Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 (briefly)

The Russo-Japanese War began on January 26 (or, according to the new style, February 8) 1904. The Japanese fleet unexpectedly, before the official declaration of war, attacked ships located in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. As a result of this attack, the most powerful ships of the Russian squadron were disabled. The declaration of war took place only on February 10.

The most important reason for the Russo-Japanese War was Russia's expansion to the east. However, the immediate cause was the annexation of the Liaodong Peninsula, previously captured by Japan. This prompted military reform and the militarization of Japan.

The reaction of Russian society to the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War can be briefly said as follows: Japan’s actions outraged Russian society. The world community reacted differently. England and the USA took a pro-Japanese position. And the tone of press reports was clearly anti-Russian. France, an ally of Russia at that time, declared neutrality - it needed an alliance with Russia in order to prevent the strengthening of Germany. But already on April 12, France concluded an agreement with England, which caused a cooling of Russian-French relations. Germany declared friendly neutrality towards Russia.

Despite active actions at the beginning of the war, the Japanese failed to capture Port Arthur. But already on August 6 they made another attempt. A 45-strong army under the command of Oyama was sent to storm the fortress. Having encountered strong resistance and having lost more than half of the soldiers, the Japanese were forced to retreat on August 11. The fortress was surrendered only after the death of General Kondratenko on December 2, 1904. Despite the fact that Port Arthur could have held out for at least 2 more months, Stessel and Reis signed the act of surrendering the fortress, as a result of which the Russian fleet was destroyed, and 32 thousand. people were captured.

The most significant events of 1905 were:

The Battle of Mukden (February 5 – 24), which remained the largest land battle in human history until the outbreak of the First World War. It ended with the withdrawal of the Russian army, which lost 59 thousand killed. Japanese losses amounted to 80 thousand.

The Battle of Tsushima (May 27 - 28), in which the Japanese fleet, 6 times larger than the Russian fleet, almost completely destroyed the Russian Baltic squadron.

The course of the war was clearly in Japan's favor. However, its economy was depleted by the war. This forced Japan to enter into peace negotiations. In Portsmouth, on August 9, participants in the Russo-Japanese War began a peace conference. It should be noted that these negotiations were a serious success for the Russian diplomatic delegation, headed by Witte. The concluded peace treaty sparked protests in Tokyo. But, nevertheless, the consequences of the Russian-Japanese War were very noticeable for the country. During the conflict, the Russian Pacific Fleet was practically destroyed. The war claimed more than 100 thousand lives of soldiers who heroically defended their country. Russia's expansion to the East was stopped. Also, the defeat showed the weakness of the tsarist policy, which to a certain extent contributed to the growth of revolutionary sentiments and ultimately led to the revolution of 1904–1905. Among the reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 - 1905. the most important are the following:

diplomatic isolation of the Russian Empire;

the unpreparedness of the Russian army for combat operations in difficult conditions;

outright betrayal of the interests of the fatherland or the mediocrity of many tsarist generals;

Japan's serious superiority in the military and economic spheres.

Portsmouth World

The Treaty of Portsmouth (Peace of Portsmouth) is a peace treaty between Japan and the Russian Empire that ended the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

The peace treaty was concluded in the city of Portsmouth (USA), which is how it got its name, on August 23, 1905. S.Yu. Witte and R.R. participated in the signing of the agreement on the Russian side. Rosen, and from the Japanese side - K. Jutaro and T. Kogoro. The initiator of the negotiations was American President T. Roosevelt, which is why the signing of the agreement took place on US territory.

The agreement canceled the previous agreements between Russia and China regarding Japan and concluded new ones, this time with Japan itself.

Russo-Japanese War. Background and reasons

Japan did not pose any threat to the Russian Empire until the mid-19th century. However, in the 60s, the country opened its borders to foreign citizens and began to develop rapidly. Thanks to the frequent trips of Japanese diplomats to Europe, the country adopted foreign experience and was able to create a powerful and modern army and navy in half a century.

It was no coincidence that Japan began to increase its military power. The country experienced an acute shortage of territory, so already at the end of the 19th century the first Japanese military campaigns began in neighboring territories. The first victim was China, which gave Japan a number of islands. The next items on the list were supposed to be Korea and Manchuria, but Japan faced Russia, which also had its own interests in these territories. Throughout the year, negotiations were held between diplomats in order to divide spheres of influence, but they did not achieve success.

In 1904, Japan, which did not want any more negotiations, attacked Russia. The Russo-Japanese War began, which lasted two years.

