The end of the Russian-Japanese War 1904 1905. The war between Russia and Japan
Causes of the war:
Russia’s desire to gain a foothold on the “non-freezing seas” of China and Korea.
The desire of the leading powers to prevent Russia from strengthening in the Far East. Support for Japan from the USA and Great Britain.
Japan's desire to oust the Russian army from China and seize Korea.
Arms race in Japan. Raising taxes for the sake of military production.
Japan's plans were to seize Russian territory from the Primorsky Territory to the Urals.
Progress of the war:
January 27, 1904 - three Russian ships were hit by Japanese torpedoes near Port Arthur, but they did not sink thanks to the heroism of the crews. The feat of the Russian ships “Varyag” and “Koreets” near the port of Chemulpo (Incheon).
March 31, 1904 - the death of the battleship Petropavlovsk with the headquarters of Admiral Makarov and a crew of more than 630 people. The Pacific Fleet was decapitated.
May - December 1904 - heroic defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The 50 thousandth Russian garrison, having 646 guns and 62 machine guns, repelled the attacks of the 200 thousandth enemy army. After the surrender of the fortress, about 32 thousand Russian soldiers were captured by the Japanese. The Japanese lost more than 110 thousand (according to other sources 91 thousand) soldiers and officers, 15 warships sank, and 16 were destroyed.
August 1904 - Battle of Liaoyang. The Japanese lost more than 23 thousand soldiers, the Russians - more than 16 thousand. Uncertain outcome of the battle. General Kuropatkin gave the order to retreat, fearing encirclement.
September 1904 - Battle of the Shahe River. The Japanese lost more than 30 thousand soldiers, the Russians - more than 40 thousand. Uncertain outcome of the battle. After this, a positional war was fought in Manchuria. In January 1905, revolution raged in Russia, making it difficult to wage the war to victory.
February 1905 - The Battle of Mukden stretched over 100 km along the front and lasted 3 weeks. The Japanese launched their offensive earlier and confused the plans of the Russian command. Russian troops retreated, avoiding encirclement and losing more than 90 thousand. The Japanese lost more than 72 thousand.
The Russo-Japanese War in brief.
The Japanese command admitted underestimating the enemy's strength. Soldiers with weapons and provisions continued to arrive from Russia by rail. The war again took on a positional character.
May 1905 - tragedy of the Russian fleet near the Tsushima Islands. Admiral Rozhestvensky's ships (30 combat, 6 transport and 2 hospital) covered about 33 thousand km and immediately entered the battle. No one in the world could defeat 121 enemy ships with 38 ships! Only the cruiser Almaz and the destroyers Bravy and Grozny broke through to Vladivostok (according to other sources, 4 ships were saved), the crews of the rest died heroes or were captured. The Japanese suffered 10 severe damage and 3 sank.
Until now, Russians, passing by the Tsushima Islands, lay wreaths on the water in memory of the 5 thousand dead Russian sailors.
The war was ending. The Russian army in Manchuria was growing and could continue the war for a long time. Japan's human and financial resources were depleted (old people and children were already being drafted into the army). Russia, from a position of strength, signed the Treaty of Portsmouth in August 1905.
Results of the war:
Russia withdrew troops from Manchuria, transferred to Japan the Liaodong Peninsula, the southern part of Sakhalin Island and money for the maintenance of prisoners. This failure of Japanese diplomacy caused widespread unrest in Tokyo.
After the war, Japan's external public debt increased 4 times, and Russia's by 1/3.
Japan lost more than 85 thousand killed, Russia more than 50 thousand.
More than 38 thousand soldiers died from wounds in Japan, and more than 17 thousand in Russia.
Still, Russia lost this war. The reasons were economic and military backwardness, weakness of intelligence and command, the great remoteness and extension of the theater of military operations, poor supplies, and weak interaction between the army and navy. In addition, the Russian people did not understand why they needed to fight in distant Manchuria. The revolution of 1905 - 1907 weakened Russia even more.
Attack of Japanese destroyers of the Russian squadron.
On the night of February 8 to 9 (January 26 to 27), 1904, 10 Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. The squadron battleships Tsesarevich, Retvizan and the cruiser Pallada received heavy damage from the explosions of Japanese torpedoes and ran aground to avoid sinking. Japanese destroyers were damaged by return fire from the artillery of the Russian squadron IJN Akatsuki And IJN Shirakumo. Thus began the Russo-Japanese War.
On the same day, Japanese troops began landing troops in the area of the port of Chemulpo. While trying to leave the port and head to Port Arthur, the gunboat Koreets was attacked by Japanese destroyers, forcing it to return.
On February 9 (January 27), 1904, the battle of Chemulpo took place. As a result, due to the impossibility of a breakthrough, the cruiser “Varyag” was scuttled by their crews and the gunboat “Koreets” was blown up.
On the same day, February 9 (January 27), 1904, Admiral Jessen headed out to sea at the head of the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers to begin military operations to disrupt transport links between Japan and Korea.
On February 11 (January 29), 1904, near Port Arthur, near the San Shan-tao Islands, the Russian cruiser Boyarin was blown up by a Japanese mine.
On February 24 (February 11), 1904, the Japanese fleet tried to close the exit from Port Arthur by sinking 5 ships loaded with stone. The attempt was unsuccessful.
On February 25 (February 12), 1904, two Russian destroyers “Besstrashny” and “Impressive”, while going out for reconnaissance, came across 4 Japanese cruisers. The first managed to escape, but the second was driven into Blue Bay, where it was scuttled by order of Captain M. Podushkin.
On March 2 (February 18), 1904, by order of the Naval General Staff, the Mediterranean squadron of Admiral A. Virenius (battleship Oslyabya, cruisers Aurora and Dmitry Donskoy and 7 destroyers), heading to Port Arthur, was recalled to the Baltic Sea .
On March 6 (February 22), 1904, a Japanese squadron shelled Vladivostok. The damage was minor. The fortress was placed in a state of siege.
On March 8 (February 24), 1904, the new commander of the Russian Pacific squadron, Vice Admiral S. Makarov, arrived in Port Arthur, replacing Admiral O. Stark in this post.
On March 10 (February 26), 1904, in the Yellow Sea, while returning from reconnaissance in Port Arthur, he was sunk by four Japanese destroyers ( IJN Usugumo , IJN Shinonome , IJN Akebono , IJN Sazanami) Russian destroyer "Steregushchy", and "Resolute" managed to return to port.
Russian fleet in Port Arthur.
On March 27 (March 14), 1904, the second Japanese attempt to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor by flooding fire ships was thwarted.
