer of 1945. On August 8, war on Japan was officially declared. Thus began the last stage of the Second World War.

Neutrality Pact

Second Meiji Revolution half of the 19th century century made Japan a powerful and aggressive militaristic power. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Japanese repeatedly tried to establish their dominance on the mainland, primarily in China. However, the Japanese army had to confront Soviet troops here. After clashes on Lake Khasan and the Khalkhin Gol River, both sides signed a neutrality pact in the spring of 1941. According to this document, over the next five years, the USSR and Japan pledged not to enter into war against each other if third countries started one. After this, Tokyo abandoned its claims in the Far East, and the main direction of Japanese foreign policy was the conquest of dominance in the waters Pacific Ocean.

Breakdown of the 1941 agreements

In 1941-1942, the neutrality agreement completely suited both the USSR and Japan. Thanks to him, each side could fully concentrate on fighting the more significant ones in this moment opponents. But, obviously, both powers considered the pact temporary and were preparing for a future war:

• On the one hand, Japanese diplomats (including Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka, who signed the 1941 treaty) more than once convinced the German side that they would provide any possible assistance to Germany in the war with the USSR. In the same year, Japanese military specialists developed a plan for an attack on the USSR, and the number of soldiers in the Kwantung Army was also sharply increased.
• On the other hand, the Soviet Union was also preparing for conflict. After finishing Battle of Stalingrad in 1943, construction began on an additional railway line in the Far East.

In addition, spies regularly crossed the Soviet-Japanese border on both sides.

Historians different countries They are still arguing whether the break of previous agreements on the part of the Soviet Union was legitimate, who should be considered the aggressor in this situation, and what were the real plans of each of the powers. One way or another, in April 1945, the neutrality treaty expired. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov confronted the Japanese Ambassador Naotake Sato with a fact: the Soviet Union would under no circumstances conclude a new pact. The People's Commissar justified his decision by the fact that Japan had provided significant support to Nazi Germany all this time.

There was a split in the Japanese government: one part of the ministers was in favor of continuing the war, and the other was strongly against it. Another important argument of the anti-war party was the fall of the Third Reich. Emperor Hirohito understood that sooner or later he would have to sit down at the negotiating table. However, he hoped that Japan would engage in dialogue with Western countries, not as a weak defeated state, but as a powerful adversary. Therefore, before the start of peace negotiations, Hirohito wanted to win at least a few major victories.

In July 1945, England, the USA and China demanded that Japan lay down their arms, but received a decisive refusal. From that moment on, all sides began to prepare for war.

Balance of power

Technically, the Soviet Union was far superior to Japan, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Soviet officers and soldiers who fought such a formidable enemy as the Third Reich were much more experienced than the Japanese military, who on land had to deal only with a weak Chinese army and with individual small American detachments.

From April to August, about half a million Soviet soldiers were transferred to the Far East from the European Front. In May, the Far Eastern High Command appeared, headed by Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky. By mid-summer the group Soviet troops, responsible for waging the war with Japan, was put on full alert. The structure of the armed forces in the Far East was as follows:

• Transbaikal Front;
• 1st Far Eastern Front;
• 2nd Far Eastern Front;
• Pacific Fleet;
• Amur flotilla.

The total number of Soviet soldiers was almost 1.7 million people.

The number of fighters in the Japanese army and the Manchukuo army reached 1 million people. The main force opposing the Soviet Union was to be the Kwantung Army. A separate group of troops was supposed to prevent landings on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. On the border with the USSR, the Japanese erected several thousand defensive fortifications. The advantage of the Japanese side was the natural and climatic features of the region. On the Soviet-Manchurian border, the path of the Soviet army had to be slowed down by impassable mountains and numerous rivers with marshy banks. And to get to the Kwantung Army from Mongolia, the enemy would have to cross the Gobi Desert. In addition, the beginning of the war coincided with the peak activity of the Far Eastern monsoon, which brought with it constant downpours. In such conditions it was extremely difficult to conduct an offensive.

At some point, the start of the war was almost postponed due to hesitation by the USSR's Western allies. If before the victory over Germany, England and the USA were interested in the speedy defeat of Japan at any cost, then after the fall of the Third Reich and successful tests American nuclear bomb, this issue has lost its urgency. Moreover, many Western military men feared that the USSR's participation in the war would raise Stalin's already high international authority and strengthen Soviet influence in the Far East. However, American President Truman decided to remain faithful to the Yalta agreements.

It was originally planned that the Red Army would cross the border on August 10. But since the Japanese were thoroughly prepared for defense, at the last moment it was decided to start the war two days earlier in order to confuse the enemy. Some historians believe that the American bombing of Hiroshima could have accelerated the outbreak of hostilities. Stalin chose to immediately withdraw troops, without waiting for Japan's surrender. Contrary to popular belief, Japan did not stop resisting immediately after the nuclear bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For a full month after the bombing, the Japanese army continued to resist the Soviet advance.

