Moscow decides to oppose Japan

Relations of Japan and the USSR during the Great Patriotic War

In the 1945 year, of all the political problems of Tokyo, one of the most troubling questions was what position Moscow would take in connection with the defeat of Germany. And there were good reasons for such concern, because the Japanese empire had been conducting a hostile policy against Russia and the USSR for several decades.

In 1938-1939 Japanese troops undertook large-scale military provocations on Hassan and Khalkin-Gol, which nearly led to a full-scale war between the USSR and Japan. Then the Japanese militarists received a harsh response and decided to postpone the aggression in the north for the time being, focusing on the seemingly easier and seductive southern strategic direction.

However, having concluded 13 on April 1941 in Moscow on a neutrality pact with the USSR, the Japanese constantly and brutally violated it, making various border provocations and actively preparing for the invasion of the Soviet Far East. The ruling circles of Japan did not consider the neutrality pact a binding document, and after Germany attacked the USSR, they themselves were waiting for the right moment to enter the war in the north. Back in the spring of 1941, Japanese Foreign Minister Yesuke Matsuoka, while in Berlin, made a promise that Japan would support Germany in its aggression against the USSR.

After the German attack on the USSR, the situation on the Far Eastern borders was extremely tense. At the beginning of World War II, the Soviet ambassador to Tokyo, Smetanin asked the Japanese foreign minister whether Japan would remain neutral. The answer was unequivocal: the tripartite pact (the union of Tokyo, Berlin and Rome) is the basis of Japan’s foreign policy, and if the neutrality pact contradicts this foundation, it will not be valid. It is not surprising that Moscow was in the most difficult times when the enemy took Minsk, Kiev, Smolensk and rushed towards Leningrad, Moscow and the Volga were forced to keep 40 personnel divisions full-blooded in the Far East. The Kremlin had to take into account the fact that at any moment Japan could go on the offensive. Obviously, if the Soviet Union had a friendly neighbor in Japan, the Great Patriotic War would have ended earlier and with less casualties for the Soviet people.

After Germany attacked the USSR, the Japanese ruling circles stepped up their efforts to develop plans for an invasion of the Far East. 2 July 1941, the secret meeting of the Japanese leadership with the participation of the emperor came to the conclusion that if the German-Soviet war takes a favorable turn for Japan, it will act to solve the "northern problems" and this will ensure "stability in the northern regions." Adopted by 2 July 1941, the "Japanese Empire State Policy Program in connection with the changing situation" was the basis for further military developments.

The Japanese General Staff and the headquarters of the Kwantung Army quickly prepared a plan for preparing the war with the USSR: the plan "Kantokuen" ("Special Maneuvers of the Kwantung Army). The Kwantung Army planned to increase from 300 thousand to 600 thousand people within two months. In July, 1941 in Japan and Manchuria began the call for reservists. Mobilization of horses and transport took place. New troops were hurriedly dispatched to Korea and Northeast China. Russian White Guard organizations in Northeast China were also going to draw to the war with the USSR. Among the Japanese militarists, the slogan “Do not be late for the bus.” That is, the Japanese military were afraid to miss a favorable time to start a war with the USSR.

The Japanese military hoped that the struggle against Germany would force Moscow to mobilize all forces and transfer most of the troops from the Far East to the European part of Russia. This allowed the Japanese to occupy the Far East without serious losses. However, the powerful resistance of the Red Army and the Soviet people in the summer and autumn of 1941 confused the maps not only of Nazi Germany, but also of Japan. Hitler and Ribbentrop promised a blitzkrieg, the defeat of the USSR in two months, but could not realize their plans. This alerted the Japanese and they postponed the invasion with the USSR. The German ambassador to Tokyo reported 4 on September 1941 to Berlin: “In view of the resistance exerted by the Russian army of such an army as the German, Japanese general staff, apparently does not believe that it can achieve decisive success in the fight against Russia before the onset of winter ... The imperial stake has come in recent days to a decision - to postpone for the time being the actions against the USSR ”.

However, in winter the Japanese ruling circles did not dare to oppose the USSR. The heroic defense of Moscow and Leningrad thwarted the designs of Germany and Japan. The Japanese are once again convinced of the power of the Red Army and the Soviet state. Particularly strongly affected the Japanese militarists battle for Moscow, for which they closely followed. Considering the fact that German troops were stopped and defended, the Japanese government 6 December 1941 declared to Berlin that it wanted to avoid an armed clash with the USSR, "until strategic circumstances allow it." The Japanese elite chose to strike first in the southern strategic direction, and then, with more favorable opportunities, turn north again.

January 18 A military agreement was concluded between Germany, Italy and Japan. It provided for the inclusion of Japanese armed forces of Asia east of 1942 east of the zone of operations, that is, almost all Russian Siberia was in the sphere of interests of the Japanese empire. The section of the second agreement of January 70 18 was called the “General Operating Plan” and provided for military cooperation between the three great powers. Germany and Italy could send their naval forces to the Pacific if the United States and Britain concentrated their main forces on the Pacific theater, and Japan was to assist the allies in the Atlantic zone.

Despite the war in the Pacific, in China and Southeast Asia, Japan did not stop preparing for war with the USSR. At the beginning of January 1, 1942, the number of the Kwantung army directed against the USSR was increased to 1,1 million, which amounted to more than a third of the entire Japanese imperial army. In 1942, the Japanese General Staff developed a new war plan with the USSR, which did not change until 1944. In July 1942, when the Wehrmacht was eager for the Volga, the Japanese believed that the favorable moment for the outbreak of war in the north was close. Navy and aviation should have attacked Vladivostok, and the Kwantung Army launched an offensive in the direction of Blagoveshchensk. The Japanese even already prepared plans for occupation in Soviet Primorye, in the Khabarovsk Territory, the Chita Region and the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

However, further developments on the Soviet-German front, where the Wehrmacht was defeated in the battle for Stalingrad and the Caucasus, caused irreparable harm under the Japanese plans to invade the USSR. In addition, Japan was mired in the war with China, the USA, Great Britain and could not start the war with the USSR. The Japanese ambassador in Berlin, 6, in March 1943, told Ribbentrop that the Japanese government believed that "one should not enter the war against Russia now."

