The victorious Japanese troops shout "Banzai!" Upon learning of another victory in early 1942.[b]
They fought in the frozen steppes of Mongolia against the Red Army under the command of General Zhukov, in the hills and valleys of China against the nationalist forces of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and the communists of Mao Zedong, in the stuffy jungles of Burma against British, Indian and American troops, against American marines and soldiers on numerous islands and atolls of the South Seas and the Central Pacific Ocean. And no matter how strong the enemy was, no matter how difficult the conditions of hostilities and the climate, they never surrendered. For they have always fought to the last soldier. And for this they will have eternal memory. [b] They are soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army.
In the first months of the war, like their German allies, the Japanese swept away all opponents opposing them.
Military tradition of the Japanese army 1900-1945
The WWII Japanese soldier was a stubborn, enduring and resourceful fighter. In the steppes and valleys of Manchuria and China, in the foggy jungles of Burma and the islands of the southern seas, on the coral atolls of the Pacific Ocean - everywhere the Japanese army showed its fanatical tenacity in battle. American, British, Australian, New Zealand, Soviet, and Chinese soldiers have found that the Japanese infantryman is as good as, or even superior to, his German counterpart. Even more important was the ability of the Japanese soldier to apply modern technology in a combat situation. Although the infantry remained the backbone of the Japanese army, its soldiers possessed a large arsenal of weapons, including tanks, small arms, aircraft and artillery. When these weapons were combined with tactical and operational doctrines of offensive and defensive operations, the soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army could more than match their Western adversaries.
The origins of the combat abilities of the Japanese infantryman go back to the country's military past. Raised in the tradition of samurai warriors, the Japanese soldier, whether officer or private, was a skilled fighter, trained in the spirit of the ancient art of warfare. Indeed, militarism exerted the strongest influence on the entire Japanese society throughout its history from the 12th century until the first contacts with the West in 1856. He greatly influenced the development of Japan as a modern state. Samurai were not just a political elite, society perceived them as the conscience of the nation. The morale and spirit of the warrior also provided the influence of the samurai on society, as well as material leverage.
Understanding this fact allows us to understand the reason for the emergence of a "parallel" military government headed by the cabinet of the shogun, or generalissimo. Unlike medieval Europe, the samurai were superior to the aristocracy in both cultural and political leadership. Over time, Japanese society became militarized, based on feudal notions of service and loyalty to the nation. During Japan's contacts with Confucian China, neo-Confucian philosophy, in turn, influenced the development of the warrior's code, or Bushido. It was the "spirit of the warrior," or Bushido, who feat Japan in 1856, after the arrival of the American squadron of Commodore Matthew Perry, for the first time to open its doors to the West, and then inspired it to rapid territorial growth in Northeast Asia. From the occupation of Taiwan in 1895 to the end of World War I, when the Japanese armies took over the German concessions in China, Japan began to expand its empire. In the interwar period (1919-1941), in political and military influence in Asia, it was second only to the United States.
The expansion of the empire's borders during this period was facilitated by the powerful development of its armed forces, and in particular the build-up on the western borders of the army and navy, which were constantly inspired by the ancient military spirit. It was he who promoted the Japanese troops in the Pacific Ocean and finally, in September 1945, led to defeat from the very Western countries that once introduced the samurai to modern weapons.
Like most Western powers, Japan prepared its army for World War II during the first three decades of the 20th century. Although the Japanese army, which received modern weapons, studied the methods of warfare used by Western states during the First World War (1914-1918), many of the old methods and methods of training soldiers persisted long after the appearance in Japan, starting with the Restoration of 1868, of French, German and to a lesser extent British military instructors.
Three samurai in skillfully decorated traditional combat attire - an illustration of the early twentieth century. Under the influence of the ruling samurai class, the militarization of Japanese society increased until the outbreak of World War II.
Over the centuries, samurai have fused together some aspects of the teachings of Zen and neo-Confucianism, which ultimately led to the emergence of Bushido (the code of the warrior). Zen introduced into Japanese society a rigid discipline or a civil form of militarism (eventually hidden under the cover of martial arts), and Confucianism - an emphasized paternalism; as a result, Japan was open to militarism of the samurai class. This philosophy quickly rallied the fragmented feudal country, just as Bismarck, after 1864, was able to unite Germany with the help of the Prussian army. Zen Buddhism, which was preached by the Zen monk Nantembo (1839-1925), had a greater influence on Japanese militarism than the official religion of the state, Shinto, since most of the prominent civil and military leaders in the early 20th century tended to preach Nantembo.
In addition to Zen and Confucianism, Japanese martial arts were influenced by Taoism and Shintoism. After nearly a century of civil war, Japan was united due to the influence of the samurai class on Japanese society. The famous swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi, in his Book of the Five Realms, emphasized the differences in the influence of Zen and Confucianism on Japanese culture. He wrote: “Buddhism is the way of helping people. Confucianism is the path of civilization. " As Japanese militarism evolved at the end of the 19th century, both traditions were increasingly intertwined with the development of samurai views and, over time, turned into a coherent socio-cultural lifestyle, thus giving rise to Japanese militarism.
Japanese militarism and Bushido
Musashi's book can serve as a key to understanding Japanese martial art as it took shape in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Musashi wrote that "the art of war is one of the diverse paths of Japanese culture that must be studied and practiced by both political leaders and professional warriors." In "Five spheres, he pointed out:" The art of military affairs is the science of military specialists. This art must be learned first of all by the leaders, but the soldiers must also know this science. Nowadays there are no more warriors who correctly understand the science of martial arts. "
The Japanese soldier developed such qualities as loyalty to the emperor, self-sacrifice, blind faith, obedience to officers and experienced soldiers, as well as honesty, frugality, courage, moderation, nobility, and at the same time an extremely developed sense of shame. This, in turn, led the samurai (and the Japanese soldier) to adopt the custom of ritual suicide dating back to the 8th century - seppuku or hara-kiri by cutting off his stomach (after which the assistant of the deceased had to chop off his head). This is important to know, since ritual suicide gave rise to many myths with the help of which Europeans tried to understand the soul of the Japanese soldier and the motives that drove him on the battlefield. It is much more important to realize the simple fact that death and the possibility of death were a constant part of the daily life of the Japanese during the feudal period. Musashi continually returns to this:
“People usually imagine that all warriors are thinking about how to prepare for the coming of the ever-threatening death. But when it comes to death, warriors are not the only ones who die. All people who are aware of their duty should be ashamed to violate it, realizing that death is inevitable. In this respect, there is no difference between the classes. "
Not all Japanese soldiers ended their lives with ritual hara-kiri, like these two officers in Okinawa in 1945. Of the 120,000 Japanese defenders of Okinawa, more than 90% died in battle
Bushido, the warrior's code, incorporated the same principles that Musashi proclaimed in the Five Realms, including the concepts of heroism, death and honor. Although the samurai class and the feudal order under which it was formed were abolished in the second half of the 19th century by Emperor Meiji by a special decree of 1873 known as the Imperial Rescript, the Japanese nevertheless remained faithful to the Bushido Code. The imperial decree put an end to the era of feudalism in Japan and at the same time became the basis for the construction of a modern Japanese army. The Imperial Rescript included the Five Words, which became the code of conduct for officer and soldier. They stated:
[b] 1. The soldier must fulfill his duty to the country.
