Soviet-Japanese conflict near Lake Khasan. Fighting on Lake Khasan (1938)

The thirties of the XX century were extremely difficult for the whole world. This applies both to the internal situation in many states of the world and to the international situation. After all, global contradictions were developing 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 Khasan

The leadership of the Soviet Union is literally obsessed with internal (counter-revolutionary) and external threats. And this idea is largely justified. Clearly, a threat is unfolding in the west. In the east, in the mid-1930s, China is occupied which is already throwing predatory glances at the Soviet lands. So, in the first half of 1938, a powerful anti-Soviet propaganda was unfolding in this country, calling for a "war against communism" and for an outright seizure of territories. Such aggression of the Japanese is facilitated by their newly acquired coalition partner - Germany. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the Western states, England and France, are in every possible way delaying the signing of any treaty with the USSR on mutual defense, hoping thereby to provoke the mutual destruction of their natural enemies: Stalin and Hitler. This provocation is spreading

and Soviet-Japanese relations. In the beginning, the Japanese government increasingly starts talking about contrived "disputed territories". In early July, Lake Khasan, located in the border zone, becomes the center of events. Here, formations of the Kwantung Army begin to concentrate 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 the territories of Manchuria. The last region, in general, was not historically Japanese in any way, it belonged to China. But China in previous years had itself been occupied by the imperial army. On July 15, 1938, Japan demanded the withdrawal of Soviet border formations from this territory, arguing that they belonged to China. However, the USSR Foreign Ministry reacted harshly to such a statement, providing copies of the agreement between Russia and the Celestial Empire dating back to 1886, which included the relevant maps proving the correctness of the Soviet side.

The beginning of the battles for Lake Khasan

However, Japan had no intention of retreating at all. The inability to substantiate her claims to Lake Khasan did not stop her. Of course, Soviet defenses were strengthened in this area as well. The first attack followed on July 29, when a company of the Kwantung Army crossed and attacked one of the heights. At the cost of significant losses, the Japanese managed to capture this height. However, already on the morning of July 30, more significant forces came to the aid of the Soviet border guards. The Japanese unsuccessfully attacked the opponents' defenses for several days, losing a significant amount of equipment and manpower every day. The Battle of Lake Hassan was completed on 11 August. 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 between Russia and China of 1886, since no later agreement on this matter existed at that time. Thus, Lake Khasan became a silent reminder of such an inglorious campaign for new territories.

Military-historical reconstruction of the Khasan battle in 1938.

Black night, dark night -

There was an order on the front given,

A stubborn fight ensued

Near lake Khasan!

The stars in the sky did not shine

But the blood burned with fire

We beat the Japanese more than once

And let's eat again!

S. Alimov.

From the memoirs of the former head of the Podgornaya frontier post, Hero of the Soviet Union P. Tereshkin:

“On July 29, the head of the political department of the district, divisional commissar Bogdanov and Colonel Grebnik arrived at the height of Zaozernaya. ... At the beginning of the conversation, Lieutenant Makhalin urgently called me on the phone. I reported to Bogdanov. In response: "Let them act independently, do not allow the Japanese into our territory ...". Makhalin calls again and in an excited voice says: “A large detachment of the Japanese violated the border and began to attack the positions of the border detachment, we will stand to the death, avenge us! The connection was interrupted. I asked divisional commissar Bogdanov for permission to hold Makhalin's group with heavy machine gun fire. I was denied this with the reasoning that this would cause retaliatory actions by the Japanese in the Zaozernaya height area as well. Then I sent 2 squads under the command of Chernopyatko and Bataroshin to help Lieutenant Makhalin. Soon, the divisional commissar Bogdanov and the head of the department, Grebnik, left for Posyet. July 29, 19 hours. 20 minutes. Report of the Far Eastern District Department of the Air Force via a direct wire: “Colonel Fedotov, who was at the height of Zaozernaya at 18:00. 20 minutes. reported that the Nameless Hill was liberated from the Japanese. And that Lieutenant Makhalin was found dead at the height and four wounded Red Army soldiers were found. The rest have not yet been found at all. The Japanese withdrew in the fog and settled about 400 meters from the border line.

Lieutenant of the Border Troops A.Makhalin

In 1931, the Japanese-Chinese war and the occupation of Manchuria began, according to Japanese plans, this was only a prelude to the invasion of Siberia. It was calculated that by 1934 the Kwantung Army should be technically and organizationally ready for an attack on the USSR. The Soviet Union again offered to conclude a non-aggression pact, but to no avail.