The subsequent course of the Second World War did not change the military-political alignment in favor of Japan. Germany began to suffer defeat. The US-British command in 1943 took over the strategic initiative in the Pacific. The tremendous military and economic superiority of the United States and Great Britain over Japan began to be felt more and more. And the general situation in the 1944 year, and especially in the 1945 year, ruled out hopes for the success of the war of Japan against the USSR.

Since the spring of 1944, the Japanese General Staff first began to prepare defensive plans in case of war with the USSR. At the same time, the Kwantung Army stepped up training for bacteriological warfare. As part of the Kwantung Army, there were special formations that secretly prepared for the most terrible forms of struggle against the enemy. For example, 731 Squad, a special squad of Japanese armed forces, established in 1932 and located in the Harbin area, was engaged in research in the field of biological weapons, putting monstrous experiments on living people (prisoners of war, kidnapped Chinese, Russians, Koreans and Mongols). The “731 squad” was organized to prepare bacteriological warfare, mainly against the Soviet Union, as well as against the Mongolian People’s Republic, China and other states.

The 100 Squad was engaged in similar activities. This unit was engaged in research in the field of biological weapons, studied the causative agents of infectious diseases in order to infect and destroy the cavalry of the Chinese and Soviet armies, as well as livestock in rural areas. The 516 Squad specialized in building chemical weapons, which were considered effective weapons against the peoples of East Asia (China, Korea, Mongolia, and the USSR).

In March 1945, the command of the Kwantung Army was instructed by the Japanese Ministry of War to significantly increase the production of bacteriological weapons. Many tons of plague bacteria, anthrax, typhoid and cholera were prepared by the Japanese as an important strike tool for a major war. The sharp build-up of Japan’s biological control capabilities was due to two factors: 1) the deterioration of the situation on the Pacific front, in connection with which it was supposed to unleash a bacteriological war against the United States; 2) increase the possibility of war with the Soviet Union. So, when the activities of the 731 Squad were investigated during the Khabarovsk process in 1949, the former commander-in-chief of the Kwantung Army, Otozo Yamada, admitted: USSR and other countries.

Thus, the brilliant victory of the Soviet Army in Northeast China saved the world from biological warfare. Japan simply did not have time to use bacteriological weapons against the USSR. USA and other countries.

It should be noted that the preparation of the Kwantung Army for a war against the USSR continued until the very last moment. Although by that time the Kwantung Army compared to 1941-1942. was reduced due to the need to strengthen the Japanese forces in the Pacific and the metropolis.

As a result, the Japanese Empire’s attack on the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War did not take place, not because the Japanese authorities observed the neutrality pact, but because the Japanese were actively preparing for war with the USSR and timing the start of the attack to the most appropriate moment during the Soviet-German war did not wait for such a moment. At first, the Soviet Union withstood the blow of almost all of Europe, led by Hitler's Germany, which forced Japan to postpone the moment of impact, and then intercepted a strategic initiative and won a brilliant victory. In addition, Japan was bogged down in the war in China, and began to lose the United States and Britain. This forced the Japanese leadership to abandon aggression against the USSR.

Hostile actions of Japan

Japan not only actively prepared for war with the Soviet Union from the years of the Great Patriotic War, but also committed a series of hostile actions against the Soviet state. So, the Japanese created serious obstacles to Soviet shipping in the Far East. Considering the fact that after the German attack on the USSR, Soviet shipping on the Black Sea, the Baltic and the North was completely blocked or deteriorated sharply, and the role of shipping in the Pacific increased sharply, the Japanese government 25 August 1941 officially announced that it was sent from the USA in Vladivostok, the materials bought by the Soviet side "will create a very delicate and difficult situation for Japan." First of all, it was about such strategic materials as oil and gasoline. Moscow, in response, stated that it would consider attempts to prevent the development of normal trade relations between the USSR and the USA as an unfriendly act.

The measures taken by the Japanese authorities to restrain Soviet shipping included: the closure of the straits connecting the high seas (the Kuril Islands were under Japanese control); the delay and inspection of Soviet courts in violation of international law; attack on Soviet ships and their destruction. Contrary to the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905, the Japanese government prohibited Soviet vessels from using the Sangar Strait, through which it passed the most convenient and shortest route to the Pacific Ocean. This is the strait between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, which connects the Sea of ​​Japan to the Pacific Ocean. Instead, the Japanese suggested that our ships should go through the Laperouse Strait or through the southern straits, which extended the way. In addition, following through these straits was unsafe due to the actions of the Japanese military. The Japanese naval forces so abused the right of the belligerent to stop and inspect ships of neutral countries that it became almost impossible to use the La Pérouse straits, the Korean and Kuril straits. Repeated appeals from Moscow to open the Sangar Strait were rejected. The Japanese stated that this area is a defensive zone.

Almost all of the Great Patriotic War, Japanese ships illegally detained Soviet ships and attacked them. From the summer of 1941 to the end of 1944, Japanese ships detained 178 of Soviet merchant ships. Three Soviet ships (Angarstroy, Kola and Ilmen) were killed by attacks from Japanese submarines. These were direct acts of aggression by Japan against the USSR.

Japanese authorities violated the Neutrality Pact by constantly passing secret information to Germany on the economic, political and military situation of the Soviet Union. The Japanese General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received secret information through their military attaches and ambassadors to the USSR, Turkey and other countries, and immediately transmitted it to the Germans. This information was important for Berlin and was used by the Wehrmacht in military operations against the USSR. For example, among the intelligence data that the Japanese transmitted to Germany in 1942 was information about the concentration of Soviet troops in the Tambov region and east of Stalingrad, about production tanks in the USSR in the summer of 1942, indicating the average monthly volume for certain types of machines.

