What does "Kwantung Army" mean? Defeat of the Kwantung Army
- Kwantung Peninsula, the right to use which Japan received under the terms of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 1905 after Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese War) for the purpose of preparing aggression against China, the USSR and Mongolia.
On September 18, 1931, the Kwantung Army attacked China and by the beginning of 1932 occupied its northeastern part - Manchuria, after which it provided military support to the puppet state of Manchukuo created on March 9, 1932: it invaded the Chinese province of Zhehe and reached the Great Wall.
In 1936, at the headquarters of the Kwantung Army, the Asano detachment was created (an armed unit of white emigrants who had undergone military training under the command of the Japanese Colonel Asano, intended to participate in reconnaissance and sabotage activities and military operations against the USSR). Subsequently, the size of the Asano detachment was increased to five companies. In addition, in 1936, the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, General Okomura, summoned Ataman G.M. Semenov, who was instructed to conduct reconnaissance in Transbaikalia and the Mongols People's Republic, as well as to begin military training of the Mongols at his disposal.
However, the main part military equipment(artillery, tanks, aircraft) was developed in the 1930s and by the end of World War II was significantly outdated, and due to the limited human resources of Japan, up to 50% of the personnel of the ground units were recruited from conscripts younger ages who did not have sufficient military training, and older reservists of limited fitness.
During the Second World War, the most numerous and powerful military group of the Japanese imperial army there was the Kwantung Army. This army unit was concentrated in China. It was assumed that in the event of the outbreak of hostilities with the Soviet Union, it would be the Kwantung Army that would play the main role in confronting Soviet troops. It also provided for the use of troops from Manchukuo and Mengjiang, Japan's satellite countries, as auxiliary units under the Kwantung Army. Long time It was the Kwantung Army that remained the most combat-ready unit of the Japanese armed forces and was used not only as a territorial grouping of troops, but also as a training base where they trained and “tested” privates, non-commissioned officers and officers of the imperial army. Japanese officers viewed service in the Kwantung Army as prestigious, promising a good salary and the opportunity for quick promotion.
Before moving on to the story about the Kwantung Army itself, it is necessary to briefly tell what the imperial armed forces of Japan actually were like in the first half of the twentieth century. Firstly, it should be noted that they are modern form began after the Meiji Revolution, in the general context of modernizing the country's economy, culture and defense. In January 1873, the traditional samurai militias of old Japan were disbanded and universal conscription was introduced. The governing bodies of the imperial army were: the Ministry of the Army, the General Staff and the Main Inspectorate of Combat Training. They were all subordinate to the Japanese emperor and had the same status, but different responsibilities. Thus, the Minister of the Army was responsible for administrative and personnel issues of the ground forces. The Chief of the General Staff exercised direct command of the army and was responsible for developing military orders. The Army General Staff also had jurisdiction over the training of staff officers. Initially, the importance of the General Staff of the Army was very great, but after a separate General Staff of the Fleet was created, its importance decreased, but a new General Staff of the Armed Forces was formed, also known as the Imperial Headquarters, which included the Emperor himself, the Minister of the Army, and the Minister of the Navy , Chief of the Army General Staff, Chief of the Navy General Staff, Chief of Army Operations, Chief of Navy Operations, and Chief Inspector of Combat Training. Finally, the chief inspector of combat training was in charge of the training of personnel of the imperial army - both privates and officers, as well as transport support for the imperial army and its logistics. The Chief Inspector of Combat Training was actually the third highest ranking officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and was part of the Imperial Headquarters. Therefore, the position of chief inspector was considered very prestigious and significant, as evidenced by the appointment of promising and honored generals to it. As we will see below, former commanders of the Kwantung Army became the chief inspectors of combat training, but there were also examples of reverse job transfers. The main unit of the imperial army was the division, which in the event of the outbreak of war was transformed into an army. However, the imperial army included two exceptional formations - the Korean and Kwantung armies, which had a very large numerical strength even by the standards of armies and were armed forces stationed in Korea and Manchuria and intended to protect Japanese interests and maintain Japanese power in Korea and pro-Japanese puppet government of Manchukuo in Manchuria. The following ranks were introduced in the Imperial Japanese Army: generalissimo (emperor), general, lieutenant general, major general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, lieutenant, junior lieutenant, ensign, senior sergeant, sergeant, corporal, sergeant major, private of the highest class, private 1st class, private 2nd class. Naturally, the officer corps in the imperial army was staffed, first of all, by representatives of the aristocratic class. The rank and file were recruited by conscription. In addition, it should be noted that during the Second World War, numerous paramilitary forces were operationally subordinate to the Japanese military command, recruited in the Japanese-occupied countries of East, Southeast and Central Asia. Among the armed formations controlled by the Japanese, it should be noted, first of all, the Manchukuo Army and the Mengjiang National Army, as well as armed formations in Burma, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japanese-controlled Indian units formed in Singapore, etc. In Korea, the military conscription of Koreans was in effect since 1942, when Japan's position on the fronts began to seriously deteriorate, and on top of that, the threat of a Soviet military invasion of Manchuria and Korea intensified.
Largest Japanese formation in Manchuria
The history of the Kwantung Army began in 1931, when the formation of a large military formation began on the basis of an army garrison that had been stationed since the beginning of the twentieth century. on the territory of the Kwantung Region - the southwestern part of the Liaodong Peninsula. In 1905, based on the results Russo-Japanese War, Japan, as a “bonus”, according to the Portsmouth Peace Treaty, received the right to use the Liaodong Peninsula for military purposes. In fact, the formation formed on the Liaodong Peninsula became the basis for preparing an armed attack against Japan's main opponents in the region - China, the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic. The Kwantung Army began directly participating in hostilities against China on September 18, 1931. At this time, the army was commanded by Lieutenant General Shigeru Honjo (1876-1945) - one of the prominent Japanese military leaders, a participant in the Russo-Japanese War and the intervention in Russia during the Civil War. Shigeru Honjo, a professional military man, commanded the 10th Infantry Division before being appointed commander of the Kwantung Army. After sabotage on railway, Japanese troops invaded the territory of Manchuria and occupied Mukden on September 19. On September 22, Girin was occupied, and on November 18, Qiqihar. The League of Nations tried in vain to prevent Japan from seizing large parts of Chinese territory, but was unable to do anything. The Japanese Empire increased the size of the Kwantung Army to 50 thousand soldiers and officers in December 1931, and a little more than two weeks later - by January 1932, the personnel of the Kwantung Army was increased to 260,000 troops. During this period, the army was armed with 439 tanks, 1,193 artillery pieces and 500 aircraft. Naturally, the Chinese troops were significantly inferior to the Kwantung Army both in weapons and in the level of organization and training, although they were slightly superior in numbers. On March 1, 1932, as a result of the operation of the Kwantung Army, the creation of the independent state of Manchukuo on the territory of Manchuria was proclaimed. The last emperor of China, Pu Yi, a representative of the Manchu Qing dynasty, was proclaimed its ruler. Thus, it was the Kwantung Army that ensured the creation of the state of Manchukuo on the territory of Northwestern China, which significantly changed the political map of East and Central Asia. Lieutenant General Shigeru Honjo after conducting a brilliant Manchurian operation became a national hero of Japan and was promoted. On August 8, 1932, Shigeru Honjo was recalled to Japan. He was given the rank of general, the title of baron and appointed a member of the Supreme Military Council, and then - chief aide-de-camp to the Emperor of Japan. However, subsequently the fate of the Kwantung army commander was tragic. From 1939 to 1945 he headed the Military Hospital Service, but then the empire needed more military experience of the general significant quality and in May 1945 Honjo was appointed a member of the Privy Council. After the end of the war, he was arrested by the American military, but managed to commit suicide.
