In 1939, the 23rd Division of the Japanese Kwantung Army launched an attack on the Soviet garrison in the Nomenkan area. At the beginning of the campaign, the Soviet army was in a weak position, and successive battles ended in defeat.
However, with the arrival of General Zhukov, sent by Stalin, the situation began to change. General Zhukov adopted the tactic of "battle deception", which plunged the Japanese into a mood of pride and complacency, while the Soviets took the opportunity to boost their morale, and finally succeeded in defeating the Japanese with powerful firepower and heroic soldiers.
In addition, General Zhukov issued an order that brought long-term peace to the Soviet Union. Although the smoke of the Battle of Nomenkan had dissipated, the first crushing defeat of the Kwantung Army undoubtedly had a profound impact on it, so that it would never easily invade the Soviet Union again.
In 1939, the Deputy Chief of Staff and Minister of Operations of the Imperial Japanese Empire assumed important responsibilities.
At a military conference held at the headquarters of the Sendagaya Empire in Tokyo, Hideki Tojo was deeply dissatisfied with Stalin**'s support for China's war of resistance, and he said: "In order for Stalin to understand the strength of Japan, we need to stop Soviet military aid to China." ”
However, this crazy rhetoric was not supported by high-ranking generals such as Toyoda Fukutake, Sugiyama Moto, and Koiso Kuniaki, who all exhorted Hideki Tojo to remain calm and not easily challenge the Soviet bottom line.
At a time when the Sino-Japanese War was at a stalemate, Hideki Tojo could not tolerate the Soviet Union's efforts to send military aid to China through Xinjiang and station a military advisory group in Chongqing.
He roared angrily: "This is unacceptable to Japan!" Nevertheless, the next afternoon he met with Shimamura and praised him for his "vision."
Subsequently, Shimamura Juyasu made a suggestion to him: "The generals of the Kwantung Army have always hoped to avenge the Battle of Zhanggufeng, why don't they ask the Kwantung Army Command to propose a reason to attack the Soviet and Mongolian armies to the military headquarters?" ”
Hideki Tojo praised Shimamura's suggestion and praised him for his insightfulness. So, in April 1939, the Japanese Kwantung Army put forward a plan against the illegal actions of the Soviet army, with the goal of completely curbing its ambitions and defeating it completely.
Shimamura was sent to the headquarters of the Kwantung Army in Gongzhuling, Liaoning, as he wished, and began to plan operations in Nomenkan, a border area between Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, China. On May 12, 1939, he was the commander of the 23rd Division of the Japanese Kwantung Army in Hailar.
In the face of the onslaught of the Kwantung Army, the Soviet army immediately set up a front-line command post, and the Outer Mongolian Army also assembled four cavalry regiments, two artillery batteries and two armored car battalions on the west bank of the Harakhin River.
In the early morning of May 28, the 64th Wing of the Japanese Army, Yama Takemitsu Daisa, led 2,520 soldiers and 12 armored vehicles to attack the Soviet army from three sides.
With the assistance of the T130 flamethrower tank company and the assault company of the Soviet army, the Soviet army set up three defensive depths. However, the heavy machine guns and artillery on the Soviet armored vehicles and tanks beat the Japanese cavalry to the ground, and in the unsheltered steppe, the Soviet troops gathered 1,200 soldiers, 12 armored vehicles, 12 tanks and 16 heavy machine guns.
Faced with the encirclement of the tanks of the Soviet Army and the Outer Mongolian Army, Yama County Wuguang formulated a plan for a "meat bomb attack". It is a cruel and crazy tactic that relies entirely on the so-called "bushido spirit", using the soldier's flesh as a **, reckless and unafraid of sacrifice.
In the "meat bullet attack", the Kwantung Army volunteer death squad, armed with grenades, rushed to the armored vehicle. After a few loud bangs, several armored vehicles of the Outer Mongolian Army were blown up, so that neither the Soviet army nor the Outer Mongolian army dared to approach the crazy Kwantung Army.