Moscow decides to oppose Japan

National interests demanded that the USSR enter a war in the Far East at a certain stage of the Second World War. First, Japan for more than four decades was a hostile state against Russian civilization, and a dangerous enemy who was friends with the geopolitical opponents of Moscow, first with Britain and the United States, now with Germany. This tendency was necessary to destroy, to punish Japan for aggressive behavior.

Secondly, Stalin remembered the need for historical revenge on the Russian people. Japan needed to be punished for the 1904-1905 war.

Thirdly, it was necessary to return South Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, lost positions in Korea and China. The defeat of the Japanese empire allowed it to be done, sharply strengthening the strategic positions of Russia-USSR in the Asia-Pacific region.

Fourth, the most opportune moment for the start of the war with the Japanese Empire. Germany was defeated, and the USSR liberated a significant part of the forces in the western (European) strategic direction. The United States and Great Britain were official allies and needed the help of the USSR in order to end the war with Japan faster and to save people and material resources.

Now London and Washington themselves asked for the participation of Moscow in the war in the Far East, which allowed Stalin to bargain with them advantageous conditions. It is clear that the Western great powers did not like the fact that Russia-USSR sharply strengthened its positions in the Far East after the defeat of Japan, but they had no other way out. They did not want to continue the war on their own with the Japanese Empire, which could continue for a considerable time. MacArthur, the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces in the Pacific, recognized in 1944 that it was impossible to defeat Japan only by a sea blockade and air strikes. "A complete victory over Japan," he said, "will be guaranteed only if the Japanese ground forces are defeated."

In this situation, the USSR, when the United States and Britain continued the war with Japan without Soviet participation, could easily recover and strengthen their positions in Europe and the world. It did not suit the West, so the United States and Britain insistently asked the USSR to oppose Japan.

To be continued ...

Comments

[Tatar 174]

The West did not like this, so the United States and England persistently asked the USSR to oppose Japan.

We then helped the USA and England, and they forgot it a month later. They should not be helped in any case, they are our enemies and always have been. There is no need to get involved in the wars launched by the USA and England, and now also the EU if there is an opportunity to peacefully solve diplomatic problems. Described in the article is an example. and you need to learn from examples.

[Shick]

It was also necessary to pull to the last as they with the opening of the second front

[alicante11]

It was also necessary to pull to the last as they with the opening of the second front

Well, in fact, we pulled as much as we could. And so the finishing off of the Kwantung Army and the capture of the Kuril Islands and Southern Sakhalin were already after the order of surrender.
But actually, IMHO, speaking out against Japan was a major strategic mistake of the IVS. The Japanese were already in such a situation that they were ready to give us everything that we received simply for neutrality. And the bloodbath of the Anglo-Americans in Japan delayed the beginning of the active phase of the Cold War for a long time and would give the USSR a head start in development. At the same time, with the cooling of relations with the West, it was possible to start supplying the Japanese with the necessary materials and weapons. It is clear that, too, not "for this," but for territorial concessions.
With that, we would not lose anything. All the same, the Japanese would have been finished off, albeit by the 50th year, but would have been thrown with nuclear bombs, turning the islands into a scorched desert and well-battered China and Korea. As a result, the Americans could not gain a foothold in Japan; they could not constantly keep their fleets at the temple of our Far East. The whole of Korea would fall into the hands of the USSR, we could dispose of Manchuria, either give it to the Maoists or leave it as a buffer with China.
In general, of course, the reasons for this erroneous decision are clear. The IVS was a man of his word and could not betray the allies despite the fact that they had already thrown him more than once. Plus, most likely, having seen enough of the deaths of civilians in the USSR, the IVS did not want the same genocide in Japan. And after that, the liberoid bastards will call the IVS "bloody maniac"!

[Alexey RA]

Quote: alicante11

But actually, IMHO, speaking out against Japan was a major strategic mistake of the ITT. The Japanese were already in such a situation that they were ready to give us everything that we received simply for neutrality. A bloody bathhouse for Anglo-Americans in Japan for a long time delayed the beginning of the active phase of the Cold War and would give the USSR a head start in development.

There wouldn't be a big bloody bath. By November (the beginning of "Olympic") the Japanese would have simply been weakened by the blockade and bombing - the Islands were not self-sufficient in anything, not even in food.
But the USSR would have received the Yankees base in the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin. The Yankees could well arrange an auxiliary landing in the northern direction, with a base in the Aleuts.
And we would have received a fig and butter - for the Japanese would have made concessions no earlier than the Yankees would have taken these islands. "So what if they are occupied? These are now your territories - deal with the Yankees yourself".

Quote: alicante11

All the same, the Japanese would have been finished off, albeit by the 50th year, but would have been thrown with nuclear bombs, turning the islands into a scorched desert and well-battered China and Korea. As a result, the Americans could not gain a foothold in Japan; they could not constantly keep their fleets at the temple of our Far East.

By the time we're through with them, the Japanese language will be spoken only in hell.
Kill Japs! Kill Japs! Kill more Japs!
The only good Jap is one that's been dead six months!
These, for a minute, are the words of Admiral Halsey, who commanded the main American force in the Third Fleet.
So to gain a foothold in Japan, the Yankees would not stop before the Japanese victims.

Quote: alicante11

The whole of Korea would fall into the hands of the USSR, we could dispose of Manchuria, either give it to the Maoists or leave it as a buffer with China.

From what cross? Manchuria is part of China. And the head of China by then will be the pro-American Chiang Kai-shek. After all, the USSR could not have transferred to Mao all the trophies of the Manchurian operation, which helped him to hold out in real life during the most difficult period.

[alicante11]

There wouldn't be a big bloody bath. By November (the beginning of "Olympic") the Japanese would have simply been weakened by the blockade and bombing - the Islands were not self-sufficient in anything, not even in food.

And here I do not agree with you. In addition to the islands, the Japanese had territories of mainland China, Korea, and Manchuria. There were plans to evacuate the government and the Emperor to the mainland, but they were not particularly worried about the population.

