Russo-Japanese war briefly.

Reasons for the start of the war with Japan.

In the period of 1904, Russia was actively developing the lands of the Far East, developing trade and industry. The Land of the Rising Sun blocked access to these lands, at that time it occupied China and Korea. But the fact is that under the department of Russia was one of the territories of China - Manchuria. This is one of the main reasons for the start of the war. In addition, Russia, by decision tripartite alliance, was given the Liaodong Peninsula, which once belonged to Japan. Thus, disagreements arose between Russia and Japan, and a struggle arose for dominance in the Far East.

The course of events of the Russo-Japanese War.

Using the effect of surprise, Japan attacked Russia in the place of Port Arthur. After disembarkation landing troops Japan on the Kwantung Peninsula, Port Atrut remained cut off from the outside world, and therefore helpless. Within two months, he was forced to resort to capitulation. Further, the Russian army loses the battle of Liaoyang and the battle of Mukden. Before the start of the First World War, these battles were considered the largest in the history of the Russian state.

After the Battle of Tsushima, almost the entire Soviet flotilla was destroyed. Events unfolded in the Yellow Sea. After another battle, Russia in unequal battle loses the Sakhalin Peninsula. General Kuropatkin, leader Soviet army for some reason used passive tactics fight. In his opinion, it was necessary to wait until the enemy's forces and supplies were running out. And the tsar at that time did not attach much importance to this, since a revolution began on the territory of Russia at that time.

When both sides of the hostilities were morally and materially exhausted, they agreed to the signing of a peace treaty in the American Portsmouth in 1905.

Results of the Russo-Japanese War.

Russia has lost southern part its Sakhalin Peninsula. Manchuria is now neutral territory and all troops were withdrawn from there. Oddly enough, but the treaty was conducted on equal terms, and not as a winner with a loser.

One of the largest confrontations is the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The reasons for it will be discussed in the article. As a result of the conflict, armadillo guns, long-range artillery, and destroyers were used.

The essence of this war was which of the two warring empires would dominate the Far East. Emperor of Russia Nicholas II considered it his primary task to strengthen the influence of his state in East Asia. At the same time, Emperor Meiji of Japan sought to gain complete control over Korea. War became inevitable.

Background of the conflict

It is clear that the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 (the reasons are connected with the Far East) did not start instantly. She had her prerequisites.

Russia has advanced Central Asia to the border with Afghanistan and Persia, which affected the interests of Great Britain. Unable to expand in this direction, the empire switched to the East. There was China, which, due to complete exhaustion in the opium wars, was forced to transfer part of the territory to Russia. So she received control of Primorye (the territory of modern Vladivostok), the Kuril Islands, and partly Sakhalin Island. To connect distant frontiers was created Trans-Siberian Railway, which, along the railway line, provided communication between Chelyabinsk and Vladivostok. In addition to the railroad, Russia planned to trade on the ice-free Yellow Sea through Port Arthur.

In Japan, at the same time, their transformations were taking place. Having come to power, Emperor Meiji ended the policy of self-isolation and began to modernize the state. All his reforms were so successful that a quarter of a century after they began, the empire was able to seriously think about military expansion to other states. Its first targets were China and Korea. The victory of Japan over China allowed her to get in 1895 the rights to Korea, the island of Taiwan and other lands.

A conflict was brewing between two strong empires for dominance in East Asia. The result was the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The causes of the conflict should be considered in more detail.

The main causes of the war

It was extremely important for both powers to show their military achievements, so the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 unfolded. The reasons for this confrontation lie not only in the claims to the territory of China, but also in the internal political situations that had developed in both empires by that time. A successful campaign in a war not only gives the victor an economic advantage, but also raises her status on the world stage and silences opponents of her existing power. What did both states count on in this conflict? What were the main reasons Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905? The table below reveals the answers to these questions.

Precisely because both powers were striving for an armed solution to the conflict, all diplomatic negotiations did not bring results.

The balance of power on land

The causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 were both economic and political. On the Eastern front The 23rd Artillery Brigade was sent from Russia. As for the numerical advantage of the armies, the leadership belonged to Russia. However, in the East, the army was limited to 150 thousand people. However, they were scattered over a wide area.

• Vladivostok - 45,000 people
• Manchuria - 28,000 people
• Port Arthur - 22,000 people
• Security of the Chinese Eastern Railway - 35,000 people.
• Artillery, engineering troops- up to 8000 people

The biggest problem of the Russian army was the remoteness from the European part. Communication was carried out by telegraph, and delivery was carried out by the CER line. However, a limited amount of cargo could be delivered by rail. In addition, the leadership did not have accurate maps of the area, which negatively affected the course of the war.

Japan before the war had an army of 375 thousand people. They studied the area well, had fairly accurate maps. The army has been modernized by English specialists, and the soldiers are devoted to their emperor to death.

The balance of power on the water

In addition to land, battles also took place on the water. Admiral Heihachiro Togo led the Japanese fleet. His task was to block the enemy squadron near Port Arthur. In another sea (Japanese), the squadron of the Land of the Rising Sun counteracted the Vladivostok group of cruisers.

Understanding the causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Meiji state thoroughly prepared for battles on the water. The most important ships of her United Fleet were produced in England, France, Germany and significantly outnumbered Russian ships.

Major events of the war

When in February 1904 the Japanese forces began to cross into Korea, the Russian command did not attach any importance to this, although they understood the reasons for the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905.

Briefly about the main events.