Progress of hostilities

On the night of August 8-9, Soviet troops acted as a united front. The start of the war was a big surprise for the Japanese, therefore, despite the heavy rain and washed out roads, the Red Army soldiers managed to cover a considerable distance in the very first hours of the war.

According to the strategic plan, the Kwantung Army should have been surrounded. The 6th Guards Tank Army, which was part of the Trans-Baikal Front, was tasked with going behind the Japanese rear. In a matter of days, Soviet tank crews overcame a huge section of the Gobi Desert and several difficult mountain passes and occupied the most important Manchurian strongholds. At this time, troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front fought their way to Harbin. In order to achieve the final goal, Soviet soldiers had to establish control over the well-defended Mudanjiang, which was done on the evening of August 16.

Soviet sailors also achieved great success. By mid-August, all major Korean ports were under Soviet control. After the Soviet Amur flotilla blocked the Japanese warships on the Amur, the rapid advance of the forces of the 2nd Far Eastern Front began towards Harbin. The same front, together with the Pacific Fleet, was to occupy Sakhalin.

During the war they distinguished themselves not only Soviet fighters, but also diplomats. A week after the start of the war, an agreement on friendship and cooperation was signed with China. The agreement provided for joint ownership of some Far Eastern railways and the creation of a Soviet-Chinese naval base in Port Arthur, closed to military vessels of third countries. The Chinese side expressed its readiness to fully obey the Soviet commander-in-chief in matters of military operations and began to provide all possible assistance to the Red Army soldiers.

On August 17, the Kwantung Army received an order to surrender from Tokyo. However, not all areas received the order on time, and in some parts they decided to simply ignore it, so the war continued. The Japanese fighters demonstrated amazing masculinity. They more than compensated for the technical backwardness of their army with fearlessness, cruelty and perseverance. Lacking anti-tank weapons, the soldiers, hung with grenades, threw themselves under Soviet tanks; There were frequent attacks by small sabotage groups. On certain sections of the front, the Japanese even managed to launch serious counterattacks.

The heaviest and longest battles during the war were the battles for the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. It was difficult to land troops on the steep rocky banks. Each of the islands was turned by Japanese engineers into a defensible impregnable fortress. The battles for the Kuril Islands continued until August 30, and in some places the Japanese fighters held out until the beginning of September.

On August 22, Soviet paratroopers managed to occupy the port of Dalniy. During the successful operation, 10 thousand Japanese troops were captured. And already in last days In the summer, almost the entire territory of Korea, China and Manchuria was liberated from the Japanese occupiers.

By the beginning of September, all the tasks facing the Soviet command were completed. On September 2, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. In honor of the victory over the enemy, a solemn parade of Soviet troops was held in Harbin on September 8.

The question of the peace treaty

Although the USSR (and now the Russian Federation) and Japan did not have armed conflicts after 1945, and during the era of “perestroika” they even switched to cooperation, a peace treaty ending the war still does not exist. In fact, the Soviet-Japanese war ended in September 1945. Formally, it ended with the Moscow Declaration, signed only in 1956. Thanks to this document, the countries were able to re-establish diplomatic contacts and restore trade ties. As for the peace treaty, disputes about it continue to this day.

The cornerstone in Russian-Japanese relations was the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, concluded between the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and Japan. This document assumed the delimitation of spheres of influence in the Far East, in which the United States had the greatest weight in the region. Moreover, the agreement contradicted the agreements reached in Yalta, since it did not provide for the transfer of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union. The Chinese authorities also suffered certain damage, as they also did not receive part of their occupied territories.

It should be noted that the first clashes related to establishing their influence between the USSR and the USA occurred in the summer of 1945, when the Americans tried to occupy Dalny, where they had already arrived soviet soldiers and sailors. In response, the USSR did not allow the American military to establish its bases on the islands of the Kuril archipelago.

To date, Moscow and Tokyo have not come to a common decision regarding control over Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The Japanese authorities believe that Russia owns the islands illegally, and the Russian Foreign Ministry refers to the decisions of the Yalta Conference and similar precedents (for example, the inclusion of the German Königsberg into the USSR).

My friends, before presenting you with a selection of photographs, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful publication that reveals little known facts about that war and the main reasons for the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.

________________________________________ _____________________________________

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 of the end of World War II. It was on this day in 1945 that Japan, Germany's last ally, was forced to sign 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 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 were destroyed Japanese soldiers and officers. Almost 600 thousand were taken prisoner. The losses of the Soviet Army amounted to 12 thousand people. Quite a convincing statistic for those who like to repeat that Soviet marshals and generals won only because they overwhelmed their enemies with corpses.

Today there is a very common version that the Japanese were forced to lay down their arms by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that thanks to this the lives of hundreds of thousands were saved American soldiers. However, a number of historians believe that it was the lightning defeat of the Kwantung Army that showed the Japanese emperor the futility of further resistance. Back in 1965 historian Gar Alperovitz stated that the atomic strikes on Japan had little military significance. English explorer Ward Wilson The 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 Soviet troops that served as the main factors in the accelerated end of the war and the unconditional surrender of Japan, agrees Head of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies 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 fighting in Okinawa, where American troops landed. These battles showed the US leadership that bloody battles were ahead, which, according to military experts, could last 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 by that time the Soviet Army had enormous experience in warfare. The troops that survived 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 quickly capitulate?