And we would have received a fig and butter - for the Japanese would have made concessions no earlier than the Yankees would have taken these islands. "So what if they are occupied? This is now your territory - deal with the Yankees yourself."

According to Takushiro, the Japanese were going to send a mission to Russia just to coordinate concessions in order to prevent Russia from entering the war.

These, for a minute, are the words of Admiral Halsey, who commanded the main American force in the Third Fleet.
So to gain a foothold in Japan, the Yankees would not stop before the Japanese victims.

You did not understand. The Americans well showed their attitude to the losses of the Japanese by mass bombing and nuclear strikes on peaceful cities. I am talking about securing on the Japanese skeletons after large-scale nuclear bombing. I don’t think that on the nuclear ashes of the Americans could deploy large forces of the Marine Corps.

From what cross? Manchuria is part of China.

Which was occupied by Japan. Therefore, the USSR could well keep it for itself. For example, having recognized, for starters, Manzhou-Go, followed by a request from PU-I to join the USSR. However, most likely, Manchuria would be given to the Maoists.

After all, the USSR could not have passed Mao all the trophies of the Manchurian operation, which helped him to hold out in real life during the most difficult period

The USSR had enough of its weapons, which we could supply.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: alicante11

And here I do not agree with you. In addition to the islands, the Japanese had territories of mainland China, Korea, and Manchuria. There were plans to evacuate the government and the Emperor to the mainland, but they were not particularly worried about the population.

And who after the evacuation will start production? Government with the Emperor? For practically all "final production" was in the Metropolis.
Mass evacuation under conditions of supremacy at sea and air of the Allies will turn into a meat grinder. And there is nothing to evacuate in the summer of 1945 ... and there is no one to cover it.
In addition, by 1945, Japan faced the same problem as in 1941 - oil. The oil-borne areas captured in 41-42 are either liberated or the transportation from them is blocked. And in Manchuria in commodity quantities there is only coal and iron.

Quote: alicante11

I am talking about securing on the Japanese skeletons after large-scale nuclear bombing. I don’t think that on the nuclear ashes of the Americans could deploy large forces of the Marine Corps.

There would be few nuclear ashes — a maximum of 5. For the Yankees had only 1946 special units in 9 — all of them could not be spent on japs, because a possible conflict with the USSR was ahead.

Quote: alicante11

Which was occupied by Japan. Therefore, the USSR could well keep it for itself. For example, having recognized, for starters, Manzhou-Go, followed by a request from PU-I to join the USSR. However, most likely, Manchuria would be given to the Maoists.

Maoists in the described scenario "Soviet non-interference to the last"The Chiang Kai-shekists, pumped up by American and British weapons, can stupidly crush.

Quote: alicante11

The USSR had enough of its weapons, which we could supply.

This means direct and open intervention of the USSR in the internal conflict in China. What the USSR in RI tried to avoid by all means.
That is why, by the way, ours handed over captured Japanese weapons to the Maoists - and not openly, but by method "we will remove the guard for a day - and you quietly take outMoreover, further deliveries of weapons to the Maoists from the USSR went through dummy companies and only non-Soviet production.

[Denis_469]

Quote: Alexey RA

for ahead is a possible conflict with the USSR.

Not possible, but real. Already in August 1945, the Soviet-American submarine war was in full swing. I am gradually collecting information about her and now I understand Stalin’s decision to abandon the landing in Hokkaido and his order on August 22 to refuse such a landing. If our ground forces and aviation could beat American opponents. So the fleet turned out to be completely unprepared to repel the attacks of American submarines. There was no chance of a normal landing in Hokkaido and ensuring normal communications with the landed troops.

About this in the near future I will write an article on my website about the Soviet-American submarine war of August 1945.

[Cap.Morgan]

There is one more argument. It was necessary to agree with the Allies on the fate of post-war Europe. In this case, it would be better to maintain friendly relations with them.
And ... there is no reason to believe that Japan itself would not have made an atomic bomb if it had held on for a couple more years. Or months?

"Until the beginning of 1945, the Allies were doing poorly with the development of the atomic bomb. Having substantially depleted uranium reserves, sending it to obtain plutonium - and the plutonium bomb was still useless with the available detonators - and not having enough uranium to create a uranium bomb, late 1944 - early 1945 scientists and engineers of the "Manhattan Project" came to the conclusion that their endeavors were doomed to failure.

But if in three years of work the Americans accumulated less than half of the uranium needed to create a bomb, then how did they manage to double its amount from March to August 1945, when the Kid was dropped on Hiroshima? And how did you manage to solve the problem of detonators for the plutonium "Fat Man" dropped on Nagasaki? The answers are unambiguous: both uranium and detonators could have appeared from somewhere outside. The source could only be Germany.

On May 19, 1945, the German submarine U-234 moored in Portsmouth, which was supposed to follow to Japan, but, following the order of surrender, surrendered to an American destroyer off the east coast of the United States. On board were several barrels of "heavy water", 80 cylindrical containers covered with gold from the inside, containing 560 kilograms of uranium oxide. By the time the plutonium bomb was tested at the New Mexico test site, changes had been made to the blasting device, which allowed the fission rate to be increased by a factor of a million - up to several billionths of a second. These changes can only be explained by the fact that in the final version Dr. Schlicke's infrared fuses were used.

This version is supported by a message sent on May 25, 1945 by the Chief of Staff of the Navy to Portsmouth, where the captured U-234 was transferred. It instructs to send Dr. Schlicke, as well as his synchronous detonators to Washington. This "trophy" went to one of the employees of the "Manhattan Project" Luis Alvarez, who later became a Nobel Prize winner. Namely, Alvarez and "solved" the problem with plutonium bomb fuses.