As commander of the Kwantung Army, Lieutenant General Shigeru Honjo was replaced by Field Marshal Muto Nobuyoshi (1868-1933). It is interesting that at the beginning of the twentieth century. he was twice military attaché in Russian Empire, and during the Civil War in Russia he headed the Japanese military mission under Admiral Kolchak, and later commanded a Japanese division during the intervention in the Far East. Before his appointment as commander of the Kwantung Army, Muto Nobuyoshi served as the Imperial Army's chief inspector for combat training. By the way, Muto Nobuyoshi combined the position of commander of the Kwantung Army with the positions of commander of the army of the state of Manchukuo and the Japanese ambassador to Manchukuo. Thus, all armed forces in Manchuria were under the command of a Japanese field marshal. It was the commander of the Kwantung Army who exercised actual leadership of the puppet government of Manchukuo, which could not take a single step without the knowledge of the Japanese administration. Muto participated in the actual creation of the Manchu state. However, in the same 1933, he died of jaundice in a military hospital in Xinjing. The new commander of the Kwantung Army was General Hishikari Takashi, who had previously, at the beginning of 1931, already commanded the Kwantung Army. It was under Muto and Hisikari that the foundations of the Kwantung Army were laid in the form in which it met the beginning of World War II. In fact, these Japanese senior officers were also at the origins of Japanese military policy on the territory of Manchuria, forming the armed forces of Manchukuo. By 1938, the strength of the Kwantung Army had been increased to 200 thousand people (although during the capture of Manchuria, due to the attached formations, it was even more). Almost all the main senior officers of the Japanese Imperial Army passed through the Kwantung Army as a personnel forge, since staying on the territory of Manchuria was considered an important step in the career of an officer of the Japanese armed forces. In 1936, General Ueda Kenkichi (1875-1962) was appointed commander of the Kwantung Army. The personality of this man also played a big role - not only in the history of the Kwantung Army as a military unit, but also in the history of Soviet-Japanese relations. The fact is that General Ueda saw the main enemy of the Japanese Empire not as the USA or Great Britain, or even China, but as the Soviet Union. The USSR, according to Ueda, posed the main threat to Japanese interests in East and Central Asia. Therefore, as soon as Ueda, who previously held the post of commander of the Korean Army, received an appointment to the Kwantung Army, he was immediately puzzled by the issue of “redirecting” the Kwantung Army towards Soviet Union, including began to stimulate anti-Soviet provocations on the border with the USSR. It was General Ueda who commanded the Kwantung Army during the armed incidents at Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol.
Provocations on the border and the conflict on Lake Khasan
However, less significant incidents occurred earlier - in 1936-1937. Thus, on January 30, 1936, the forces of two Manchurian companies under the command of Japanese officers from the Kwantung Army made a breakthrough 1.5 km deep into the territory of the Soviet Union. During the clash with the Soviet border guards, 31 Japanese and Manchu soldiers died, while only 4 people died on the Soviet side. On November 24, 1936, a mixed detachment of 60 Japanese cavalry and infantrymen invaded Soviet territory, but Soviet troops managed to repulse the attack, destroying 18 enemy soldiers with machine guns. Two days later, on November 26, the Japanese again tried to penetrate Soviet territory, and three Soviet border guards were killed during a shootout. On June 5, 1937, a Japanese detachment invaded Soviet territory and occupied a hill near Lake Khanka, but the attack was repulsed by the Soviet 63rd Infantry Regiment. On June 30, 1937, Japanese troops sank a Soviet armored boat of the border troops, resulting in the death of 7 servicemen. The Japanese also fired at an armored boat and a gunboat of the Soviet Amur military flotilla. After this, the commander of the Soviet troops, V. Blucher, sent a group consisting of reconnaissance and six rifle battalions, an engineer battalion, three artillery battalions and an aviation detachment to the border. The Japanese chose to retreat beyond the border line. Only for the period from 1936 to 1938. Japanese troops committed 231 violations of the state border of the Soviet Union, in 35 cases the violations resulted in military clashes. In March 1938, the headquarters of the Kwantung Army developed the “State Defense Policy” plan, directed against the USSR and providing for the use of Japanese forces of at least 18 divisions against the Soviet Union. By the beginning of July 1938, the situation on the Soviet-Manchurian border had escalated to the limit, and the Japanese command was putting forward territorial claims to the USSR. Due to the aggravation of the situation on the border, the Far Eastern Front of the Red Army was formed. On July 9, 1938, the movement of Soviet troops to the state border began in order to quickly repel a possible attack by the Kwantung Army. On July 12, Soviet border guards occupied the Zaozernaya hill, which was claimed by Manchukuo. In response to the actions of the Soviet troops, on July 14, the government of Manchukuo sent a note of protest to the USSR, and on July 15, the Japanese Ambassador to the USSR Mamoru Shigemitsu demanded the immediate withdrawal of Soviet troops from the disputed territory. On July 21, the Japanese military leadership requested permission from the Emperor of Japan to use military force against Soviet troops in the area of Lake Khasan. In response to Japan's actions, the Soviet leadership on July 22, 1938 rejected Tokyo's demands for the withdrawal of Soviet troops. On July 23, the Japanese command began preparing for an armed invasion, clearing border villages of local residents. Artillery units of the Kwantung Army were advanced to the border, positions for Japanese artillery were equipped at the height of Bogomolnaya and islands on the Tumen-Ula River. In total, at least 20 thousand military personnel of the Kwantung Army were trained to participate in hostilities. The 15th, 19th and 20th infantry divisions, 1 cavalry regiment, 3 machine-gun battalions, armored units, anti-aircraft batteries, three armored trains and 70 aircraft were concentrated on the border. On the Tumen-Ula River there were 1 cruiser and 14 destroyers, 15 boats. The 19th Infantry Division took part directly in the battles near Lake Khasan.