In order to create more favorable conditions for an attack on the USSR, in the early 1930s, the Japanese organized numerous provocations on the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER), connecting Transbaikalia with Port Arthur (Luishun). The road was built under the Russian Empire, was the property of the USSR, had a right-of-way and extraterritorial status. In 1929, the Red Army had already fought for it with the White Chinese, but this time the enemy was much more serious.

In response to the extreme aggravation of the situation on the CER in 1933, the Soviet Union offered Japan to buy the road, after a very difficult bargain, on March 23, 1935, an agreement was signed on the acquisition of the road by the authorities of Manchukuo, controlled by the Japanese, for 140 million yen. This was significantly less than the funds that the Russian government once invested in the construction of the CER.

In February 1936, a coup d'etat was attempted in Tokyo, and although it failed, more radical politicians came to power. On November 25 of the same year, Japan signed the so-called Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany, the main goal of which was the elimination of the USSR. In response, the Soviet Union stepped up aid to China, which, by its resistance, kept Japan from invading. The Nanking authorities (the capital at that time was the city of Nanjing) and the communists received Soviet money, weapons, military advisers and volunteers were sent, among whom there were especially many pilots. The USSR did the same in the West, helping, in contrast to Germany and Italy, the Reds in the just-flared civil war in Spain.

Meanwhile, preparations for a war against the USSR intensified in Japanese government and military circles. The main elements in it were the acceleration of the creation of a military and military-industrial foothold in Manchuria and Korea, the expansion of aggression in China and the seizure of the most developed regions of North, Central and South China. The program was approved by the government of General S. Hayashi, who came to power in February 1937. At the very first meeting of the government, General Hayashi declared that "the policy of liberalism towards the Communists will be finished." Openly anti-Soviet articles began to appear in the Japanese press, calling for "a march to the Urals."

The Hayashi cabinet was soon forced to resign, giving way to a new government headed by Prince F. Konoe, whose political platform was openly anti-Russian. Both countries were on the verge of a major war.

What this war could be was shown by the monstrous massacre carried out by the Japanese during the capture of the Chinese capital of Nanjing in December 1937, as a result of which more than 300,000 civilians were killed and at least 20,000 Chinese women were raped.

Anticipating the possibility of a sharp aggravation of relations, on April 4, 1938, the Government of the USSR proposed to Japan to resolve all disputed issues by peaceful means. The response to this was a propaganda campaign around the so-called "disputed territories" on the border of Manchukuo with Primorye, launched by Japan in May-June 1938.

The Japanese were ready. Already at the end of 1937, thirteen fortified areas were created in Manchuria on the border with the Soviet Union and the MPR. Each of them could accommodate from one to three infantry divisions. Half of the 13 Urs were built near the borders of Primorye. Japan actively built roads in Manchuria, military installations, enterprises located in close proximity to the borders of the USSR. The main grouping of the Kwantung Army was concentrated in Northern and Northeastern Manchuria (about 400 thousand people, which accounted for 2/3 of the entire Japanese army). In addition, the Japanese kept reserve armies in Korea.

But the Soviet Union was also preparing for a collision. In January 1938, the Japanese tried to capture the height in the Zolotaya section of the Grodekovsky border detachment, in February the same thing happened at the Duck outpost section of the Posietsky border detachment, both provocations were stopped.

On April 14, the head of the Posyet border detachment, Colonel K.E. Grebnik, issued an order to prepare outposts and units for defensive battles in connection with the intentions of the Japanese to commit armed provocations on the border. And on April 22, 1938, the commander of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern District, Marshal V.K.

On June 13, 1938, an unusual incident occurred on the Soviet-Japanese border. It was crossed over and surrendered to the Japanese by the head of the NKVD department for the Far Eastern Territory G. Lyushkov. The information received from him completely shocked the Japanese command. It learned that the Red Army in the Far East was much stronger than the Japanese had supposed. Nevertheless, preparations for reconnaissance in combat by Japan continued.

The Soviet side did the same. On June 28, 1938, the Special Red Banner Far Eastern District was transformed into the Far Eastern Red Banner Front, which was headed by Marshal of the Soviet Union V.K. Blucher. Throughout May and June, more and more brazen Japanese provocations continued on the border.