2. The soldier must be courteous.
3. The soldier must show courage in war.
4. The soldier must keep his word.
5. The soldier must lead a simple life.
Japanese officers and soldiers took these five directives very seriously. Over time, they were incorporated into the Sendjinkun, or soldier's manual, which guided the Japanese troops during the Second World War. As one Japanese officer wrote after the end of the war, “We worked hard during the training period, holding the Five Words in our hearts. In my opinion, they were the basis of our proper way of life. " Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo constantly reminded his troops of their duty to fight to the end or "commit suicide" in the performance of their duties, as the soldier's regulations called for.
Senjinkun is absolutely accurate in its main message: devotion to duty and the emperor. The charter considered loyalty to be the "main duty" of the Japanese soldier. Senjinkun taught: "Remember that the defense of the state and the growth of its power depend on the strength of the army ... Remember that duty is heavier than a mountain, and death is lighter than fluff ..." Japanese soldiers were also instructed to be courteous to each other and to the defenders- to the enemy. It may seem strange if you remember what the Japanese troops were doing in China and the Pacific Islands, but the Bushido code directly condemned soldiers who could not show compassion to both civilians and the enemy. As for respect for authority, Senjinkun proclaimed that soldiers must obey the orders of their commanders unquestioningly.
A dead Japanese soldier in the Philippines stabbed himself with his own bayonet to avoid being captured. According to the code of conduct, every Japanese soldier had to fight to the death or take his own life.
The meaning of valor
The warrior code dictated that the soldier must show courage. At the same time, the Japanese soldier was supposed to respect the "lower" enemy and honor the "higher", in other words, according to Sendjinkun, the soldier and sailor were supposed to be "truly valiant". The soldier was instructed to be loyal and obedient. Loyalty was understood as the readiness of the Japanese soldier to always defend his world. At the same time, the officers constantly reminded the soldiers of obedience and the need to fulfill all duties. Finally, the charter ordered the soldier to lead a simple life, avoiding "luxury, pampered behavior and pretentiousness."
In addition, Senjinkun emphasized that the main duty of a soldier is to fight and, if necessary, die for the Emperor. The practice of suicide or fighting "to the last" was widespread in the imperial army, as the examples of Peleleu and Saipan (1944) and Iwo Jima (1945) show. In part, such fanaticism or fatalism was instilled in young recruits by officers and senior soldiers during an intensive three-month training period, "turning them into fanatics, ready to die for their emperor, their country and for the glory of their regiments."
Still, it is difficult to understand why Japanese soldiers, sailors and pilots were so willing to die. A better understanding of this is helped by the fact that the Malay ancestors of the modern Japanese were energetic and brave, and at the same time possessed the docility and loyalty received from the Mongols. These qualities were combined in the typical Japanese soldier and could be revealed with the right upbringing and cultivation. After intense training, the Japanese soldier began to believe that he could fight with courage, pressure and courage beyond the reach of his adversary, following the orders of his commanders and obeying them unquestioningly.
"War without mercy". A Japanese infantryman in Indonesia stabs down Indonesian rebels captured in early 1942 with a bayonet. Many local residents were mistreated during the period of Japanese rule: men were forced into slave labor, and women were forced to sleep with soldiers.
Military service and Bushido
The qualities of the Japanese soldier, such as dedication to duty and the desire for self-sacrifice, were later used to train, train and develop military skills. At the same time, the Japanese soldier relied on kiai - a fantastic strength, or a source of power hidden in every person, which can be achieved by one's own effort. He was the foundation of Japanese martial arts and skills. The term ki means "thought" or "will"; the meaning of the term ai is opposite to the concept of "unity"; In general, the essence of kiai can be conveyed as motivated power, combined with the desire to surpass the opponent. Hence follows the principle of the superiority of spirit over matter, which underlies the Japanese arts of judo and karate.
The influence of kiai on the mind of a samurai was incredibly powerful. Soon, samurai warriors (and, therefore, Japanese soldiers) came to the belief that there were no barriers to human endurance. The Japanese military leadership used the spirit of kiai as a practical element of military training. It was believed that with the right motivation, a Japanese recruit is able to overcome any obstacles and hardships. It was believed that, with proper training, the spirit of kiai, or hara ("gut"), could provide a soldier with superhuman qualities. As a result, the Japanese army adopted such difficult methods of training and training soldiers, which were not, perhaps, in any other army in the world. One of the methods of punishment, for example, was the 80-kilometer march; during the training period, the soldier went through all the possible hardships that he could face on the battlefield and which seemed to lie beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person. When preparing for the combat service of a Western soldier, most armies set some reasonable load limits, which were considered the limit of a person's endurance. There was no such thing in the Imperial Japanese Army. The Japanese soldier was obliged to resignedly accept all the hardships and loads. According to the warrior's code, there are no endurance limits, and as long as a person has not lost his hara, he can "go forward forever." From this it followed that a samurai of any rank could not refuse to carry out an order on the grounds that the task was superior to human strength. The word "impossible" did not exist in the Japanese army.