On July 24, 1938, the Military Council of the Far Eastern Front of the Red Army put several army units on high alert, including the 118th and 119th rifle and 121st cavalry regiments of the 40th rifle division. On July 29, the Soviet positions were attacked by a Japanese border gendarmerie company, armed with 4 machine guns and numbering 150 soldiers and officers. Having occupied Bezymyannaya Height, the Japanese lost 40 people, but were soon knocked out by approaching Soviet reinforcements. On July 30, Japanese army artillery began working on Soviet positions, after which infantry units of the Japanese army launched an attack on Soviet positions - but again to no avail. On July 31, the USSR Pacific Fleet and the Primorsky Army were put on combat readiness. That same day, a new attack by the Japanese army ended with the capture of the hills and the installation of 40 Japanese machine guns on them. The counterattack of the Soviet two battalions ended in failure, after which the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, Army Commissar L.Z., arrived at the scene of hostilities. Mehlis and chief of staff of the front G.M. Stern. On August 1, the front commander V. Blucher arrived there, who was harshly criticized by phone by I.V. Stalin for unsatisfactory management of the operation. On August 3, Stalin removed Blücher from command of the operation and appointed Stern in his place. On August 4, Stern ordered an attack on Japanese troops in the area between Lake Khasan and Zaozernaya Hill. On August 6, 216 Soviet aircraft bombed Japanese positions, after which the 32nd Rifle Division, the tank battalion of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade began an attack on the Bezymyannaya hill, and the 40th Rifle Division - on the Zaozernaya hill. On August 8, the Zaozernaya hill was captured by Soviet troops. On August 9, the forces of the 32nd Rifle Division of the Red Army captured Bezymyannaya Height. August 10 Japanese ambassador turned to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR M.M. Litvinov with a proposal to start peace negotiations. On August 11, 1938, hostilities ceased. Thus, the first serious armed conflict between the USSR and Japan, in which the Kwantung Army took part, ended.
Defeat of the Kvantun troops at Khalkhin Gol
However, the victory of Soviet troops in the conflict at Lake Khasan did not mean that the Japanese command abandoned aggressive actions - this time on the Manchurian-Mongolian border. Japan did not hide its plans for “Outer Mongolia,” as the territory of the MPR was called in the Chinese and Manchu traditions. Formally, Mongolia was considered part of the Chinese Empire, the heir of which was seen by the ruler of Manchukuo, Pu Yi. The reason for the conflict between Manchukuo and Mongolia was the demand for recognition of the Khalkhin Gol River as the border of the two states. The fact is that the Japanese sought to ensure the safety of the construction of the railway, which stretched to the border of the Soviet Union. The first clashes on the Manchurian-Mongolian border began in 1935. In 1936, the USSR and the MPR signed a “Protocol on Mutual Assistance,” according to which, from 1937, units of the 57th Special Corps of the Red Army with a total number of 5,544 military personnel, including 523 commanders, were stationed on the territory of the MPR. After the conflict on Lake Khasan, Japan shifted its attention to the Khalkhin Gol River. Expansionist sentiments grew among the Japanese senior officers, including ideas about expanding the territory of the Japanese Empire to Lake Baikal. On January 16-17, 1939, two provocations organized by Japanese troops took place on the border with the MPR. On January 17, 13 Japanese soldiers attacked three Mongolian border guards. On January 29 and 30, Japanese soldiers and the Bargut horsemen (Barguts are one of the Mongolian tribes) who acted on their side attacked the guard detachments of the Mongolian border guard. The attacks were repeated in February and March 1939, and the Japanese command continued to actively involve the Barguts in attacks.
On the night of May 8, 1939, a Japanese platoon with a machine gun tried to capture the island on Khalkhin Gol, but ran into resistance from the Mongolian border guards and was forced to retreat. On May 11, Japanese cavalry, numbering about two squadrons, invaded the territory of the Mongolian People's Republic and attacked the Mongolian border outpost of Nomon-Khan-Burd-Obo. Then, however, the Japanese were pushed back by approaching Mongol reinforcements. On May 14, units of the Japanese 23rd Infantry Division, with air support, attacked the Mongolian border outpost. On May 17, the command of the 57th Special Corps of the Red Army sent three motorized rifle companies, a sapper company and an artillery battery to Khalkhin Gol. May 22 Soviet troops drove Japanese units back from Khalkhin Gol. Between 22 and 28 May, 668 Soviet and Mongolian infantry, 260 cavalry, 39 armored vehicles and 58 machine guns concentrated in the Khalkhin Gol area. Japan advanced to Khalkhin Gol a more impressive force of 1,680 infantry and 900 cavalry, 75 machine guns, 18 artillery pieces, 1 tank and 8 armored vehicles under the command of Colonel Yamagata. In the clash, Japanese troops managed to again push back the Soviet-Mongolian units to the western bank of Khalkhin Gol. However, the very next day, May 29, the Soviet-Mongolian troops were able to carry out a successful counter-offensive and push the Japanese back to their previous positions. In June, fighting between the USSR and Japan continued in the air, and Soviet pilots managed to inflict serious damage on Japanese aircraft. In July 1939, the command of the Kwantung Army decided to move to a new phase of hostilities. For this purpose, the army headquarters developed the “Second Period of the Nomonkhan Incident” plan. The Kwantung Army was tasked with breaking through the Soviet defense line and crossing the Khalkhin Gol River. The Japanese group was led by Major General Kobayashi, under whose leadership the offensive began on July 2. The Kwantung Army advanced with two infantry and two tank regiments against two Mongolian cavalry divisions and Red Army units with a total strength of about 5 thousand people.
