The Battle of Khalkhiin Gol

By Cooper Baltis

published Friday May 18th in the UB Post

                       

Oftentimes, in the always dramatic stage of world history, the smallest acts go on to have the largest impacts.

A seldom mentioned engagement in the Western history classes, the 1939 Battle of Khalkhiin  Gol fought between Soviet/Mongolian forces and Japanese forces in Eastern Mongolia went on to have a fundamental impact on the way Japan conducted its World War II campaign.

While the month of May might mark the anniversary of the nearly three month battle, the conflict started two decades beforehand in the 1910s. As the Tsarist Empire dissolved due to the Communist powers, Japan briefly occupied pieces of Siberia and a handful of eastern Soviet provinces, leading to many disputes and petty battles. As Communist powers solidified in the early 1920s, the Japanese army slowly withdrew from the territories, tucking their tails between their legs and vowing to return. Regrouped and refueled by nationalistic imperialism, Japan drew back into the disputed areas in the 1930s, setting up the puppet state of Manchukuo and eventually seizing Shanghai and Nanking.

With Japan again on its borders, and fearing the possible repercussions of the Anti-Comintern Pact signed between Germany and Japan, Soviet Russia began sending financial and military aid to the Chinese. Tensions were also stirred by the ‘Strike North’ faction in the Japanese military strategy. Proponents of this faction argued that by cutting the Trans-Siberian lifeline, Japan could quickly expand into Mongolia and Siberia as well as eastern Soviet provinces. This buffer zone would then allow Japan to harness the natural resources of Manchukuo.

Bisected by the Holsten River, the Halhna River (Khalkhiin Gol) flowed north to south in the eastern Mongolian in the Dornod aimag. The conflict started when close to 100 Mongolian men entered the disputed territory in search of a grazing area for their horses. A Japanese cavalry attacked the Mongolians, driving them back across the Khalkin Gol. Two days later, Mongolian forces returned seeking vengeance.

By the end of May 1939, Soviet forces commanded by General Georgy Zhukov and the 6^th Japanese army, consisting of 20,000 men, had moved into the area. A battle was fought from May 28 to 29, eventually ending in a draw.

As June progressed, skirmishes increased near the village of Nomonhan, which lead to Japanese General Michitaro Komatsubara getting orders to use any means necessary to expel the invaders. The Japanese planned on a two prong attack, but were ultimately unsuccessful as the Mongolian and Soviet forces were able to prevent the two wings from meeting.

Supply problems arose in July for Soviet and Mongolian forces as nearest supply base was 748 kilometers away. The supply anguish was felt by the Japanese, as supply transports from Manchukuo were few and far between.  By the end of July, the battle had come to a standoff, and rather than risking more causalities, the Japanese army disengaged from the battle to give time for General Komatsubara to ready a counteroffensive. While casualties have been disputed on the Japanese side, deaths in the thousands were officially reported on both sides. Soviets claimed to have taken 60,000 Japanese lives, while the Japanese army records indicate this number was closer to 9,000. Mongolian and Soviet forces suffered over 8,000 deaths with 15,000 wounded.

Before General Komatsubara had a chance to attack, a cease-fire was signed in Moscow, which eventually led to the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact at the end of August. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact signed between Germany and the Soviet Union, which directly affected Japan’s expansionistic plans through Central Asia. It also the Soviets the opportunity to focus solely on one front if need be. By September 1, World War II had started and Japan had begun its preparations to focus on its campaign solely on the Pacific.

This change in strategy creates ripples regarding the historical outcome of World War II. With its South Strike Group policy in effect, Japan began aggressively pursuing Southeast Asian targets. The results of the Battle of Khalkhiin Gol also made it geographically impossible for Germany and Japan to unite their control through the Soviet landmass. It was also a victory for the Soviet General Zhukov, who would go on to become the most decorated general in the history of Russia. The Japanese decision to focus on Southeast Asia created a scenario in which the Soviet Union wasn’t fighting two fronts, allowing them to focus all their military might on fighting Nazism in the West. This put pressure on the Nazi regime, as the war on both of Germany’s borders became hard to handle.

About a nine hour drive from Choisbalsan, Khalkhiin Gol is now a war memorial site complete with a museum and the ten meter high Yalaltiin Khoshuu monument. It is a quiet place in the middle of nowhere, behind a border checkpoint and blanketed by cerulean Mongolian skies. It’s a site that many argue changed the course of Japanese aggression during World War II, a place where many men took their final resting ground.