• 09.02.1904. Historic fight cruiser "Varyag" against the Japanese squadron near Chemulpo.
• 27.02.1904. The Japanese fleet attacked the Russian Port Arthur without declaring war. The Japanese used torpedoes for the first time and disabled 90% of the Pacific Fleet.
• April 1904. The clash of armies on land, which showed Russia's unpreparedness for war (mismatch of form, lack of military maps, inability to fence). Due to the fact that Russian officers had white tunics, Japanese soldiers easily figured out and killed them.
• May 1904. Capture of the port of Dalniy by the Japanese.
• August 1904. Successful Russian defense of Port Arthur.
• January 1905. Surrender of Port Arthur by Stessel.
• May 1905. sea ​​battle near Tsushima, he destroyed the Russian squadron (one ship returned to Vladivostok), while not a single ship of Japan was injured.
• July 1905. Japanese invasion of Sakhalin.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were of an economic nature, led to the exhaustion of both powers. Japan began to look for ways to resolve the conflict. She resorted to the help of Great Britain and the United States.

Battle of Chemulpo

took place famous battle 02/09/1904 off the coast of Korea (city of Chemulpo). Captain Vsevolod Rudnev commanded two Russian ships. These were the cruiser "Varyag" and the boat "Korean". The squadron of Japan under the command of Sotokichi Uriu consisted of 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, 8 destroyers. They blocked the Russian ships and forced them to join the battle.

In the morning, in clear weather, the Varyag and the Koreyets weighed anchor and tried to get out of the bay. In honor of the exit from the port, music began to play for them, but after only five minutes the alarm sounded on the deck. The battle flag went up.

The Japanese did not expect such actions and expected to destroy the Russian ships in the port. The enemy squadron raised anchors in a hurry, battle flags and began to prepare for battle. The battle began with a shot from the Asama. Then there was a battle with the use of armor-piercing and high-explosive shells from both sides.

In unequal forces, the Varyag was badly damaged, and Rudnev decided to turn back to the anchorage. There, the Japanese could not continue shelling because of the danger of damaging the ships of other states.

Having lowered the anchor, the Varyag team began to study the condition of the ship. Rudnev, meanwhile, went for permission to destroy the cruiser and transfer his team to neutral ships. Not all officers supported Rudnev's decision, but two hours later the team was evacuated. They decided to sink the Varyag by opening its floodgates. The bodies of the dead sailors were left on the cruiser.

It was decided to blow up the Korean boat, having evacuated the team before that. All things were left on the ship, and secret documents were burned.

The sailors were received by French, English and Italian ships. After carrying out all the necessary procedures, they were delivered to Odessa and Sevastopol, from where they were disbanded by the fleet. By agreement, they could not continue to participate in the Russo-Japanese conflict, therefore, on Pacific Fleet they were not allowed.

The results of the war

Japan agreed to sign the peace treaty with the complete surrender of Russia, in which the revolution had already begun. According to the Portsmouth Peace Treaty (08/23/1905), Russia was obliged to fulfill the following points:

1. Relinquish claims to Manchuria.
2. Relinquish in favor of Japan Kuril Islands and half of Sakhalin Island.
3. Recognize Japan's right to Korea.
4. Transfer to Japan the right to lease Port Arthur.
5. Pay Japan an indemnity for the "maintenance of prisoners."

In addition, the defeat in the war had for Russia Negative consequences in economic terms. Stagnation began in some industries, as their lending from foreign banks declined. Living in the country has risen in price significantly. The industrialists insisted on the speedy conclusion of peace.

Even those countries that initially supported Japan (Great Britain and the United States) realized how difficult the situation in Russia was. The war had to be stopped in order to direct all forces to fight the revolution, which world states equally feared.

Mass movements began among workers and military personnel. A prime example is the uprising on the battleship Potemkin.

The causes and results of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are clear. It remains to find out what were the losses in human terms. Russia lost 270 thousand, of which 50 thousand were killed. Japan lost the same number of soldiers, but more than 80,000 were killed.

Value judgments

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were of an economic and political nature, showed serious problems inside Russian Empire. He also wrote about this. War revealed problems in the army, its weapons, command, as well as blunders in diplomacy.

Japan was not fully satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. The state lost too much in the fight against the European enemy. She expected to get more territory However, the United States did not support her in this. Discontent began to brew inside the country, and Japan continued the path of militarization.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the reasons for which were considered, brought many military tricks:

• use of spotlights;
• the use of wire fences under high voltage current;
• field kitchen;
• radiotelegraphy for the first time made it possible to control ships from a distance;
• switching to fuel oil, which produces no smoke and makes ships less visible;
• the appearance of ships - minelayers, which began to be produced with the spread of mine weapons;
• flamethrowers.

One of the heroic battles of the war with Japan is the battle of the Varyag cruiser at Chemulpo (1904). Together with the ship "Korean" they opposed the whole squadron of the enemy. The battle was obviously lost, but the sailors still made an attempt to break through. It turned out to be unsuccessful, and in order not to surrender, the crew led by Rudnev sank their ship. For courage and heroism, they were awarded the praise of Nicholas II. The Japanese were so struck by the character and stamina of Rudnev and his sailors that in 1907 they awarded him the Order rising sun. The captain of the sunken cruiser accepted the award, but never wore it.

There is a version according to which Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese for a fee. How true this version is, it is already impossible to verify. Be that as it may, because of his act, the campaign was doomed to failure. For this, the general was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in a fortress, but he was pardoned a year after imprisonment. He was deprived of all titles and awards, while leaving a pension.