However, the command of the Soviet troops threw the 11th tank brigade of brigade commander M.P. into battle. Yakovlev and the Mongolian armored division. Later, the 7th Motorized Armored Brigade also came to the rescue. By the night of July 3, as a result of fierce fighting, Soviet troops retreated to the Khalkhin Gol River, but Japanese troops failed to completely complete the planned offensive. On Mount Bayan-Tsagan, Japanese troops were surrounded and by the morning of July 5 they began a mass retreat. A significant number of Japanese military personnel died on the slopes of the mountain, with estimates of the death toll reaching up to 10 thousand people. The Japanese lost almost all their tanks and artillery pieces. After this, Japanese troops abandoned attempts to cross Khalkhin Gol. However, on July 8, the Kwantung Army resumed hostilities and concentrated large forces on the eastern bank of Khalkhin Gol, but the Japanese offensive once again failed. As a result of a counterattack by Soviet troops under the command of the commander of the 11th Tank Brigade, Brigade Commander M.P. Yakovlev, Japanese troops were thrown back to their original positions. Only on July 23, Japanese troops resumed their offensive against the positions of the Soviet-Mongolian troops, but it again ended unsuccessfully for the Kwantung Army. We should briefly touch on the balance of forces. The Soviet 1st Army Group under the command of Corps Commander Georgy Zhukov numbered 57 thousand troops and was armed with 542 artillery pieces and mortars, 498 tanks, 385 armored vehicles and 515 aircraft. Japanese troops as part of the 6th separate army of General Ryuhei Ogisu included two infantry divisions, an infantry brigade, seven artillery regiments, two tank regiments, three Bargut cavalry regiments, two engineering regiments, in total - more than 75 thousand soldiers and officers, 500 artillery weapons, 182 tanks, 700 aircraft. However, the Soviet troops ultimately managed to achieve a significant superiority in tanks - almost threefold. On August 20, 1939, Soviet troops unexpectedly launched a massive offensive. Japanese troops were only able to begin defensive battles on August 21 and 22. However, by August 26, Soviet-Mongolian troops completely surrounded the 6th separate Japanese army. Units of the 14th Infantry Brigade of the Kwantung Army were unable to break through the Mongolian border and were forced to retreat to the territory of Manchukuo, after which the command of the Kwantung Army was forced to abandon the idea of liberating the units and formations of the Japanese army that were surrounded. The fighting continued until August 29 and 30, and by the morning of August 31, the territory of Mongolia was completely liberated from Japanese troops. Several Japanese attacks in early September also resulted in the Japanese being defeated and pushed back to their original positions. Only air battles continued. On September 15, a truce was signed, and on September 16, fighting on the border ended.
Between Khalkhin Gol and surrender
It was thanks to the victory in the fighting at Khalkhin Gol that the Japanese Empire abandoned plans to attack the Soviet Union and maintained this position even after the start of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War. Even after Germany and its European allies entered the war with the USSR, Japan chose to abstain, assessing the negative experience of Khalkhin Gol. 
Indeed, the losses of Japanese troops in the battles at Khalkhin Gol were impressive - according to official data, 17 thousand people were killed, according to Soviet data - at least 60 thousand killed, according to independent sources - about 45 thousand killed. As for Soviet and Mongolian losses, there were no more than 10 thousand people killed, dead and missing. In addition, the Japanese army suffered serious damage to its weapons and equipment. In fact, the Soviet-Mongolian troops completely defeated the entire Japanese military group sent to Khalkhin Gol. General Ueda, who commanded the Kwantung Army, after the defeat at Khalkhin Gol, was recalled to Japan at the end of 1939 and dismissed from his post. The new commander of the Kwantung Army was General Umezu Yoshijiro, who had previously commanded the Japanese 1st Army in China. Umezu Yoshijiro (1882-1949) was an experienced Japanese general who received military education not only in Japan, but also in Germany and Denmark, and then rose from an infantry officer in the Imperial Japanese Army to Deputy Minister of the Army and Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Army in China . Appointed commander of the Kwantung Army in September 1939, he retained this post for almost five years - until July 1944. In fact, the entire time the Soviet Union was at war with Germany, and Japan was fighting bloody battles in Southeast Asia and Oceania, the general remained as commander of the Kwantung Army. During this time, the Kwantung Army was strengthened, but periodically the most combat-ready units of the formation were sent to the active front - to fight the Anglo-American troops in the Asia-Pacific region. The size of the Kwantung Army in 1941-1943. numbered at least 700 thousand people, united in 15-16 divisions stationed in Korea and Manchuria.
It was precisely because of the threat of an attack by the Kwantung Army on the Soviet Union and Mongolia that Stalin was forced to maintain colossal troops in the Far East. So, in 1941-1943. the number of Soviet troops concentrated to possibly repel the attack of the Kwantung Army was at least 703 thousand troops, and at some time reached 1,446,012 people and included from 32 to 49 divisions. The Soviet command was afraid to weaken its military presence in the Far East due to the threat of a Japanese invasion at any moment. However, in 1944, when the turning point in the war with Germany became obvious, it was not so much the USSR that feared an invasion weakened by the war with the United States and Japan's allies, but rather that Japan saw the evidence of an attack from the Soviet Union in the foreseeable future. Therefore, the Japanese command also could not weaken the strength of the Kwantung Army by sending its fresh units to help the warring units in Southeast Asia and Oceania. As a result, by August 9, 1945, when the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, the strength of the Kwantung Army was 1 million 320 thousand soldiers, officers and generals. The Kwantung Army included the 1st Front - the 3rd and 5th Armies, the 3rd Front - the 30th and 44th Armies, the 17th Front - the 34th and 59th Armies, a separate 4th I Army, 2nd and 5th Air Armies, Sungari Military Flotilla. These formations, in turn, included 37 infantry and 7 cavalry divisions, 22 infantry, 2 tank and 2 cavalry brigades. The Kwantung Army was armed with 1,155 tanks, 6,260 artillery weapons, 1,900 aircraft and 25 warships. In addition, units of the Suiyuan Army Group, the Mengjiang National Army under the command of Prince De Wang and the Manchukuo Army were operationally subordinate to the command of the Kwantung Army.
The war ended in defeat
On July 18, 1944, General Otozo Yamada was appointed commander of the Kwantung Army. At the time of his appointment, Yamada was already a middle-aged 63-year-old man. He was born in 1881, and in November 1902 began serving in the imperial army, receiving the rank of junior lieutenant after graduating from the military academy. In 1925, he rose to the rank of colonel and was given command of a cavalry regiment of the imperial army. 
In August 1930, having received the shoulder straps of a major general, Yamada headed the cavalry school, and in 1937, already a lieutenant general, he received command of the 12th division stationed in Manchuria. Thus, even before his appointment to the post of commander in the Kwantung Army, Yamada had experience of military service in Manchuria. He then headed the Central Expeditionary Army in China, and in 1940-1944, with the rank of army general, he served as the chief inspector of combat training of the imperial army and a member of the Supreme Military Council of the Empire of Japan. When the emperor appointed General Yamada as commander of the Kwantung Army, he was guided precisely by considerations of the general’s extensive military experience and ability to organize the defense of Manchuria and Korea. Indeed, Yamada began to strengthen the Kwantung Army, managing to recruit 8 infantry divisions and 7 infantry brigades. However, the training of recruits was extremely weak, which was explained by their lack of experience in military service. In addition, the Kwantung Army units concentrated in Manchuria were mostly armed with outdated weapons. In particular, the Kwantung Army lacked rocket artillery, anti-tank rifles and automatic weapons. Tanks and artillery pieces were much inferior to Soviet ones, as were airplanes. On top of that, just before the start of the war with the Soviet Union, the strength of the Kwantung Army was reduced to 700 thousand troops - parts of the army were redirected to defend the Japanese islands themselves.