To belittle the role of the USSR in World War II, emphasizing the importance of the United States is a general tendency. Look what's happening in Europe. The propaganda there is so successful that if you ask ordinary people, many will answer that the greatest contribution to the victory over the Hitler coalition was made by the United States and its Western allies.

Americans tend to exaggerate their own merits. Moreover, by claiming that it was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that persuaded Japan to surrender, they seem to 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 no one knew about radiation then. In addition, the Americans dropped bombs not on armed forces, but to peaceful cities. Military factories and naval bases were damaged, but mostly civilians died, and the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army was not greatly affected.

“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 this a long-turned page of history 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 welcoming. There is no justification for that barbaric bombing. I was in Nagasaki and Hiroshima and saw museums dedicated to this tragedy. Terrible experience. In Hiroshima, near the memorial, there is a special storage facility where plaques with the names of the victims of this bombing are placed. So, this list continues to grow to this day - people are dying from the effects of radiation.

The paradox of history is that yesterday's worst enemies today - allies. This affects how Japanese officials and official media cover those events. In Japanese press publications one can very rarely find a mention of who dumped atomic bombs. People usually talk about this in a very abstract way. So, 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 this was done by the USSR, in relation to which the media broadcast a lot of negativity.

But, I repeat, for the most part, ordinary Japanese have not forgotten or forgiven that bombing. Particularly negative sentiments towards Americans are widespread in Okinawa, which until 1972 remained under direct US occupation. This small island still houses 75% of American military bases in Japan. These bases cause a lot of trouble for the local population, from the noise of airplanes to the antics of some American soldiers. From time to time, excesses occur. The Japanese are still reeling from the rape of a Japanese schoolgirl by several Marines 18 years ago.

All this leads to regular protests demanding the withdrawal of the main American base. The latest protests by Okinawa residents were associated with the transfer of new American aircraft to the island.

The Korean Peninsula and China were a very important logistical and resource base for Japan, says Konstantin Asmolov, orientalist, candidate of historical sciences, employee of the Center for Korean Studies at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - There was even a plan to evacuate the Japanese imperial court to Korea in case fierce fighting broke out on the islands themselves in Japan. By the time of use nuclear strike, many Japanese cities were destroyed by conventional bombing. For example, when American aircraft burned Tokyo, about 100 thousand people died. From the way the Japanese initially reacted to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was clear that they were not very scared. For them, in general, there was no big difference- the city was destroyed by one bomb or a thousand. The defeat of the Kwantung Army by 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.

The role of the USSR in the defeat of Japan can be judged by this fact, says the historian, director of the Center for Russian Studies at the Institute of Fundamental and applied research Moscow Humanitarian University Andrey Fursov. - At the very end of the war, Churchill gave the order to develop Operation Unthinkable, which involved a strike by American and British troops with the participation of German divisions controlled by the Western allies on July 1, 1945. Anglo-American military experts put forward two counterarguments against this operation. First - the Soviet Army is too strong. Secondly, the USSR is very necessary in order to defeat Japan. Despite the fact that already in 1943 there was a turning point in the war in the Pacific, and the Americans successfully pushed back the enemy, they understood perfectly well that without the Soviet Union it would be very difficult to “press” Japan. The Kwantung Army held vast territories in China and Korea. And the Americans had no experience of a serious land war. Therefore, it was decided not to carry out Operation Unthinkable.

If the USSR had not defeated the Kwantung Army the way it did - quickly and effectively, then American losses 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 an unjustifiably cruel revenge from Japan for Pearl Harbor, and on the other hand, it was an act of intimidation of the USSR, which needed to show the full power of the United States.

Today, the USA 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 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 winners.

________________________________________ __________________________________

Victory over Japan. Photo album.

1. The movement of Soviet infantry across the steppes of Manchuria. Transbaikal front. 1945

48. An American B-29 bomber took off from the island of Tinian in the early morning of August 6 with "Baby" on board. At 8:15 the bomb was dropped from an altitude of 9400 meters, and after 45 seconds of falling it exploded at an altitude of 600 m 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 the ground reached 3 km.

50. The Fat Man atomic bomb 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 The US Navy's Pacific Fleet battleship Missouri, on which the Instrument of Surrender of Japan was signed. Tokyo Bay. 1945

56. Participants in the signing of the act of surrender of Japan: Hsu Yun-chan (China), B. Fraser (Great Britain), K.N. Derevianko (USSR), T. Blamey (Australia), L.M. Cosgrave (Canada), F .Leclerc (France). 02 September 1945

61. The moment of signing the act of surrender of Japan by General Y. Umezu. Tokyo Bay. 02 September 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. Derevianko. MacArthur is at the microphone. 02 September 1945

69. The act of surrender of Japan.Signatories to the act: Japan, USSR, USA, China, Great Britain, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands.