It seems that the Americans were able to take advantage of many German developments. How else to explain why they dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima without ever testing it? Was it just a plutonium bomb tested in New Mexico? What if it hadn't exploded? That is, the American military themselves would transfer superweapons of mass destruction to the enemy. An even more absurd explanation is that the available amount of uranium was not enough to create two of these bombs to test one before dropping the second. Why then not use the already tested plutonium "Fat Man" first, and not the proven "Kid"?
A number of facts available today indicate that the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was not just half of German uranium from the U-234 submarine, but entirely German. And that by the summer-fall of 1945, there was suddenly too much enriched uranium and atomic bombs for the Manhattan Project alone to be the source of all this wealth. "

[shasherin.pavel]

I completely agree with Alexei, below the page, but I want to add:

Quote: alicante11

but would have thrown nuclear bombs

and to this day we could not fish in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, like in Vladik, every resident would go with a Geiger counter.

[Andrei from Chelyabinsk]

Quote: alicante11

But actually, IMHO, speaking out against Japan was a major strategic mistake of the ITT. The Japanese were already in such a situation that they were ready to give us everything that we received simply for neutrality.

I'm afraid you're mistaken. They were not ready to give us anything. By that time, despite all the warlike rhetoric, the Japanese government knew for sure that it had lost the war. The last chance that they still had in order to save face was the conclusion of peace on any acceptable conditions.
But the Americans did not go to negotiations - unconditional surrender, and without any. Accordingly, an intermediary was needed. But where was he to get it? Obviously, Britain, which at that time had finally entered the mainstream of US policy, could not have been such an intermediary - especially given the fact that Japan fought with the British too. With China, after what the Japanese had done on the continent, it was completely pointless to conduct any kind of negotiations - the Chinese would only welcome it if the United States turned all of Japan into radioactive sand. And the political weight of China was extremely small. An attempt to act through Switzerland was unsuccessful. Who else?
In fact, for Japan all over the world there was only one candidate - the USSR. Japan did not fight with him at that moment, and the United States would certainly have to listen to the USSR.
For IT, for the mediation of the USSR in the conclusion of peace, Japan would give everything. But this is precisely what the IVS was not going to give them in any way - for the whole world it would look like a betrayal of the allies, and would lead to a sharp deterioration in relations with the United States.
But I could not stay aside. Because if Japan, realizing that it does not shine, would have capitulated to the United States, the borders of post-war Japan would be determined ONLY by the United States and they would definitely not have been taken into account. Therefore, the IVS chose the most win-win option on all sides - and entered the war.
Which of course could not last long. There was a lot of controversy at the time, why did Japan capitulate - because the Soviet Union smashed the Kwantung army to smithereens, or because the United States used nuclear weapons? But both answers are incorrect - Japan capitulated because after the refusal of the USSR in mediation, there were no opportunities - neither military nor political remained in Japan.

[Talgat]

Quote: Andrey from Chelyabinsk

But I could not stay aside. Because if Japan, realizing that it does not shine, would have capitulated to the United States, the borders of post-war Japan would be determined ONLY by the United States and they would definitely not have been taken into account. Therefore, the IVS chose the most win-win option on all sides - and entered the war.

I agree, they entered the war correctly

It was not help to the Amers — it would mark our interests and our borders — otherwise, they would get pro-Amer’s Manchuria + Amer’s united Korea and another half-Kuomintang

Then, during the USSR, it would be hard - and now - after the betrayal of the Gorbachev Yeltsins and the collapse of the Union - it would be just death

So the IVS did everything right - it created a "safety cushion" for all of us for a hundred years ahead

Now the aggressors have something to do in the Far East - and the DPRK also has a huge growing China - which now has become an ally, but still an ally to us - but imagine if they weren’t?

[Scraptor]

So they did not capitulate on the 15th and had to finish. In general, Japan in August 1945 was going to use the bacteriological WMD primarily in the United States - there was a reason.
They pulled as much as needed - this is the only case of disarmament of the country from WMD by military methods.

[Aleksander]

Quote: Tatar 174

we then helped the USA and England, and they forgot it a month later

What does it have to do with it? The USSR solved, first of all, its problems — the liberation of Yu. Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, the destruction of the presence of Japan on the continent, and the strengthening of its influence in the Far Eastern region. Without an offensive, none of this would have been resolved.
We can add that the neutrality treaty of the USSR did not break. According to him, the USSR undertook not to attack Japan in the event of an attack on Japan by third countries. Nobody attacked Japan; it SAMA attacked everyone.

[shasherin.pavel]

Quote: Tatar 174

We then helped the USA and England

But not only helped ... we escaped, first of all, the start of a bacteriological war, the spread of a virus from which there are no antibodies could take more lives than military operations. At the same time, we entered Port Arthur, returned Sakhalin and the Kuril ridge, and got free duty-free access to the Pacific Ocean. Help with help, and his return, lost by the Romanovs, was necessary.

[apro]

Japan, in its relations with Russia, chose the path of surprise attacks, interventions, provocations and participation in coalitions directed against Russia and the USSR as well as indemnities and territorial seizures, and it should not be surprised at the sizeable retaliatory actions. Russia's weakness led the samurai into temptation and they paid quite The actions of the IVS Stalin in August 1945 are a fair result of Tokyo's policy towards Russia, and it is time to stop all talk about the plight of the Japanese prisoners of war, the Kuril Islands and other Japanese Wishlist.

[Internal combustion engine]

The Japanese did not attack us in 41 and 42, I think, for two reasons. Firstly, they were very scared by Zhukov on Khalkhin Gol. Secondly, the stubborn resistance of the Soviet troops in the first months of the war with the Nazis, allowed the Japanese already in August 41 to conclude that Germany would most likely not win this war. Yes, the Soviet command kept decent forces on the eastern borders, but it was probably these reasons that kept the Japanese from attack.

[Cap.Morgan]

Rather, we did not have anything interesting for Japan in those years, there was no oil in Siberia, around the taiga, the Japanese needed oil like air. A month later, tanks and planes got into the joke. The southern direction was very promising, in addition, there was a place where the strong Japanese
to the fleet.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: Cap.Morgan

Rather, we did not have anything interesting for Japan in those years, there was no oil in Siberia, around the taiga, the Japanese needed oil like air. A month later, tanks and planes got into the joke.