On the morning of August 9, 1945, Soviet troops went on the offensive and invaded the territory of Manchuria. The operation was supported from the sea by the Pacific Fleet, and from the air by aviation, which carried out attacks on the positions of Japanese troops in Xinjing, Qiqihar and other cities of Manchuria. From the territory of Mongolia and Dauria, troops of the Transbaikal Front invaded Manchuria, cutting off the Kwantung Army from Japanese troops in Northern China and occupying Xinjing. Units of the 1st Far Eastern Front managed to break through the defense line of the Kwantung Army and occupied Jilin and Harbin. The 2nd Far Eastern Front, with the support of the Amur Military Flotilla, crossed the Amur and Ussuri, after which it broke into Manchuria and occupied Harbin. On August 14, the offensive began in the Mudanjiang area. On August 16, Mudanjiang was captured. On August 19, the widespread surrender of Japanese soldiers and officers began. In Mukden, Emperor Pu Yi of Manchukuo was captured by Soviet soldiers. On August 20, Soviet troops entered the Manchurian Plain, and on the same day the Kwantung Army received an order from the higher command to surrender. However, since communications in the army had already been broken, not all units of the Kwantung Army received the order to surrender - many were unaware of it and continued to resist Soviet troops until September 10. Total losses The Kwantung Army in battles with the Soviet-Mongolian troops consisted of at least 84 thousand people. Over 600 thousand Japanese troops were captured. Among the prisoners was the last commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, General Yamada. He was taken to Khabarovsk and on December 30, 1945, the Military Tribunal of the Primorsky Military District found him guilty of preparing bacteriological warfare and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a forced labor camp. In July 1950, Yamada was extradited to China at the request of the PRC law enforcement agencies - to involve General Yamada and a number of other senior military personnel of the Kwantung Army in the case of war crimes committed on Chinese territory. In China, Yamada was placed in a camp in the city of Fushun, and only in 1956 was the 75-year-old former general of the imperial army released early. He returned to Japan and died in 1965 at the age of 83.
Yamada's predecessor as commander of the Kwantung Army, General Umezu Yoshijiro, was arrested by American troops and convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Far East. In 1949, Umezu Yoshijiro, sentenced to life imprisonment, died in prison from cancer. General Ueda Kenkichi, who resigned after the defeat of the Kwantung Army at Khalkhin Gol, was not subject to criminal prosecution after the surrender of Japan and he lived safely until 1962, dying at the age of 87. General Minami Jiro, who commanded the Kwantung Army from 1934-1936 and became Governor-General of Korea in 1936, was also sentenced to life imprisonment for unleashing an aggressive war against China and remained in prison until 1954, when he was released under health condition and died a year later. General Shigeru Honjo was arrested by the Americans, but committed suicide. Thus, almost all the commanders of the Kwantung Army who managed to survive until the day of Japan’s surrender were arrested and convicted by either the Soviet or American occupation authorities. A similar fate awaited less senior officers of the Kwantung Army who fell into enemy hands. All of them passed through prisoner of war camps; a significant part never returned to Japan. Perhaps the best fate was for the Emperor of Manchukuo, Pu Yi, and the Prince of Mengjiang, De Wang. Both of them served their sentences in China, and then were provided with work and happily lived out their lives in the PRC, no longer engaging in political activities.
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Kwantung Army
a group of Japanese troops created in 1919 on the territory of the Kwantung Region. (see Guangdong), carried out aggressive actions against China in 1931-37, the USSR and the Mongolian People's Republic in 1938-39. In 1945 (commander-in-chief General O. Yamada) it was defeated by the Soviet Armed Forces together with Mongolian troops in the Manchurian operation.
Kwantung Army
a group of Japanese troops intended for aggression against China, the USSR and the Mongolia. It was created in 1931 on the basis of troops located in the Kwantung Region (the southwestern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Guandong Bay), from which it received its name. September 18, 1931 K. a. treacherously attacked China and by the beginning of 1932 occupied its northeastern province - Manchuria, where the puppet state of Manchukuo was created on March 9, 1932, which actually became a colony of Japanese imperialists and a springboard for their subsequent aggression. This event marked the beginning of a series of armed conflicts with neighboring countries, provoked by the Japanese military. By expanding their aggression in China, the Japanese imperialists simultaneously sought to test the strength of the Soviet Far Eastern borders and seize advantageous springboards for a subsequent invasion of the territories of the USSR and the Mongolian People's Republic. The number of K. a. gradually increased and by 1938 reached 8 divisions (about 200 thousand people), and in 1940 - 12 divisions (about 300 thousand people). In the summer of 1938, the troops of K. a. invaded the USSR at Lake Khasan; in 1939 a larger provocation was organized against the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic on the river. Khalkhin Gol, but in both conflicts K. a. was defeated. In 1941, when the Soviet people were waging a difficult struggle against Nazi Germany, K. a. in accordance with the Japanese plan, Kantokuen deployed on the Manchurian border and in Korea to attack the USSR, waiting for an opportune moment to begin hostilities depending on the outcome of the struggle on the Soviet-German front. In 1941–43, there were 15–16 Japanese divisions (about 700 thousand people) in Manchuria and Korea.
By the beginning of the campaign of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Far East (August 9, 1945) K. a. consisted of: 1st Front (3rd and 5th Armies), 3rd Front (30th and 44th Armies), 17th Front (34th and 59th Armies), a separate (4th) army, two (2nd and 5th) air armies and the Sungari military flotilla. In addition, the army of Manchukuo, the troops of Inner Mongolia (Prince De Wang) and the Suiyuan army group were quickly subordinated to it. As part of K. a. and the troops subordinate to it numbered 37 infantry and 7 cavalry divisions, 22 infantry, 2 tank and 2 cavalry brigades (total 1 million 320 thousand people), 1155 tanks, 6260 guns, 1900 aircraft and 25 ships. K. a. also had bacteriological weapons, which were intended for use against the Soviet Armed Forces. After the defeat of K. a. in the Manchurian operation of 1945, Japan lost the real strength and capabilities to continue the war and on September 2, 1945 signed an act on unconditional surrender.
By the beginning of August 1945, a large strategic group of Japanese and puppet troops was concentrated near the borders of the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic. Its basis was the Kwantung Army (commander-in-chief General O. Yamada, chief of staff General H. Hata). This association of ground forces included two fronts and two separate armies (24 infantry divisions, 9 mixed brigades, 2 tank brigades and a suicide brigade), the 2nd Air Army, as well as the Sungari military flotilla
The 1st Front was the most powerful. All of his ten infantry divisions and a separate mixed brigade, deployed along the borders of Soviet Primorye, covered the Hunchun and Mudanjiang directions. Organizationally, the front troops were consolidated into two armies (3rd and 5th). The 3rd Army had four infantry divisions, a separate mixed brigade and support units. The 5th Army consisted of three infantry divisions and support units. Three other infantry divisions reported directly to the front commander, General S. Kita. The front headquarters (chief of staff General R. Sakurai) was located in the city of Mudanjiang.