After seeing the results of the "meat bullet attack", the Kwantung Army became more and more frenzied, and they continued to attack in the thick smoke and fire, regardless of life and death.
The armored vehicles of the Kwantung Army looked defenseless in front of Soviet tanks and were not even as strong as tin cans. On May 29, 1939, the Japanese suffered heavy losses, with the loss of 743 soldiers, and the battle was difficult to advance.
The Kwantung Army realized that their previous overconfidence in their own might was nothing more than rhetoric. A survey by the post-war psychological agency found that 90% of Kwantung Army officers knew nothing about the state of the Soviet army, although the soldiers eagerly awaited a confrontation with the Soviet army.
This made the situation not rosy for the Kwantung Army.
The Kwantung Army was overconfident in the early days of the war, believing that according to the transportation standards of the Japanese army's military flatbed trucks, the length of the line of military stations for large corps operations would not exceed 250 km.
They did not believe that the Soviets would use large corps to fight in this area, after all, the Soviets had a 750-meter-long line of troops at Nomenkan. However, after a surprise attack on the headquarters of the Outer Mongolian army, they failed to retreat in time, and were surrounded by Soviet tank units that came to reinforce them.
With a battalion of armored vehicles and a company of Spitfire tanks, the Soviet-Mongolian army easily defeated the first rapid units of the Kwantung Army.
Stalin was not complacent about this victory, he understood that the purpose of Japan's operation was to test the strength of the Soviet army and prepare for a future attack on the Soviet Union.
In this confrontation, the battle reports from the front revealed the sick and frenzied state of the Kwantung Army, and Stalin decided that the Kwantung Army's offensive must be completely thwarted and the Japanese would pay the price, otherwise the Nomenkan area would be in trouble.
After careful consideration, he appointed General Zhukov, who was then the deputy commander of the Belarusian Military District. On June 1, Zhukov received a ** from Moscow, a tank expert who had attracted international attention and threw himself into the battlefield of Nomenkan, posing a major threat to the Japanese army.
On June 2, Zhukov flew to the direction of Mongolia and learned about the latest combat situation under the briefing of the commander of the Chita Military District, Yakovlev, military commissar Gapanovich.
On the 5th, Zhukov arrived in Prague, Tamchag.
During the border clashes, the appearance of General Zhukov alarmed the command of the 57th Special Army of the Soviet Army. However, after listening to the reports of the army commander Feklenko and others about the situation of the battle, Zhukov believed that the conflict was not simple, and the Japanese army might be waiting for an opportunity to invade the Soviet Far East.
Therefore, on June 8, the People's Commissar of Defense appointed Zhukov as the commander of the special army of the 57th Army, and he led the troops to move to the foot of Mount Hamaldaba and began to gather troops and reserve supplies.
Zhukov's arrival greatly strengthened the Soviet Air Force, and Stalin quickly added 498 tanks, 542 artillery pieces, 57,000 soldiers, and 515 aircraft.
Stalin gave Zhukov an order to crush the invading Japanese army in the shortest possible time, but not to move beyond the Mongolian People's Republic.
Before the Soviet reinforcements arrived, in June 1939, the Japanese army assembled four flying brigades, including light bombers, fighters, reconnaissance planes, and heavy bombers.
Seventy-eight fighters and reconnaissance planes from Hailar and Arshan formed a flanking posture against Soviet planes, and the Kwantung Army was eager for victory, and Toru Saga decided to launch a surprise attack on the Soviet flight base in Prague in Tamchag.
In the early morning of 27 June, a group of fighters, a group of heavy bombers, a group of light bombers, and a group of fighters assembled and attacked over Hailar Airport. When the Japanese army was ready, the air raid sirens at Hailar Airport suddenly sounded, and Soviet planes hurriedly took off one after another.
However, the Japanese fighter group, which had been prepared for a long time, dropped all the bombs, which instantly shrouded the airfield in black smoke. From 4 a.m. to 7:40 a.m., the Japanese aircraft formation reported the results to the Kwantung Army Command: 25 Soviet planes were destroyed on the ground and 99 Soviet planes were shot down.