70. Exhibition of Japanese captured military equipment. Park of Culture and Leisure named after. M. Gorky. Moscow. 1946

Photo by: Temin V.A. GARF, F.10140. Op.2. D. 125. L.2

All photos are clickable

On August 9, 1945, the Manchurian Operation (Battle of Manchuria) began. This was a strategic offensive operation of the Soviet troops, which was carried out with the aim of defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army (its existence was a threat to the Soviet Far East and Siberia), liberating the Chinese northeastern and northern provinces (Manchuria and Inner Mongolia), the Liaodong and Korean Peninsulas, and liquidating Japan's largest military base and military-economic base in Asia. By carrying out this operation, Moscow fulfilled the agreements with its allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. The operation ended with the defeat of the Kwantung Army, the surrender of the Japanese Empire, and marked the end of World War II (Japan's act of surrender was signed on September 2, 1945).

Fourth War with Japan

Throughout 1941-1945. The Red Empire was forced to keep at least 40 divisions on its eastern borders. Even during the most brutal battles and critical situations of 1941-1942. in the Far East there was a powerful Soviet group, in full readiness repel the Japanese attack war machine. The existence of this group of troops became the main factor that restrained the onset of Japanese aggression against the USSR. Tokyo chose the southern direction for its expansionist plans. However, as long as the Asian- Pacific region The second source of war and aggression continued to exist - imperial Japan - Moscow could not consider security on the eastern borders guaranteed. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the “revenge” factor. Stalin consistently pursued a global policy aimed at restoring Russia's position in the world, and defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. damaged our positions in the region. It was necessary to return the lost territories, the naval base in Port Arthur and restore their positions in the Pacific region.

The defeat of Nazi Germany and the unconditional surrender of its armed forces in May 1945, as well as the successes of Western coalition forces in the Pacific theater of operations, forced the Japanese government to begin preparations for defense.

On July 26, the Soviet Union, the United States and China demanded that Tokyo sign an unconditional surrender. This demand was rejected. On August 8, Moscow announced that from the next day it would consider itself in a state of war with Empire of Japan. By that time, the Soviet high command deployed troops transferred from Europe to the border with Manchuria (where the puppet state of Manchukuo existed). Soviet army was supposed to defeat Japan's main strike force in the region - the Kwantung Army - and liberate Manchuria and Korea from the occupiers. The destruction of the Kwantung Army and the loss of the northeastern provinces of China and the Korean Peninsula were supposed to have a decisive impact on accelerating the surrender of Japan and hasten the defeat of Japanese forces in South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

By the beginning of the offensive of the Soviet troops, the total number of Japanese forces located in Northern China, Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands amounted to 1.2 million people, about 1.2 thousand tanks, 6.2 thousand guns and mortars and up to 1.9 thousand aircraft. In addition, Japanese troops and the forces of their allies - the Manchukuo Army and the Mengjiang Army - relied on 17 fortified areas. The Kwantung Army was commanded by General Otozo Yamada. To destroy the Japanese army in May-June 1941, the Soviet command additionally transferred 27 rifle divisions, 7 separate rifle and tank brigades, 1 tank and 2 mechanized corps to the 40 divisions that existed in the Far East. As a result of these measures, the combat strength of the Soviet army in the Far East almost doubled, amounting to more than 1.5 million bayonets, over 5.5 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 26 thousand guns and mortars, and about 3.8 thousand aircraft. In addition, more than 500 ships and vessels of the Pacific Fleet and the Amur Military Flotilla took part in the hostilities against the Japanese army.

By the decision of the GKO, the commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East, which included three front-line formations - Transbaikal (under the command of Marshal Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky), 1st and 2nd Far Eastern Fronts (commanded by Marshal Kirill Afanasyevich Meretskov and Army General Maxim Alekseevich Purkaev) , Marshal Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky was appointed. Fighting on Eastern Front began on August 9, 1945 with a simultaneous attack by troops from all three Soviet fronts.

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the US Air Force dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, although they had no military significance. These attacks killed 114 thousand people. First nuclear bomb the city of Hiroshima was overthrown. It suffered terrible destruction, and out of 306 thousand inhabitants, more than 90 thousand died. In addition, tens of thousands of Japanese died later due to wounds, burns, and radiation exposure. The West carried out this attack not only with the aim of demoralizing the Japanese military-political leadership, but also to demonstrate to the Soviet Union. The USA wanted to show the terrible effect of weapons with the help of which they wanted to blackmail the whole world.

The main forces of the Transbaikal Front under the command of Malinovsky struck from the direction of Transbaikalia from the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic (Mongolia was our ally) in the general direction of Changchun and Mukden. The troops of the Trans-Baikal Front had to break into central areas Northeast China, overcome the waterless steppe, and then pass the Khingan mountains. Troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front under the command of Meretskov advanced from Primorye in the direction of Girin. This front was supposed to connect with the main group of the Transbaikal Front in the shortest direction. The 2nd Far Eastern Front, led by Purkaev, launched an offensive from the Amur region. His troops had the task of pinning down the enemy forces opposing him with strikes in a number of directions, thereby contributing to units of the Trans-Baikal and 1st Far Eastern Fronts (they were supposed to encircle the main forces of the Kwantung Army). Air force strikes and amphibious landings from ships of the Pacific Fleet were supposed to support the actions of strike groups of ground forces.