History of the Second World War, vol. 11, p. 180
This recursive nesting doll has always puzzled me. Well, how is it - an army, and in it there are fronts, and in the fronts there are again armies. One day I decided to find out, I looked into dictionaries and Wikipedia, and this is what I found:
The Japanese (and the Chinese) have such a character 軍 (gun). It means the army itself in a broad sense. Well, just like in Russian, the word “army” means an operational formation, the armed forces of the country, and in general some kind of large army. This is without even taking figurative meanings. The Japanese have an even broader meaning. For example, this character is part of the word 海軍 (kaigong) - navy (the first character means "sea"; similarly ground forces- 陸軍, the first character means land). The name "Kwantung Army" is written in Japanese as 関東軍 (kanchogun), where the first two characters actually mean "Kwantung Army". Those. the translation seems to be correct.
What about the fronts included in its composition? It's better to dance on the other side. The Japanese armed forces were built on the model of European ones, the main tactical formation, such as a European division, was 師団 (sidan). This word is quite legitimately translated as “division”. Several (2-5) sidan divisions united into 軍 (gun) with some serial number, for example 第2軍 (dai-ni gong), second gong. In terms of meaning, this should be translated as “2nd Corps,” but as you remember, the literal translation of the hieroglyph 軍 is “army.” And this is traditionally translated as “army”, both in Russian-language and English-language literature.
Further it is more difficult. Several such gun corps are combined into 方面軍 (hyomengun), usually also with a serial number. The first two hieroglyphs are translated as “direction, area, field.” In general, the meaning is clear, the unification of several buildings operating in one operational area. Taxonomically, it is a field army. Perhaps it was “field” that the Japanese tried to translate with their 方面. But our “army” is already occupied. How to translate? English-language literature has followed the path of literal translation and there 方面軍 is translated as “Area Army” or “Theater Army”. In the Russian language, they decided that if 軍 is an “army”, then the unification of armies should be a front, as in domestic armed forces. So in the Japanese armed forces in the Russian translation there were a bunch of numbered fronts.
And finally, to unite all the troops operating in any theater of operations, the Japanese created headquarters top level, roughly equivalent to army groups. Without bothering, they were called simply 軍 (gun) (in the metropolis there were also 総軍, shoguns, but we’ll leave that out for now). For them there was no confusion here. The gun corps had a number, the gun group of armies had a proper name: 関東軍 (kanchogun) - Kwantung Army, uniting troops in Manchuria, 南方軍 (nanpogun) - Southern Army, uniting troops in Indonesia, Burma in the Philippines, 支那派遣軍 (sinahakengun ) - Expeditionary Army in China. The translators also did not bother and translated as written. And so there appeared armies containing “fronts”, in which again armies...
This style of translation is misleading. If, for example, in the text in Burma the 14th British Army consisting of three corps and the Japanese Burma Front consisting of three armies are opposed to each other, then a certain (albeit small) mental effort is needed to understand that in essence equals are fighting each other strength. I don’t even know how to do it right. Modern aviation historians have a fairly holistic approach - German planes fly in staffels and geshwaders, Japanese planes fly in sentai and hikodans. There is a certain homespun in this, but I would still prefer a taxonomically correct translation - corps, army, army group.
PS
If instead of graceful hieroglyphs that look like bird footprints, you see squares that look like the empty windows of a bombed house, then to read this text you need to install a font with hieroglyphs.
The rapid advance of the Soviet-Mongolian troops through the waterless deserts and mountains of the Greater Khingan, which were considered impregnable, crossing large rocks, overcoming fortified areas in the forests and swamps of North-Eastern Manchuria, and reaching the Manchurian Plain confronted the Japanese command with the fact of military defeat of the Kwantung Army.
On the afternoon of August 17, the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army, General O. Yamada, turned to Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky with a proposal to begin negotiations on a cessation of hostilities. A statement from the Kwantung Army Headquarters, broadcast on Tokyo radio, said: “In order to achieve the speediest implementation of the order to cease hostilities, we, the Kwantung Army Command, issued an order this morning for aircraft carrying our representatives to be sent on August 17 between 10 and 14 hours (Tokyo time) to the following cities: Mudanjiang, Mishan, Mulin (Bamyantun) ... to establish contact with the command of the Red Army. The Kwantung Army Headquarters wishes that this measure does not cause any misunderstandings" (646).
At the same time, General Yamada notified the Soviet command that he had given the Kwantung Army troops an order to immediately cease hostilities and surrender their weapons. On the same day, two pennants were dropped from a Japanese plane at the location of the troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front, asking the headquarters of the 1st Japanese Front to stop hostilities. However, in practice, these statements and orders were still declarative. The command of the Kwantung Army did not skimp on them, while Japanese troops in many sectors of the front still continued to resist. Mostly units of the Manchukuo army surrendered.
Under these conditions, on August 17, the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East transmitted a radiogram with the following content to the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army: “The headquarters of the Japanese Kwantung Army turned by radio to the headquarters of the Soviet troops in the Far East with a proposal to cease hostilities, and not a word was said about the surrender of the Japanese armed forces in Manchuria. At the same time, Japanese troops launched a counteroffensive on a number of sectors of the Soviet-Japanese front. I propose to the commander of the Kwantung Army, from 12 o'clock on August 20, to cease all military operations against Soviet troops along the entire front, lay down their arms and surrender. The specified period is given so that the headquarters of the Kwantung Army can convey the order to cease resistance and surrender to all its troops. As soon as the Japanese troops begin to surrender their weapons, the Soviet troops will cease hostilities" (647).
On the morning of August 18, General Yamada, in a radio response to Marshal of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky, expressed his readiness to fulfill all the conditions of surrender. On the same day, Soviet radio stations intercepted a radiogram from Changchun that stated:
"1. The Kwantung Army, having fulfilled its duty to the end, is forced to capitulate. 2. All troops immediately cease hostilities and remain in the areas where they are now located. 3. Troops in contact with Soviet troops must surrender weapons as directed by the Soviet command. 4. I strictly prohibit any destruction.
Commander of the Kwantung Army" (648).
Indeed, on August 18, Japanese troops began to surrender in many sectors of the front. However, in a number of places, for example in the Khutou fortified area, the enemy rejected the ultimatum, and a captive envoy was hacked to death by a Japanese officer. The garrison of the fortified area continued to resist.