In response to this, on July 12, Soviet border guards occupied Zaozernaya Hill (Changgufen), one of the two dominant heights in the area of Lake Khasan, on the disputed territory with Manchukuo. And they began to build fortifications there.

Sopka Zaozernaya

On July 20, the Japanese demanded that the Lake Hasan area be handed over to Manchukuo. A collision became inevitable. On July 22, a directive was issued by People's Commissar of Defense Marshal K. Voroshilov to the commander of the Far Eastern Red Banner Front, Marshal V. Blucher, on bringing the troops of the front on combat readiness, and on the 24th, a directive of the Military Council of the front was issued on bringing combat readiness of 118, 119 rifle regiments and 121 cavalry regiment. Demoralized by the wave of repressions in the army, the front commander played it safe and sent a commission to the Zaozernaya height to investigate the actions of the Soviet border guards. After the commission discovered a violation of the Manchurian border by 3 meters by the border guards, V. Blucher sent a telegram to the People's Commissar of Defense demanding the immediate arrest of the head of the border station and other "culprits in provoking the conflict" with the Japanese, for which he was sharply pulled back from Moscow.

After the beginning of the incident on July 29 and the attack on the detachment of border guards on the Zaozernaya hill, the Japanese continued their attacks the next day, expanding the offensive zone and including Bezymyannaya height in it. Parts of the 53rd separate anti-tank artillery division were urgently transferred to help the border guards. The 1st Primorsky Army and the Pacific Fleet were put on alert.

At 3 o'clock in the morning on July 31, Japanese troops attacked the Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya hills with significant forces, and by 8 o'clock they occupied them. All further struggle in the course of the conflict was for these dominant heights. On the same day of the front, Marshal V. Blucher sent the 32nd rifle division and the 2nd mechanized brigade to the area of the incident. Commander G. Shtern, chief of staff of the front, and army commissar 1st rank L. Mekhlis, who arrived in the Far East on July 29, arrived at the headquarters of the 39th Rifle Corps.

Red Army soldiers in a trench near Lake Khasan

However, on August 1 and 2, the Soviet troops, despite the general superiority in forces, could not succeed. The location of the invasion was chosen by the Japanese very well. From their bank of the Tumannaya River (Tumen-Ula, Tumynjiang), several dirt roads and a railway line approached the incident site, thanks to which they could easily maneuver. On the Soviet side there were swamps and Lake Khasan itself, which excluded frontal attacks on the heights captured by the Japanese. The troops were forbidden to go beyond the borders of the USSR, so they attacked under the constant threat of a blow to the flank from the Japanese, who could not be suppressed by artillery.

The calculation of the 76.2-mm gun of the 1902/1930 model reads a summary from the combat area. 32nd Rifle Division of the Red Army, early August 1938 (AVL).

To strengthen the command, on August 3, the People's Commissar of Defense sent V. Blucher a directive demanding the immediate liquidation of multiple commands in command and control. All units operating in the conflict area were reduced to the 39th Rifle Corps, consisting of 40th, 32nd, 39th Rifle Divisions, 2 mechanized brigades and other smaller units. Chief of Staff of the Front G. Stern was appointed commander of the corps.

Commander G. Stern

Meanwhile, the fighting continued. G. Stern advanced parts of the corps to positions south of Lake Khasan. In total, more than 15 thousand people, 1014 machine guns, 237 guns, 285 tanks have already been pulled into the combat area.

T-26 from the tank battalion of the 32nd rifle division of the Red Army. The tanks are camouflaged by engineering means. Lake Khasan area, August 1938 (RGAKFD)

On August 5, Moscow allowed the troops to use Manchurian territory for attacks on the dominant heights. V. Blucher gave the order to start the offensive on 6 August.

The offensive began with a massive shelling and subsequent bombardment of Japanese positions by 216 Soviet aircraft. As a result of the assault, it was possible to capture the height of Zaozernaya. The banner on it was installed by the lieutenant of the 118th rifle regiment of the 40th rifle division I. Moshlyak.

Lieutenant of the 118th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division I. Moshlyak

During August 7 and 8, the Japanese continuously attacked Zaozernaya up to 20 times a day, but to no avail, on August 9, units of the Red Army took the Soviet part of the Bezymyannaya height.