Japanese soldiers were forced to think only about the offensive, even if the enemy outnumbered them, and the Japanese themselves lacked weapons and equipment. During the Second World War, many cases were recorded when Japanese troops launched attacks on fortified enemy positions without artillery, air or any other support, having only rifles and machine guns. As the events on Guadalcanal in August 1942 and the battles in the Pacific theater of operations in general showed, Japanese soldiers often rushed senselessly to American, British and Australian positions, losing a lot of people, but unable to even get close to the enemy. Japanese commanders never interfered with such a practice, despite the unequal chances of success with the enemy. The refusal of a Japanese officer or soldier to attack was the deepest contradiction to the Bushido code.
Japanese soldiers hiding around the corner of a building in Shanghai are ready for a gas attack (China, 1942). After poison gases were regularly used on the Western Front during the First World War, Japanese soldiers began to intensively prepare for action in gas masks.
Bushido clearly defined the relationship between samurai and their behavior in battle. Although Bushido is sometimes interpreted as a refined form of European chivalry, it should be noted that this warrior code did not include any customs regarding the protection of women and children, as Japanese society remained deeply patriarchal. On the contrary, the samurai had complete power over the women in his estate, and his interests were above all. This explains the widespread practice of the Japanese during the Second World War to use the women of the conquered areas as prostitutes. These "women for pleasure", as they were designated by the Japanese command, were completely dependent on the invaders and were completely exploited by both soldiers and officers. Chauvinism can also explain the ease with which Japanese soldiers killed innocent civilians in the occupied territories.
When British, American and other prisoners began to appear in the course of the war, the Japanese could not find recommendations in the Bushido code on how to deal with a captured foreigner. Since the Japanese soldier never received clear instructions on the treatment of prisoners, his behavior towards the captured Americans and British changed from quite civilized to almost brutal. Explaining how the Japanese treated prisoners of war in the Western armies, one of the Japanese officers at the end of the war said: “Our soldiers did not receive clear instructions in advance. But when the prisoners began to arrive, we sent an order to the unit to send them to the headquarters without inflicting wounds on them. I believed that although war is inhuman, we should act as humanely as possible. When I captured some of your (British soldiers) in Burma, I gave them food and tobacco. " This attitude towards prisoners varied depending on where, when and under what circumstances they were captured. True, as one historian notes, "fighters are rarely inclined to kindness when they are out of action." Moreover, most Japanese soldiers viewed surrender as a dishonor that could not be forgiven.
Samurai perceived themselves as true patriots of Japan, defenders of the throne and the nation as a whole. The warrior's code meant that diplomacy was a sign of weakness, and statements about reaching an agreement were sickening. Young officers who dreamed of territorial expansion published "The Great Destiny", which brought together their views in relation to the Emperor and Hakko Ichi-yu ("the whole world under one roof"): "With due respect, we believe that the divine destiny our country lies in its spread under the hand of the Emperor to the very borders of the world. "
A Japanese shooter picks a victim in the jungle. The Japanese were better at volley fire and, oddly enough, hit moving targets well. Nevertheless, snipers preferred to deal with the enemy pinned to the ground.
Field and fire training
The training of infantrymen of the Japanese army included training in actions as part of the minimum subunit (squad), then sequentially moving on to actions as part of a platoon, company, battalion and regiment; the final chord was the big maneuvers at the end of each year. Training in the course of the second year of service essentially did not change, but more time was devoted to the development of special skills necessary for servicemen of various types of troops. As for the qualitative aspect of the study of military affairs, it can be said that in the Japanese infantry it provided for the gradualness and consistency in mastering the material with a simultaneous increase in the intensity and depth of training. Japanese soldiers made long marches with full gear and grueling endurance exercises; the military leadership considered this necessary in order to educate fighters to withstand hunger and high workloads for a long time.
The mythical view that the Japanese soldier was best suited for jungle warfare should be clarified. In general, this is true, but it must be borne in mind that the Japanese infantryman was primarily trained to conduct combat in any climatic and natural conditions, and not only in the jungle. In addition, the Japanese soldier received the skills to conduct a "correct" war, that is, combat operations common on the Western Front during the First World War. Indeed, the fighting technique adopted by the Japanese soldiers of World War II, especially during the long war in China, was first tested in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
A Japanese machine gunner prepares to meet Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese units on the Chekyang front, 1943. The Japanese machine guns differed from the American and British ones in their low rate of fire and a tendency to "chew" cartridges and misfire, but in defense they were not bad.
Japanese soldiers were taught to endure all the hardships in any climate and on any type of terrain. Training in mountainous conditions and in cold climates was considered especially important - practical exercises were conducted in North Japan, Korea and Formosa (Taiwan). There, Japanese infantrymen conducted "snow marches" (ko-gun net). These crossings, lasting four to five days, were usually organized in late January or the first week of February, when the coldest weather sets in northern Japan. In order to increase endurance, soldiers were forbidden to use gloves, and overnight stays were organized in the open air. The main purpose of such training was to accustom officers and soldiers to the cold. From July to August, long marches were made to train the personnel to the heat. Both were done to train the Japanese soldier to endure extreme temperatures, the harshest living conditions and all kinds of hardships.
In addition to these Spartan conditions, food and living conditions were also the most simple and practical. A Japanese soldier's diet usually included a large bowl of rice, a cup of green tea, a plate of Japanese pickled vegetables, jerky fish and fried bean paste, or some local delicacy such as fruits and vegetables. In the dining room was a large, straight table with wooden benches set on a bare wooden plank floor. As a rule, the dining room was decorated with a large slogan or inscription praising loyalty to the Emperor or a reminder of one of the warrior's virtues.
The training itself included bayonet fighting (bayonet is a "special attack weapon"), the basics of camouflage, patrolling, action at night, shooting, marches, training in the basics of field hygiene, sanitation and first aid, as well as information about military innovations. At the individual level, each soldier prepared to fight in the war of the twentieth century, but at the same time, his education was based on the Bushido code.
A Japanese infantryman crosses a river in China's Shandong province on a hastily constructed pontoon bridge. Many of the soldiers supporting the bridge are injured but will not leave their place until the opposite bank is captured.
Field or "forced" marches
The enormous attention that was paid to the education of inflexibility and endurance led to the fact that the Japanese army actively included long transitions in the training process. This was done in spite of the many problems that Japanese soldiers faced when they were forced to wear uncomfortable leather shoes. Often, when performing training marches, the soldier had to throw off his boots and change into straw varisi sandals, which he wore in a biscuit bag and used during halts.