In the Far East in the 30s and 40s, another feature was full transparency. Our and Japanese special services so densely flooded the region with agents that any one on one side was immediately reflected in the plans of the other.
Ours are building the UR - the Japanese change the offensive plan for the next year, shifting the direction of strikes between the new UR - ours begin to build in the depths the next UR, taking Japanese arrows into a "fire bag". Ours finished 981 batteries - the Japanese abandon the landing in Vladivostok. The Japanese plan to strengthen the Kwantung Army in the event of a war with the USSR - Apanasenko, in a telegram to Stalin, gives the composition of the reinforced KvA with an accuracy of +/- 2 calculated divisions.

So the Japanese knew about our forces and our defense - and really appreciated their chances. And they also knew that no surprise would come of it — the Soviet side would find out about all their actions right there.

EMNIP, in Shants it was that in 1942, the Soviet border guards killed the intruder, who was recounted almost 30 times. Cheaper to kill than to feed.

[parusnik]

They did not want to continue the war on their own with the Japanese Empire, which could continue for a considerable time.... And they probably assumed that the war with Japan would take a protracted character for the USSR .. And then a blitzkrieg ... It didn’t grow together ...

[EGOrkka]

I needed a victim for 2 VIRTUAL BOMBS. and the pin (d) wasp found her!

[lilian]

If Stalin had not taken the Kuril Islands, there would still be American bases there.

[Denis_469]

"Three Soviet ships (" Angarstroy "," Kola "and Ilmen") died from attacks by Japanese submarines. These were direct acts of Japanese aggression against the USSR. " - Japan had nothing to do with the death of these ships. All of these transports were sunk by American submarines.

[kvs207]

I think that "revenge" for the Russian - Japanese war was not among the main tasks. The country's security in the Far East is the main goal.

[Coboklo]

And these idiots still claim part of the Kuril Islands?
Understand yourself first.

[205577]

I sincerely do not understand the seemingly obvious stupidity of our opponents, judge for yourself:
- Hitler, instead of attacking the USSR in the 1939-40 years, for some reason attacks England! What for? After all, England would have been completely satisfied with the battle of the brown and red titans, and, I’m more than sure, England would have sponsored Hitler. In any case, England would not have inflicted any blow on Hitler’s Europe, there is simply no reason, and the Munich agreement is another confirmation of this.
So, Hitler, for me it is not clear why, instead of attacking a real enemy in the person of the USSR, he attacks a potential sponsor in the person of England. And after that, NOT ADDITION to the British climbs the USSR! What is it?
- Now to Japan. Yes, if they intervened in the first two years of the war, I deeply doubt that our country would stand. Even if they had not climbed inland, they would have seized gigantic territories, resources, and would have inflicted such a blow on us in the back that we would hardly have recovered.
I try to reason logically, without excessive patriotism.
Instead, the Japanese do not come up with anything better to get into a war with the United States, in which, incidentally, no one was especially eager to fight before the attack on Pearl Harbor. WHAT FOR?
Imagine that these two mistakes are not made ...
It is good that history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood.
The main thing is not to consider in the future that it will always be like that. The world has changed; you cannot go far on the mistakes of enemies alone.

[Doctorleg]

And Germany did not declare war on England and France. It was they who declared war on Germany in response to the attack on Poland. And the USSR congratulated Hitler on the victory of the Wehrmacht

[205577]

Well, enlighten then, what EXCEPT the declaration of war REALLY did England and France in response to Hitler's attack on Poland, took part in the "strange war"?

[shasherin.pavel]

Quote: 205577

participated in the "strange war

in the form of football matches between the Germans and the English in the neutral zone. The British even introduced an expense item: the purchase of balls, dominoes, and chess boards for the troops.

[washi]

Hitler simply realized that the Anglo-Saxons threw him and tried to incline them to the union by bombing. Hess didn’t just fly away.
Japan primarily needed resources.
After the war in Siberia and the Far East, they found a bunch of resources, but now they are not in a hurry to develop them, because not economically viable. In the 40s they did not know about this. Who needs cold off-road instead of the already developed resources of SE Asia?
War and economics are closely related.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: 205577

- Hitler, instead of attacking the USSR in the 1939-40 years, for some reason attacks England! What for? After all, England would have been completely satisfied with the battle of the brown and red titans, and, I’m more than sure, England would have sponsored Hitler. In any case, England would not have inflicted any blow on Hitler’s Europe, there is simply no reason, and the Munich agreement is another confirmation of this.

England has no enemies or friends. England has only her interests.
Limes would support the war between the USSR and the Reich to the last. And then they would have hit (with French hands) in the back a bloodless winner. And Hitler understood this perfectly. Therefore, he first decided to deal with the most dangerous enemy.

Quote: 205577

- Now to Japan. Yes, if they intervened in the first two years of the war, I deeply doubt that our country would stand. Even if they had not climbed inland, they would have seized gigantic territories, resources, and would have inflicted such a blow on us in the back that we would hardly have recovered.

What resources? You do not confuse Siberia 1941 with the present. It would take the Japanese years to develop the resources of Siberia. They even mastered Manchuria for 10 years.
And most importantly - there are no developed oil fields in Siberia 1941. There is one thing on the Soviet Northern Sakhalin - but it is already half swinging by the Japanese.
As for "would have resisted" in 1941 - December 11, 1941, immediately after Pearl Harbor, Apanasenko said that the Kwantung Army for the first time reached parity with the forces of the Red Army in the Far East - and to defeat it requires a strengthening of the front.

Given the correlation of forces and groupings of Japanese troops in Manchuria, in order to solve the active tasks of the front, it is necessary to strengthen the front's troops with ten rifle divisions and ten air regiments, mainly armed with new munitions, and bring the number of ammunition to 12 ammunition against six existing ammunition ...

That is, the forces of the Red Army in the Far East were equal to the Japanese. At the same time, Apanasenko included not only the Kwantung army in the number of Japanese forces, but also all the reinforcements that had to be deployed to attack the USSR.