One of the main reasons for the Russo-Japanese War is considered to be the rivalry between the two empires, Russian and Japanese, in the Far East. Between these two countries there was a dispute over the division of spheres of influence in China and Korea. Another reason for this war is called the desire to distract the rest of the world from revolutionary movement gaining momentum in Russia. Nicholas II believed that he would be able to conduct a war that would be advantageous for the country, but from the very beginning of hostilities, Japan had the advantage.
The beginning of the war is considered January 27, 1904 - the Japanese attack on the Russian fleet, the result of the attack was the siege of Port Arthur. As a result of this attack, the Russian army was deprived of two of the best Russian battleships - the Tsesarevich and the Retvizan. On January 27, a battle also took place in the port of Chemulpo (Korea), during which the cruiser Varyag was sunk and the Korean was blown up.
The defensive actions of Port Arthur took place from January 27 to December 20, 1904. In the autumn, the Japanese made three attempts to storm the fortress, but they suffered huge losses, but the result was not achieved. On November 22, Mount High, which dominated the fortress, was taken. In December 1904, Russian troops led by General Stessel abandoned Port Arthur. At that time, the fortress was in a hopeless position.
On August 11, 1904, the battle of Liaoyang began - one of the main events of the Russo-Japanese war. The fight became psychological shock, since everyone was waiting for the final rebuff to the Japanese, but the battle turned out to be only bloody. The Liaoyang operation brought another defeat to the Russian troops. Completion of the operation - August 21, 1904
On September 22, 1904, a battle took place on the river. Shahe. Despite the fact that it was started by the successful advance of the Russian troops, the battle was lost due to heavy losses (about 40 thousand wounded and killed). On October 17, an order was given to end the attacks on Japanese troops.
In February 1905, the army suffered a hard defeat near Mukden. By March 7, the Russians were already deprived of the hope of resuming the offensive and were fighting for Mukden. However, on March 10, Mukden was abandoned by the Russian troops - the Japanese forced them to retreat. The retreat lasted ten days. This land battle was the largest in history until the First World War, as it unfolded on a front of more than a hundred kilometers. And again, the losses of the Russian army exceeded the losses of the Japanese.
On May 14-15, 1905, the Battle of Tsushima took place. In this battle, the Japanese fleet almost completely neutralized the Russian maneuver formations, which were under the leadership of Zinovy ​​Petrovich Rozhestvensky.
On July 7, 1905, the final major operation Russo-Japanese War - Japanese invasion of Sakhalin. On July 29, the island stopped fighting back the invaders.
The result of the war between the two empires was Portsmouth Peace(peace negotiations were held in Portsmouth, USA; Theodore Roosevelt took part in the negotiations), concluded on August 23, 1905. It was decided to appoint Sergei Yuryevich Witte as the first commissioner - he negotiated from the Russian side. At the conclusion of peace, Russia lost the southern part of about. Sakhalin and gave Port Arthur to the Japanese. Witte was able to achieve Japanese side making a decision to waive the demand for payment of indemnity. Korea was recognized as a territory of influence of Japan. Japan was also assigned the right to engage in fishing along the Russian coast. The Liaodong Peninsula was given to Japan for temporary use.
The war brought huge losses to both Russia and Japan. All the main events of the Russo-Japanese War did not unfold in favor of the Russian troops. In Russia, after the war, the situation in the country destabilized, and the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War was perceived as a national disgrace.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 is one of the imperialist ones, when powers of the world of this, hiding behind national and state interests, they solve their own narrowly selfish tasks, but they suffer, die, lose their health simple people. Ask a few years after that war, the Russians and the Japanese, why they killed, slaughtered each other - after all, they could not answer

Causes of the Russo-Japanese War

- European Great Powers Struggle for Influence in China and Korea
- Confrontation between Russia and Japan in the Far East
- Japanese government militarism
- Russian economic expansion in Manchuria

Events leading up to the Russo-Japanese War

• 1874 - Japan captured Formosa (Taiwan), but under pressure from England was forced to leave the island
• 1870s - the beginning of the struggle between China and Japan for influence in Korea
• 1885 - Japanese-Chinese treaty on the presence of foreign troops in Korea
• 1885 - In Russia, the question arose of building a railway on Far East for the rapid transfer, if necessary, of troops
• 1891 - Start of construction by Russia of the Siberian railway
• November 18, 1892 - Russian Finance Minister Witte submitted a memorandum to the Tsar about the development of the Far East and Siberia
• 1894 - People's uprising in Korea. China and Japan sent their troops to suppress it
• 1894, July 25 - The start of the Sino-Japanese War over Korea. Soon China was defeated
• 1895, April 17 - Simonsek Peace Treaty between China and Japan is signed with very difficult conditions for China
• 1895, spring - Plan of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Lobanov-Rostovsky on cooperation with Japan in the division of China
• 1895, April 16 - Change in Russia's plans for Japan in connection with the statement of Germany and France to limit Japanese conquests
• 1895, April 23 - The demand of Russia, France and Germany to Japan about the latter's refusal from the Liaodong Peninsula
• 1895, May 10 - Japan returned the Liaodong Peninsula to China
• 1896, May 22 - Russia and China concluded a defensive alliance against Japan
• 1897, August 27 -
• November 14, 1897 - Germany seized Kiao Chao Bay by force in Eastern China on the coast of the Yellow Sea, in which Russia had an anchorage
• 1897, December - The Russian squadron was relocated to Port Arthur
• January 1898 - England proposed to Russia the division of China and ottoman empire. Russia rejected the offer
• 1898, March 6 - China leased Kiao Chao Bay to Germany for 99 years
• 1898, March 27 - Russia leased from China the lands of the Kwatung region (a region in southern Manchuria, on the Kwantung Peninsula in the southwestern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula) and two ice-free ports on the southeastern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula Port Arthur (Lyushun) and Dalniy (Dalian) )
• April 13, 1898 - Russo-Japanese treaty on the recognition of Japan's interests in Korea
• 1899, April - an agreement was reached on the delimitation of the spheres of railway communication in China between Russia, England and Germany