The pace of the march was set in advance, and it was forbidden to change it, no matter how difficult the transition was. Companies had to march in full force, and any soldier (or officer) who left the formation was subjected to severe punishment. A British observer assigned to the Japanese army in the 1920s reported how a Japanese officer, who collapsed from exhaustion during the march, committed suicide with hara-kiri "in the hope of washing away an indelible shame." The company commanders usually marched in the rear of the column, with a second or first lieutenant at the head of the movement. After every 50 minutes of crossing, the company stopped, and a ten-minute halt was announced, so that the soldiers had the opportunity to straighten their shoes or drink water.
Field standard-bearer of the 56th division of the Japanese army during the transition at the Ayeyarwaddy River (Burma, February 1944).
Field hygiene
The Japanese soldier adhered to the requirements of field hygiene by all means. The barracks in the location of the units were meticulously cleaned, bed linen and blankets were aired daily. The Japanese army moved mainly on foot, and therefore much attention was paid to foot hygiene, if possible, socks were changed twice a day. All soldiers had to bathe; if possible, underwear was changed daily or every other day. Cleanliness checks were carried out in preparation for eating, and commanders were required to personally check the cleanliness of hands, nails and clothing.
Rations
In combat and on the march, the ration of the Japanese soldier, or schichi bu no san, consisted of wheat flour and rice; each soldier had seven portions of rice and three portions of flour. Flour and rice were mixed and boiled in a large kettle or kettle. The soldier received food three times a day. The main food was the same in the arrangement of the part, but there the rice was usually supplemented with some kind of seasoning. The soldiers received bread once a week, but not on a mandatory basis. Japanese soldiers, like many Asians, did not particularly like bread and preferred rice and flour with various additives to it. For all three daily meals, the soldiers received hot drinks - green tea or just hot water.
In between battles, Japanese soldiers are busy preparing food. A common meal for the Japanese infantryman was a bowl of rice with pickled vegetables and dried bean paste. Local produce like fresh fish was a welcome variety.
One goal
Each stage of the training of the Japanese army in the interwar period was devoted to one goal - the selection, conscription and training of well-trained infantrymen. These soldiers were to receive a fair dose of military knowledge and skills. The pre-conscript training process lasted from high school to college or university, and continuous training and education was supposed to provide the Japanese army with an adequate supply of trained officers and soldiers. This happened in the Second World War.
From the very beginning of military training, inspired by the "spirit of the warrior", or Bushido, over time, the Japanese soldier became one of the most trained and, without a doubt, one of the most fanatical opponents that the armies of the USA, China, Great Britain, Australia, the Soviet Union and New Zealand.
There is no doubt that the Japanese army during the Second World War was predominantly infantry. Only against the Soviet Union and China, as well as only on a few islands in the Pacific Ocean, did the Japanese use armored and mechanized forces.
In most cases, the fighting in Guadalcanal, Burma, New Guinea and the Pacific Islands was infantry battles. It was in these battles that the Japanese soldier showed himself to be a resourceful and strong fighter, despite all the circumstances that opposed him. All this was the result of the training and propaganda of the warrior code during the interwar period.
Japanese soldiers attack Chinese positions in 1938. The backbone of the Japanese division was the shooter; most of the soldiers in this photograph are armed with Arisaka rifles.
Japanese soldiers of the Imperial Army today
The bravery of the Japanese soldiers and loyalty to their Emperor reminded of themselves many years after the war. Dozens of years after the end of the Second World War, on various islands where the Imperial Japanese Army fought, there were Japanese soldiers in shabby uniforms who did not know that the war had ended long ago. Hunters from remote Filipino villages talked about "devil people" living in the thickets like wild beasts. In Indonesia, they were called the "yellow people" who roam the forests. It did not occur to the Japanese soldiers that they could surrender to the local authorities, they continued their guerrilla war, the war for the Emperor. It was a matter of their honor. Japanese soldiers have always fulfilled their duty to the end, to the last drop of their own blood.
1961, Private Masashi and Corporal Minakawa
In 1961, 16 years after Japan's surrender, a soldier named Ito Masashi emerged from the tropical jungles of Guam. Masashi could not believe that the world that he knew and believed in before 1945 is now completely different, that that world no longer exists.
Private Masashi got lost in the jungle on October 14, 1944. Ito Masashi bent down to tie a lace on his boot. He lagged behind the column, and this saved him - part of Masashi was ambushed by Australian soldiers. Hearing the shooting, Masashi and his comrade, Corporal Iroki Minakawa, also lagging behind, threw themselves to the ground. Thus began their incredible sixteen-year hide-and-seek game with the rest of the world.
For the first two months the private and the corporal ate the remains of the NZ and the larvae of insects, which they looked for under the bark of trees. They drank rainwater collected in banana leaves, chewed edible roots. Sometimes they dined with snakes, which happened to be caught in a snake.
The Japanese used bicycles to increase mobility whenever possible and, as a result, moved significantly faster than British and American troops, which were too clumsy at the beginning of the war.
At first, they were hunted by the soldiers of the allied army, and then by the inhabitants of the island with their dogs. But they managed to leave. Masashi and Minakawa invented their own language for safe communication with each other - clicking, hand signals.
They built several shelters by digging them in the ground and covering them with branches. The floor was covered with dry leaves. Several holes were dug nearby with sharp stakes at the bottom - game traps.
They roamed the jungle for eight long years. Later Masashi will say: “During our wanderings, we came across other similar groups of Japanese soldiers who, like us, continued to believe that the war was continuing. We were sure that our generals retreated for tactical reasons, but the day will come when they will return with reinforcements. Sometimes we lit fires, but it was dangerous, as we could be found. The soldiers were dying of hunger and disease, were attacked. I knew that I had to stay alive in order to fulfill my duty - to continue the fight. We survived only thanks to incident because they stumbled upon the junkyard of an American airbase. "
The landfill has become a source of life for soldiers lost in the jungle. The profligate Americans threw away many different foods. There, the Japanese picked up cans and adapted them for dishes. From the springs from the beds, they made sewing needles, the awnings were used for bed linen. The soldiers needed salt, and at night they crawled out to the coast, filled cans of sea water to evaporate white crystals from it.
The wanderers' worst enemy was the annual rainy season: for two months in a row, they sat sadly in shelters, feeding only on berries and frogs. Almost unbearable tension reigned in their relationship at that time, Masashi later said.