Reasons for signing the Treaty of Portsmouth

Despite the fact that Russia was losing the war, Japan was the first to think about the need to make peace. The Japanese government, which had already managed to achieve most of its goals in the war, understood that the continuation of hostilities could greatly hit the Japanese economy, which was already not in the best condition.

The first attempt to make peace took place in 1904, when the Japanese envoy to Great Britain approached Russia with his version of the treaty. However, the peace provided for the condition that Russia agrees to be listed in the documents as the initiator of the negotiations. Russia refused and the war continued.

The next attempt was made by France, which provided assistance to Japan in the war and was also severely depleted economically. In 1905, France, on the verge of a crisis, offered Japan its mediation. A new version of the contract was drawn up, which provided for indemnity (farm-out). Russia refused to pay money to Japan and the agreement was again not signed.

The last attempt to make peace took place with the participation of US President T. Roosevelt. Japan turned to the states that provided it with financial assistance and asked to mediate in the negotiations. This time Russia agreed, as discontent was growing within the country.

Terms of the Portsmouth Peace

Japan, having secured the support of the United States and agreed in advance with the states on the division of influence in the Far East, was determined to sign a quick and beneficial peace. In particular, Japan planned to take away the island of Sakhalin, as well as a number of territories in Korea, and impose a ban on navigation in the country’s waters. However, peace was not signed, since Russia refused such conditions. At the insistence of S. Yu Witte, negotiations continued.

Russia managed to defend the right not to pay indemnity. Despite the fact that Japan was in dire need of money and hoped to receive a payoff from Russia, Witte's persistence forced the Japanese government to refuse the money, since otherwise the war could continue, which would have hit Japan's finances even harder.

Also, according to the Treaty of Portsmouth, Russia managed to defend the right to own the larger territory of Sakhalin, and Japan only received the southern part on the condition that the Japanese would not build military fortifications there.

In general, despite the fact that Russia lost the war, it managed to significantly soften the terms of the peace treaty and exit the war with fewer losses. Spheres of influence in the territories of Korea and Manchuria were divided, and agreements were signed on movement in Japanese waters and trade on its territories. A peace treaty was signed by both sides.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Far East was actively developing new lands, which provoked a war with Japan. Let's figure out what the causes of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are.

Background and causes of the war

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Japan experienced a period of powerful development. Contacts with England and the USA allowed her to raise the economy to a new level, reform the army, and build a new modern fleet. The Meiji Revolution established the Empire of the Rising Sun as a leading regional power.

At this time, Nicholas II came to power in Russia. His reign began with a stampede on the Khodynka field, which left a negative imprint on his authority among his subjects.

Rice. 1. Portrait of Nicholas II.

To raise authority, a “small victorious war” or new territorial expansions were needed to demonstrate the greatness of Russia. The Crimean War outlined Russia's territorial claims in Europe. In Central Asia, Russia was stuck with India, and conflict with Britain had to be avoided. Nicholas II turned his attention to China, weakened by wars and European colonization. Long-term plans were also made for Korea.

In 1898, Russia leased the Liaodong Peninsula with the Port Arthur fortress from China, and construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) began. The development of the territories of Manchuria by Russian colonists was actively underway.

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Rice. 2. Construction of Port Arthur.

In Japan, realizing that Russia was laying claim to lands that were within their sphere of interest, the slogan “Gashin-shotan” was put forward, calling on the nation to endure the increase in taxes for the sake of a military clash with Russia.

Based on the above, it should be noted that the first and main cause of the war was the clash of the colonial ambitions of the two countries. Therefore, the war that arose was of a colonial-aggressive nature.

The reason for the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was the severance of diplomatic ties between the two states. Having failed to agree on the scope of colonial expansion among themselves, both empires began to prepare to resolve the issue by military means.

Progress of the war and results

The war began with active actions by the Japanese army and navy. First, Russian ships were attacked in Chemulpo and Port Arthur, and then troops were landed in Korea and on the Liaodong Peninsula.

Rice. 3. The death of the cruiser Varyag.

Russia conducted an active defense, waiting for the arrival of reserves from Europe. However, poor infrastructure and supplies prevented Russia from turning the tide of the war. However, the prolonged defense of Port Arthur and the victory of Russian troops at Liaoyang could have brought Russia victory in the war, since the Japanese had practically exhausted their economic and human reserves. But General Kuropatkin each time, instead of attacking and defeating the enemy army, gave orders to retreat. First, Port Arthur was lost, then the Battle of Mukden took place, and the Russian Second and Third Pacific squadrons were defeated. The defeat was obvious and the parties moved on to peace negotiations.