Thus, Japanese and allied troops were attacked on land, from sea and air along the entire huge 5,000-strong section of the border with Manchuria and to the coast North Korea. By the end of August 14, 1945, the Transbaikal and 1st Far Eastern fronts had advanced 150-500 km deep into northeastern China and reached the main military-political and industrial centers of Manchuria. On the same day, in the face of imminent military defeat, the Japanese government signed a surrender. But the Japanese troops continued to offer fierce resistance, because, despite the decision of the Japanese emperor to surrender, the order to the command of the Kwantung Army to stop hostilities was never given. Particular danger was posed by sabotage groups of suicide bombers who tried to destroy at the cost of their lives Soviet officers, blow yourself up in a group of soldiers or near armored vehicles or trucks. Only on August 19 did Japanese troops stop resisting and begin to lay down their arms.

At the same time, an operation was underway to liberate the Korean Peninsula, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands (they fought until September 1). By the end of August 1945, Soviet troops completed the disarmament of the Kwantung Army and the forces of the vassal state of Manchukuo, as well as the liberation of Northeast China, the Liaodong Peninsula and North Korea to the 38th parallel. On September 2, the Empire of Japan unconditionally surrendered. This event took place on board American ship"Missouri", in the waters of Tokyo Bay.

Based on the results of the fourth Russo-Japanese War Japan returned South Sakhalin to the USSR. The Kuril Islands also went to the Soviet Union. Japan itself was occupied by American troops, who continue to be based in this state to this day. From May 3, 1946 to November 12, 1948, the Tokyo Trial took place. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convicted the main Japanese war criminals (28 people in total). The international tribunal sentenced 7 people to death, 16 defendants to life imprisonment, the rest received 7 years in prison.

Lieutenant General K.N. Derevianko, on behalf of the USSR, signs the Instrument of Surrender of Japan on board the American battleship Missouri.

The defeat of Japan led to the disappearance of the puppet state of Manchukuo, the restoration of Chinese power in Manchuria, and the liberation of the Korean people. Helped the USSR and the Chinese communists. Units of the 8th Chinese People's Liberation Army entered Manchuria. The Soviet army handed over the weapons of the defeated Kwantung Army to the Chinese. In Manchuria, under the leadership of the communists, authorities were created and military units were formed. As a result, Northeast China became the base of the Chinese Communist Party, and it played decisive role in the communist victory over the Kuomintang and the Chiang Kai-shek regime.

In addition, the news of the defeat and surrender of Japan led to the August Revolution in Vietnam, which broke out at the call Communist Party and the Viet Minh League. The liberation uprising was led by the National Committee for the Liberation of Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. The Vietnam Liberation Army, whose numbers increased more than 10 times in a few days, disarmed Japanese units, dispersed the occupation administration and established new authorities. On August 24, 1945, Vietnamese Emperor Bao Dai abdicated the throne. Supreme power in the country passed to the National Liberation Committee, which began to carry out the functions of the Provisional Government. On September 2, 1945, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the “Declaration of Independence of Vietnam.”

The defeat of the Japanese Empire sparked a powerful anti-colonial movement in the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, on August 17, 1945, the independence preparation committee headed by Sukarno declared the independence of Indonesia. Ahmed Sukarno became the first president of the new independent state. Huge India was also moving towards independence, where the leaders of the people were Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, released from prison.

Soviet marines in Port Arthur.

Soviet-Japanese War(1945)- the war between the USSR and Mongolia, on the one hand, and Japan and Manchukuo, on the other, which took place from August 8 to September 2, 1945 on the territory of Manchuria, Korea, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands; component of World War II. It was caused by the USSR's allied obligations to its partners in the anti-Hitler coalition - the USA and Great Britain, which had been at war with Japan since December 1941 - as well as the desire Soviet leader I.V. Stalin to improve the strategic position of the USSR in the Far East at the expense of Japan. It ended with the defeat of Japanese troops and the general surrender of Japan to its opponents in World War II.

In February 1945, at the Crimean Conference of the heads of the leading countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, the USSR committed to enter the war with Japan two to three months after the end of the war with Germany in Europe. After the surrender of Germany, during May - July 1945, large forces of Soviet troops were transferred from Europe to the Far East and Mongolia, sharply strengthening the group previously deployed there. On April 5, the USSR denounced the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact concluded in April 1941, and on August 8, 1945 declared war on Japan.

The Soviet war plan provided for a strategic offensive operation in Manchuria (which was part of the puppet state of Manchukuo created by the Japanese) with the aim of defeating the Japanese Kwantung Army and Manchukuo troops deployed there, an offensive operation on Southern Sakhalin and operations to capture the Kuril Islands and a number of ports of Japan-owned Korea. The idea of ​​the Manchurian strategic offensive operation included striking in converging directions by forces of three fronts - Transbaikal from Transbaikalia and Mongolia, 2nd Far Eastern from the Amur region and 1st Far Eastern from Primorye - dissecting the Japanese group and the entry of Soviet troops into the central regions of Manchuria.