In this regard, the commander of the Trans-Baikal Front, with the consent of the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East, sent a special mission to Changchun to the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army, headed by a special mission - the head of the operational management department, Colonel I. T. Artemenko. He had to complete a rather complex and responsible task that required diplomatic experience. The main goal of the mission was for General Yamada to accept all the demands of the Soviet command and sign the act of unconditional surrender. Yamada was very experienced not only in military but also in diplomatic matters. Therefore, a lot depended on the behavior and restraint of the head of the mission at the time of negotiations, especially when delivering an ultimatum.
In addition, Colonel Artemenko should have insisted that the Manchukuo government explain to the population via radio that the Japanese troops had capitulated, were surrendering, and Soviet Army does not pursue any other goals other than the liberation of the population of Manchuria from the Japanese yoke.
The plane with the parliamentary group on board, accompanied by fighters, took off and headed for Changchun, and the commander of the Transbaikal Front sent a telegram to General Yamada by radio with the following content: “Today, August 19 at 8.00, a parliamentary group consisting of five officers and six privates, headed by authorized by the commander of the Transbaikal Front, Colonel Artemenko I.T., a C-47 aircraft, accompanied by nine fighters, was sent to the headquarters of the Kwantung Army with an ultimatum of unconditional surrender and cessation of resistance. For the last time I demand that you provide and confirm a guarantee for your flight. In case of violation of international rules, all responsibility will fall on you personally” (649).
Two hours later, a transport plane and three fighter jets landed at the Changchun military airfield. Colonel Artemenko, accompanied by officers, went to the headquarters of the Kwantung Army.
In case of complications during negotiations, a number of emergency measures were provided. With a conditioned signal transmitted to the C-47 aircraft using a wire line extended to Yamada’s office, the Soviet envoy could give the command to land a large airborne assault force in Changchun or massive bombardment of the city.
At the signal, an airborne force of 500 people, detached from the 6th Guards Tank Army, headed for Changchun an hour after the parliamentary mission had departed. The bombers were in the air, ready for immediate action. At 11 o'clock, an airborne assault force led by Hero of the Soviet Union Guard, Major P.N. Avramenko, landed safely at the same airfield. It consisted of soldiers of the 30th Guards Mechanized Brigade. The landing units quickly and organizedly occupied the airfield, creating a perimeter defense.
After short negotiations, the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army, General Yamada, seeing the complete futility of their delay, signed a pre-prepared act of surrender at 14:10. On the evening of the same day, the Japanese flag was lowered from the building of the headquarters of the main command of the Japanese troops in Changchun, and the Soviet flag took its place.
General Yamada and the Prime Minister of Manchukuo, Zhang Jing-hui, were forced to submit to the demands of the Soviet envoy and made radio speeches to the population in which they informed them of their surrender. Artemenko's mission ended successfully.
The disarmament of the 15,000-strong Changchun garrison began. Before ground troops entered the city, the disarmament of the garrison and the protection of the most important facilities was carried out by airborne units, which later formed the core of the Soviet garrison. General F.V. Karlov was appointed military commandant of Changchun.
In order to speed up the disarmament of capitulated troops, prevent possible destruction of industrial enterprises, railway stations and other important facilities, and also prevent the removal of material assets, major cities, ports and naval bases were landed by airborne troops.
The commander of the 1st Far Eastern Front also decided to land a number of airborne assault forces. The first was supposed to land troops in the Harbin area. The military council of the front appointed the deputy chief of staff of the front, General G. A. Shelakhov, as specially authorized to this city. He was supposed to fly out with the first echelon of troops to present the terms of surrender to the Harbin garrison, capture the most important objects in the Harbin area and prevent the destruction of bridges across the Sungari River before the arrival of the troops of the 2nd Far Eastern Front.
On the morning of August 18, the first echelon of troops, numbering 120 people, was ready to depart. The departure time was made dependent on the response of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army to the radiogram from the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Forces in the Far East. Long minutes and hours passed, and General Yamada remained silent. At 5 p.m., Marshal Meretskov ordered Shelakhov by phone: “There is no answer. Get started with the task at hand.”
Two hours later, the first echelon of troops landed in Harbin. Shelakhov met with a group of Japanese generals led by the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army, General Hata, and presented the conditions for the surrender of the Japanese troops:
"1. In order to avoid pointless bloodshed, the command of the Soviet troops proposes to stop resistance and begin an organized surrender, for which, after 2 hours, provide data on the combat and numerical strength of the troops in the Harbin zone;
2. In case of voluntary surrender, generals and officers of the Kwantung Army, until special order of the Soviet command, are allowed to carry edged weapons and remain in their apartments;
3. Responsibility for the preservation and procedure for the delivery of weapons, ammunition, warehouses, bases and other military property before the approach of Soviet troops lies entirely with the Japanese command;
4. Until the arrival of Soviet troops, maintaining proper order in the city of Harbin and its environs is entrusted to Japanese units, for which it is allowed to have some armed units led by Japanese officers;
5. The most important objects in Harbin and its surroundings, such as airfields, bridges on the river. Sungari, w. e. the junction, telegraph, postal institutions, banks and other important objects are subject to occupation by landing units immediately;
6. To coordinate issues related to the surrender and disarmament of the entire Kwantung Army on the territory of Manchuria, the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, Lieutenant General Hata, the Japanese Consul in Harbin Miyakawa and other persons at the discretion of the Japanese command, I propose to go to the command post at 7.00 19.8 on our landing plane commander of the 1st Far Eastern Front" (650) (by this time the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet troops in the Far East had arrived there with a group of generals and officers).
On the morning of August 19, Hata and a group of Japanese generals and officers were taken to the command post of the 1st Far Eastern Front, where Marshals of the Soviet Union A.M. Vasilevsky and K.A. Meretskov, Air Chief Marshal A.A. Novikov, General T F. Shtykov and other generals and officers.
After the terms of surrender were accepted by the Japanese, the landing force was faced with complex and responsible tasks to disarm a large Harbin group and maintain order in the city and its environs. The approach of the Soviet units was delayed due to heavy rains, therefore, by decision of the front commander, the landing detachment was strengthened: on the same day another group of 158 people landed, and on August 20 - another 213. On the same morning, formations of the Red Banner Amur Military Flotilla entered Harbin with landings from the 15th Army, which accepted the surrender of the Supgariya flotilla, and the landings - the Harbin garrison. Following the Japanese 3rd Army, the active disarmament of the 5th Army began.
The airborne troops of the Trans-Baikal Front, landed in Shenyang on August 19, played a decisive role in the capture of this large city. The landing of a group of troops in the rear of the Japanese army, which was defeated and capitulated, but continued to resist in certain sectors of the front, was a very bold step. No one could guarantee that the fanatics, of whom there were many in the Japanese army, would not use their weapons.