The Japanese branch clears out a narrow street in Malaysia in January 1942. The Japanese used similar tactics when fighting the British. The submachine gunner and two riflemen cover their comrade, carefully checking the paths to approach the enemy.
After ten years of such a life, they found leaflets on the island. They contained a message from a Japanese general that they had never heard of before. The general ordered them to surrender. Masashi said, "I was sure it was an American ploy to catch us. I told Minakawa," Who do they take us for ?! "
An incredible sense of duty among these people, unfamiliar to Europeans, is also reflected in another story by Masashi: “One day Minakawa and I were talking about how to get out of this island by sea. We walked along the coast, unsuccessfully trying to find a boat. But we came across only two American barracks with lighted windows. We crawled close enough to see the dancing men and women and hear the sounds of jazz. For the first time in all these years I saw women. I was desperate - I missed them! Returning to my hideout, I began to carve a figure out of wood. I could safely go to the American camp and surrender, but it was contrary to my convictions. After all, I swore an oath to my emperor, he would be disappointed in us. I did not know that the war was over long ago, and I thought that the soldier to some other place. "
One morning, after sixteen years of hermitage, Minakawa donned homemade wooden sandals and went hunting. A day passed, but he was not there. Masashi was seized with panic. “I knew I wouldn’t survive without him,” he said. “I searched the jungle in search of a friend. I stumbled upon Minakawa's backpack and sandals by accident. rushed back into the jungle, determined to die but not surrender. Climbing the mountain, I saw there four Americans waiting for me. Among them was Minakawa, whom I did not immediately recognize - his face was clean shaven. From him I heard that the war was long over, but it took me several months to really believe it. I was shown a photograph of my grave in Japan, where it was written on the monument that I died in battle. It was terribly difficult to understand. All my youth was wasted. That evening I went to a hot-heated bathhouse and for the first time in many years went to sleep on a clean bed. It was delicious! "
Units advancing on the Chinese city of Hangu in 1938 halted their advance in order to assess the damage caused to the enemy by artillery fire. In a battle with a strong enemy, such a display of the banner could turn out to be suicidal.
[b] 1972, Sergeant Ikoi
As it turns out, there were Japanese soldiers who lived in the jungle much longer than Masashi. For example, Imperial Army Sergeant Shoichi Ikoi, who also served in Guam.
When the Americans took the island by storm, Shoichi fought off his Marine regiment and found shelter at the foot of the mountains. He also found leaflets on the island urging Japanese soldiers to surrender as ordered by the emperor, but refused to believe it.
The sergeant lived as a complete hermit. Ate mainly frogs and rats. The form, which had fallen into disrepair, was replaced by clothes made of bark and bast. He shaved, scraping his face with a sharpened piece of flint.
Shoichi Ikoi said: “I was all alone for so many long days and nights! began to train his voice every day, singing songs or reading aloud prayers. "
The sergeant was accidentally discovered by hunters in January 1972. He was 58 years old. Ikoi did not know anything about the atomic bombings, about the surrender and defeat of his homeland. When it was explained to him that his hermitage was meaningless, he fell to the ground and sobbed. Hearing that he would soon be flying home to Japan on a jet plane, Ikoi asked in surprise, "What is a jet?"
After this incident, under pressure from the public, government organizations in Tokyo were forced to equip an expedition into the jungle in order to extract their old soldiers from their dens. The expedition scattered tons of leaflets in the Philippines and other islands where Japanese soldiers might be. But the wandering warriors still saw it as enemy propaganda.
1974, Lieutenant Onoda
Even later, in 1974, on the remote Philippine island of Lubang, 52-year-old Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda emerged from the jungle and surrendered to the local authorities. Six months earlier, Onoda and his comrade Kinshiki Kozuka had ambushed a Filipino patrol, mistaking it for an American one. Kozuka died, and attempts to track down Onoda did not lead to anything: he hid in the impassable thickets.
To convince Onoda that the war was over, he even had to call his former commander - he did not trust anyone else. Onoda asked permission to keep the sacred samurai sword, which he buried on the island in 1945.
Onoda was so stunned to find himself at a completely different time that he had to apply long-term psychotherapeutic treatment. He said: “I know that many more of my comrades are hiding in the forests, I know their callsigns and the places where they hide. But they will never come to my call. They will decide that I have not withstood the tests and broke down, surrendering to the enemies. Unfortunately, they will die there. "
In Japan, Onoda had a touching meeting with his elderly parents. His father said: "I am proud of you! You acted like a real warrior, as your heart told you."
A Japanese soldier died in his trench, awaiting the appearance of enemy tanks and preparing to act as a "living mine", detonating an aerial bomb attached to his chest at the moment when the tank passed over him. 1944, Mectila, Burma.
2005, Lieutenant Yamakawa and Lance corporal Nakauchi
The last case of detection occurred quite recently - in May 2005. In the jungle of the Philippine island of Mindanao, 87-year-old lieutenant Yoshio Yamakawa and 85-year-old corporal Tsuzuki Nakauchi, who served in the Panther division, which lost up to 80% of personnel in the Philippines, were found.
They fought and hid in the jungle for 60 years - they devoted their whole lives not to lose their honor before their Emperor.
[b] "Debt is heavier than a mountain, and death is lighter than fluff."
Soldier Regulations of the Imperial Japanese Army Sendjinkun
Excerpts from the Bushido Codex:
"True courage is to live and die when it is right to die."
"One should go to death with a clear consciousness of what a samurai should do and what humiliates his dignity."
"You should weigh every word and invariably ask yourself if what you are about to say is true."
"In everyday affairs, remember death and keep this word in your heart."
"To respect the rule of 'trunk and branches'. To forget it means never to comprehend virtue, and a person who neglects the virtue of filial piety is not a samurai. Parents are the trunk of a tree, children of its branch."
"A samurai must be not only an exemplary son, but also a loyal subject. He will not leave his master even if the number of his vassals is reduced from one hundred to ten, to one."
"In war, the loyalty of a samurai is manifested in that, without fear, go to the enemy's arrows and spears, sacrificing life if the duty requires it."
"Loyalty, justice and courage are the three natural virtues of a samurai."
"The falcon does not pick up the abandoned grains, even if he is dying of hunger. So the samurai must show that he is full, even if he did not eat anything."
"If a samurai happens to lose a battle in a war, and he has to lay down his head, he should proudly say his name and die with a smile without humiliating haste."
