On February 19, 1905, the battle of Mukden began. This battle became the most bloody and large-scale in the entire Russo-Japanese War. About 500 thousand people participated in that clash, and the losses amounted to 160 thousand, that is, about a third of the total army.
The situation before the battle
On the eve of the battle, the Russian army left Liaoyang and entrenched near Mukden. Japanese troops were very close, which is why both of them began to strengthen their own positions. The command on opposite sides of the front made it clear that a decisive clash was approaching. Therefore, each army diligently strengthened the rear and replenished its ranks.
Associated events favored the Japanese. Russian troops in other parts of the theater of operations retreated and surrendered their positions. This inspired the Japanese and raised their morale. In the Land of the Rising Sun, illusions appeared that the battle of Mukden would be won with little blood.
The state of the Russian army
At this time, rumors began to circulate in the Russian army about the revolution that had begun in the homeland. Events in St. Petersburg and Moscow greatly damaged the motivation in the army. In addition, a long retreat, alternating with monotonous sitting in trenches and trenches, affected. Card games and drunkenness spread among the soldiers. Deserters appeared. The officers had to organize special units that were involved in catching the fugitives.
Intelligence worked poorly. On the eve of the clash, the command did not know the exact size of the enemy. Everyone understood only one thing: the battle of Mukden under the command of Alexei Kuropatkin promised to be difficult.
Headquarters plan
As for tactics and strategy, the Russian command did not come up with anything new. Sandepu village turned out to be the key point that the army was supposed to capture while the battle of Mukden was going on. The headquarters commander Kuropatkin decided that this particular village would be the main Japanese position.
The attack on Sandep was planned to begin on February 25. For the operation, a frontal attack of the 2nd Army was being prepared, which the formations on the flanks were to support. However, even before the battle, the command made several tactical mistakes, which later hurt the potential of the Russian army. So, immediately three armies were overly extended along the entire front, which made them extremely vulnerable to enemy attacks.
In the camp of the Japanese
The Japanese commander was Oyama Iwao. His main goal, he considered the encirclement of Russian troops. For the main offensive, the left flank was chosen, since it was there that the enemy units were stretched the most. In addition, distracting attacks were being prepared. Such a deceptive maneuver was to be performed by the 5th army. She was prepared to attack the town of Fushun. She could divert Russian reserves and ease the task of the main forces of the Japanese.
The Japanese did not have a significant advantage in the number of troops. It was not possible to defeat the enemy due to a numerical superiority. However, through rearrangements in the army, the Japanese command managed to achieve a slight superiority on the flanks, where the main military operations were planned. An auxiliary reserve was also being prepared for the transfer to the same positions just in case.
Everyone understood the decisive role that the battle of Mukden would play. Who commanded and who sat in the trench is not important, for each soldier and officer was preparing for the decisive test. Interestingly, the Japanese army in that war was trained by German specialists. In Tokyo, they dreamed of their own victory at the Sedan, following the example of Germany, when her army surrounded the French and forced them to surrender.
The beginning of the battle
As mentioned above, the Russian command was going to attack the enemy on the 25th. However, in the enemy camp, they prepared for the battle somewhat faster. On the night of February 18-19, the Japanese were the first to attack. Kavamura detachments attacked the vanguard commanded by Konstantin Alekseev. The advanced units of the Russian army had to retreat. The counterattacks undertaken failed.
A few days later, on February 23, a snowstorm began. The wind blew towards the Russians. The Japanese, using this gift of weather, launched another attack on Alekseev’s position. Parts of the commander of the 1st Manchurian Army Nikolai Linevich went to the rescue of the comrades. In the following days, such attacks were repeated. They were supported by modern Japanese artillery.
Three week slaughter
The long battle near Mukden did not take place on the same day. It lasted for three weeks. The fighting took place over a large area and consisted of attacks and counterattacks in different areas. When the firing calmed down near one hill, firing began on the other flank. The similar character of the clash was a sign of a new, modern type of war. Battles that ended in one day are a thing of the past. The soldiers had to endure an unbearable marathon from many skirmishes, retreats and return to their previous positions.
In the Russian army, the western flank was the first to flinch. Japanese units made an attempt to bypass the enemy’s troops, go to the rear and destroy enemy communications. For this, the brigade under the command of Nambu occupied the small village of Juhuantul, thereby diverting the main blow of the Russians to itself. The defense of this position led to the death of almost the entire 4 thousandth detachment.
Breakthrough positions
By March 8, the Russian command realized the threat of defeat, which was increasingly represented the battle of Mukden. The regrouping date was set for the same day. The army needed a maneuver to gather all the remaining forces into a single fist. But already on March 9, the Japanese organized their most powerful attack for the entire battle, which eventually broke through positions on the eastern flank. Enemy units poured into the breach. This endless stream threatened to cut the road, which was the only way to Mukden.
Two Russian armies were in the cauldron. There was a narrow corridor for a breakthrough. The retreat began at night from March 9 to 10. Enemy artillery fired at soldiers from two sides. And already on the afternoon of the 10th, the Japanese, at the cost of huge losses, completely occupied Mukden. According to the memoirs of Anton Denikin, who participated in the battle, the retreat of the Russians was the first episode in the entire war when he saw in the ranks of his army a natural panic and disorganization.
Summary
For both countries, the battle of Mukden became a bloody meat grinder. Nobody achieved a decisive victory. For the Japanese, this was the last attempt to succeed on the battlefield (on land). Since a landslide victory never happened, the country faced a financial and economic abyss. Too many resources have been thrown into this attempt. Things were no better in Russia.
The Japanese military began to demand from the country's leadership to find a political solution that could stop the conflict. However, a radical change in favor of Russia did not happen. Soon followed by setbacks in Korea and northern China. In addition, Port Arthur was commissioned. The government in St. Petersburg was demoralized. As a result, the war ended with major concessions from the Russian Empire. The battle of Mukden became a vivid symbol of that campaign. The Russians killed 8 thousand people, the Japanese - 15 thousand.