April 4 (March 22), 1904 Japanese battleships IJN Fuji And IJN Yashima Port Arthur was bombarded with fire from Golubina Bay. In total, they fired 200 shots and main caliber guns. But the effect was minimal.
On April 12 (March 30), 1904, the Russian destroyer Strashny was sunk by Japanese destroyers.
On April 13 (March 31), 1904, the battleship Petropavlovsk was blown up by a mine and sank with almost its entire crew while going to sea. Among the dead was Admiral S. O. Makarov. Also on this day, the battleship Pobeda was damaged by a mine explosion and was out of action for several weeks.
April 15 (April 2), 1904 Japanese cruisers IJN Kasuga And IJN Nisshin fired at the inner roadstead of Port Arthur with throwing fire.
On April 25 (April 12), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers sank a Japanese steamer off the coast of Korea IJN Goyo-Maru, coaster IJN Haginura-Maru and Japanese military transport IJN Kinsu-Maru, after which he headed to Vladivostok.
May 2 (April 19), 1904 by the Japanese, with the support of gunboats IJN Akagi And IJN Chōkai, destroyers of the 9th, 14th and 16th destroyer flotillas, a third and final attempt was made to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor, this time using 10 transports ( IJN Mikasha-Maru, IJN Sakura-Maru, IJN Totomi-Maru, IJN Otaru-Maru, IJN Sagami-Maru, IJN Aikoku-Maru, IJN Omi-Maru, IJN Asagao-Maru, IJN Iedo-Maru, IJN Kokura-Maru, IJN Fuzan-Maru) As a result, they managed to partially block the passage and temporarily make it impossible for large Russian ships to exit. This facilitated the unhindered landing of the Japanese 2nd Army in Manchuria.
On May 5 (April 22), 1904, 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.
On May 12 (April 29), 1904, four Japanese destroyers of the 2nd flotilla of Admiral I. Miyako began sweeping Russian mines in Kerr Bay. While performing its assigned task, destroyer No. 48 hit a mine and sank. On the same day, Japanese troops finally cut off Port Arthur from Manchuria. The siege of Port Arthur began.
Death IJN Hatsuse on Russian mines.
On May 15 (May 2), 1904, two Japanese battleships were blown up and sank at a minefield laid the day before by the minelayer Amur. IJN Yashima And IJN Hatsuse .
Also on this day, a collision of Japanese cruisers occurred near Elliot Island. IJN Kasuga And IJN Yoshino, in which the second sank from the damage received. And off the southeastern coast of Kanglu Island, the advice note ran aground IJN Tatsuta .
On May 16 (May 3), 1904, two Japanese gunboats collided during an amphibious operation southeast of the city of Yingkou. The boat sank as a result of the collision IJN Oshima .
On May 17 (May 4), 1904, a Japanese destroyer was hit by a mine and sank IJN Akatsuki .
On May 27 (May 14), 1904, not far from the city of Dalniy, the Russian destroyer Attentive hit rocks and was blown up by its crew. On the same day, Japanese advice note IJN Miyako hit a Russian mine and sank in Kerr Bay.
On June 12 (May 30), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers entered the Korea Strait to disrupt Japan's sea communications.
On June 15 (June 2), 1904, the cruiser Gromoboy sank two Japanese transports: IJN Izuma-Maru And IJN Hitachi-Maru, and the cruiser "Rurik" sank a Japanese transport with two torpedoes IJN Sado-Maru. In total, the three transports carried 2,445 Japanese soldiers and officers, 320 horses and 18 heavy 11-inch howitzers.
On June 23 (June 10), 1904, the Pacific squadron of Rear Admiral V. Vitgoft made the first attempt to break through to Vladivostok. But when the Japanese fleet of Admiral H. Togo was discovered, she returned to Port Arthur without engaging in battle. At night of the same day, Japanese destroyers launched an unsuccessful attack on the Russian squadron.
On June 28 (June 15), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers of Admiral Jessen again went to sea to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications.
On July 17 (July 4), 1904, near Skrypleva Island, the Russian destroyer No. 208 was blown up and sank in a Japanese minefield.
On July 18 (July 5), 1904, the Russian minelayer Yenisei hit a mine in Talienwan Bay and the Japanese cruiser sank IJN Kaimon .
On July 20 (July 7), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers entered the Pacific Ocean through the Sangar Strait.
On July 22 (July 9), 1904, the detachment was detained with smuggled cargo and sent to Vladivostok with a prize crew of the English steamer Arabia.
On July 23 (July 10), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers approached the entrance to Tokyo Bay. Here an English steamer with smuggled cargo was searched and sunk Night Commander. Also on this day, several Japanese schooners and a German steamer were sunk Tea, traveling with smuggled cargo to Japan. And the English steamer captured later Kalhas, after inspection, was sent to Vladivostok. The cruisers of the detachment also headed to their port.
On July 25 (July 12), 1904, a squadron of Japanese destroyers approached the mouth of the Liaohe River from the sea. The crew of the Russian gunboat "Sivuch", due to the impossibility of a breakthrough, after landing on the shore, blew up their ship.
On August 7 (July 25), 1904, Japanese troops fired at Port Arthur and its harbors for the first time from land. As a result of the shelling, the battleship Tsesarevich was damaged, and the squadron commander, Rear Admiral V. Vitgeft, was slightly wounded. The battleship Retvizan was also damaged.
On August 8 (July 26), 1904, a detachment of ships consisting of the cruiser Novik, the gunboat Beaver and 15 destroyers took part in Tahe Bay in shelling of the advancing Japanese troops, causing heavy losses.
Battle in the Yellow Sea.
On August 10 (July 28), 1904, during an attempt to break through the Russian squadron from Port Arthur to Vladivostok, a battle took place in the Yellow Sea. During the battle, Rear Admiral V. Vitgeft was killed, and the Russian squadron, having lost control, disintegrated. 5 Russian battleships, the cruiser Bayan and 2 destroyers began to retreat to Port Arthur in disarray. Only the battleship Tsesarevich, the cruisers Novik, Askold, Diana and 6 destroyers broke through the Japanese blockade. The battleship "Tsarevich", the cruiser "Novik" and 3 destroyers headed to Qingdao, the cruiser "Askold" and the destroyer "Grozovoy" - to Shanghai, the cruiser "Diana" - to Saigon.
On August 11 (July 29), 1904, the Vladivostok detachment set out to meet the Russian squadron, which was supposed to break out from Port Arthur. The battleship "Tsesarevich", the cruiser "Novik", the destroyers "Besshumny", "Besposhchadny" and "Besstrashny" arrived in Qingdao. The cruiser Novik, having loaded 250 tons of coal into bunkers, set out to sea with the goal of breaking through to Vladivostok. On the same day, the Russian destroyer Resolute was interned by the Chinese authorities in Chifoo. Also on August 11, the team scuttled the damaged destroyer Burny.
