The thirties of the XX century were extremely difficult for the whole world. This applies both to the internal situation in many countries of the world, and to the international situation. Indeed, global contradictions developed more and more on the world stage during this period. One of them was the Soviet-Japanese conflict at the end of the decade.
Background of the battles for Lake Hassan
1938 year. The leadership of the Soviet Union is literally obsessed with internal (counter-revolutionary) and external threats. And this idea is to a large extent justified. The threat of Hitlerite Germany in the west is unfolding with all the evidence. In the east, in the mid-1930s, China was occupied by the armies of Japan, which is already casting predatory glances at Soviet lands. So, in the first half of 1938 a powerful anti-Soviet propaganda was launched in this country, calling for a “war against communism” and for an open seizure of territories. Such aggression of the Japanese contributes to their newly acquired partner in the coalition - Germany. The situation is compounded by the fact that the Western states, England and France, in every possible way delay the signing of an agreement with the USSR on mutual protection, hoping to provoke the mutual destruction of their natural enemies: Stalin and Hitler. This provocation is quite spread
and Soviet-Japanese relations. In the early
summer of 1938, the Japanese government increasingly began to talk about far-fetched "disputed territories." At the beginning of July, the center of events is Lake Hassan located in the border zone. Here, the formation of the Kwantung Army begins to focus more and more densely. The Japanese side justified these actions by the fact that the border zones of the USSR located near this lake are territories of Manchuria. The last region, in general, was not historically Japanese at all; it belonged to China. But China in previous years was itself occupied by the imperial army. On July 15, 1938, Japan demanded the withdrawal of Soviet border formations from this territory, citing the fact that they belong to China. However, the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted harshly to such a statement by providing copies of the agreement between Russia and the Celestial Empire from 1886, where appropriate cards were attached proving the correctness of the Soviet side.
Beginning of battles for Hassan
However, Japan did not intend to back down. The inability to substantiate her claims on Lake Hassan did not stop her. Of course, the Soviet defense was strengthened in this area. The first attack followed on July 29, when a company of the Kwantung Army crossed the state border and attacked one of the heights. At the cost of significant losses, the Japanese managed to capture this height. However, on the morning of July 30, more significant forces came to the aid of the Soviet border guards. For several days, the Japanese unsuccessfully attacked the defense of opponents, daily losing a significant amount of equipment and manpower. The battle at Hassan Lake was completed on August 11. On this day, a truce was declared between the troops. By mutual agreement of the parties, it was decided that the interstate border should be established in accordance with the agreement of Russia and China of 1886, since no later agreement on this subject at that time existed. Thus, Lake Hassan became a silent reminder of such an inglorious campaign of the Kwantung Army for new territories.