This defeat deprived the Soviet army of air superiority. On July 2, the Japanese learned that Soviet reinforcements had not arrived, and launched a more fierce attack on the Soviet-Mongolian army. At that time, the Japanese army had 38,000 soldiers, while the Soviet-Mongolian army had only 12,541 men.
Despite Zhukov's composure, the situation was still difficult to turn around due to the large gap in forces between the Soviet Union and Japan, and even the number of armored troops and tanks was less than that of the constantly reinforcing Japanese army.
In fact, the defeat of the Kwantung Army had already laid the groundwork, and whenever they achieved a small victory, they were easy to get carried away and relax for a while. Even more dangerous is that they do not know anything about Zhukov and the means of combat of mechanized troops proposed by Zhukov.
On July 15, the Japanese army was still growing, and even increased its troops in the Nomenkan area to form the 6th Army, which was ready to launch a larger attack on the Soviet army with 75,000 men and horses by August 24.
The Kwantung Army thought that it was sure of victory, but as everyone knows, Zhukov had already secretly deployed and was ready to give full play to the advantages of mechanized troops and unite all arms of the army to fight on August 20.
In the Battle of Nomenkan, the Soviet troops deployed 560,000 troops, and General Zhukov is preparing intensively. Meanwhile, Michitaro Komatsubara, after studying the battle plan, returns to Hailar to hug his geisha, unconcerned about it.
Zhukov used two tactics to confuse the enemy: first, to publish a large number of fake telecommunications and fake defense manuals, and second, to use audio equipment to cover up military operations and build fortifications.
These tactics succeeded in paralyzing the Japanese army and laying the foundation for Zhukov's victory. Therefore, the key to Zhukov's victory in the Battle of Nomenkan was his successful use of campaign deception.
Before launching **, General Zhukov made detailed planning. In order to achieve the surprise of the tank attack, he chose to remove the tank's silencer and let the tank crew drive repeatedly in the front line position, so that the Japanese army gradually became accustomed to the actions of the Soviet tanks.
At the same time, he also skillfully used several powerful sound devices to simulate the sound of pile drivers in the forward position, creating the illusion that the Soviet army was building fortifications on a large scale.
Therefore, the so-called construction of fortifications is really just a clever tactic to disguise the intent of the attack.
On the night of August 19, Soviet troops had already arrived in the intended area of attack. By dawn on August 20, they would have succeeded in hiding all their troops in the bushes and hiding in pre-set fortifications.
It was an amazing military operation because the Soviets used camouflage nets on mortars, artillery, towing vehicles, and various technical equipment to prevent detection.
When moving tank units into the area of departure, Zhukov also skillfully asked the fighters to make all sorts of noise, which served as cover. On August 20, there were only four days left before the scheduled time of the Japanese attack.
According to the observation of the Japanese army over the past few days, they believed that the Soviet-Mongolian army was still busy with winter and defensive preparations, so the Japanese army decided to let the soldiers rest on this day, that is, Sunday.
However, the Soviets were well prepared and they would attack on this day, taking the Japanese by surprise.
In this battle, the most surprising thing was that the Japanese army actually sent two "women's support teams" to comfort those soldiers who had made meritorious contributions to the battle. However, in fact, the Japanese army was already exhausted, and they longed for some rest and entertainment.
As a result, high-ranking Kwantung Army officers went to Hailar to enjoy their vacations, or to spend time with their wives and lovers, or to watch Kabuki performances.
Even some of the junior officers who stayed behind had a gramophone in their tents, drinking and singing, or banging pots and spoons on the moor, and having a good time. When Zhukov's tank unit began to move, when the artillery fire was being prepared and the aviation fire was being prepared, the Soviet army's high-power sound rang non-stop, but the Japanese army had long been accustomed to this kind of sound, and not even a single scout came out.