The infantrymen of the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Rifle Division are practicing combat coherence, being in the reserve of the advancing group. Zaozernaya height area, August 1938 (RGAKFD)

On August 10, Japan turned to the USSR with a proposal for a truce. On August 11, the fire was ceased, and from 20:00 on August 12, the main forces of the Japanese army, and the main forces of the Red Army in the northern part of the Zaozernaya height, were withdrawn no closer than 80 meters from the ridge.

Red banner over Zaozernaya height

During the conflict, up to 20 thousand people participated from each side. The losses of the Soviet troops amounted to 960 dead and 2752 wounded. Of the dead:

- died on the battlefield - 759,

- died in hospitals from wounds and diseases - 100,

- missing - 95,

- died in non-combat incidents - 6.

Japanese losses, according to Soviet figures, were about 650 killed and 2,500 wounded.

The actions of Marshal V. Blucher during the conflict caused irritation in Moscow, and soon after the end of the fighting, he was summoned to the capital. From there, after analyzing the results of the conflict, he was sent to rest to the south, where he was arrested. On November 9, 1938, he died in prison, unable to bear the torture.

Marshal of the Soviet Union V.K. Blucher

26 combatants were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union; 95 fighters and commanders were awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner - 1985 combatants; 4 thousand people were awarded the Order of the Red Star, medals "For Courage" and "For Military Merit" (this award was established on purpose). A total of 6,500 participants in the Khasan events received military state awards.

In 1938, the Government of the USSR established a special badge "Participant of the Khasan battles." It was also awarded to home front workers who helped and supported the fighters and commanders of the Red Army. A year after the conflict at Lake Khasan, the Japanese once again checked the combat effectiveness of the Red Army. The crushing defeat on the shores of Khalkhin Gol finally forced them to sign a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, which secured the USSR in the upcoming world war from fighting on two fronts.

participants of the Khasan battles were awarded

119 rifle regiment

120 rifle regiment

40 Light Artillery Regiment

40 howitzer artillery regiment

40 separate tank battalion (St. Lieutenant Sitnik)

39 rifle division

115 Infantry Regiment

tank company

32nd Saratov Rifle Division (Colonel N.E. Berzarin)

94 rifle regiment

95 Infantry Regiment

96 Infantry Regiment

32 Light Artillery Regiment

32 howitzer artillery regiment

32nd separate tank battalion (Major M.V. Alimov)

26th Zlatoust Red Banner Rifle Division

78 Kazan Red Banner Rifle Regiment

176 rifle regiment

2 mechanized brigade (Colonel A.P. Panfilov)

121 Cavalry Regiment

2 assault aviation regiment40 fighter aviation regiment

48 Fighter Aviation Regiment

36 mixed bomber aviation regiment

55 mixed bomber aviation regiment

10th mixed aviation regiment of the Pacific Fleet Air Force

separate aviation squadron. IN AND. Lenin

21 separate reconnaissance squadron

59 separate reconnaissance squadron

Japanese parts

19th Ranama Imperial Division (Lieutenant General Kamezo Suetaka)

64th Guards Regiment

75 regiment

Photo album of military operations

Monument "Eternal glory to the heroes of the battles near Lake Khasan". Pos. Razdolnoye, Nadezhdinsky District, Primorsky Territory

After the capture of Manchuria by Japan in 1931-1932. the situation in the Far East escalated. On March 9, 1932, the Japanese invaders proclaimed the puppet state of Manchukuo on the territory of Northeast China, bordering the USSR, in order to use its territory for subsequent expansion against the USSR and China.

Japan's hostility to the USSR increased markedly after the conclusion in November 1936 of an allied treaty with Germany and the conclusion of an "anti-Comintern pact" with it. On November 25, speaking at this event, Japanese Foreign Minister H. Arita said: "Soviet Russia must understand that it has to face Japan and Germany." And these words were not an empty threat. The allies conducted secret negotiations on joint actions against the USSR, hatched plans to seize its territory. Japan, in order to demonstrate loyalty to Germany, its powerful Western ally, deployed the main forces of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria and defiantly built up "its muscles." By the beginning of 1932, there were 64 thousand people in it, by the end of 1937 - 200 thousand, by the spring of 1938 - already 350 thousand people. In March 1938, this army was armed with 1052 artillery pieces, 585 tanks and 355 aircraft. In addition, more than 60 thousand people, 264 artillery pieces, 34 tanks and 90 aircraft were in the Korean Japanese Army. In the immediate vicinity of the borders of the USSR, 70 military airfields and about 100 landing sites were built, 11 powerful fortified areas were built, including 7 in Manchuria. Their purpose is the accumulation of manpower and the implementation of fire support for troops at the initial stage of the invasion of the USSR. Strong garrisons were stationed along the entire border, new highways and railways were laid towards the USSR.