The troops of the Transbaikal Front (Marshal of the Soviet Union R.Ya. Malinovsky) captured the Hailar fortified area, and with the main forces overcame the Greater Khingan ridge and reached the Manchurian Plain. The Soviet-Mongolian group, operating on the right wing of the front, launched an offensive on Kalgan (Zhangjiakou) and Dolonnor, cutting off the Kwantung Army (General O. Yamada) from the Japanese troops operating in Northern China.

Troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front (Marshal of the Soviet Union K.A. Meretskov), advancing towards the Transbaikal Front, broke through the fortified areas of the Japanese on the borders of Primorye and Manchuria and repelled a Japanese counterattack in the Mudanjiang region. The group operating on the left wing of the front entered Korean territory, and the Pacific Fleet landed troops that occupied the North Korean ports of Yuki, Racine and Seishin.

The troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front (Army General M.A. Purkaev), operating together with the Amur military flotilla in an auxiliary strategic direction, crossed the Amur and Ussuri, broke through the fortified areas of the Japanese, crossed the Lesser Khingan ridge and advanced to Qiqihar and Harbin.

On August 14, the Japanese leadership decided to capitulate, but the troops of the Kwantung Army were given the order to surrender only on August 17, and they began to capitulate only on the 20th. Since not everyone obeyed the order, hostilities continued.

Now not only the Transbaikal Front, but also the 1st Far Eastern Front, having overcome the East Manchurian Mountains, reached the Manchurian Plain with its main forces. His troops launched an attack on Harbin and Jilin (Jilin), and the main forces of the Transbaikal Front troops launched an attack on Mukden (Shenyang), Changchun and Port Arthur (Lüshun). On August 18 - 19, Soviet airborne assault forces captured the largest centers of Manchuria - Harbin, Girin, Changchun and Mukden, and on August 22 - the Port Arthur naval base and the port of Dairen (Dalniy).

Troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front, with the support of the Pacific Fleet, which landed a number of amphibious assault forces, occupied the southern part of Sakhalin Island on August 16 - 25, and the Kuril Islands on August 18 - September 1. Troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front occupied the northern half of Korea.

On September 2, 1945, the act of surrender of Japan was signed - formally ending hostilities. However, individual clashes with Japanese units who did not want to capitulate continued until September 10.

A peace treaty between the USSR and Japan, which would formally end the war, was never signed. On December 12, 1956, the Soviet-Japanese declaration came into force, declaring the state of war between the two countries ended.

The actual result of the war was the return to the USSR of southern Sakhalin, seized by Japan from Russia in 1905, the annexation of the Kuril Islands, which had belonged to Japan since 1875, and the renewal by the Soviet Union of lease rights to the Kwantung Peninsula with Port Arthur and Dalniy (ceded by Russia to Japan in 1905 .).

Soviet-Japanese War
	Manchuria, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, Korea
	Victory for Russia
Territorial changes:	The Japanese Empire capitulated. The USSR returned South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Manchukuo and Mengjiang ceased to exist.
Opponents
Commanders
A. Vasilevsky	Otsuzo Yamada (Surrendered)
H. Choibalsan	N. Demchigdonrov (Surrendered)
Strengths of the parties
1,577,225 soldiers 26,137 artillery pieces 1,852 self-propelled guns 3,704 tanks 5,368 aircraft	Total 1,217,000 6,700 guns 1,000 tanks 1,800 aircraft
Military losses
12,031 irretrievable 24,425 ambulances 78 tanks and self-propelled guns 232 guns and mortars 62 aircraft	84,000 killed 594,000 captured

Soviet-Japanese War 1945, part of World War II and the Pacific War. Also known as battle for manchuria or Manchurian operation, and in the West - as Operation August Storm.

Chronology of the conflict

April 13, 1941 - a neutrality pact was concluded between the USSR and Japan. It was accompanied by an agreement on minor economic concessions from Japan, which were ignored by it.

December 1, 1943 - Tehran Conference. The Allies are outlining the contours of the post-war structure of the Asia-Pacific region.

February 1945 - Yalta Conference. The allies agree on the post-war structure of the world, including the Asia-Pacific region. The USSR takes upon itself an unofficial commitment to enter the war with Japan no later than 3 months after the defeat of Germany.

June 1945 - Japan begins preparations to repel the landing on the Japanese Islands.

July 12, 1945 - the Japanese Ambassador in Moscow appeals to the USSR with a request for mediation in peace negotiations. On July 13, he was informed that an answer could not be given due to the departure of Stalin and Molotov to Potsdam.

July 26, 1945 - At the Potsdam Conference, the United States formally formulates the terms of Japan's surrender. Japan refuses to accept them.

August 8 - The USSR announces to the Japanese ambassador its adherence to the Potsdam Declaration and declares war on Japan.

