THE battle of Khalkhin Gol took place between May and August 1939 and was characterized by a series of clashes between the soviet troops and the troops of Kwangtung Army (Japanese army stationed in Manchuria) in the border region of Mongolia with Manchuria. The outcome of the battle between the Soviets and the Japanese completely changed the paths that the Second World War took.
Background
The relationship between the Soviet Union and Japan during the 1930s was very tense. In that period, there was a great rivalry between the two nations, mainly because of the ideological differences that existed between the two regimes. Japan was an extremely militaristic nation ruled authoritatively by a conservative regime. The Soviet Union was an authoritarian nation ruled by Stalin's tyrannical regime.
The rivalry between the two nations was also reflected in historical events. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia (it only became the Soviet Union in 1917) and Japan faced each other in the Russo-Japanese War
between 1904 and 1905. In this conflict, the Japanese were victorious, and the Russians faced defeat as a great embarrassment.Also access: Russian-Japanese War
This rivalry increased as Japan took a stand against the Soviet Union's communist regime. This was even reflected in Japan's own political frameworks, as there was a group that considered a confrontation against the Soviet Union inevitable.
Relations between nations have become more strained because of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The Moscow government started to support the Chinese communists (led by Mao Tse-tung) in the fight against the Japanese forces, which, since 1931, invaded part of Chinese territory and inaugurated the Manchukuo State, a kind of puppet state of the Japanese in China.
Read too: chinese revolution
Finally, there was an old territorial dispute involving a border region of Mongolia. This dispute was over a piece of Mongolian border with Manchukuo. Since the Japanese installation in the region, the clash has become more intense. The disputed stretch included a strip of land that incorporated regions from the Halala River to a village called Nomonhan.
Negotiations between Mongolia and the Japanese began in 1935 but failed, giving the impression that diplomatically this issue would not be resolved. The issues surrounding Mongolia were related to the Soviets because Mongolia became a communist nation in 1924 and was a kind of satellite state for the Soviets.
In the 1930s, small clashes took place between the Soviets and the Japanese in what became known as Changkufeng incident or Battle of Lake Khasan. This battle took place between July and August 1938 in the region near Vladivostok.
The Battle of Khalkhin Gol
Despite all the tension that existed between the Soviet Union and the Japanese forces in Manchukuo, the official strategy of the Japanese government was to prevent the confrontation from happening. Naturally, this order deeply disliked the group that defended the struggle against the Soviets and maintained a hostile stance against the Mongols.
Because of this group's dissatisfaction, troops stationed in Manchukuo began a fight against the Soviets – even without the permission of the Tokyo government. Historian Antony Beevor explains why this happened:
[…] the Kwantung Army, without informing Tokyo, issued an order allowing the local commander to act as he saw fit to punish the offenders [the Soviets]. This occurred under the so-called “campaign initiative” prerogative, which allowed armies to move troops for security reasons in their own areas, without consulting the imperial General Staff.1.
The fight between the Soviets and the Japanese officially started on May 12, 1939, that is, this battle took place before the official start of WWII (which happened with the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939). The event that led to the start of this confrontation was as follows: elements of the Mongolian cavalry crossed the Khalkhin Gol (Halala river) so that the horses could graze in the steppes beyond the river. This region was the territory in which there was a dispute (demand) between Mongols and Japanese. Cavalry was established in the outskirts of the village of Nomonham. The presence of the Mongols in the region was perceived as a challenge by the Japanese, who opened fire, forcing the Mongolian cavalry to flee the region.
The answer came two weeks later, when Soviet troops were sent to conquer Nomonham, which happened in June 1939. With these clashes, the Soviet government acted and highlighted georgyZukov to organize the defense of the Soviets in Mongolia. Zukov promoted the sending of new reinforcements and the organization of defense installations. The Japanese, in turn, highlighted Komatsubaramichitaro.
Soon the Japanese organized new attacks, this time, carried out by their air force (the attacks take place between June and July). During this period, the Japanese also managed to gain strategic positions in the region. While this was happening, the Soviets were organizing to provide a suitable response.
Zukov put in place a tactic that the Russians call the maskirovka. This tactic basically consists in deceiving the opposing troops, giving them the impression that measures to strengthen the defenses are being carried out. While this was happening, secretly, efforts were being made to strengthen the Soviet forces and launch an attack soon. The Soviets began sending reinforcements during the night and hiding them, giving the impression that their forces were much smaller than they actually were.
The forces organized by Zukov exceeded the range of 50,000 men, who on the battlefield would receive the support of hundreds of armored vehicles (tanks) and war planes. With their forces increased, the Russians launched a new attack on August 20, 1939. At first, there was an infantry attack on the center as a distraction maneuver. Meanwhile, Mongolian cavalry and armored divisions flanked the Japanese and attacked them from the rear.
The Japanese found themselves in a delicate situation, but because of their culture, which did not accept setbacks and defeats, Japan's troops faced the fight openly. The result was disastrous: the Japanese accumulated more than 61 thousand casualties. the Soviets had 23 thousand casualties.
Given this need and the impact of signing the non-aggression pact, the Japanese put an end to any attempt to continue this fight and, thus, the Japanese defeat was consolidated. The official end of the battle took place on August 31, 1939.
What is the relevance of this battle?
Although little known, the battle of Khalkhin Gol is considered decisive for the direction taken by World War II. This is because, in 1939, there was a very strong division in Japan's political cadres regarding the strategy to be taken by the country in the future. One group advocated confrontation against the US and Southeast Asian nations, and another advocated combat against the Soviet Union.
As a result of the defeat suffered at Khalkhin Gol, the group that defended the war against the Soviet Union was weakened. With that, the Japanese government's strategy turned to the fight against the presence of the United States in Asia and to conquer the colonies of Southeast Asia. Thus, the course was taken that led to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the US into the war.
Also click: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Finally, another important point is that if the Japanese had attacked the Soviets, the Moscow government would probably not have been able to resist their enemies, as the forces that stubbornly fought the Nazis would have to be divided, which would weaken the defenses of the Soviets.
1BEEVOR, Antony. The Second World War. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2015, pp. 24-25.
*Image credits:Igor Golovniov and Shutterstock
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/guerras/batalha-khalkhin-gol.htm