The consequence of defeat in the war was an even greater deterioration in the authority of the king among the people. This resulted in the First Russian Revolution, which lasted until 1907 and limited the power of the Tsar through the creation of the State Duma. 4.6. Total ratings received: 176.

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. Rozhdestvensky 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.

0 The Russo-Japanese War began on February 8, old style, or January 26, new style, 1904. The Japanese unexpectedly, without declaring war on us, attacked warships that were located on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. Due to the unexpected attack and the bungling of our intelligence, most of the ships were destroyed and sunk. Official declaration of war happened 2 days later, namely February 10, old style.

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So let's continue Russian-Japanese War briefly.

Today, historians are confident that one of the reasons for the Japanese attack on Russia was its active expansion of zones of influence in the east. Another important reason is the so-called triple intervention(April 23, 1895 Russia, Germany and France simultaneously appealed to the Japanese government demanding that they abandon the annexation Liaodong peninsula, which was later carried out by the Japanese). It was this event that caused the increased militarization of Japan and provoked serious military reform.

Of course, Russian society reacted extremely negatively to the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. But Western countries welcomed the Japanese aggression, and the USA and England began openly to provide military assistance to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Moreover, France, which at that time was supposedly an ally of Russia, took a cowardly neutrality, especially since it desperately needed an alliance with the Russian Empire in order to restrain Germany, which was growing stronger every year. However, on the initiative of the British, an agreement was concluded between them and France agreement, which immediately caused a noticeable cooling in Russian-French relations. In Germany, they decided to simply observe the development of the situation, so they formed friendly neutrality towards the Russian Empire.

Thanks to the courage of the Russian soldiers, the Japanese were unable to break the resistance of the defenders of Port Arthur and capture this fortress at the beginning of the war. The next attack they launched on August 6 was carried out very poorly. To storm the fortress, the Japanese gathered an army of 45,000, commanded by Oyama Iwao(Japanese military leader, Marshal of Japan (1898), he played a significant role in the creation of the modern Japanese army). The invaders met strong resistance, and having lost almost half of the soldiers, they were forced to retreat (August 11).
Unfortunately, after his death Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko On December 2 (15), 1904, Russian soldiers were left without a commander, and the fortress was surrendered. Although in fact, this fortified bastion could quite successfully repel Japanese attacks for at least two more months. As a result, a shameful act of surrender of the fortress was signed by the commandant of Port Arthur, Baron Anatoly Mikhailovich Stessel and Reis Viktor Alexandrovich (Major General). After this, 32 thousand Russian soldiers were captured, and the entire fleet was destroyed.

A slight retreat, on April 7, 1907, a report was presented in which it was argued that the main those responsible for the surrender of Port Arthur are generals Reis, Fock and Stessel. By the way, please note, not a single Russian surname. These are the types of leaders we had in the army: as soon as they go straight into the bushes, they’ll take them out like crazy.

The main events of the Russian-Japanese War of 1905 are considered:

Battle of Mukden(February 19, 1905) - Russian soldiers killed 8,705 people, Japanese losses amounted to about 15,892 people killed. This battle is considered the bloodiest in the entire history of mankind, before the outbreak of the First World War. Shocked by such losses, the Japanese were never able to recover until the end of the war, and stopped taking any active actions, especially since there was simply no one to replenish the losses.

Battle of Tsushima(May 14 (27) - May 15 (28), 1905) - this naval battle took place near the island of Tsushima, and was the final battle during which the Russian Baltic squadron was completely destroyed by the enemy fleet 6 times larger in number.

And although Japan won the war on all fronts, its economy was clearly not ready for such a development of events. There was a noticeable economic decline, and this forced Japan to enter into peace negotiations. A peace conference was organized ( Treaty of Portsmouth), which was signed on August 23 (September 5), 1905 in the city of Portsmouth. At the same time, Russian diplomats led by Witte rose to the occasion, squeezing out maximum concessions from Japan.

Although the consequences of the Russian-Japanese War were very painful. After all, almost the entire Russian Pacific Fleet was flooded, killing more than 100 thousand soldiers who fought to the death defending their land. At the same time, the expansion of the sphere of influence of the Russian Empire in the east was stopped. In addition, it became clear to the whole world that the Russian army was very poorly prepared and armed with outdated weapons, which significantly reduced its authority on the world stage. The revolutionaries noticeably intensified their agitation, which resulted in revolution of 1905 - 1907.

Reasons for Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War:

obsolete weapons and Japanese superiority in technology;

Unpreparedness of Russian soldiers for war in difficult climatic conditions;

Diplomatic isolation of Russia;

The mediocrity and outright betrayal of the interests of the Motherland by most high-ranking generals.

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, about 100 km long, 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.