Thus, by the end of the 1990s, the division of a significant part of China into spheres of influence was completed. England retained under its influence the richest part of China - the Yang Tse Valley. Russia acquired Manchuria and, to some extent, other areas of walled China, Germany - Shandong, France - Yuyanan. Japan regained its dominant influence in Korea in 1898

• 1900, May - the beginning of the popular uprising in China, called the boxing uprising
• 1900, July - Boxers attacked CER facilities, Russia sent troops into Manchuria
• 1900 August - International armed forces under the command of the Russian General Linevich crushed the uprising
• 1900, August 25 - Russian Foreign Minister Lamsdorf announced that Russia would withdraw troops from Manchuria when order was restored there
• 1900, October 16 - Anglo-German agreement on the territorial integrity of China. The territory of Manchuria was not included in the treaty
• 1900, November 9 - a Russian protectorate is established over the Chinese governor-general of Manchuria
• 1901, February - protest of Japan, England, USA against Russian influence in Manchuria

Manchuria - a region in northeast China, about 939,280 km², the main city of Mukden

• November 3, 1901 - the construction of the Great Siberian Railway (Transsib) was completed
• 1902, April 8 - Russian-Chinese agreement on the evacuation of Russian troops from Manchuria
• 1902, late summer - Japan offered Russia to recognize the Japanese protectorate over Korea in exchange for Japan's recognition of Russia's freedom of action in Manchuria in the sense of protecting Russian railways there. Russia refused

“At this time, Nicholas II began to provide big influence a court group led by Bezobrazov, who urged the tsar not to leave Manchuria contrary to the agreement concluded with China; moreover, not content with Manchuria, the tsar was incited to penetrate into Korea, in which, since 1898, Russia had actually tolerated the predominant influence of Japan. The Bezobrazovskaya clique acquired a private forest concession in Korea. The territory of the concession covered the basins of two rivers: the Yalu and Tumyn, and stretched for 800 kilometers along the Sino-Korean and Russian-Korean borders from the Gulf of Korea to the Sea of ​​Japan, occupying the entire border zone. Formally, the concession was acquired by a private joint-stock company. In fact, the tsarist government stood behind him, which, under the guise of forest guards, sent troops into the concession. Trying to penetrate into Korea, it delayed the evacuation of Manchuria, although the deadlines established by the agreement on April 8, 1902 had already passed.

• 1903, August - the resumption of negotiations between Russia and Japan on Korea and Manchuria. The Japanese demanded that the object of the Russian-Japanese agreement should be the position of Russia and Japan not only in Korea, but also in Manchuria. The Russians demanded that Japan recognize Manchuria as an area "in all respects outside the sphere of its interests"
• 1903, December 23 - Japanese government in terms reminiscent of an ultimatum, she said that she "feels compelled to ask the imperial Russian government to reconsider its proposal in this sense." The Russian government made concessions.
• January 13, 1904 - Japan stepped up its demands. Russia was about to give in again, but hesitated to formulate

Course of the Russo-Japanese War. Briefly

• 1904, February 6 - Japan severed diplomatic relations with Russia
• February 8, 1904 - The Japanese fleet attacked the Russians on the raids of Port Atrur. Beginning of the Russo-Japanese War
• March 31, 1904 - When entering the sea from Port Atrur, the battleship Petropavlovsk ran into mines and sank. 650 people died, including the famous shipbuilder and scientist Admiral Makarov and the famous battle painter Vereshchagin
• 1904, April 6 - formation of 1 and 2 Pacific squadrons
• 1904, May 1 - the defeat of a detachment under the command of M. Zasulich numbering about 18 thousand people from the Japanese in the battle on the Yalu River. Japanese invasion of Manchuria begins
• 1904, May 5 - Japanese landing on the Liaongdong Peninsula
• 1904, May 10 - interrupted railway communication between Manchuria and Port Arthur
• 1904, May 29 - the distant port is occupied by the Japanese
• 1904, August 9 - the beginning of the defense of Port Arthur
• 1904, August 24 - Battle of Liaoyang. Russian troops retreated to Mukden
• 1904, October 5 - battle near the Shahe River
• January 2, 1905 - Port Arthur surrendered
• 1905, January - beginning
• 1905, January 25 - attempted Russian counter-offensive, the battle of Sandepu, lasted 4 days
• 1905, late February-early March - the battle of Mukden
• 1905, May 28 - In the Tsushima Strait (between the Korean Peninsula and the islands of the Japanese archipelago Iki, Kyushu and the southwestern tip of Honshu) Japanese squadron defeated the Russian 2nd squadron of the Russian fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Rozhdestvensky
• 1905, July 7 - the beginning of the Japanese invasion of Sakhalin
• 1905, July 29 - Sakhalin captured by the Japanese
• 1905, August 9 - in Portsmouth (USA), with the mediation of US President Roosevelt, peace negotiations between Russia and Japan began.
• 1905 September 5 - Peace of Portsmouth

Its Article No. 2 read: "The Russian Imperial Government, recognizing Japan's prevailing political, military and economic interests in Korea, undertakes not to interfere with those measures of leadership, patronage and supervision, which the Imperial Japanese Government might deem necessary to take in Korea." According to Article 5, Russia ceded to Japan the lease rights to the Liaodong Peninsula with Port Arthur and Dalniy, and under Article 6 - the South Manchurian Railway from Port Arthur to Kuan Chen Tzu station, somewhat south of Harbin. Thus, South Manchuria turned out to be the sphere of influence of Japan. Russia ceded the southern part of Sakhalin to Japan. According to Article 12, Japan imposed on Russia the conclusion of a fishing convention: “Russia undertakes to enter into an agreement with Japan in the form of granting Japanese citizens the rights to fishing along the coasts of Russian possessions in the Seas of Japan, Okhotsk and Bering. It is agreed that such an obligation will not affect the rights already owned by Russian or foreign nationals in these parts. Article 7 of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty stated: "Russia and Japan undertake to operate the railways belonging to them in Manchuria exclusively for commercial and industrial purposes, and in no way for strategic purposes"

