RED STAR VERSUS RISING SUN: Volume 2: The Nomonhan Incident 1939

1-227962

Following its 1931 occupation of Manchuria, Japan turned its interest to nearby Soviet territories. The result was a series of border incidents, including the Battle of Lake Khasan in 1938 (see Volume 1). Japan maintained that the border between the Japanese proxy state of Manchukuo and the Soviet-dominated Mongolian People's Republic was the Khalkhyn Gol (or Khalkha River) and deployed some of the best units of their army to occupy and secure this area.

A series of bitter clashes took place in mid-May and June 1939, after which the Japanese launched an all-out assault in July. Due to heavy casualties, the battle resulted in a stalemate. With tension also rising in Europe and concerned about the possibility of facing a two-front war, the Soviets reacted with a major counter-offensive in August 1939, and defeated the Japanese. Having secured its border in the Far East, the Soviet Union was free to concentrate on war in Europe, whilst the Japanese turned their attention to South-East Asia and the Pacific. Includes 91 b/w photos, eight pages of color plates (21 color profiles), three maps, and 15 tables.