The Overlooked Battle of Khalkhin Gol
Conflict Between Japan, Russia Determined Course of World War II
It took place in Mongolia, near the border with Manchuria, and matched the armies of Japan and the Soviet Union.
And while it happened one day before what is recognized as the start of World War II, it impacted, and possibly even determined the outcome of that conflict.
A costly four-month affair, it began as a minor border clash and turned into a battle of virtual annihilation, with a decisive Soviet victory discouraged Japan from making an effort to invade Siberia.
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev traveled to Mongolia to participate in events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the battle.
"The victory at Khalkhin Gol, as we know, changed the international political deal, convinced Japan not to enter the war against the Soviet Union on Nazi Germany’s side, and made it possible to redeploy large numbers of troops from the Far East to Moscow in 1941," Medvedev said in an Aug. 26, 2009, speech.
But the triumph also led to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Opening Shots Between Japan, Soviet Union
The Japanese had occupied Manchuria and were at war with China, but progress had become slow and costly. The navy favored a push for expansion into the Dutch East Indies and Malaya, where Japan could replenish its oil, metal and rubber supplies. But the army wanted to go into Siberia, creating buffer space between the Soviet Union and Manchuria.
Japan had set up a puppet state in Manchuria, renamed Manchukuo, and the Soviet Union had done likewise in Mongolia. There had been a number of incidents along the border, and the final one flared up into an all-out battle.
It started May 11, 1939, when Mongolian horsemen and Manchukuoan troops exchanged shots. That initiated a series of firefights, and eventually led to Russia and Japan sending tens of thousands troops to the area.
The Japanese made the first attempts at an offensive, but two attacks were thrown back. While they scored some major successes in aerial battles, their armor and artillery were inferior to that of the Soviets.
Another huge Russian advantage was Georgi Zhukov, who arrived to take command in June. Zhukov, who'd later mastermind the Soviets' greatest victories over Nazi Germany, organized a successful defense then devised an August offensive that crushed the Japanese.
Event Also Known as 'Nomonhan Incident'
The Japanese and Russians refer to the battle by a different name. The Japanese call it the "Nomonhan Incident" – after a village in the vicinity.
There's also disagreement over the size of the armies involved, and how many casualties were inflicted.
But there's no doubt that the battle took place on a dry barren ground, with little cover for each side, and that the heat was debilitating.
"It was a horrible battle on such a small plot of land, several square kilometers,' Russian veteran Nikolay Ganin said an interview with the Russian news network, RT, on Aug. 26. "It was impossible to see the ground because of the smoke and the explosions."
Zhukov's Envelopment of the Japanese Army
Foreshadowing tactics that he'd use against the Germans at Stalingrad three years later, Zhukov launched his offensive on Aug. 20.
The Japanese put up effective resistance at some points, but the Soviets -- aided greatly by their armor, artillery and aerial elements -- had their pincers closed and their enemy surrounded inside a week.
Japanese attempts to break through the encirclement failed, and the trapped force was blasted out of existence by Aug. 31. Only a few hundred of perhaps 30,000 soldiers escaped the trap.
An Associated Foreign Press story from Aug. 26, 2009, said official estimates place overall Japanese casualties in the battle at 60,000, as opposed to 18,000 for Soviet forces. But other sources place Japanese losses much lower and Soviet losses higher.
The most important consequence, though, was that the Japanese gave up all thoughts of implementing their "Strike North" policy. Japan and the Soviet Union eventually signed a neutrality pact in April of 1941.
The Importance of Khalkhin Gol
Russian and Mongolian veterans who fought at the battle were among those who gathered at Ulan Bator, Mongolia, on Aug. 26, 2009, for the 70th anniversary celebration.
"Japan would have conquered Mongolia if not for the Soviets,' 93-year-old Mongolian veteran Gendendarzhan Tsogt told the Associated Foreign Press.”Japan would have conquered Mongolia if not for the Soviets. We all remember this."
The Japanese instead set their eyes on British, Dutch and French possessions in Southeast Asia, and on American possessions in the Pacific. The "Strike South" faction won its argument.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union ended up fighting for its life in a devastating war vs. Germany. With the help of soldiers from Siberia and Mongolia -- who did not have to fight the Japanese -- they eventually won.
But people in the Western Europe and North America didn't hear much about Khalkhin Gol. Germany invaded of Poland one day after the end of the Khalkhin Gol battle ended. World War II had begun.
Sources:
Decisive Battle of Khalkhin-Gol Remembered, RT, Aug. 26, 2009
Edgerton, Robert B.; Warriors of the Rising Sun: A History of the Japanese Military, W.W. Norton & Co., 1997
Medvedev to end Mongolia visit, attend Khalkhin-Gol victory events, Aug. 26, 2009, ITAR/Tass
Soviet and Japanese Forces Battle at Khalkhin Gol, World War II/History.net, July, 2003
Speech of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Official Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Victory at Khalkhin Gol, ISRA.com, Aug, 26, 2009
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