2nd Far Eastern Front
Encyclopedia
The 2nd Far Eastern Front was a Front
— a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group
— of the Soviet Army
. It was formed just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and was active from August 5, 1945 until October 1, 1945.
1st and 5th fronts and the 4th separate army in Manchuria
, Sakhalin
and the Kuril Islands
. In Manchuria, soldiers of the front swiftly crossed the Amur and Ussuri
rivers, destroying all Japanese resistance. On August 20, the front's 15th Army took Harbin
. Later, the 2nd Red Banner Army entered the Kalochzhan and Lyunchzhen regions, the 15th Army entered the Sansin region, and the 5th Rifle Corps entered the Boli region. The Japanese armies failed to offer significant resistance in these regions, and by August 20, they began to surrender and move into Soviet captivity.
On August 11, elements of the 16th Army
began an offensive in Southern Sakhalin
and by August 18 they had captured most of the island. From August 19-25 the front conducted amphibious assault operations near the port of Kholmsk
, and combined amphibious and airborne assault operations near the port of Korsakov
. By August 25, Soviet forces had captured the administrative centre of Sakhalin, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
. By early September, Japanese forces ended their resistance, but due to slow Soviet advances on Sakhalin, the planned operation on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō
was never carried out.
Meanwhile, an operational group composed of the 101st Rifle Division
captured the Kurile Islands.
Front (Soviet Army)
A front was a major military organization in the Soviet Army during many wars. It was roughly equivalent to an army group in the militaries of most other countries except Germany...
— a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
— of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
. It was formed just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and was active from August 5, 1945 until October 1, 1945.
History
Promptly following its creation, the 2nd Far East Front was engaged against the JapaneseImperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
1st and 5th fronts and the 4th separate army in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
and the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
. In Manchuria, soldiers of the front swiftly crossed the Amur and Ussuri
Ussuri River
The Usuri ula is a river in the south of the Outer Manchuria and east of Inner Manchuria . It rises in the Sikhote-Alin range, flowing north, forming part of the Sino-Russian border based on the Sino-Russian Convention of Peking in 1860, until it joins the Amur River at Khabarovsk . It is...
rivers, destroying all Japanese resistance. On August 20, the front's 15th Army took Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
. Later, the 2nd Red Banner Army entered the Kalochzhan and Lyunchzhen regions, the 15th Army entered the Sansin region, and the 5th Rifle Corps entered the Boli region. The Japanese armies failed to offer significant resistance in these regions, and by August 20, they began to surrender and move into Soviet captivity.
On August 11, elements of the 16th Army
16th Army (Soviet Union)
The 16th Army was a Soviet field army active from 1940 to 1945.-First Formation, 16th Army:Before Operation Barbarossa, HQ 16th Army was formed in July 1940 in the Transbaikal Military District . General Lieutenant М. F. Лукин took command...
began an offensive in Southern Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
and by August 18 they had captured most of the island. From August 19-25 the front conducted amphibious assault operations near the port of Kholmsk
Kholmsk
Kholmsk is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, the administrative center of Kholmsky District. Population: 35,141 .-History:The town was founded in 1870 as a military post. After the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, the town was transferred to Japanese control, along with the rest of southern...
, and combined amphibious and airborne assault operations near the port of Korsakov
Korsakov (town)
Korsakov is a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Korsakovsky District. Population: 35,079 ; The town is located some south from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, at the southern end of Sakhalin Island, on the coast of the Salmon Cove in the Aniva Bay.-History:Little is known...
. By August 25, Soviet forces had captured the administrative centre of Sakhalin, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
-Demographics:Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population...
. By early September, Japanese forces ended their resistance, but due to slow Soviet advances on Sakhalin, the planned operation on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
was never carried out.
Meanwhile, an operational group composed of the 101st Rifle Division
101st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 101st Rifle Division was a formation of the Soviet Red Army initially formed as a mountain rifle division on 28 August 1938 within the 2nd Separate Red Banner Army in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city....
captured the Kurile Islands.
Composition
- 2nd Red Banner Army
- 5th Rifle Corps
- 15th Army
- 16th Army16th Army (Soviet Union)The 16th Army was a Soviet field army active from 1940 to 1945.-First Formation, 16th Army:Before Operation Barbarossa, HQ 16th Army was formed in July 1940 in the Transbaikal Military District . General Lieutenant М. F. Лукин took command...
- 10th Air Army
- Kamchatka Defensive Region
- 101st Rifle Division101st Rifle Division (Soviet Union)The 101st Rifle Division was a formation of the Soviet Red Army initially formed as a mountain rifle division on 28 August 1938 within the 2nd Separate Red Banner Army in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city....
- 198th Rifle Regiment
- 5th, 7th Rifle Battalions
- 101st Rifle Division
- Amur Military FlotillaAmur Military FlotillaAmur military flotilla was a military flotilla on the Amur River in the Far East region of Russia.In 1900, the Russians formed a temporary flotilla on the Amur river out of private steamers and barges. Initially, it served transportation purposes during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905...
- North Pacific Military Flotilla