History 17/01/20 capture of the Hutou fortress: the last Soviet battle of world war II
the date of the entry of the USSR during the Second world war (1939 or 1941) is a subject of continuing debate. But it is well known that the war for the Soviet Union effectively ended – it happened before the official surrender of Japan in the last summer days of 1945. 26 August, the soldiers of the red Army ended the assault on the fortress Hutou and dunnin, who, ironically, was once built by the Japanese as bases to capture the Soviet Far East.
“Eastern Maginot line”
One of the tasks that faced the Soviet troops in Asia – the storming of the fortifications of the Kwantung army, known in Japan as “Oriental Maginot line”. The construction of the chain of FORTS to protect Manchukuo from the “Soviet threat” the Japanese began in 1934 in accordance with the order No. 589. The land of the Rising sun was something to fear. The length of the border of Manchuria with the Soviet Union amounted to 5 thousand kilometers and the red Army already had the experience of a successful offensive in the far East (in 1929, part of the Vasily Blucher defeated the “white Chinese” on the Songhua river). For ten years the Japanese have built 17 major fortifications.
“the Kwantung army built fortifications at three sites: East, North and West, says Chinese Professor-historian BU Ping. The main was considered the Eastern direction. Structures was relatively much, they were of high density, on average one for every 60 km. it was mostly lasting reinforced concrete structures”.
the Prolonged assault
the Soviet offensive against the Kwantung army began on 9 August 1945. Most fortresses “Eastern Maginot line” fell from 10 to 20 August. However, remaining in the rear of the Soviet troops the Japanese garrisons continued to hold two of the citadel in his time “hanging” over the Maritime region – Hutou and dunnin.
Performancetableuse the greatest threat Gutowski UR (fortified area) stretched for 100 kilometres along the left Bank of the Ussuri river opposite the Soviet Iman (now Dalnerechensk). The slopes of mount Hutoushan the Japanese built from 1935 to 1938 and In 1945 the garrison of the fortress Hutou consisted of 10 field guns, 6 guns, 13 howitzers, 10 medium mortars, 18 guns, 10 anti-aircraft guns and 1 gun on a railway installation.
part of the 35th army of the red army came to Hutou on the second day, Soviet-Japanese war, met with strong resistance. To help the infantry came 34th bomber aviation division. When the planes destroyed the bunkers and suppressed by artillery and machine-gun fire, the Russians again attacked and broke through the boundaries of the town of Hutou. However, the Japanese and Manchu soldiers continued to hold the main strongholds of the North and North-West of the city.
“the Commander of the 35th army commanded 1056 th rifle regiment and units of the 109th fortified region to proceed with the methodical destruction of engineering structures and storm the strongholds of host resistance”, – stated in the Soviet 11-volume “History of the Second world war”.
Thanks to an extensive network of underground facilities, a garrison of 3 thousand people even occasionally put counterattacks on the flanks and the rear of the red army.On 17 August to destroy the fortifications on the coast of Ussuri was pulled 2 batteries out of 34 powerful guns of 203 mm. 18 Aug due to the shelling of Soviet troops managed to advance significantly deeper level. The fortress was sent a Japanese envoy from among the prisoners of war to turn himself in. But the enemy officer killed his compatriot with a sword.
the Decisive blow in Hutou was deposited on August 22. After a powerful bombardment and artillery preparation, the troops of the 109th fortified moved to the active assault of the fortress, which lasted 2 days. Remaining inside the firing points were suppressed until August 26. The Japanese fought to the last – none of them survived. Total Russian losses in the capture Horoscopo UR SOStwili 1 thousand people. In 1976, on the banks of the Ussuri river was a monument to fallen red army soldiers. We add that although the storm Hutou was the last major battle for the red army in the far East, sporadic fighting with soldiers of the Kwantung army continued until September 10, 1945.
Timur Sagdiyev
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