At 5:45 a.m. on August 20, the Soviet-Mongolian forces, under the personal command of Zhukov, launched a fierce artillery bombardment of the Japanese army. At this time, most of the Japanese officers and soldiers who had been awakened by the powerful air and artillery fire of the Soviet army fell asleep forever at that moment.
In just a few moments, almost all Japanese artillery positions, communications and observation posts were destroyed. When the Japanese anti-aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns began to strike fiercely, some of the artillery fired smoke bombs at the targets that the aviation was about to bomb.
It was a sunny day, and the artillery of the Soviet army inflicted pinpoint strikes on the positions of the Japanese troops.
Under the fierce attack of 150 bombers and almost 100 fighters of the Red Army, the positions of the Kwantung Army were bombed to the ground. At about 8:45, the red signal flare was lifted into the air, and the Red Army's artillery and aviation assault left the Japanese powerless to fight back.
In this battle, Zhukov commanded with certainty and resolutely did not relax. In just half a day, the 36th Infantry Division changed two division commanders. When the Soviets penetrated deep into enemy positions, the 36th Infantry Division was ordered to attack one of the Japanese positions.
However, the resistance of the Japanese was unusually stubborn, and after the first request for instructions, Zhukov ordered another attack. But the division commander said that ** was too big to advance. Zhukov asked firmly: "I only want to ask you one thing now, can you still attack?" ”
Zhukov was not bothered by the hesitation of the division commander, and he decisively ordered the chief of staff to take over. After the chief of staff received **, Zhukov asked him if he could complete the task of continuing the offensive, and the chief of staff firmly said yes.
So, Zhukov decided to appoint him as the new division commander. However, the new division commander did not immediately attack after assuming the post of division commander, and Zhukov decisively took over, ordered the new division commander to step down and wait for the arrival of the new division commander.
In the end, Zhukov selected a colonel officer from his command to serve as the commander of the 36th Infantry Division, and the third division commander, even in the face of huge ** risks, resolutely carried out Zhukov's offensive orders.
On August 22, the Soviet paratrooper brigade successfully raided the rear of the Kwantung Army, cutting off its supply lines and crushing the flank group of the Japanese army. On 24 August, the remnants of the Japanese tried to resist stubbornly from the bombed-out fortifications, but were quickly suppressed by the powerful Soviet air artillery fire and tank attacks at close range.
General Zhukov ordered the armored tank and mechanized units to complete the encirclement of the main forces of the Japanese Sixth Group by August 26. On August 28, the 23rd Division of the Japanese Army failed and was successfully surrounded by the Soviet Army.
In the fierce battle, the brigade commander, Major General Kobayashi, had his leg broken and was almost trampled to death by the fleeing Japanese troops in a rout, while Tokuzo Okamoto, the chief of staff of the division, was seriously wounded in **.
Takemitsu Yamagu, who was the commander of the light pole, committed suicide after burning the military flag, and the commander of the 72nd Wing of the Japanese Army, Sakai Daisa, and all his subordinates were killed in battle, and the wing suffered heavy losses.
On August 30, the Japanese Sixth Army, which had invaded Mongolia, was almost completely wiped out, with less than 2,000 remnants of its troops. On August 31, the Japanese 6th Army was also annihilated.
During the entire Nomenkan War, the Japanese army lost 20,000 casualties, more than 50,000. However, despite such heavy losses, on September 10, the Kwantung Army still wanted to fight to the death with the Soviet army.
This decision made the Japanese army base camp angry, and two telegram orders were issued in succession, transferring the commander of the Kwantung Army, Kenkichi Ueda, and the chief of staff, Ryosuke Isotani, and Otozaburo Yano, all of them back, and announced their retirement.
On September 16, 1939, under the armistice, the Soviet Union and Japan ended the Battle of Nomenkan. The battle made the Japanese realize that they could not compete with the Soviets, so their strategy to attack Siberia north was shaken.
Soon after, Japan began to implement a southward expansion strategy, and attacked Pearl Harbor in the United States, triggering the Pacific War. This has become an act of arrogance that Japan will never forget.