On August 12 (July 30), 1904, the previously interned destroyer Resolute was captured in Chifoo by two Japanese destroyers.
On August 13 (July 31), 1904, the damaged Russian cruiser Askold was interned and disarmed in Shanghai.
August 14 (August 1), 1904, four Japanese cruisers ( IJN Izumo , IJN Tokiwa , IJN Azuma And IJN Iwate) intercepted three Russian cruisers (Russia, Rurik and Gromoboy) heading towards the First Pacific Squadron. A battle took place between them, which went down in history as the Battle of the Korea Strait. As a result of the battle, the Rurik was sunk, and the other two Russian cruisers returned to Vladivostok with damage.
On August 15 (August 2), 1904, in Qingdao, German authorities interned the Russian battleship Tsarevich.
On August 16 (August 3), 1904, the damaged cruisers Gromoboy and Rossiya returned to Vladivostok. In Port Arthur, the proposal of the Japanese general M. Nogi to surrender the fortress was rejected. On the same day, in the Pacific Ocean, the Russian cruiser Novik stopped and inspected an English steamer Celtic.
On August 20 (August 7), 1904, a battle took place near Sakhalin Island between the Russian cruiser Novik and Japanese IJN Tsushima And IJN Chitose. As a result of the battle "Novik" and IJN Tsushima received serious damage. Due to the impossibility of repairs and the danger of the ship being captured by the enemy, the commander of the Novik, M. Schultz, decided to scuttle the ship.
On August 24 (August 11), 1904, the Russian cruiser Diana was interned by the French authorities in Saigon.
On September 7 (August 25), 1904, the submarine Forel was sent from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.
On October 1 (September 18), 1904, a Japanese gunboat was blown up by a Russian mine and sank near Iron Island. IJN Heiyen.
On October 15 (October 2), 1904, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky left Libau for the Far East.
On November 3 (October 21), a Japanese destroyer was blown up by a mine placed by the Russian destroyer Skory and sank near Cape Lun-Wan-Tan IJN Hayatori .
On November 5 (October 23), 1904, in the inner roadstead of Port Arthur, after being hit by a Japanese shell, the ammunition of the Russian battleship Poltava detonated. As a result of this, the ship sank.
On November 6 (October 24), 1904, a Japanese gunboat hit a rock in the fog and sank near Port Arthur IJN Atago .
On November 28 (November 15), 1904, the submarine Dolphin was sent from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.
On December 6 (November 23), 1904, Japanese artillery, installed on the previously captured height No. 206, began a massive shelling of Russian ships stationed in the internal roadstead of Port Arthur. By the end of the day, they sunk the battleship Retvizan and suffered heavy damage to the battleship Peresvet. To remain intact, the battleship Sevastopol, the gunboat Brave and destroyers were taken out from under Japanese fire to the outer roadstead.
On December 7 (November 24), 1904, due to the impossibility of repairs after damage received from Japanese shelling, the battleship Peresvet was sunk by its crew in the western basin of Port Arthur harbor.
On December 8 (November 25), 1904, Japanese artillery sunk Russian ships in the internal roadstead of Port Arthur - the battleship Pobeda and the cruiser Pallada.
On December 9 (November 26), 1904, Japanese heavy artillery sank the cruiser Bayan, the minelayer Amur and the gunboat Gilyak.
December 25 (December 12), 1904 IJN Takasago During a patrol, she hit a mine laid by the Russian destroyer "Angry" and sank in the Yellow Sea between Port Arthur and Chieffo.
On December 26 (December 13), 1904, in the Port Arthur roadstead, the gunboat Beaver was sunk by Japanese artillery fire.
Submarines of the Siberian flotilla in Vladivostok.
On December 31 (December 18), 1904, the first four Kasatka-class submarines arrived in Vladivostok from St. Petersburg by rail.
On January 1, 1905 (December 19, 1904), in Port Arthur, by order of the crew command, the battleships Poltava and Peresvet, half-sunk in the internal roadstead, were blown up, and the battleship Sevastopol was sunk in the outer roadstead.
On January 2, 1905 (December 20, 1904), the commander of the defense of Port Arthur, General A. Stessel, gave the order to surrender the fortress. The siege of Port Arthur is over.
On the same day, before the surrender of the fortress, the clippers “Dzhigit” and “Robber” were sunk. The 1st Pacific Squadron was completely destroyed.
On January 5, 1905 (December 23, 1904), the submarine "Dolphin" arrived from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok by rail.
January 14 (January 1), 1905, by order of the commander of the Vladivostok port from the Forel submarines.
On March 20 (March 7), 1905, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhdestvensky passed the Strait of Malacca and entered the Pacific Ocean.
On March 26 (March 13), 1905, the submarine “Dolphin” left Vladivostok for a combat position on Askold Island.
On March 29 (March 16), 1905, the submarine "Dolphin" returned to Vladivostok from combat duty near Askold Island.
On April 11 (March 29), 1905, torpedoes were delivered to Russian submarines in Vladivostok.
On April 13 (March 31), 1905, the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky arrived at Cam Ranh Bay in Indochina.
On April 22 (April 9), 1905, the submarine “Kasatka” set out on a combat mission from Vladivostok to the shores of Korea.
On May 7 (April 24), 1905, the cruisers Rossiya and Gromoboy left Vladivostok to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications.
On May 9 (April 26), 1905, the 1st detachment of the 3rd Pacific squadron of Rear Admiral N. Nebogatov and the 2nd Pacific squadron of Vice Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky united in Cam Ranh Bay.
On May 11 (April 28), 1905, the cruisers Rossiya and Gromoboy returned to Vladivostok. During the raid they sank four Japanese transport ships.
On May 12 (April 29), 1905, three submarines - "Dolphin", "Kasatka" and "Som" - were sent to Preobrazheniya Bay to intercept the Japanese detachment. At 10 o'clock in the morning, near Vladivostok, near Cape Povorotny, the first battle involving a submarine took place. "Som" attacked the Japanese destroyers, but the attack ended in vain.
On May 14 (May 1), 1905, the Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron under Admiral Z. Rozhestvensky left for Vladivostok from Indochina.
On May 18 (May 5), 1905, the submarine Dolphin sank near the quay wall in Vladivostok due to an explosion of gasoline vapors.
On May 29 (May 16), 1905, the battleship Dmitry Donskoy was scuttled by his crew in the Sea of Japan near the island of Dazhelet.