"Being mortally wounded, so that no means can save him, the samurai must respectfully address with words of farewell to his elders and calmly give up his ghost, submitting to the inevitable."
source resource www.renascentia.ru
Mood: Combat
During the Second World War, not only fictitious countries formed in the occupied territories, but also full-fledged already existing states, stood on the side of Germany. One of these was Japan. Our article will tell about her participation in the largest military conflict of the 20th century.
Prerequisites
Before talking about the direct participation of Japan in World War II, it is worth considering the background:
- Change of political course: by the 1930s, a new ideology had taken hold in the country, aimed at increasing military power and expanding territories. In 1931 Manchuria (north-east of China) was captured. Japan formed a subordinate state there;
- Withdrawal from the League of Nations: in 1933 a commission of the organization condemned the actions of the Japanese invaders;
- Conclusion of the Anti-Comintern Pact: the 1936 treaty with Germany on how to prevent the spread of communism;
- The beginning of the second Sino-Japanese War (1937);
- Joining the Nazi bloc: the signing in 1940 with Germany and Italy of the Berlin Pact on cooperation and power-sharing in the world; the beginning of the 1941 war with the United States.
Rice. 1. Second Sino-Japanese War.
Participation
Japan did not confine itself to only China, attacking the American, British and Dutch colonies located in southeast Asia. Therefore, the third and fourth stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War (from December 1941) are considered part of the Second World War.
The first Japanese-American military clash was the battle in Pearl Harbor near Hawaii (December 7, 1941), where American military bases (naval, air) were located.
The main reasons for the attack by Japanese troops:
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- The USA stopped supplying the Japanese with aviation fuel, oil, aircraft;
- Japan decided to launch a preemptive strike on the American naval forces in order to eliminate the threat from them for its further aggressive actions.
There was a surprise effect on the Japanese side, as the Americans ignored the signs of an impending attack, considering the Philippines as the main target of the Japanese army. The American fleet and aviation suffered significantly, but the Japanese did not achieve a complete victory, only unleashed an official war with the United States.
In December 1941, the Japanese captured Thailand, the islands of Guam and Wake, Hong Kong, Singapore, and part of the Philippines. In May 1942, Japan recaptured the entire southeast of Asia and the northwestern islands of the Pacific Ocean.
In June 1942, the American fleet defeated the Japanese in the battle for the Midway Islands. At the same time, the Japanese captured the islands of Attu and Kysku, which the Americans were able to liberate only in the summer of 1943.
In 1943 the Japanese were defeated in the battle for the islands of Guadalcanal and Tarawa, in 1944 they lost control of the Mariana Islands and lost the naval battle at Leyte. In battles on land until the end of 1944, the Japanese defeated the Chinese army.
Japan used chemical weapons against the Chinese troops and, conducting experiments on people, developed biological weapons. For the first time, the United States used nuclear weapons for combat purposes (August 1945), dropping atomic bombs on Japanese cities (Hiroshima, Nagasaki).
Rice. 2. The explosion in Hiroshima.
In 1945, Chinese troops launched an offensive. American bombing accelerated the defeat of Japan, and the USSR, fulfilling the Yalta agreements, in August defeated the most powerful group of Japanese forces (the Kwantung Army).
The Second Sino-Japanese, Soviet-Japanese and World War II ended on September 2, 1945, when Japan surrendered.
Japan did not sign a peace treaty with the USSR. There is only the 1956 declaration to end the state of war. Japan disputes the ownership of the southern part of the Kuril Islands by Russia.
Rice. 3. Kuril Islands.
What have we learned?
From the article, we learned that in World War II, the United States was the most active against Japan (December 1941), supporting China and forced to respond to the aggressive actions of the Japanese army near Hawaii. The USSR declared war on Japan only in August 1945, and in September of this year Japan surrendered.
Assessment of the report
Average rating: 4.1. Total ratings received: 60.
Ilya Kramnik, military columnist for RIA Novosti.
The war between the USSR and Japan in 1945, which became the last major campaign of World War II, lasted less than a month - from August 9 to September 2, 1945, but this month became a key month in the history of the Far East and the entire Asia-Pacific region, completing, and vice versa, initiating many historical processes lasting tens of years.
Background
The preconditions for the Soviet-Japanese war arose exactly on the day when the Russian-Japanese war ended - on the day of the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty on September 5, 1905. Russia's territorial losses were insignificant - the Liaodong Peninsula leased from China and the southern part of Sakhalin Island. Much more significant was the loss of influence in the world in general and in the Far East, in particular, caused by the unsuccessful war on land and the death of most of the fleet at sea. The feeling of national humiliation was also very strong.
Japan became the dominant Far Eastern power, it almost uncontrollably exploited marine resources, including in the Russian territorial waters, where it conducted predatory fishing, crab, sea animals, etc.
This situation intensified during the 1917 revolution and the ensuing Civil War, when Japan actually occupied the Russian Far East for several years and left the region with great reluctance under pressure from the United States and Great Britain, which feared an excessive strengthening of yesterday's ally in World War I.
At the same time, there was a process of strengthening Japan's position in China, which was also weakened and fragmented. The reverse process that began in the 1920s - the strengthening of the USSR, which was recovering from military and revolutionary upheavals - quickly led to the formation of relations between Tokyo and Moscow that could easily be described as a "cold war." The Far East has long become an arena of military confrontation and local conflicts. By the end of the 1930s, tensions reached a peak, and this period was marked by two of the largest clashes between the USSR and Japan during this period - the conflict on Lake Khasan in 1938 and on the Khalkhin-Gol River in 1939.
Fragile neutrality
Having suffered rather serious losses and convinced of the might of the Red Army, Japan chose on April 13, 1941 to conclude a pact of neutrality with the USSR, and to free its hands for the war in the Pacific Ocean.
The Soviet Union also needed this pact. At that time, it became obvious that the "naval lobby", which was pushing the southern direction of the war, was playing an increasing role in Japanese politics. The army's position, on the other hand, was weakened by hurtful defeats. The likelihood of war with Japan was not assessed very high, while the conflict with Germany was approaching every day.
For Germany itself, Japan's partner in the Anti-Comintern Pact, which saw Japan as the main ally and future partner in the New World Order, the agreement between Moscow and Tokyo was a serious slap in the face and caused complications in relations between Berlin and Tokyo. Tokyo, however, pointed out to the Germans that there was a similar pact of neutrality between Moscow and Berlin.