Quote: 205577

Instead, the Japanese do not come up with anything better to get into a war with the United States, in which, incidentally, no one was especially eager to fight before the attack on Pearl Harbor. WHAT FOR?

Everything is simple. Oil. In the summer of 1941, the United States announced an embargo on oil supplies and froze Japanese deposits. Moreover, along with oil, Japan also lost 80% of the tanker tonnage that had previously been used, because before the embargo, the transportation of oil was mostly provided by tankers from the USA and the Allies.
There were no free oil reserves in Southeast Asia - the United States quickly crushed the Dutch by themselves. And Japan remained with oil reserves for a year and a terrible deficit in fuel balance. So, what is next? To fight the USSR - and get an empty taiga without oil and empty tanks (for oil reserves would go to this war)?

[205577]

I understand that the outbreak of war against the United States provided Japan with oil and their accounts unfrozen?
"England is the most dangerous enemy" - do not tell my slippers, they scrambled from Dunkirk so that they abandoned all the materiel. Who in England and what would be able to strike in the rear of the Nazi troops, hardened in the most fierce battles, provided with really effective military equipment, and most importantly - WHEN? When will they, according to the plan of the British, dump the USSR? Can you imagine how strong the Hitlerite army would have if they had defeated us? Yes, these clowns on Matilda and Valentines are stupidly neighing. "England with French hands", yeah, the French are super-warriors ... Brest held out several times more than their whole France.
No, you did not bring me logical arguments in favor of a war with both England and the United States.

[Cap.Morgan]

Everything is correct. The Japanese quickly captured oil fields, which were for example in Indonesia. This provided them for all the years of the war.
England at that time is a huge empire, it is half Africa and India. With a US ally. The USA is half of the then global automotive industry, shipbuilding, and aviation.
The battle-hardened German legions moved on T1 and T2 wedges. There were very few T3 and T4 tanks with bulletproof armor, and there was also T38, Czech, approximately equal to our T26 (aka Vickers, aka Polish 7TP). So the Germans had nothing to smash Matilda with, except for anti-aircraft guns, and then Valentine fought well on the Eastern Front. As for the French, they carried World War I on their shoulders. And in the tanks they were not inferior to the Germans. They had a medium Somua, and there were heavy B2 tanks .... another question is that they used these forces unreasonably, spraying them.
In addition, the Ruhr, Saar - the forge of Germany were almost on the border. The conclusion is simple. First solve the problem with the West. Yes, and Stalin showed peacefulness.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: 205577

I understand that the outbreak of war against the United States provided Japan with oil and their accounts unfrozen?

Absolutely right. Japan in 1942 began to receive oil from the occupied territories in SEA, previously owned by the Allies, and for the first time proved to be self-sufficient in oil.

In Dutch India, for example, about 8 million tons of oil was produced annually, which was about 20 times higher than oil production in Japan. At that time, Japan’s annual oil demand was about 5 million tons, of which it was able to get only 10% from its own production.

Malaya, Sumatra. Public order is gradually being restored. In Malaya, ten governors and the mayor of Singapore were appointed, and in Sumatra, ten branch chiefs were appointed, who will soon take over as governors of the provinces.
The local population cooperates with the military administration. Mainly restored roads and railways, communications, water supply, organized the supply of gas and electricity. Deliveries of the necessary amount of bauxite, tin, manganese, iron ore, oil are carried out without any special obstacles.

(c) Hattori
Without war with the United States, Dutch oil could not be obtained. The Japanese tried in 1940 to conclude an agreement with the Dutch, but they were quickly taken under the wing of the United States and negotiations broke.

Quote: 205577

"England is the most dangerous enemy" - do not tell my slippers, they scrambled from Dunkirk so that they abandoned all the materiel.

Did Hitler have a time machine? Or could he look into the future?
In 1939, the most powerful army in Europe was considered the winner of the WWI - the French.

Quote: 205577

Who in England and with what would be able to hit the rear hardened in fierce battles Hitler troops, provided with really effective military equipment and most importantly - WHEN? When will they dump the British plan of the USSR? Can you imagine how strong Hitler’s army would they be for us?

We will help the Soviets if Germany wins. We will help Germany if the Soviets win.

About Hitler’s troops provided with really effective military equipment - You, for an hour, 1939 from 1941 not beguiled? The Reich does not yet have the trophies of the French campaign. No experience of the French campaign. There is no car fleet in Europe. France has no fuel reserves. There are no upgraded "three" and "fours". Panzer divisions are few in number and overweight. So, even with all the weakness of the Red Army, the Germans will simply get bogged down and spread across the expanses of the USSR.
Oh yes, they still have to keep part of the army in the West.

Quote: 205577

Yes, these clowns on Matilda and Valentines are stupidly neighing. "England with French hands", yeah, the French are super-warriors ... Brest held out several times more than their whole France.

Hitler has no afterthought. But there is experience and memories of WWI. For him, and for all the Wehrmacht generals, in 1939 the French army was the strongest enemy. And leave it in the rear at a time when the Wehrmacht is sprayed in the East - like death.

[shasherin.pavel]

Quote: 205577

attacks England! What for?

Here we must look at the losses of the German colonies, as a result of the First World War, Hitler attacked France in order to change the results of the First World War and regain the industrial areas of the Ruhr. It should be understood that the winners write history, but the French behaved with the German population, in the territory taken from Germany, in about the same way as the Germans in France in 1943-44. It must be remembered that the Germans, who brought their ships under the terms of surrender in England, met such an attitude that an attempt was made to sink the ships, but not surrender them without resistance. Only one motto, written in huge letters on the wall of the plant: "Do not forget that the Germans are dirty pigs", which was worth it. After all, no matter how it was, but it was the British who carried out the massive bombardment of peaceful cities. If anyone remembers Guernica, then look at the photos of this city after the bombing, bombs fell near houses on the outskirts of the city, destroying the walls of several houses, the rest is propaganda inciting hatred against Germany. The all-directed bombardment of cities on the orders of the command is the priority of Great Britain.