Results of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905

"Military observer, head of the German general staff Count Schlieffen, who carefully studied the experience of the war, noted that Russia could easily continue the war; her resources were barely touched, and she could put up if not new fleet, then new army and was able to succeed. It was only better to mobilize the forces of the country. But tsarism was not up to this task. “Not the Russian people,” Lenin wrote, “but the Russian autocracy began this colonial war turned into a war of old and new bourgeois world. Not the Russian people, but the autocracy came to a shameful defeat. “It was not Russia that was defeated by the Japanese, not the Russian army, but our order,” the famous Russian statesman S. Yu. Witte admitted in his memoirs” (“History of Diplomacy. Volume 2”)

The course of the war

Campaign of 1904

The beginning of the war

Gap diplomatic relations made war more than likely. The command of the fleet, one way or another, prepared for a possible war. The landing of numerous troops and active fighting the latter on land, requiring constant supply, is not possible without domination navy. It was logical to assume that without this superiority, Japan would not start ground operations. The Pacific squadron, according to pre-war estimates, contrary to popular belief, if inferior to the Japanese fleet, then not significantly. It was logical to assume that Japan would not start a war before the arrival of Kasuga and Nishina. There was only the possibility of paralyzing the squadron, before they arrived, by blocking it in the harbor of Port Arthur with blockships. To prevent these actions warships were on duty in the outer roadstead. Moreover, to repel a possible attack by the forces of the entire fleet, and not just blockships, not destroyers, but the most modern battleships and cruisers stood in the roadstead. On the eve of the war, S. O. Makarov warned about the danger of such tactics, but his words at least did not have time to reach the addressees.

On the night of January 27 (February 9), 1904, before the official declaration of war, 8 Japanese destroyers carried out a torpedo attack on the ships of the Russian fleet stationed in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. As a result of the attack, two of the best Russian battleships ("Tsesarevich" and "Retvizan") and armored cruiser"Pallada".

On January 27 (February 9), 1904, the Japanese squadron, consisting of 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers, forced the Varyag armored cruiser and the Korean gunboat, which were in the Korean port of Chemulpo, into battle. After a 50-minute battle, the Varyag, which received heavy damage, was flooded, and the Korean was blown up.

After the battle in Chemulpo, the landing of units of the 1st Japanese Army under the command of Baron Kuroki continued, total strength about 42.5 thousand people (began on January 26 (February 8), 1904).

On February 21, 1904, Japanese troops occupied Pyongyang, by the end of April they reached the Yalu River, along which the Korean-Chinese border ran.

The attitude of the Russian public to the beginning of the war with Japan

The news of the beginning of the war left few in Russia indifferent: in the first period of the war, the people and the public were dominated by the mood that Russia had been attacked and it was necessary to repulse the aggressor. Petersburg, as well as other major cities empire spontaneously arose unprecedented street patriotic demonstrations. Even known for its revolutionary sentiment the student youth of the capital completed their university meeting with a procession to the Winter Palace singing "God Save the Tsar!"

The circles in opposition to the government were taken by surprise by these sentiments. So, the zemstvo-constitutionalists, who gathered on February 23 (O.S.), 1904, at a meeting in Moscow, adopted collective decision stop any proclamation of constitutional demands and statements in view of the outbreak of war. This decision was motivated by the patriotic upsurge in the country caused by the war.

The reaction of the world community

The attitude of the leading world powers to the beginning of the war between Russia and Japan split them into two camps. England and the United States immediately and definitely took the side of Japan: the illustrated chronicle of the war, which began to appear in London, even received the title "Japan's Struggle for Freedom"; and American President Roosevelt openly warned France against her possible action against Japan, declaring that in this case he "would immediately take her side and go as far as necessary." The tone of the American press was so hostile to Russia that it prompted M. O. Menshikov, one of the leading publicists of Russian nationalism, to exclaim in Novoye Vremya:

France, even on the eve of the war, considered it necessary to clarify that its alliance with Russia applies only to European affairs, nevertheless, was dissatisfied with the actions of Japan, which started the war, because it was interested in Russia as its ally against Germany; with the exception of the extreme left, the rest of the French press maintained a strictly correct allied tone. Already on March 30 (April 12), a “cordial agreement” was signed between France, an ally of Russia, and England, an ally of Japan, which caused a certain bewilderment in Russia. This agreement marked the beginning of the Entente, but at that time it remained almost without reaction in Russian society, although Novoye Vremya wrote about this: “Almost everyone felt a breath of cold in the atmosphere of Franco-Russian relations.”

On the eve of the events, Germany assured both sides of friendly neutrality. And now, after the start of the war, the German press was divided into two opposing camps: the right-wing newspapers were on the side of Russia, the left-wing ones were on the side of Japan. Personal reaction was essential German emperor at the start of the war. Wilhelm II noted on the report of the German envoy to Japan:

Blockade of Port Arthur

On the morning of February 24, the Japanese tried to flood 5 old transports at the entrance to Port Arthur harbor in order to lock the Russian squadron inside. The plan was thwarted by the Retvizan, which was still on the outer roads of the harbor.

On March 2, the Virenius Detachment received an order to return to the Baltic, despite the protests of S. O. Makarov, who believed that he should follow further to the Far East.