August 10, 1945 - Japan officially declares its readiness to accept the Potsdam terms of surrender with the reservation regarding the preservation of the structure of imperial power in the country.

August 14 - Japan officially accepts the terms of unconditional surrender and informs the allies.

Preparing for war

The danger of war between the USSR and Japan existed since the second half of the 1930s; in 1938, clashes took place on Lake Khasan, and in 1939, the battle at Khalkhin Gol on the border of Mongolia and Manchukuo. In 1940, the Soviet Far Eastern Front was created, which indicated a real risk of war.

However, the aggravation of the situation on the western borders forced the USSR to seek a compromise in relations with Japan. The latter, in turn, choosing between the options of aggression to the north (against the USSR) and to the south (against the USA and Great Britain), was increasingly inclined to the latter option, and sought to protect itself from the USSR. The result of a temporary coincidence of interests of the two countries was the signing of the Neutrality Pact on April 13, 1941, according to Art. 2 of which:

In 1941, the countries of Hitler's coalition, except Japan, declared war on the USSR (Great Patriotic War), and in the same year Japan attacked the United States, starting the war in the Pacific.

In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, Stalin promised the allies to declare war on Japan 2-3 months after the end of hostilities in Europe (although the neutrality pact stipulated that it would expire only a year after the denunciation). At the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, the Allies issued a declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan. That same summer, Japan tried to negotiate mediation with the USSR, but to no avail.

War was declared exactly 3 months after the victory in Europe, on August 8, 1945, two days after the first use of nuclear weapons against Japan (Hiroshima) and on the eve of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Strengths and plans of the parties

The commander-in-chief was Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky. There were 3 fronts: the Trans-Baikal Front, the 1st Far Eastern and the 2nd Far Eastern (commanders R. Ya. Malinovsky, K. A. Meretskov and M. A. Purkaev), with a total number of approximately 1.5 million people. The MPR troops were commanded by Marshal of the MPR Kh. Choibalsan. They were opposed by the Japanese Kwantung Army under the command of General Otsuzo Yamada.

The Soviet command's plan, described as the “Strategic Pincers,” was simple in concept but grandiose in scale. It was planned to encircle the enemy over a total area of ​​1.5 million square kilometers.

Composition of the Kwantung Army: about 1 million people, 6260 guns and mortars, 1150 tanks, 1500 aircraft.

As noted in the “History of the Great Patriotic War"(vol. 5, pp. 548-549):

Despite the efforts of the Japanese to concentrate as many troops as possible on the islands of the empire itself, as well as in China south of Manchuria, the Japanese command paid attention to the Manchurian direction, especially after the Soviet Union denounced the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact on April 5, 1945. That is why, of the nine infantry divisions remaining in Manchuria at the end of 1944, the Japanese deployed 24 divisions and 10 brigades by August 1945. True, to organize new divisions and brigades, the Japanese could only use untrained conscripts younger ages and limitedly fit older age groups - 250 thousand of them were drafted in the summer of 1945, who made up more than half of the personnel of the Kwantung Army. Also, in the newly created Japanese divisions and brigades in Manchuria, in addition to the small number of combat personnel, there was often a complete absence of artillery.

The most significant forces of the Kwantung Army - up to ten infantry divisions - were stationed in the east of Manchuria, bordering on Soviet Primorye, where the First Far Eastern Front was stationed, consisting of 31 rifle divisions, a cavalry division, a mechanized corps and 11 tank brigades. In northern Manchuria, the Japanese held one infantry division and two brigades - against the Second Far Eastern Front consisting of 11 rifle divisions, 4 rifle and 9 tank brigades. In the west of Manchuria, the Japanese stationed 6 infantry divisions and one brigade - against 33 Soviet divisions, including two tank, two mechanized corps, a tank corps and six tank brigades. In central and southern Manchuria, the Japanese held several more divisions and brigades, as well as both tank brigades and all combat aircraft.

It should be noted that the tanks and aircraft of the Japanese army in 1945, according to the criteria of that time, could not be called anything other than obsolete. They roughly corresponded to Soviet tank and aircraft equipment of 1939. This also applies to Japanese anti-tank guns, which had a caliber of 37 and 47 millimeters - that is, suitable for fighting only light Soviet tanks. What prompted the Japanese army to use suicide squads, strapped with grenades and explosives, as the main improvised anti-tank weapon.

However, the prospect of a quick surrender of the Japanese troops seemed far from obvious. Given the fanatical, and sometimes suicidal, resistance put up by Japanese forces in April-June 1945 on Okinawa, there was every reason to believe that a long, difficult campaign was expected to take over the last remaining Japanese fortified areas. In some sectors of the offensive, these expectations were fully justified.

Progress of the war

At dawn on August 9, 1945, Soviet troops began intensive artillery bombardment from the sea and from land. Then the ground operation began. Taking into account the experience of the war with the Germans, the fortified areas of the Japanese were treated with mobile units and blocked by infantry. The 6th Guards Tank Army of General Kravchenko was advancing from Mongolia to the center of Manchuria.