The two main aggressors of World War II could not agree, and each waged its own main war - Germany against the USSR in Europe, Japan - against the United States and Great Britain in the Pacific Ocean. At the same time, Germany declared war on the United States on the day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, but Japan did not declare war on the USSR, as the Germans hoped for.
However, relations between the USSR and Japan could hardly be called good - Japan constantly violated the signed pact, detaining Soviet ships at sea, periodically allowing attacks by Soviet military and civil ships, violating the border on land, etc.
It was obvious that the signed document was not valuable for any of the parties for any long time, and the war was only a matter of time. However, since 1942, the situation gradually began to change: the marked turning point in the war forced Japan to abandon long-term plans for a war against the USSR, and at the same time, the Soviet Union began to increasingly carefully consider plans to return the territories lost during the Russo-Japanese War.
By 1945, when the situation became critical, Japan tried to start negotiations with the Western allies, using the USSR as a mediator, but this did not bring success.
During the Yalta Conference, the USSR announced its commitment to start a war against Japan within 2-3 months after the end of the war against Germany. The allies saw the intervention of the USSR as necessary: for the defeat of Japan, the defeat of its ground forces, which for the most part had not yet been affected by the war, was required, and the allies feared that the landing on the Japanese islands would cost them great casualties.
Japan, with the neutrality of the USSR, could count on the continuation of the war and reinforcement of the forces of the mother country at the expense of resources and troops stationed in Manchuria and Korea, communication with which continued, despite all attempts to interrupt it.
The declaration of war by the Soviet Union finally destroyed these hopes. On August 9, 1945, speaking at an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council for War Leadership, Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki stated:
"The entry of the Soviet Union into the war this morning puts us completely in a hopeless position and makes it impossible for the further continuation of the war."
It should be noted that nuclear bombings in this case became only an additional reason for an early withdrawal from the war, but not the main reason. Suffice it to say that the massive bombing of Tokyo in the spring of 1945, which caused about the same number of victims as Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined, did not lead Japan to surrender. And only the entry into the war of the USSR against the background of nuclear bombings - forced the leadership of the Empire to admit the futility of continuing the war.
"August storm"
The war itself, nicknamed the "August Storm" in the West, was rapid. Possessing rich experience in military operations against the Germans, Soviet troops broke through the Japanese defenses with a series of quick and decisive strikes and launched an offensive deep into Manchuria. Tank units successfully advanced in seemingly unsuitable conditions - through the Gobi sands and the Khingan ridges, but the military machine, fine-tuned for four years of war with the most formidable enemy, practically did not fail.
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 resistance of the Japanese in the east of Manchuria, occupying the largest city in that region, Mudanjiang. In a number of areas in the depths of the defense, Soviet troops had to overcome fierce enemy resistance. In the zone of the 5th Army, it was rendered with special force in the Mudanjiang region. There were cases of stubborn enemy resistance in the zones of the Trans-Baikal and 2nd Far Eastern fronts. The Japanese army also made repeated counterattacks. On August 17, 1945, in Mukden, Soviet troops captured the Emperor of Manchukuo Pu Yi (formerly the last emperor of China).
On August 14, the Japanese command made a proposal to conclude an armistice. But in practice, hostilities from 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 he did not immediately reach everyone, and in some places the Japanese acted contrary to the order.
On August 18, the Kuril landing operation was launched, 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, ordered the occupation of the Japanese island of Hokkaido by forces of two rifle divisions. This landing was not carried out due to the delay in the advance of Soviet troops in South Sakhalin, and then postponed until the instructions of the Headquarters.
Soviet troops occupied the southern part of Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Manchuria and part of Korea. The main hostilities on the continent lasted 12 days, until August 20. However, individual battles continued until September 10, which became the day of the end of the complete surrender and capture of the Kwantung Army. The fighting on the islands ended completely on 5 September.
The Japan Surrender Act was signed on September 2, 1945, aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
As a result, the million-strong Kwantung Army was completely defeated. According to Soviet data, its casualties amounted to 84 thousand people, about 600 thousand were taken prisoner. Irrecoverable losses of the Red Army amounted to 12 thousand people.
As a result of the war, the USSR actually returned to its composition the territories previously lost by Russia (southern Sakhalin and, temporarily, Kwantung with Port Arthur and Dalny, subsequently transferred to China), as well as the Kuril Islands, the southern part of which is still disputed by Japan.
According to the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan renounced any claims to Sakhalin (Karafuto) and Kuril Islands (Chishima Ratto). But the treaty did not determine the ownership of the islands and the USSR did not sign it.
Negotiations on the southern part of the Kuril Islands continue to this day, and there are no prospects for a quick resolution of the issue so far.
In my textbook they are silent about the quality of the Kwantung Army (History of Russia, grade 9 A.A. Danilov)
1) Japan was not a continental power, they gave all the best to the naval aviation and navy during the war. They had no chance against the Soviet ice rink, and the flat terrain of Manchuria could not help the Japanese defensively.
The Soviets had 5 times more tanks and self-propelled guns, the quality is much higher (the IS-2 and T-34-85 could penetrate Japanese tanks from 2 km, while the bulk of Japanese tanks were pre-war production and could not penetrate Soviet equipment, even close ). The Japanese did not have a single heavy / breakthrough tank, the infantry tank armament was 37mm caliber, this would not have been enough to scratch Soviet equipment.
Vasilevsky had more than 2 times more aircraft than the Japanese, and if in a maneuverable battle Kawasaki and Nakajima (Kishki) could compete with Soviet fighters at any altitude, then they were powerless in front of American aircraft because the Yankees were superior to the Japanese in armament and characteristics at high altitudes, allowing the Americans to choose when to attack and when to safely retreat from battle. In total, the Americans donated 2,400 P-63 Kingcobra units to the USSR on lend-lease for use against Japan (the Japanese had only 1,800 aircraft in Manchuria).
For the first time, the Japanese felt the destructiveness of the massive shelling of the enemy, a salvo from the SU-76/100/152 and Katyusha tore up their defenses. The offensive of the Red Army was so rapid that the advanced units had logistical problems (like Rommel in France). The Red Army had an advantage of 200k-600k fighters and consisted entirely of 100% combat-ready units, while many Japanese were considered ready only by 15% and a significant part were poorly trained Chinese. The Japanese did not expect a Soviet invasion in April, so they were taken by surprise (intelligence blame).