On May 30 (May 17), 1905, the Russian cruiser Izumrud landed on rocks near Cape Orekhov in St. Vladimir Bay and was blown up by its crew.
On June 3 (May 21), 1905, in the Philippines in Manila, American authorities interned the Russian cruiser Zhemchug.
On June 9 (May 27), 1905, the Russian cruiser Aurora was interned by the American authorities in the Philippines in Manila.
On June 29 (June 16), 1905, in Port Arthur, Japanese rescuers raised the Russian battleship Peresvet from the bottom.
On July 7 (June 24), 1905, Japanese troops began the Sakhalin landing operation to land troops of 14 thousand people. While Russian troops numbered only 7.2 thousand people on the island.
On July 8 (July 25), 1905, in Port Arthur, Japanese rescuers raised the sunken Russian battleship Poltava.
On July 29 (July 16), 1905, the Japanese Sakhalin landing operation ended with the surrender of Russian troops.
On August 14 (August 1), 1905, in the Tatar Strait, the Keta submarine launched an unsuccessful attack on two Japanese destroyers.
On August 22 (August 9), 1905, negotiations began in Portsmouth between Japan and Russia through the mediation of the United States.
On September 5 (August 23) in the USA in Portsmouth, a peace treaty was signed between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire. According to the agreement, Japan received the Liaodong Peninsula, part of the Chinese Eastern Railway from Port Arthur to the city of Changchun and South Sakhalin, Russia recognized the predominant interests of Japan in Korea and agreed to the conclusion of a Russian-Japanese fishing convention. Russia and Japan pledged to withdraw their troops from Manchuria. Japan's demand for reparations was rejected.
The policy of Imperial Russia in the Far East and East Asia at the beginning of the 20th century was aimed at establishing dominance in this region. At that time, the only serious opponent in the implementation of the so-called “Great Asian Program” of Nicholas II was the Empire of Japan, which over the past decades had seriously strengthened its military potential and began active expansion into Korea and China. A military clash between the two empires was only a matter of time.
Prerequisites for the war
The Russian ruling circles, for some inexplicable reason, considered Japan to be a rather weak adversary, having little idea of the state of the armed forces of this state. In the winter of 1903, at a meeting on Far Eastern affairs, most of Nicholas II’s advisers were inclined to the need for war with the Japanese Empire. Only Sergei Yurievich Witte spoke out against military expansion and worsening relations with the Japanese. Perhaps his position was influenced by his trip to the Far East in 1902. Witte argued that Russia was not ready for war in the Far East, which in fact was true, at least taking into account the state of communications, which could not ensure the timely and rapid delivery of reinforcements, ammunition and equipment. Witte's proposal was to abandon military action and focus on the broad economic development of the Far East, but his opinion was not heeded.
Meanwhile, Japan was not going to wait for the concentration and deployment of Russian armies in China and Korea. The forces of the imperial fleet and army hoped to be the first to strike the Russians. England and the United States, who were not interested in strengthening Russia in the Far Eastern territories, provided active support to the Japanese. The British and Americans supplied Japan with raw materials, weapons, ready-made warships, and issued preferential loans for military purposes. Ultimately, this became one of the determining factors that pushed the Japanese imperial government to attack Russian troops located in China, which became the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, which lasted from January 27, 1904 to August 23, 1905.
Progress of hostilities in 1904
On the night of January 27, 1904, destroyers of the Japanese Imperial Navy secretly approached the outer perimeter of the sea defense of Port Arthur, occupied by Russian military forces, and fired at the Russian ships stationed in the outer roadstead, damaging two battleships. And at dawn, 14 ships of the Japanese fleet immediately attacked 2 Russian ships (the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets"), occupying positions in the area of the neutral port of Icheon (Chemulpo). During a surprise attack, Russian ships received heavy damage and the sailors, not wanting to surrender to the enemy, blew up their ships themselves.
The Japanese command considered the main task of the entire upcoming campaign to be the capture of the waters around the Korean Peninsula, which ensured the achievement of the main goals set for the ground army - the occupation of Manchuria, as well as the Primorsky and Ussuri territories, that is, the seizure of not only Chinese, but also Russian territories was expected. The main forces of the Russian fleet were concentrated in Port Arthur, some of them were located in Vladivostok. Most of the flotilla behaved extremely passively, limiting themselves to the defense of the coastline. 
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Manchurian Army Alexei Nikolaevich Kuropatkin and Commander of the Japanese Army Oyama Iwao
Three times the Japanese fleet tried to block the enemy in Port Arthur and at the end of April 1904 they succeeded in doing so, as a result of which the Russian ships were locked in for some time, and the Japanese landed the ground forces of their 2nd Army numbering almost 40 thousand people on the Liaodong Peninsula and moved to Port Arthur, with difficulty overcoming the defense of just one Russian regiment, well fortified on the isthmus connecting the Kwantung and Liaodong Peninsulas. After breaking through the Russian positions on the isthmus, the Japanese took the port of Dalny, seizing a bridgehead and launching a blockade of the Port Arthur garrison from land and sea.
After capturing the bridgeheads on the Kwantung Peninsula, the Japanese troops split up - the formation of the 3rd Army began, the main task of which was to storm Port Arthur, while the 2nd Army went north. At the beginning of June, she dealt a strong blow to the 30 thousand-strong group of Russian troops of General Stackelberg, who had advanced to break the blockade of Port Arthur and forced him to retreat. At this time, the 3rd Japanese Army finally pushed back the advanced defending units of Port Arthur inside the fortress, completely blocking it from land. At the end of May, the Russian fleet managed to intercept Japanese transports, the purpose of which was to deliver 280-mm mortars for the siege of Port Arthur. This greatly helped the defenders, prolonging the siege for several months, but in general the fleet behaved passively, making no attempt to recapture the initiative from the enemy.
While the siege of Port Arthur was going on, the 1st Japanese Army, which consisted of approximately 45 thousand people, landed in Korea back in February, was able to push back the Russian troops, defeating them near the city of Tyuryunchen on the Korean-Chinese border. The main forces of the Russian troops retreated to Liaoyang. Japanese troops continued the offensive with the forces of three armies (1st, 2nd and 4th) with a total number of approximately 130 thousand people and in early August attacked Russian troops under the command of General Kuropatkin near Liaoyang.
The battle was very difficult and there were serious losses on both sides - 23 thousand soldiers from Japan, up to 19 thousand from Russia. The Russian commander-in-chief, despite the uncertain outcome of the battle, gave the order for a further retreat to the city of Mukden even further north. Later, the Russians gave another battle to the Japanese troops, attacking their positions on the Shahe River in the fall. However, the assault on the Japanese positions did not bring decisive success; losses on both sides were again heavy.