On March 8, 1904, Admiral Makarov and the famous shipbuilder N. E. Kuteinikov arrived in Port Arthur, along with several wagons of spare parts and equipment for repairs. Makarov immediately took energetic measures to restore the combat effectiveness of the Russian squadron, which led to an increase in military spirit in the fleet.

On March 27, the Japanese again tried to block the exit from the harbor of Port Arthur, this time using 4 old transports filled with stones and cement. The transports, however, were scuttled too far from the harbor entrance.

March 31, while going to sea, the battleship "Petropavlovsk" ran into 3 mines and sank within two minutes. 635 sailors and officers died. These included Admiral Makarov and the famous battle painter Vereshchagin. The battleship Poltava was blown up and out of order for several weeks.

On 3 May, the Japanese made their third and final attempt to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor, this time using 8 transports. As a result, the Russian fleet was blocked for several days in the harbor of Port Arthur, which cleared the way for the landing of the 2nd Japanese army in Manchuria.

Of the entire Russian fleet, only the Vladivostok cruiser detachment ("Russia", "Gromoboy", "Rurik") retained freedom of action and during the first 6 months of the war went on the offensive against the Japanese fleet several times, penetrating into Pacific Ocean and being off the Japanese coast, then, leaving again to the Korea Strait. The detachment sank several Japanese transports with troops and guns, including on May 31 Vladivostok cruisers intercepted the Japanese Hi-tatsi Maru transport (6175 brt), on board of which there were 18 280-mm mortars for the siege of Port Arthur, which made it possible to tighten the siege of Port Arthur for several months.

Japanese offensive in Manchuria and the defense of Port Arthur

On April 18 (May 1), the 1st Japanese Army of about 45 thousand people crossed the Yalu River and in the battle on the Yalu River defeated the eastern detachment of the Russian Manchurian army under the command of M. I. Zasulich, numbering about 18 thousand people. The Japanese invasion of Manchuria began.

On April 22 (May 5), the 2nd Japanese Army under the command of General Yasukata Oku, numbering about 38.5 thousand people, began landing on the Liaodong Peninsula, about 100 kilometers from Port Arthur. The landing was carried out by 80 Japanese transports and continued until April 30 (May 13). The Russian units, numbering about 17 thousand people, under the command of General Stessel, as well as the Russian squadron in Port Arthur under the command of Witgeft, did not take active steps to counter the landing of the Japanese.

On April 27 (May 10), the advancing Japanese units interrupted the railway communication between Port Arthur and Manchuria.

If the Japanese 2nd Army landed without losses, then the Japanese fleet, which provided landing operation suffered significant losses. On May 2 (15), 2 Japanese battleships, the 12,320-ton Yashima and the 15,300-ton Hatsuse, were sunk after hitting a minefield set by the Russian minelayer Amur. Total for the period from 12 to 17 May japanese navy lost 7 ships (2 battleships, light cruiser, gunboat, aviso, fighter and destroyer), and 2 more ships (including armored cruiser"Kasuga") went for repairs in Sasebo.

The 2nd Japanese Army, having completed the landing, began to move south, to Port Arthur, in order to establish a close blockade of the fortress. The Russian command decided to take the fight on a well-fortified position near the city of Jinzhou, on the isthmus that connected the Kwantung Peninsula with the Liaodong Peninsula.

On May 13 (May 26), a battle took place near Jinzhou, in which one Russian regiment (3.8 thousand people with 77 guns and 10 machine guns) repelled attacks for twelve hours three Japanese divisions (35 thousand people with 216 guns and 48 machine guns). The defense was broken through only in the evening, after the approaching Japanese gunboats suppressed the Russian left flank. The losses of the Japanese amounted to 4.3 thousand people, the Russians - about 1.5 thousand people killed and wounded.

As a result of the success during the battle at Jinzhou, the Japanese overcame the main natural barrier on the way to the Port Arthur fortress. May 29 Japanese troops Dalniy port was occupied without a fight, and its shipyards, docks and railroad station the Japanese got to the Japanese almost intact, which greatly facilitated their supply of troops besieging Port Arthur.

After the occupation of Dalny, the Japanese forces split up: the formation of the 3rd Japanese Army under the command of General Maresuke Nogi began, which was tasked with taking Port Arthur, while the 2nd Japanese Army began to move north.

On June 10 (23), the Russian squadron in Port Arthur attempted to break through to Vladivostok, but three hours after going to sea, noticing the Japanese fleet on the horizon, Rear Admiral V.K. Witgeft ordered to turn back, as he considered the situation unfavorable for fight.

On June 1-2 (14-15) in the battle near Vafangou, the 2nd Japanese Army (38 thousand people with 216 guns) defeated the Russian 1st East Siberian Corps of General G. K. Shtakelberg (30 thousand people with 98 guns), sent by the commander of the Russian Manchurian army Kuropatkin to lift the blockade of Port Arthur.

The Russian units retreating to Port Arthur, after the defeat at Jinzhou, took up a position “on the passes”, about halfway between Port Arthur and Dalny, which the Japanese did not attack for quite a long time in anticipation of the full complement of their 3rd army.

On July 13 (26), the 3rd Japanese Army (60 thousand people with 180 guns) broke through the Russian defenses "on the passes" (16 thousand people with 70 guns), on July 30 they occupied the Wolf Mountains - positions on the distant approaches to the fortress itself, and already on August 9, it reached its original positions along the entire perimeter of the fortress. The defense of Port Arthur began.

In connection with the beginning of the shelling of the harbor of Port Arthur by Japanese long-range artillery, the command of the fleet decided to attempt a breakthrough to Vladivostok.

On July 28 (August 10), the Battle of the Yellow Sea took place, during which the Japanese fleet, due to the death of Vitgeft and the loss of control by the Russian squadron, managed to force the Russian squadron to return to Port Arthur.