The combat training of the Japanese troops was carried out in an environment close to the natural conditions of the Soviet Far East: the soldiers developed the ability to fight in the mountains and on the plains, wooded and swampy areas, in hot and arid regions with a sharply continental climate.

On July 7, 1937, with the connivance of the great powers, Japan launched a new large-scale aggression against China. In this difficult time for China, only the Soviet Union extended a helping hand to it, concluded a non-aggression pact with China, which in essence was an agreement on mutual struggle with the Japanese imperialists. The USSR provided China with large loans, assisted it with modern weapons, and sent well-trained specialists and instructors to the country.

In this regard, Japan feared that the USSR might strike at the rear of the troops advancing in China, and in order to find out the combat effectiveness and intentions of the Soviet Far Eastern armies, it conducted enhanced reconnaissance and constantly expanded the number of military provocations. Only in 1936-1938. 231 violations were recorded on the border between Manchukuo and the USSR, including 35 major clashes. In 1937, 3,826 intruders were detained at this site, of which 114 were subsequently exposed as agents of Japanese intelligence.

The top political and military leadership of the Soviet Union had information about the aggressive plans of Japan and took measures to strengthen the Far Eastern borders. By July 1937, Soviet troops in the Far East numbered 83,750 men, 946 guns, 890 tanks, and 766 aircraft. The Pacific Fleet was replenished with two destroyers. In 1938, it was decided to strengthen the Far Eastern grouping by 105,800 people. True, all these considerable forces turned out to be dispersed over the vast expanses of Primorye and the Amur Region.

On July 1, 1938, by decision of the Main Military Council of the Red Army, on the basis of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army, the Red Banner Far Eastern Front was deployed under the command of Marshal of the Soviet Union. The corps commander became the chief of staff. The front included the 1st Primorskaya, 2nd separate Red Banner armies and the Khabarovsk group of troops. The armies were respectively commanded by a brigade commander and commander (future Marshal of the Soviet Union). The 2nd Air Army was created from the Far Eastern Aviation. The aviation group was commanded by a brigade commander, Hero of the Soviet Union.

The situation on the border was heating up. In July, it became obvious that Japan was preparing to attack the USSR and was only looking for an opportune moment and an appropriate excuse for this. At that time, it became completely clear that in order to unleash a major military provocation, the Japanese chose the Posyetsky region - due to a number of features of the natural and geographical conditions, the most remote, sparsely populated and poorly developed part of the Soviet Far East. From the east it is washed by the Sea of Japan, from the west it borders on Korea and Manchuria. The strategic importance of this region, and especially its southern part, consisted in the fact that, on the one hand, it provided approaches to our coast and Vladivostok, and on the other hand, it occupied a flank position in relation to the Hunchun fortified region built by the Japanese on the approaches to the Soviet border.

The southern part of the Posyetsky district was a swampy lowland with many rivers, streams and lakes, making it almost impossible for large military formations to operate. However, in the west, where the state border runs, the lowland turned into a mountain range. The most significant heights of this ridge were the Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya hills, reaching 150 m in height. The state border passed along their peaks, and the high-rises themselves were 12-15 km from the coast of the Sea of Japan. If these heights were captured, the enemy would be able to monitor the section of Soviet territory south and west of the Posyet Bay and beyond the Posyet Bay, and his artillery would be able to keep the entire area under fire.

Directly from the east, from the Soviet side, the lake adjoins the hills. Khasan (about 5 km long, 1 km wide). The distance between the lake and the border is quite small - only 50-300 m. The terrain here is swampy and difficult to pass for troops and equipment. From the Soviet side, access to the hills could only be carried out along small corridors, bypassing the lake. Hasan from north or south.

At the same time, the Manchurian and Korean territories adjacent to the Soviet border were quite inhabited with a large number of settlements, highways, dirt roads and railways. One of them ran along the border at a distance of only 4-5 km. This allowed the Japanese, if necessary, to maneuver along the front with forces and means, and even use the artillery fire of armored trains. The enemy also had the opportunity to transport cargo by water.