At the end of December 1904, the fortress city of Port Arthur fell, having fettered the forces of the Japanese 3rd Army for almost a year. All Japanese units from the Kwantung Peninsula were hastily transferred north to the city of Mukden.
Progress of hostilities in 1905
With the approach of reinforcements from the 3rd Army from Port Arthur to Mukden, the initiative finally passed into the hands of the Japanese command. On a wide front, with a length of about 100 km, the largest battle before the First World War took place, in which everything again turned out not in favor of the Russian army. After a long battle, one of the Japanese armies was able to bypass Mukden from the north, practically cutting off Manchuria from European Russia. If this could be completely done, then the entire Russian army in China would be lost. Kuropatkin correctly assessed the situation, ordering an urgent retreat along the entire front, not giving the enemy the opportunity to surround himself.
The Japanese continued to press along the front, forcing the Russian units to roll back further to the north, but soon stopped the pursuit. Despite the successful operation to capture the large city of Mukden, they suffered huge losses, which the Japanese historian Shumpei Okamoto estimates at 72 thousand soldiers. Meanwhile, the main forces of the Russian army could not be defeated; it retreated in perfect order, without panic and maintaining its combat effectiveness. At the same time, reinforcements continued to arrive.
Meanwhile, at sea, the 2nd Pacific squadron of the Russian fleet under the command of Admiral Rozhestvensky, which came to the aid of Port Arthur back in October 1904, arrived in the combat area. In April 1905, her ships appeared in the Tsushima Strait, where they were met by fire from the Japanese fleet, which had been completely repaired by the time of their arrival. The entire squadron was almost completely destroyed, only a few ships broke through to Vladivostok. The defeat at sea for Russia was final. 
Russian infantry marches along Liaoyang (above) and Japanese soldiers near Chemulpo
In mid-July 1905, Japan, which despite its high-profile victories was already on the verge of economic exhaustion, carried out its last major operation, driving Russian troops out of Sakhalin Island. Meanwhile, the main Russian army under the command of Kuropatkin, located near the village of Sypingai, reached a strength of about half a million soldiers, it received a large number of machine guns and howitzer batteries. The Japanese command, seeing the serious strengthening of the enemy and feeling their own weakening (the country's human resources were practically exhausted by that time), did not dare to continue the offensive, on the contrary, expecting that large Russian forces would launch a counteroffensive.
The Japanese twice proposed peace negotiations, feeling that the enemy would be able to wage war for a long time and was not going to give up. However, a revolution was breaking out in Russia, one of the reasons for which was the defeats that the army and navy suffered in the Far East. Therefore, in the end, Nicholas II was forced to negotiate with Japan through the mediation of the United States. The Americans, as well as many European powers, were now concerned about the excessive strengthening of Japan against the backdrop of the weakening of Russia. The peace treaty turned out to be not so difficult for Russia - thanks to the talent of S.Yu. Witte, who headed the Russian delegation, the conditions were softened.
Results of the war
The Russo-Japanese War was certainly unsuccessful for Russia. The defeat of the 2nd Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima hit the national pride of the people especially hard. However, territorial losses turned out to be not very significant - the main problem was the loss of the ice-free base of Port Arthur. As a result of the agreements, both Russian and Japanese forces evacuated from Manchuria, and Korea became Japan's sphere of influence. The Japanese also received the southern part of Sakhalin Island
The defeat of Russian troops in the war was primarily due to the difficulty of transporting troops, ammunition and equipment to the Far East. Other, no less important reasons were a significant underestimation of the enemy’s military potential and poor organization of troop control on the part of the command. As a result, the enemy was able to push the Russian army deep into the continent, inflicting a number of defeats on it and capturing vast territories. Defeat in the war also led to the fact that the imperial government paid closer attention to the state of the armed forces and was able to strengthen them by the beginning of the First World War, which, however, did not save the outdated empire from defeats, revolutions and collapse.
Russo-Japanese War was a war fought between the Russian and Japanese Empires for control of Manchuria and Korea. After a break of several decades, it became the first big war using the latest weapons : long-range artillery, battleships, destroyers, high-voltage wire barriers; as well as using spotlights and a field kitchen.
Causes of the war:
- Russia's lease of the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur as a naval base.
- Construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway and Russian economic expansion in Manchuria.
- The struggle for spheres of influence in China and Korea.
- A means of distraction from the revolutionary movement in Russia (“small victorious war”)
- The strengthening of Russia's position in the Far East threatened the monopolies of England, the United States and the militaristic aspirations of Japan.
The nature of the war: unfair on both sides.
In 1902, England entered into a military alliance with Japan and, together with the United States, embarked on the path of its preparation for war with Russia. In a short period of time, Japan built an armored fleet at the shipyards of England, Italy, and the United States.
The bases of the Russian fleet in the Pacific Ocean - Port Arthur and Vladivostok - were 1,100 miles apart and were poorly equipped. By the beginning of the war, out of 1 million 50 thousand Russian soldiers, about 100 thousand were stationed in the Far East. The Far Eastern Army was removed from the main supply centers, the Siberian Railway had low capacity (3 trains per day).
COURSE OF EVENTS
January 27, 1904 Japanese attack on the Russian fleet. Death of the cruiser "Varangian" and the gunboat "Korean" in Chemulpo Bay off the coast of Korea. The Varyag and Koreets, blocked in Chemulpo, rejected the offer to surrender. Trying to break through to Port Arthur, two Russian ships under the command of Captain 1st Rank V.F. Rudnev entered into battle with 14 enemy ships.
January 27 - December 20, 1904. Defense of the naval fortress Port Arthur. During the siege, new types of weapons were used for the first time: rapid-fire howitzers, Maxim machine guns, hand grenades, and mortars.
Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral S. O. Makarov prepared for active operations at sea and the defense of Port Arthur. On March 31, he took his squadron to the outer roadstead to engage the enemy and lure his ships under the fire of coastal batteries. However, at the very beginning of the battle, his flagship Petropavlovsk hit a mine and sank within 2 minutes. Most of the team, the entire headquarters of S. O. Makarov, died. After this, the Russian fleet went on the defensive, since the commander-in-chief of the Far Eastern forces, Admiral E. I. Alekseev, abandoned active operations at sea.
The ground defense of Port Arthur was headed by the head of the Kwantung fortified area, General A. M. Stessel. The main struggle in November took place over Mount Vysoka. On December 2, the head of ground defense, its organizer and inspirer, General, died R. I. Kondratenko. Stoessel signed on December 20, 1904 surrender . The fortress withstood 6 assaults and was surrendered only as a result of the betrayal of the commandant, General A. M. Stessel. For Russia, the fall of Port Arthur meant the loss of access to the ice-free Yellow Sea, a worsening of the strategic situation in Manchuria and a significant aggravation of the internal political situation in the country.