The landing, which was led by the authorized representative of the Military Council, the head of the political department of the headquarters of the Transbaikal Front, General A.D. Pritula, included 225 soldiers from the 6th Guards Tank Army. These were soldiers, sergeants and officers who fought thousands of fiery roads, overcame the Great Khingan and the Gobi Desert.
The machine gunners of the airborne detachment fell out of the blue: the Japanese did not expect the appearance of Soviet troops. Here, at the Shenyang airfield, the “Emperor” of Manchukuo, Henry Pu Yi, was captured. The commander of the 3rd Front, General Usiroku, presented data on the number of Japanese troops, the deployment of units, the availability of weapons and ammunition. Soviet representatives dispersed to the areas where Japanese units and formations were deployed to check the progress of surrender and disarmament. The next morning, the regiments and battalions of the 3rd Front reached out of the city to the areas indicated by the Soviet command.
On August 19, for similar purposes, an airborne assault was landed in Jirin (200 people), on August 22 in Luishun (200 people) and Lyuda (250 people), on August 23 in Yanji (238 people). Following the paratroopers, advanced detachments of ground forces approached these cities.
Considering that in a number of areas, for example, in the zone of action of the 25th Army of the 1st Far Eastern Front, Japanese units stopped resistance, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command ordered: “In those areas where Japanese troops lay down their arms and surrender, hostilities must cease.” (651)
On the evening of August 18, Marshal of the Soviet Union A. M. Vasilevsky conveyed this directive from Headquarters to the troops and demanded that the front commanders organize mobile detachments and airborne assaults to capture important cities, points, bases, railway trains and stations. The directive allowed commanders of divisions and brigades to independently, within their boundary lines, establish the procedure for receiving and disarming enemy troops.
In accordance with this, all armies received specific instructions on the formation of small but strong mobile detachments, well supplied with ammunition and fuel. They solved the problems of accepting surrender, preventing the destruction of economic facilities and the removal of material assets. Mobile detachments were created from rifle units mounted on all-terrain vehicles, tank companies or battalions, self-propelled artillery divisions, anti-tank destroyer batteries and mechanically propelled divisional artillery. Communication with the detachments was maintained by radio and airplanes. In each army, 3 to 7 detachments were created, consisting of up to a reinforced rifle regiment. Thus, from the 5th Army, the 850th Infantry Regiment of the 277th Infantry Division was equipped to Girin under the command of the division commander, General S.T. Gladyshev. The same detachment was sent to Harbin.
Mobile detachments rapidly moved towards their intended targets, occupying large cities together with airborne assault forces. To speed up the pace of advance of the main forces of the armies to the final points, the front commander ordered the commander of the 6th Guards Tank Army, whose formations were to reach the Liaodong Peninsula, after Shenyang and Changchun were occupied, to reach Lushun, Zhuanghe, and Fuzhou by a forced march. For this purpose, it was decided to use rail transport.
On the right wing of the Transbaikal Front, the Kalgan group of the cavalry-mechanized group went on the defensive at the line 6 km south of Zhangbei from August 22. The Doloinor group, after capturing Chengde, went south of the city to the Great Wall of China, put formations and units in order after a difficult transition and accepted the surrender of the Japanese troops.
By this time, the 17th Army, having captured Chifeng, concentrated its main forces in the area of Pingquan, Linyuan, sending strong reconnaissance detachments to the coast of the Liaodong Gulf.
The 53rd Army, having completed its tasks, by the end of August 26 reached the line of the Laohahe and Liaohe rivers with formations of the 49th Rifle Corps in the Xinmiao sector, the 57th Rifle Corps reached Kailu and the 18th Guards Rifle Corps - Tongliao. Further advance of the army to the south was suspended due to the front troops completing tasks to disarm the enemy.
After August 20, the 39th Army advanced into the designated areas both on its own and by rail, without encountering resistance. Having completed the task, the army troops disarmed the surrendering Japanese units and formations.
The 36th Army, having received an order after August 20 to disarm Japanese troops in the areas of Siping, Gongzhulin and Changchun, advanced there to Zhalantun under its own power, and then by rail. On August 25, the 86th Rifle Corps reached Changchun; by August 26, formations of the 2nd Rifle Corps reached Siping and Gongzhulin; part of the forces guarded the railway in the Harbin-Turchikhp section.
However, if V In the zone of action of the troops of the Trans-Baikal Front, Japanese units and formations stopped resistance and unconditionally capitulated, then the troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front had to fight fierce battles for many days with individual garrisons of fortified areas, groups and detachments hidden in the mountains. Only on August 22, after powerful artillery and air preparation, units of the 109th fortified region managed to storm the Khutou resistance center, and the Japanese garrison of up to 3 thousand soldiers and officers was almost completely exterminated.
Soviet troops had to overcome even more stubborn resistance during the liquidation of the Dunninsky fortified area. To destroy its long-term structures, the 223rd separate high-power howitzer artillery brigade, the 34th and 100th separate high-power artillery battalions were involved. In addition, up to two bomber divisions periodically launched attacks on strong points. With such reinforcement, the assault detachments of units of the 106th fortified area conducted a systematic and consistent attack on the enemy’s strong points and defense centers, and by August 26, the remnants of the garrison of the Dunnin fortified area were forced to surrender. By this time, the last enemy strongholds in the Shimingjia resistance center had also capitulated, where 901 soldiers and officers surrendered.
Thus, even after Japan declared surrender and the order of Commander-in-Chief Yamada to the troops of the Kwantung Army to lay down their arms, the Soviet Armed Forces conducted military operations against the garrisons of individual fortified areas and detachments hidden in the mountains and taiga. The liquidation of some Japanese units that refused to surrender was carried out even after Japan signed the act of surrender. In Manchuria, North Korea, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, formations of Soviet troops and the Pacific Fleet were captured large number enemy soldiers and officers captured trophies, as can be seen from Table 12.
As a result of a strategic operation of three fronts, the fleet and the Air Force, planned by the Supreme Command Headquarters, Soviet troops in the Far East inflicted a decisive defeat on the Kwantung Army. After the defeat of one of the large strategic groupings of Japanese ground forces on the mainland, the presence and use of which pinned the hopes of Japanese militarism for a protracted war against the United States, England and China, the Japanese government was forced to capitulate. A big role in this was played by the loss of the industrial base of the empire, the basis of its military-economic potential - Manchuria. With the surrender of the Kwantung Army, the threat of an attack by imperialist Japan on the Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic, which had existed for many years, was eliminated.
Table 12. Number of prisoners, main types of weapons and military equipment taken by troops of three fronts (652)