July 30 (August 12), not knowing that the attempt to break through to Vladivostok had already failed, 3 cruisers Vladivostok detachment went to the Korea Strait, with the goal of meeting the Port Arthur squadron breaking through to Vladivostok. On the morning of August 14, they were discovered by Kamimura's squadron consisting of 6 cruisers and, unable to evade, accepted the battle, as a result of which the Rurik was sunk.

The defense of the fortress continued until January 2, 1905 and became one of the brightest pages of Russian military history.

In the fortress area cut off from the Russian units, there was no single undisputed leadership, there were simultaneously three authorities: the commander of the troops, General Stessel, the commandant of the fortress, General Smirnov, and the commander of the fleet, Admiral Witgeft (due to the absence of Admiral Skrydlov). This circumstance, together with the difficult communication with outside world, could have had dangerous consequences if General R.I. Kondratenko had not been found among the command staff, who “with rare skill and tact managed to coordinate, in the interests of the common cause, the conflicting views of individual bosses.” Kondratenko became the hero of the Port Arthur epic and died at the end of the siege of the fortress. The defense of the fortress was organized by his efforts: fortifications were completed and put on alert. The garrison of the fortress consisted of about 53 thousand people, armed with 646 guns and 62 machine guns. The siege of Port Arthur lasted about 5 months and cost the Japanese army about 91 thousand people killed and wounded. Russian losses amounted to about 28 thousand people killed and wounded; Japanese siege artillery sank the remnants of the 1st Pacific Squadron: the battleships Retvizan, Poltava, Peresvet, Pobeda, the armored cruiser Bayan, and the armored cruiser Pallada. The only remaining battleship "Sevastopol" was launched into the Bay of the White Wolf, accompanied by 5 destroyers ("Angry", "Static", "Fast", "Brave", "Vlastny"), the port tug "Strongman" and the patrol ship "Brave ". As a result of the attack undertaken by the Japanese under cover of night, the Sevastopol was seriously damaged, and since in the conditions of the bombed port and the possibility of shooting through the internal raid by the Japanese troops, repair of the ship was impossible, it was decided to sink the ship by the crew after the preliminary dismantling of the guns and the removal of ammunition .

Liaoyang and Shahe

During the summer of 1904, the Japanese slowly moved to Liaoyang: from the east - the 1st Army under the command of Tamemoto Kuroki, 45 thousand, and from the south - the 2nd Army under the command of Yasukata Oku, 45 thousand and the 4th Army under the command of Mititsura Nozu, 30 thousand people. The Russian army slowly retreated, at the same time constantly replenished by reinforcements arriving along the Trans-Siberian Railway.

On August 11 (24), one of the decisive battles of the Russo-Japanese War began - the battle of Liaoyang. Three Japanese armies attacked the positions of the Russian army in a semicircle: the army of Oku and Nozu advanced from the south, and Kuroki attacked in the east. In the battles that continued until August 22, Japanese troops under the command of Marshal Iwao Oyama (130 thousand with 400 guns) lost about 23 thousand people, Russian troops under the command of Kuropatkin (170 thousand with 644 guns) - 16 thousand (according to other sources 19 thousand . killed and wounded). The Russians successfully repelled all Japanese attacks south of Liaoyang for three days, after which A.N. Kuropatkin decided, by concentrating his forces, to go on the offensive against Kuroki's army. The operation did not bring the desired results, and the Russian commander, who overestimated the strength of the Japanese, deciding that they could cut the railway from the north of Liaoyang, ordered a withdrawal to Mukden. The Russians retreated to in perfect order without leaving a single weapon. The overall outcome of the battle of Liaoyang was uncertain. Nevertheless, the Russian historian Professor S. S. Oldenburg writes that this battle was a heavy moral blow, since everyone in Liaoyang was waiting for a decisive rebuff to the Japanese, but in fact, the historian writes, it was another rearguard battle, extremely bloody besides .

On September 22 (October 5), a battle took place on the Shah River. The battle began with an attack by Russian troops (270 thousand people); On October 10, Japanese troops (170 thousand people) launched a counterattack. The outcome of the battle was uncertain when, on October 17, Kuropatkin gave the order to stop the attacks. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to 40 thousand killed and wounded, the Japanese - 30 thousand.

After the operation on the Shahe River, a positional lull was established at the front, which lasted until the end of 1904.

Campaigns of 1905

In January 1905, a revolution began in Russia, which complicated the further conduct of the war.

On January 12 (25), the Battle of Sandepu began, in which the Russian troops tried to go on the offensive. After the occupation of 2 villages, the battle was stopped on January 29 by Kuropatkin's order. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to 12 thousand, the Japanese - 9 thousand people killed and wounded.

In February 1905, the Japanese forced the Russian army to retreat in the pitched battle of Mukden, which took place over a 100-kilometer front and lasted three weeks. Prior to World War I, it was the largest land battle in history. In heavy fighting, the Russian army lost 90 thousand people (killed, wounded and captured) out of 350 thousand who participated in the battle; The Japanese army lost 75 thousand people (killed, wounded and captured) out of 300 thousand. On March 10, Russian troops left Mukden. After that, the war on land began to subside and took on a positional character.

May 14 (27) - May 15 (28), 1905 in Tsushima battle the Japanese fleet destroyed the Russian squadron, transferred to the Far East from the Baltic under the command of Vice Admiral Z. P. Rozhestvensky.

On July 7, the last major operation of the war began - Japanese invasion to Sakhalin. The 15th Japanese division of 14 thousand people was opposed by about 6 thousand Russian people, who consisted mainly of exiles and convicts who joined the troops only to acquire benefits for serving hard labor and exile and were not particularly combat-ready. On July 29, after the surrender of the main Russian detachment (about 3.2 thousand people), the resistance on the island was suppressed.