October 1904 Defeat of Russian troops on the Shahe River.
February 25, 1905 Defeat of the Russian army near Mukden (Manchuria). The largest land battle in history before the First World War.
May 14-15, 1905 Battle of the Tsushima Strait. The defeat by the Japanese fleet of the 2nd Pacific squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Z.P. Rozhdestvensky, sent to the Far East from the Baltic Sea. In July, the Japanese occupied Sakhalin Island.
REASONS FOR RUSSIA'S DEFEAT
- Support for Japan from England and the USA.
- Russia's poor preparation for war. Military-technical superiority of Japan.
- Mistakes and ill-considered actions of the Russian command.
- Inability to quickly transfer reserves to the Far East.
Russo-Japanese War. RESULTS
- Korea was recognized as Japan's sphere of influence;
- Japan took possession of South Sakhalin;
- Japan received fishing rights along the Russian coast;
- Russia leased the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur to Japan.
Russian commanders in this war: A.N. Kuropatkin, S.O. Makarov, A.M. Stessel.
Consequences of Russia's defeat in the war:
- weakening of Russia's position in the Far East;
- public discontent with the autocracy, which lost the war with Japan;
- destabilization of the political situation in Russia, the growth of the revolutionary struggle;
- active reform of the army, a significant increase in its combat effectiveness.
| Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was fought for control of Manchuria, Korea and the ports of Port Arthur and Dalny. On the night of February 9, the Japanese fleet, without declaring war, attacked the Russian squadron on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur, a naval base leased by Russia from China. The battleships Retvizan and Tsesarevich and the cruiser Pallada were seriously damaged.
Military operations began, marking the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. At the beginning of March, the Russian squadron in Port Arthur was led by an experienced naval commander, Vice Admiral Makarov, but on April 13 he died when the flagship battleship Petropavlovsk hit a mine and sank. Command of the squadron passed to Rear Admiral V.K. Vitgeft.
In March 1904, the Japanese army landed in Korea, and in April - in southern Manchuria. Russian troops under the command of General M.I. Zasulich could not withstand the onslaught of superior enemy forces and were forced to abandon the Jinzhou position in May. Port Arthur was thus cut off from the Russian Manchurian army. The 3rd Japanese Army of General M. Nogi was assigned to besiege the city. The 1st and 2nd Japanese armies began to quickly move north and in the Battle of Wafangou on June 14-15 forced the Russian army, commanded by the Minister of War, General A.N. Kuropatkin, to retreat.
In early August, the Japanese landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and approached the outer defensive perimeter of the fortress. The garrison of Port Arthur numbered 50.5 thousand soldiers and officers with 646 guns and 62 machine guns. Subsequently, due to the use of naval artillery on land, the number of guns increased to 652. The Russian fleet in Port Arthur Bay consisted of 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 2 mine cruisers, 4 gunboats, 19 destroyers and 2 mine transports. The number of crews of ships and coastal services of the fleet was 8 thousand people, who later, after the death of the fleet, were sent to strengthen the ground units. Volunteer squads with a total number of 1.5 thousand people were formed from the local population. The vigilantes delivered ammunition and food to the positions, evacuated the wounded and maintained communication between the headquarters and various defense sectors.
On August 10, 1904, the Russian squadron tried to escape from Port Arthur. The attempt was almost a success, and the Japanese fleet was about to retreat when a high-explosive shell exploded on the captain's bridge of the flagship battleship Tsesarevich. As a result, the squadron commander, Admiral Vitgeft, and his entire staff died. Control of the Russian ships was disrupted; they tried to break through to Vladivostok one by one, but everyone who managed to escape from Port Arthur harbor was interned in neutral ports. Only the cruiser Novik managed to reach the Korsakov post in Kamchatka, where it died in an unequal battle with Japanese cruisers.
The defense of Port Arthur was led by the commandant of the fortress, General A.M. Stessel, but the squadron was not subordinate to him, being under the authority of the fleet commander, and he could not influence the actions of the ships locked in Port Arthur.
The Japanese 3rd Army besieging the city numbered more than 50 thousand people and over 400 guns. On August 19, she tried to take Port Arthur by storm, but five days later she was thrown back to her original positions with heavy losses. The Japanese began to build lines of trenches and field fortifications around the fortress. At the beginning of September they were able to capture the strategically important height of Long. The defenders of the cities managed to defend another height - High. In mid-October, food shortages began to become acute in Port Arthur. This, as well as the onset of cold weather, caused the spread of disease among the besieged. In mid-November, there were more than 7 thousand wounded and sick with scurvy, typhus and dysentery in Port Arthur hospitals. The Chinese population of the city, numbering 15 thousand people during the siege, was in an even more difficult situation and was truly starving.
On October 30, after three days of artillery preparation, the Japanese launched a third assault on Port Arthur, which lasted three days and ended in vain. On November 26, the fourth assault began. On December 5, Japanese troops captured Vysokaya Hill and were able to install 11-inch howitzers to bombard the harbor. This immediately increased the accuracy of artillery fire. On the same day, Japanese batteries sank the battleship Poltava, on December 6 - the battleship Retvizan, on December 7 - the battleships Peresvet and Pobeda, as well as the cruiser Pallada. The cruiser "Bayan" was seriously damaged.
On December 15, the commander of the ground defense of the fortress, General R.I. Kondratenko, was killed. The defenders of Port Arthur had run out of food, although they still had a supply of shells. On January 2, 1905, Commandant Stoessel, believing that there was no chance of rescue from the Manchurian Army in the foreseeable future, capitulated. He was subsequently convicted by a military court for cowardice, but was pardoned by the Tsar. From today's point of view, Stoessel's decision does not deserve condemnation. Under conditions of complete blockade, when all Russian positions were under targeted artillery fire, and the garrison had no food supplies, Port Arthur would not have lasted more than two or three weeks, which could not in any way affect the course of military operations.
In Port Arthur, 26 thousand people surrendered. Russian losses in killed and wounded during the siege amounted to 31 thousand people. The Japanese lost 59 thousand people killed and wounded and 34 thousand sick.
With the fall of Port Arthur, which represented the main point of the Russo-Japanese War, the main Japanese goal was achieved. The battles in Manchuria, despite the fact that many times more ground forces took part there on both sides, were of an auxiliary nature. The Japanese did not have the forces and means to occupy Northern Manchuria, not to mention the Russian Far East. Kuropatkin adhered to a strategy of attrition, hoping that a protracted war would exhaust Japan's human and material resources and force it to end the war and clear the occupied territories. However, in practice it turned out that prolonging the war was disastrous for Russia, since a revolution began there already in January 1905. The overall numerical superiority of the Russian army was largely compensated by the fact that only one Trans-Siberian railway connected the European part of the empire with the Far East.
