Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
September 3 marks the Day of Military Glory of Russia – a date associated with the victory over militaristic Japan and the end of World War II. Main Archives of Moscow prepared an electronic edition "The Soviet-Japanese War of 1945: Biographies. Documents. Memories. Essays".
"In 2025, it will be 80 years since the defeat of the Kwantung Army and the capitulation of Japan — the events that marked the final stage of World War II. It is important for us not only to record our country's victories, but also to preserve the memory of those who achieved them. The new electronic publication brings together official documents, memoirs of participants in the events, photographs and essays by war correspondents. These materials allow us to feel how great the price of Victory was and to understand the role that Muscovites and other residents of our country played in the defeat of militaristic Japan. We sought to make the book not only a scientific work, but also a source in which the voices of war participants and eyewitness accounts are heard for new generations," said the head of the Main Archives of Moscow
The publication consists of four sections. The first two are devoted to brief biographical information about the Heroes of the Soviet Union and other Soviet servicemen. The sections are supplemented with photographs of soldiers, excerpts from award sheets, fragments of autobiographies, memoirs and other documents. All of them are collected in thematic collections "Moscow – with care for history", which include materials donated by city residents for eternal storage as part of the eponymous indefinite campaign, and "Heroes of the Soviet Union – Muscovites".
The third section of the book contains a selection of official documents on the main stages of the Soviet-Japanese War, essays by war correspondents, memoirs, texts of television and radio broadcasts, as well as fragments of audio interviews.
The materials include audio recordings of the memories of veterans Oleg and Sergey Pokomkin, as well as cameraman Vladislav Mikosha, who filmed the ceremony of signing the act of surrender of Japan. An important part of the section is information from the capital's party organs about the responses of workers in Moscow and the Moscow region to the events of the war. Many of these materials are published for the first time.
The fourth section is devoted to photo documents from the period of the USSR war with Japan. The publication is supplemented by a brief chronicle of military events and a toponymic dictionary with geographical names as of August-September 1945 and at the present time.
You can find the book in the virtual museum "Moscow – with care for history", in the hall “1941–1945”, section “Media Library”, subsection “Library”.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the ruling circles of Japan have pursued an aggressive foreign policy, including towards Russia and then towards the USSR. In the second half of the 1930s, the situation in the Far East worsened, armed conflicts broke out twice: in 1938 – on Lake Khasan and in 1939 – on the Khalkhin-Gol River in Mongolia. Despite the signing of a neutrality treaty between the USSR and Japan in Moscow in April 1941, the Soviet leadership, fearing Japanese aggression, continued to keep armed forces numbering more than a million people in the Far East.
In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, the leaders of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain signed an agreement on the Soviet Union's entry into the war with Japan two to three months after Germany's capitulation. At the same time, preparations began for a military operation in the Far East.
By August 1945, 136,000 railway cars with military personnel, combat equipment and ammunition had been transferred to the Far East and Transbaikalia. The Soviet group numbered about 1.75 million people. It was armed with about 30,000 guns and mortars, more than five thousand tanks and self-propelled artillery units, and over five thousand aircraft.
The overall command of the operation was carried out by the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Forces in the Far East, Marshal of the Soviet Union Alexander Vasilevsky. He had under his command the Transbaikal Front under the command of Marshal Rodion Malinovsky, the 1st Far Eastern Front under the command of Marshal Kirill Meretskov, the 2nd Far Eastern Front under the command of General of the Army Maxim Purkayev, as well as the Pacific Fleet under the command of Admiral Ivan Yumashev and the Amur Military Flotilla, led by Rear Admiral Neon Antonov. The activities of the ground forces and the navy were coordinated by the People's Commissar of the USSR Navy, Admiral of the Fleet Nikolai Kuznetsov.
The Soviet troops were confronted by the Kwantung Army, numbering over a million people. The Japanese defensive line stretched for 800 kilometers and consisted of 17 fortified areas with 4.5 thousand permanent fire structures.
On August 8, 1945, the People's Commissar of Foreign Affairs of the USSR Vyacheslav Molotov handed over a statement to the Japanese ambassador in Moscow, which stated that the Soviet Union acceded to the Potsdam Declaration of July 26, 1945, demanding the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces and considered itself to be in a state of war with Japan from August 9.
Early in the morning of August 9, Soviet troops went on the offensive along the entire front line. The Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation began, as a result of which the main forces of the Kwantung Army were routed by August 14. On this day, Emperor Hirohito issued a rescript on Japan's acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and on its surrender. However, military actions continued in various directions until September 1.
As a result of the operation, Soviet troops completely defeated the Kwantung Army and liberated the territories of Northeast China, North Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. On September 2, the act of surrender of Japan was signed in Tokyo Bay. On the same day, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR declared September 3 a national holiday – the day of victory over Japan.
Quickly find out the main news in the official channels of the city of Moscow in messengers Max And"Telegram".
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
.