The number of Russian troops in Manchuria continued to increase, replenishment arrived. By the time peace was concluded, the Russian armies in Manchuria occupied positions near the village of Sipingai (English) and numbered about 500 thousand fighters; the troops were located not in a line, as before, but in echelon in depth; the army was significantly strengthened technically - the Russians got howitzer batteries, machine guns, the number of which increased from 36 to 374; communication with Russia was no longer maintained by 3 pairs of trains, as at the beginning of the war, but by 12 pairs. Finally the spirit Manchu armies was not broken. However, the Russian command did not take decisive action at the front, which was greatly facilitated by the revolution that began in the country, as well as Kuropatkin's tactics to maximize the depletion of the Japanese army.

For their part, the Japanese, who suffered huge losses, also showed no activity. Japanese army, standing against the Russian, numbered about 300 thousand fighters. The former rise in it was no longer observed. Japan was economically exhausted. Human resources have been exhausted, among the prisoners there were old people and children.

In May 1905, a meeting of the military council was held, where Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich reported that, in his opinion, for final victory necessary: ​​a billion rubles of expenses, about 200 thousand losses and a year of hostilities. After reflection, Nicholas II decided to enter into negotiations with mediation american president Roosevelt on the conclusion of peace (which Japan has already proposed twice). S.Yu. Witte was appointed the first authorized Tsar and the very next day he was received by the Emperor and received the appropriate instructions: in no case agree to any form of payment of indemnity that Russia had never paid in history, and not to give “not an inch Russian land". At the same time, Witte himself was pessimistic (especially in the light of the demands of the Japanese side for the alienation of all of Sakhalin, Primorsky Krai, the transfer of all interned ships): he was sure that “indemnity” and territorial losses were “inevitable”.

On August 9, 1905, peace negotiations began in Portsmouth (USA) through the mediation of Theodore Roosevelt. The peace treaty was signed on August 23 (September 5), 1905. Russia ceded to Japan the southern part of Sakhalin (already occupied by Japanese troops at that time), its lease rights to the Liaodong Peninsula and the South Manchurian Railway, which connected Port Arthur with the Chinese Eastern Railway. Russia also recognized Korea as a Japanese zone of influence. In 1910, despite protests from other countries, Japan formally annexed Korea.

Many in Japan were dissatisfied with the peace treaty: Japan received less territory than expected - for example, only part of Sakhalin, and not all, and most importantly, did not receive monetary indemnities. During the negotiations, the Japanese delegation put forward a demand for an indemnity of 1.2 billion yen, but the firm and adamant position of Emperor Nicholas II did not allow Witte to yield on these two fundamental points. He was supported by US President Theodore Roosevelt, who informed the Japanese that if they insisted, the American side, which had previously sympathized with the Japanese, would change its position. The demand of the Japanese side for the demilitarization of Vladivostok and a number of other conditions were also rejected. Japanese diplomat Kikujiro Ishii wrote in his memoirs that:

According to the results peace talks Russia and Japan pledged to withdraw their troops from Manchuria, to use the railways only for commercial purposes and not to obstruct the freedom of trade and navigation. The Russian historian A.N. Bokhanov writes that the Portsmouth agreements were an undoubted success for Russian diplomacy: the negotiations were more an agreement of equal partners, and not an agreement concluded as a result of an unsuccessful war.

The war cost Japan a huge, in comparison with Russia, strain of forces. She had to put under arms 1.8% of the population (Russia - 0.5%), during the war its external public debt increased 4 times (in Russia by a third) and reached 2400 million yen.

The Japanese army lost in killed, according to various sources, from 49 thousand (B. Ts. Urlanis) to 80 thousand (Doctor of Historical Sciences I. Rostunov), while the Russian from 32 thousand (Urlanis) to 50 thousand (Rostunov) or 52,501 people (G. F. Krivosheev). Russian losses in battles on land were half that of the Japanese. In addition, 17,297 Russians and 38,617 Japanese soldiers and officers (Urlanis) died from wounds and diseases. The incidence in both armies was about 25 people. per 1000 per month, but the mortality rate in Japanese medical institutions 2.44 times higher than the Russian figure.

According to some representatives military elite of that time (for example, the chief of the German General Staff Schlieffen), Russia could well continue the war, it was only necessary to better mobilize the forces of the empire.

Witte admitted in his memoirs:

Other facts

The Russo-Japanese War gave rise to several myths about the explosive used by the Japanese, shimoza. Shells stuffed with shimosa exploded on impact with any obstacle, giving a mushroom cloud of suffocating smoke and a large number of fragments, that is, they had a pronounced high-explosive effect. Russian shells filled with pyroxylin did not give such an effect, although they were distinguished by better armor-piercing. Such a noticeable superiority of Japanese shells over Russian shells in terms of explosiveness gave rise to several common myths:

1. The explosion power of shimose is many times stronger than pyroxylin.
2. The use of shimosa was a Japanese technical superiority that caused Russia to suffer naval defeats.

Both of these myths are false (detailed in the article on shimose).

During the transition of the 2nd Pacific squadron under the command of Z. P. Rozhestvensky from the Baltic to the Port Arthur region, the so-called Hull incident occurred. Rozhdestvensky received information that a squadron was waiting in the North Sea Japanese destroyers. On the night of October 22, 1904, the squadron fired on English fishing vessels, mistaking them for Japanese ships. This incident caused a serious Anglo-Russian diplomatic conflict. Subsequently, an arbitration court was established to investigate the circumstances of the incident.