I think it is possible to draw serious conclusions about the superiority of the forces of the parties and the lack of experience of the Japanese General Staff in conducting defensive operations on the scale of an entire front. The Japanese also took the best fighters and equipment back home in anticipation of Operation Downfall. To be honest, I don’t see how they could have stopped the red juggernaut, no matter what the scenario.
2) Why the Americans asked the advice for help, I cannot understand. After the nuclear strike, the Japanese were ready to split. As a result of the Manchu Offensive Operation, a huge amount of equipment of the imperial army, including tanks, fell into the hands of Mao, and the communists gained de facto control over the entire region. The communists also occupied North Korea, where this rudimentary abomination of nature still exists. If there had been no Soviet intervention in China, the CCP might not have come to power, and this would have radically affected the geopolitical situation in all of Asia ...
Japan's participation in World War II was tragic for the empire. Triumphant battles and territorial conquests gave way to defeats on land and water, one of which was the loss of the island of Guadalcanal. On January 14, 1943, Japanese troops began evacuating the island, yielding to the forces of the anti-Hitler coalition. Ahead of Japan there were still many lost battles, the most famous of which are in the selection of "RG".
Operation Moe
The battle between the ships of Japan and the United States in the South Pacific Ocean, in the Coral Sea in May 1942 is considered by historians to be one of the first defeats of the Asian military forces in World War II. Although the outcome of the battle was ambiguous. Prior to this, the Japanese captured Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands and planned to occupy Port Moresby in New Guinea (hence the name of Operation Mo Sakusen) to strengthen their positions in the ocean. The flotilla was commanded by Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue, who was removed from command after the operation. And that's why. They say that in this operation, the enemy ships did not even see each other, aircraft carriers exchanged attacks and attacks. The Japanese sank several American ships, but they also suffered serious losses. The aircraft carriers Seho and Sekaku, which played a key role in Operation Mo, were severely damaged. As a result, Admiral Inoue canceled the attack on Port Moresby, and the remaining ships and aircraft were not enough to win the Battle of Midway. For the Japanese, a "black streak" began in the war.
Battle of Midway
During the naval battle in the area of the Pacific Atoll of Midway in June 1942, the Japanese fleet was defeated by the American enemy. Japan attacked the atoll where the US troops were based. two groups: aircraft carriers under the command of Admiral Nagumo and battleships led by Admiral Yamamoto. Historians believe that the Japanese attack on Midway was actually a trap to lure American destroyers into it. The forces of the imperial army had been undermined by the previous battle in the Coral Sea, in addition, the Americans knew their plan and prepared a counteroffensive, striking first. Japan's losses in this battle amounted to five aircraft carriers and cruisers, about 250 aircraft, not counting human casualties. Most importantly, Japan lost its advantage over the enemy in aircraft carriers and aircraft based on them, and since then has not attacked, but only defended itself.
Capture of Okinawa
The landing operation of the US armed forces in 1945 was codenamed "Iceberg". Its goal was the capture of the Japanese island of Okinawa, on which the 32nd Army under the command of Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima was holding defenses, for the subsequent invasion of the country's territory. The island was guarded by about 100 thousand Japanese, the American offensive was almost three times larger, not counting technology and aircraft. The assault on Okinawa began on April 1st. Ushijima's troops fiercely resisted until the summer, sending kamikaze into battle. A fleet was sent to help, including the legendary battleship Yamato. One of their main functions was to divert fire to themselves, so that the suicide pilots could break through to the enemy. All ships were sunk by American aircraft. "Yamato" went to the bottom together with 2,500 crew members. At the end of June, the Japanese defense fell, the lieutenant general and the officers of the Japanese headquarters committed a ritual suicide - seppuku. Okinawa was occupied by the Americans, for whom "Iceberg" was the last landing operation in this war.
Loss of Saipan
Another defeat for the Japanese army in the Pacific Ocean was the lost battle for the island of Saipan in 1944. This battle was part of the American Mariana operation to capture Saipan and two more islands - Tinian and Guam. According to various estimates, Japan lost about 60 thousand troops in the battles for the islands. On the captured islands, the Americans placed military bases, blocking the Japanese channels for the supply of raw materials for the needs of the military and defense industry from the countries of Southeast Asia. After the loss of Saipan, Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo resigned, whose popularity began to decline after the defeat of the imperial troops at Midway. Tojo was later recognized as a war criminal by his own government and executed. The capture of Saipan and two other islands allowed the Americans to organize an offensive operation in the Philippines.
Battle of Iwo Jima
Towards the end of the war, hostilities were already fought in Japan. One of the main victories of the Americans on land was the battle for the island of Iwo Jima at the end of the winter of 1945. Iwo Jima was strategically important to the empire. There was a military base that prevented the Americans from attacking the enemy from the air. The Japanese prepared for an attack not only by strengthening ground defenses, but also by equipping underground defenses. The first American attack came from the water, the island was shelled from naval artillery, then bombers joined the battle, and after that the Marines landed on Iwo Jima. The campaign was successful, the American flag was planted on Mount Suribati, and the photograph of the event became a classic of military documentary. The Japanese, by the way, burned their flag so that the enemy would not get it. After the end of the campaign, Japanese soldiers remained in the underground tunnels, who for a long time fought a guerrilla war with the Americans.
Manchu operation
Organized in 1945 by Soviet and Mongolian troops, the Manchurian operation effectively ended Japan's participation in World War II. The purpose of the operation was to defeat the Kwantung Army in the territory of Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, the Liaodong Peninsula and Korea. The Japanese armed forces were simultaneously struck with two main strikes - from the territories of Mongolia and the Soviet Primorye - as well as a number of auxiliary strikes. The blitzkrieg began on August 9, 1945. Aviation began bombing the Japanese in Harbin, Changchun and Jilin, while the Pacific fleet in the Sea of Japan attacked naval bases in Ungi, Najin and Chongjin, and soldiers of the Trans-Baikal Front smashed the enemy on land. Having cut off the path of retreat for the Japanese troops, the participants in the operation dismembered their military formations into small groups and surrounded them. On August 19, the Japanese military began to surrender. With the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan was forced to surrender and the war was over.
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