In peacetime, the Russian army numbered 1.1 million people, and after the outbreak of war, another 3.5 million reservists could be added to it. However, by the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, there were only 100 thousand soldiers and 192 guns in Manchuria. The peacetime Japanese army numbered 150 thousand people. An additional 1.5 million were drafted during the war, with more than half of all Japanese forces operating in Manchuria. By the end of the war, the Russian army in the Far East had a one and a half times numerical superiority over the enemy, but could not use it.
The first major battle between the ground forces of Russia and Japan took place near Liaoyang from August 24 to September 3, 1904. The 125,000-strong Japanese army of Marshal Oyama was opposed by the 158,000-strong Russian army of General Kuropatkin. Japanese troops launched two concentric strikes in an attempt to encircle the enemy, but their attacks on advanced Russian positions on the heights of Liaoyang were repulsed. Then the Russian troops retreated in an organized manner to the main position, which consisted of three lines of forts, redoubts and trenches and ran around Liaoyang from the west and south for 15 km, abutting the Taizihe River. On August 31, three brigades of the Japanese 1st Army crossed Taizihe and captured the bridgehead. After it was not possible to eliminate this bridgehead, Kuropatkin, despite the fact that Japanese attacks in the center and on the right western flank were repulsed, fearing a flanking bypass, ordered a retreat. The Japanese lost 23 thousand killed and wounded, and the Russians - 19 thousand.
After the Battle of Liaoyang, Russian troops retreated to Mukden and took up positions on the Hunhe River. The Japanese remained north of Taizihe. On October 5-17, a counter battle took place on the Shahe River. At the beginning of the battle, the Russians managed to knock the enemy from their forward positions, but on October 10, the Japanese launched a counteroffensive and on October 14 broke through the front of the 10th Army Corps. At the end of the battle, both sides switched to positional defense along a 60-kilometer front. The Russian army in this battle numbered 200 thousand people with 758 guns and 32 machine guns and lost 40 thousand people killed and wounded. The losses of the Japanese, who had 170 thousand soldiers, 648 guns and 18 machine guns, were half as much - 20 thousand.
The parties remained in positions within rifle fire until January 1905. During this period, telephone communications were significantly improved in both armies. The devices appeared not only at army headquarters, but also at the headquarters of corps, divisions, brigades, regiments, and even at artillery batteries. On January 24, 1905, the Russian army tried to advance in the Sandepu area, but by January 28, the enemy pushed them back to their original positions. Kuropatkin at that moment had 300 thousand soldiers and 1080 guns, Oyama had 220 thousand people and 666 guns. The Russians lost 12 thousand people, and the Japanese - 9 thousand.
From February 19 to March 10, 1905, the largest battle of the Russian-Japanese War took place - Mukden. At the beginning of the war, the Russian army numbered 330 thousand people with 1,475 guns and 56 machine guns. The Japanese, taking into account the 3rd Nogi Army that had arrived from Port Arthur and the new 5th Army that had arrived from Japan, had 270 thousand people, 1062 guns and 200 machine guns. Kuropatkin was preparing to go on the offensive against the enemy’s left flank on February 25, but Oyama, who was trying to cover the Russian army from both flanks, forestalled him. The Russian 2nd Army was surrounded from the west by the Japanese 3rd Army and attacked from the front by the 2nd Army. The Japanese 1st Army under General Kuroki broke through the positions of the Russian 1st Army and threatened to cut the Mandarin Road in the rear of the main Russian forces. Fearing encirclement and already being virtually in the bag, Kuropatkin was able, however, to withdraw the army in order to Telin, and then to the Sypingai positions 175 km north of Mukden.
After Mukden, Kuropatkin was replaced as commander-in-chief by General Nikolai Linevich, who had previously commanded the 3rd Army. It was in the Sypingai positions that the opposing armies met the end of the war, without undertaking any active military operations in Manchuria after the Battle of Mukden.
In the Battle of Mukden, for the first time, there were cases when soldiers shot officers who were trying to stop fleeing people with revolver fire. Almost four decades later, during the Great Patriotic War, Soviet soldiers were no longer so conscientious and resignedly allowed officers to shoot them. At Mukden, the Russians lost 59 thousand killed and wounded and 31 thousand prisoners. Japanese losses reached 70 thousand killed and wounded.
After the death of the Russian squadron in Port Arthur in the battle on August 10, 1904, together with its commander Admiral Vitgeft, the 2nd Pacific Squadron was formed from the Baltic Fleet under the command of Admiral Z.P. Rozhestvensky, Chief of the Main Naval Staff. She made a six-month journey to the Far East, where she died in the battle in the Tsushima Strait on May 27, 1905. Rozhdestvensky's squadron consisted of 8 squadron battleships, 3 coastal defense battleships, one armored cruiser, 8 cruisers, 5 auxiliary cruisers and 9 destroyers. The Japanese fleet, under the command of Admiral Togo, had 4 squadron battleships, 6 coastal defense battleships, 8 armored cruisers, 16 cruisers, 24 auxiliary cruisers and 63 destroyers. The Japanese had a qualitative superiority in artillery. Japanese guns had almost three times the rate of fire, and in terms of power, Japanese shells were more powerful than Russian shells of the same caliber.
By the time Rozhdestvensky’s squadron arrived in the Far East, Japanese armored ships were concentrated in the Korean port of Mozampo, and cruisers and destroyers were concentrated near the island of Tsushima. South of Mozampo, between the islands of Goto and Quelpart, a patrol of cruisers was deployed, which was supposed to detect the approach of Russian forces. The Japanese commander was sure that the enemy would try to break through to Vladivostok by the shortest route - through the Korean Strait, and he was not mistaken.
On the night of May 27, Rozhestvensky's squadron approached the Korean Strait in marching order. Two light cruisers moved ahead, followed by battleships in two wake columns, and behind them the rest of the ships. Rozhdestvensky did not carry out long-range reconnaissance and did not carry out blackout on all of his ships. At 2:28 a.m., the Japanese auxiliary cruiser Shinano-Maru discovered the enemy and reported to the commander. Togo led the fleet out of Mozampo.