Quote: 205577

they would conquer gigantic territories

A controversial issue ... since the Far East in those days is taiga and complete impassability. It was enough to blow up a couple of tunnels or bridges and there would be no Japanese offensive. "The great commander Blucher" sat in the command and did not think of building any roads. And after his arrest, not everything was rebuilt.

Quote: 205577

The Japanese do not come up with anything better to get into a war with the United States,

After Khalkhin Gola, the view was strengthened in the world that the armed forces of Japan were a bluff and nothing more. It was this opinion that helped Japan capture Singapore with comparatively less losses than they suffered at Khalkhin Gol, and only one road led to Singapore, strengthen it and that’s all ... but England decided that if the USSR defeated the Japanese, then England had their own he will wash off his urine without firing a shot ... but it turned out that the Japanese can kick the English in the ass in front of them.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: shasherin.pavel

Here we need to look at the losses of the German colonies, as a result of the First World War, Hitler attacked France to change the results of the First World War and regain the industrial areas of the Ruhr.

This is not peace, this is a truce for 20 years! ..

Marshal Foch on the Treaty of Versailles, 1919.

Quote: shasherin.pavel

After all, no matter how it was, but the British massively bombed peaceful cities.

London and Coventry - during the Adlerangriff.
And do not talk about the disproportion of the forces involved by the Germans and limes - the Germans in 1940 put up everything they could. Who is to blame that fat Herman so prepared for war.

Quote: shasherin.pavel

It was this opinion that helped Japan capture Singapore with relatively less losses than they suffered at Khalkhin Gol, and there was only one road to Singapore, strengthen it and that’s all ...

Colonial infantry, touda her into a swing. As the uv. Eugene Pinak:

Firstly, they lacked weapons (for example, only 1 Indian infantry battalion of 20 was staffed by state), and what was, was by no means the first grade (for example, almost all anti-tank missiles in Malaya were captured Italian 47 mm guns of delirium). In addition, the acquisition of new weapons also meant the reorganization of the unit (the states of the units with the "old" and "new" weapons were noticeably different) with the corresponding tactical retraining. How these perturbations affect the combat effectiveness of the unit is not necessary to say.
Secondly, the quality of troops also left much to be desired. The unusually rapid growth of the British and Indian armies (in the beginning of 1939 the first was 7, and in the second 4 divisions - by the end of 1941 there were 36 and 15, respectively) led to a shortage of qualified command personnel. This especially affected the Indian parts. The fact is that they, like all units with a low level of education and recruitment initiatives, very much depended on the quality of the officers. With the commander who thoroughly knew their language, customs and needs, these soldiers worked miracles - the trouble was that the best officers were sent to Africa and the Middle East.
And thirdly, the British troops simply did not know how to fight in the jungle. This seems surprising, but, for example, the officer’s directory of the mid-20s does not contain the word “jungle” at all, although everything is described, from organizing a camp in the mountains to the weight of an 18-pound gun. In addition, of the 12 conditional brigades, only 2 were in Malaya for more than a year, of which only 1 (12th Indian) was a field unit. The rest at the beginning of the war were in Malaya for several months and prepared for action in the jungle according to their own understanding and, naturally, in the "appendage" to carry out other tasks (for example, the 11th Indian Division was simultaneously preparing for the offensive according to the Matador plan and preparation for the defense of northern Malaya).
But if these troops even went through acclimatization to local conditions, then reinforcements (17 Indian and 18 English divisions) were even deprived of this luxury. Moreover, the 17th Indian division consisted of recently formed battalions, half and more of which consisted of recruits that had only undergone basic individual training, i.e. was actually unworkable. And the Australian replenishment, aimed at replenishing the loss in the combat units, _in general_ did not undergo combat training.

[Alexey RA]

In July 1942, when the Wehrmacht was eager for the Volga, the Japanese believed that the favorable moment for the outbreak of war in the north was close. The navy and aircraft were supposed to attack Vladivostok, and the Kwantung Army launched an offensive in the direction of Blagoveshchensk. The Japanese even already prepared plans for occupation in Soviet Primorye, in the Khabarovsk Territory, the Chita Region and the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

Heh heh heh ...
On July 01 of 1942 of the year in the Far East, the Red Army had: 29 sd, 3 cd, 2 td, 10 aviation divisions, 20 sbr, 20 tbr, 4 air brigades and 15 UR. In total - 49,5 accounting divisions, 1 440 012 people. l / s, 11759 guns and mortars, 2589 tanks and self-propelled guns, 3178 aircraft.
At the same time, before the war, supplying the Far East with new weapons was considered a priority - the same LaGG-3s went first to the Far East. By the way, the Japanese, who appeared in their hands in 1942, rated LaGG quite high.

[Aleksander]

Quote: Alexey RA

On July 01 of 1942 of the year in the Far East, the Red Army had: 29 sd, 3 cd, 2 td, 10 aviation divisions, 20 sbr, 20 tbr, 4 air brigades and 15 UR. In total - 49,5 accounting divisions, 1 440 012 people. l / s, 11759 guns and mortars, 2589 tanks and self-propelled guns, 3178 aircraft.

And Japan had already had a full-blown war with the United States for half a year, and a war on two fronts did not really appeal to them.

[fomkin]

It is a pity that Hokkaido was not seized.

[partizan86]

After the Roman Empire, Italy became forever nothing.

[Cap.Morgan]

The Renaissance has long made Italy the center of the then civilization.
Two trading republics - Genoa and Venice were not only the largest maritime powers, but also laid the foundations of banking, and as a result contributed to the destruction of feudalism. I hope there is no need to list the great Italians - artists, sculptors, architects, jewelers, sailors. They were noted by us, taking part in the construction of the Kremlin and a number of cathedrals.

[dudinets]

my grandfather passed through the Gobi in 1945. sergeant, scout. He completed his service in 1973 as a lieutenant colonel.