This was a risky decision, since the difficult Khingan Mountains were ahead. On August 11, army equipment stopped due to lack of fuel. But the experience of German tank units was used - delivering fuel to tanks by transport aircraft. As a result, 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 Xinjing. By this time, the First Far Eastern Front had broken the Japanese resistance in eastern Manchuria, occupying The largest city in that region - Mudanjiang. In a number of areas deep in the defense, Soviet troops had to overcome fierce enemy resistance. In the zone of the 5th Army, it was exerted with particular force in the Mudanjiang region. There were cases of stubborn enemy resistance in the zones of the Transbaikal and 2nd Far Eastern fronts. The Japanese army also launched repeated counterattacks. On August 19, 1945, in Mukden, Soviet troops captured the Emperor of Manchukuo Pu Yi (formerly the last Emperor China).

On August 14, the Japanese command made a proposal to conclude a truce. But virtually military operations on the Japanese side did not stop. Only three days later the Kwantung Army received an order from its command to surrender, which began on August 20. But it did not reach everyone right away, and in some places the Japanese acted contrary to orders.

On August 18, the Kurilskaya landing operation, during which Soviet troops occupied the Kuril Islands. On the same day, August 18, the commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East, Marshal Vasilevsky, gave the order to occupy the Japanese island of Hokkaido with 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 was then postponed until instructions from Headquarters.

Soviet troops occupied the southern part of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Manchuria and part of Korea. Basic fighting on the continent lasted 12 days, until August 20. However, individual clashes continued until September 10, which became the day the complete surrender and capture of the Kwantung Army ended. The fighting on the islands completely ended on September 5.

The Japanese surrender was signed on September 2, 1945, aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

As a result, the million-strong Kwantung Army was completely destroyed. According to Soviet data, its losses in killed amounted to 84 thousand people, about 600 thousand were captured. The irretrievable losses of the Red Army amounted to 12 thousand people.

Meaning

The Manchurian operation had enormous political and military significance. So on August 9, at an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council for War Management, Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki said:

The Soviet Army defeated the strong Kwantung Army of Japan. The Soviet Union, having entered the war with the Japanese Empire and making a significant contribution to its defeat, accelerated the end of World War II. American leaders and historians have repeatedly stated that without the USSR's entry into the war, it would have continued for at least another year and would have cost an additional several million human lives.

The commander-in-chief of the American armed forces in the Pacific, General MacArthur, believed that “Victory over Japan can be guaranteed only if the Japanese ground forces are defeated.” US Secretary of State E. Stettinius stated the following:

Dwight Eisenhower stated in his memoirs that he addressed President Truman: “I told him that since available information indicated the imminent collapse of Japan, I categorically objected to the entry of the Red Army into this war.”

Results

For distinction in battles as part of the 1st Far Eastern Front, 16 formations and units received the honorary name “Ussuri”, 19 - “Harbin”, 149 - were awarded various orders.

As a result of the war, the USSR actually returned to its composition the territories lost Russian Empire in 1905, following the results of the Portsmouth Peace (southern Sakhalin and, temporarily, Kwantung with Port Arthur and Dalniy), as well as the main group of the Kuril Islands previously ceded to Japan in 1875 and the southern part of the Kuril Islands assigned to Japan by the Shimoda Treaty of 1855.

Japan's latest territorial loss has not yet been recognized. According to the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan renounced any claims to Sakhalin (Karafuto) and the Kuril Islands (Chishima Retto). But the agreement did not determine the ownership of the islands and the USSR did not sign it. However, in 1956, the Moscow Declaration was signed, which ended the state of war and established diplomatic and consular relations between the USSR and Japan. Article 9 of the Declaration states, in particular:

Negotiations on the southern Kuril Islands continue to this day, there is no decision on this issue prevents the conclusion of a peace treaty between Japan and Russia, as the successor to the USSR.

Japan is also involved in a territorial dispute with the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China over the ownership of the Senkaku Islands, despite the existence of peace treaties between the countries (the treaty with the Republic of China was concluded in 1952, with the PRC in 1978). In addition, despite the existence of the Basic Treaty on Japan-Korea Relations, Japan and the Republic of Korea are also involved in a territorial dispute over the ownership of the Liancourt Islands.

Despite Article 9 of the Potsdam Declaration, which prescribes the return home of military personnel at the end of hostilities, according to Stalin's order No. 9898, according to Japanese data, up to two million Japanese military personnel and civilians were deported to work in the USSR. As a result of hard work, frost and disease, according to Japanese data, 374,041 people died.

According to Soviet data, the number of prisoners of war was 640,276 people. Immediately after the end of hostilities, 65,176 wounded and sick were released. 62,069 prisoners of war died in captivity, 22,331 of them before entering the territory of the USSR. An average of 100,000 people were repatriated annually. By the beginning of 1950, there were about 3,000 people convicted of criminal and war crimes (of which 971 were transferred to China for crimes committed against the Chinese people), who, in accordance with the Soviet-Japanese Declaration of 1956, were released early and repatriated to their homeland.