On the morning of May 27, Rozhdestvensky rebuilt all the ships of the squadron into two wake columns, leaving behind the transport ships guarded by cruisers. Having been drawn into the Korean Strait, at half past two in the afternoon the Russian ships discovered the main forces of the Japanese fleet, which were advancing on the right bow to intercept Rozhdestvensky’s squadron. Rozhdestvensky, believing that the Japanese intended to attack the left column of his squadron, which was dominated by obsolete ships, rebuilt the squadron into one column. Meanwhile, two detachments of armored ships of the Japanese fleet, having gone out to the left side, began to make a turn of 16 points, being only 38 cables away from the lead ship of the Russian squadron. This risky turn lasted a quarter of an hour, but
Rozhestvensky did not take advantage of the favorable moment to fire at the enemy fleet. However, taking into account the actual firing accuracy of the then naval artillery at this distance and the level of training of the Russian gunners, it is unlikely that in a quarter of an hour Rozhdestvensky’s squadron would have managed to sink at least one large enemy ship.
The Russian ships opened fire only at 13:49, when Togo had already completed the turn of the ships. The Russian artillerymen were very poorly prepared to fire at long distances and were unable to inflict any significant damage on the Japanese. In addition, the quality of Russian ammunition turned out to be low. Many of them did not explode. Due to poor fire control, Russian ships were unable to concentrate fire on individual enemy ships. The Japanese concentrated the artillery fire of their battleships on the Russian flagships Suvorov and Oslyabya.
At 14:23, the battleship Oslyabya, having received heavy damage, left the battle and soon sank. Seven minutes later, the Suvorov was disabled. This battleship stayed afloat until seven o'clock in the evening, when she was sunk by Japanese destroyers.
After the failure of the flagships, the battle formation of the Russian squadron was disrupted, and it lost its unified command. The first was the battleship "Alexander III", and after its failure, the column was led by the battleship "Borodino". At 15:05, fog thickened over the Tsushima Strait, and the opponents lost sight of each other. But 35 minutes later, the Japanese again discovered Rozhdestvensky’s squadron and forced it to change course from north-east to south. Then Togo again lost contact with the enemy and was forced to throw his main forces in search of the Russians. Only at about 6 o'clock in the evening did the Japanese battleships overtake the Russian squadron, which at that moment was exchanging fire with the Japanese cruisers.
Now the battle of the main forces was conducted on parallel courses. At 19:12 it became dark, and Togo stopped the battle. By that time, the Japanese had managed to sink Alexander III and Borodino. After the end of the battle, the main forces of the Japanese fleet retreated to the island of Ollyndo (Dazhelet). The destroyers were supposed to finish off the Russian squadron through torpedo attacks.
At 8 o'clock in the evening, 60 Japanese destroyers began to cover the main forces of the Russian squadron. At 8.45 pm the Japanese fired their first torpedo salvo. Others followed. A total of 75 torpedoes were fired from a distance of 1 to 3 cables, of which only six reached the target. Targeted launches were hampered by darkness. Reflecting attacks from destroyers, Russian sailors sank two enemy destroyers. Another Japanese destroyer sank and six were damaged when they collided with each other.
On the morning of May 15, Rozhdestvensky’s squadron, due to frequent evasions from attacks by Japanese destroyers, found itself dispersed throughout the Korean Peninsula. Russian ships were destroyed one by one by superior enemy forces. Only the cruiser Almaz and two destroyers managed to break through to Vladivostok. Most of the ships were sunk. Four armored ships and a destroyer, on which the seriously wounded Rozhdestvensky and the junior flagship Rear Admiral N.I. Nebogatov were, were captured.
Regarding the surrender of Nebogatov’s squadron, Soviet historian Mikhail Pokrovsky wrote: “Near Tsushima, Nebogatov’s quick surrender was explained not only by the technical pointlessness of further battle, but also by the fact that the sailors resolutely refused to die in vain; and on the best Nebogatov battleship, the officers faced a choice: either lower flag, or be lowered overboard by the crew." Upon returning to Russia, Nebogatov was made the main culprit of the Tsushima disaster and sentenced to death for surrendering the remnants of the fleet to the enemy (the wounded Rozhdestvensky could not be tried). The death penalty was replaced by 10 years of hard labor, and two years later Nebogatov was pardoned and released. Russian losses in the Battle of Tsushima amounted to 5,045 killed and 803 wounded, Japanese losses - 1 thousand people.
In the Russo-Japanese War, Russia's military losses, according to official data, amounted to 31,630 killed, 5,514 died from wounds and 1,643 died in captivity. About 60 thousand military personnel were captured, of which approximately 16 thousand were wounded. There is no reliable data on Japanese losses. Russian sources estimate them to be more significant than the losses of Kuropatkin's army. Based on data from these sources, B.Ts. Urlanis estimated Japanese losses at 47,387 killed, 173,425 wounded and 11,425 died from wounds. In addition, he estimated that 27,192 Japanese died from disease.
But foreign observers believe that Japanese losses were lower than the Russians in most battles, with the exception of the siege of Port Arthur. During this siege, the number of killed and wounded in the Japanese army was 28 thousand more, but at Liaoyang and Shahe, the Japanese losses were 24 thousand less than the Russians. True, at Mukden, Japanese losses in killed and wounded were 11 thousand more than the Russians, but in Tsushima and other naval battles the Russians had more killed and wounded by about the same amount. Based on these figures, it can be assumed that in reality the Japanese losses in killed and wounded were approximately equal to the Russians, while the Japanese captured several times more prisoners.
Also, data on a more than twofold increase in mortality from disease in the Japanese army compared to the Russian army is not credible. After all, the Russian army outnumbered the Japanese by about one and a half times, and the organization of sanitary matters in both armies was approximately at the same level. Rather, we can assume that the number of deaths from disease in both armies was approximately the same. Another thing is that for Japan, whose armed forces and population were significantly smaller, these losses were much more sensitive than for the Russian Empire.
According to the Treaty of Portsmouth, concluded on September 5, 1905 through the mediation of the United States, Russia ceded to Japan the lease of the Liaodong Peninsula along with a branch of the South Manchurian Railway, as well as the southern half of Sakhalin Island, where Japanese troops landed shortly before the end of the war. Russian troops were withdrawn from Manchuria, and Korea was recognized as a sphere of Japanese influence. Russian positions in China and throughout the Far East were undermined, and Japan made a bid to become a great power and a dominant position in Northern China.
Russia's defeat was primarily due to the weakness of its fleet, which was unable to resist the Japanese and protect the Far Eastern ports, as well as establish naval supplies for Russian troops. The weakness of the home front led to the outbreak of the revolution shortly after the fall of Port Arthur. But even without the revolution, the strategy of attrition pursued by Kuropatkin would hardly have led to success.
Based on materials from the portal "Great Wars in Russian History"