As for the Soviet territory to the east and northeast of the lake. Hasan, then it was absolutely flat, deserted, there was not a single tree, not a single bush on it. The only railway Razdolnoe - Kraskino passed 160 km from the border. The area immediately adjacent to the lake. Hassan, had no roads at all. Planning an armed action in the area of Lake. Khasan, the Japanese command apparently took into account the unfavorable terrain conditions for the deployment of military operations of the Soviet troops and their advantages in this regard.

Soviet intelligence established that the Japanese had brought significant forces into the area of the Posyet section of the Soviet border: 3 infantry divisions (19th, 15th and 20th), a cavalry regiment, a mechanized brigade, heavy and anti-aircraft artillery, 3 machine-gun battalions and several armored trains, and also 70 aircraft. Their actions were ready to be supported by a detachment of warships approaching the mouth of the Tumen-Ula River, consisting of a cruiser, 14 destroyers and 15 military boats. The Japanese assumed that if the USSR decided to defend the entire coastal region, they would first be able to pin down the forces of the Red Army in this area, and then, with a blow in the direction of the Kraskino-Razdolnoe road, encircle and destroy them.

In July 1938, the confrontation on the border began to develop into the stage of a real military threat. In this regard, the border guard of the Far Eastern Territory has stepped up measures to organize the defense of the state border and the heights in its immediate vicinity. On July 9, 1938, on the Soviet part of the Zaozernaya height, which had previously been controlled only by border patrols, a horse patrol appeared, which began "trench work." On July 11, 40 Red Army soldiers were already working here, and on July 13 another 10 people. Colonel, head of the Posyetsky border detachment, ordered to lay landmines at this height, equip stone throwers, make hanging rolling slingshots from stakes, bring in oil, gasoline, tow, i.e. prepare the high ground for defense.

On July 15, a group of Japanese gendarmes violated the border in the Zaozernaya area. One of them was killed on our land, 3 meters from the border line. On the same day, the Japanese attorney in Moscow protested and groundlessly demanded in an ultimatum to withdraw the Soviet border guards from the heights west of the lake. Hassan, considering them to belong to Manchukuo. The diplomat was shown the protocols of the Hunchun agreement between Russia and China in 1886 with a map attached to them, which clearly showed that the region of the Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya hills indisputably belonged to the Soviet Union.

On July 20, the claims to the Khasan district were repeated in Moscow by People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs M.M. Litvinov, Japanese Ambassador to the USSR M. Shigemitsu. He stated: "Japan has rights and obligations to Manchukuo, according to which it can resort to force and force the Soviet troops to evacuate from the territory of Manchukuo they illegally occupied." This statement did not frighten Litvinov, and he remained adamant. The negotiations stalled.

At the same time, the Japanese government understood that its armed forces in the current situation were not yet ready to wage a major war with the USSR. According to their intelligence, the Soviet Union could deploy from 31 to 58 rifle divisions in the Far East, and Japan only 9 divisions (23 fought on the Chinese front - 2 were in the Metropolis). Therefore, Tokyo decided to conduct only a private, limited-scale operation.

The plan developed by the General Staff of Japan to oust the Soviet border guards from the height of Zaozernaya provided: “To conduct battles, but at the same time not to expand the scale of hostilities beyond necessity. Exclude the use of aviation. Allocate one division from the Korean Japanese Army for the operation. Having captured the heights, take no further action. At the same time, the Japanese side hoped that the Soviet Union, due to the insignificance of the border dispute, would not agree to a large-scale war on Japan, since, according to them, the Soviet Union was clearly not ready for such a war.

On July 21, the general staff reported the provocation plan and its justification to Emperor Hirohito. The next day, the operational plan of the General Staff was approved by the Council of Five Ministers.

The Japanese military by such an action wanted to test the combat capability of the Soviet troops in Primorye, to find out how Moscow would react to this provocation, and at the same time to clarify the data on the state of defense of the Far Eastern Territory received from the head of the NKVD department for the Far Eastern Territory who defected to them on June 13, 1938.

On July 19, the Military Council of the Far Eastern Front decided to send a military support unit from the 1st Army to reinforce the border guards entrenched on the Zaozernaya height, but the front commander V.K. On July 20, Blucher, apparently afraid of responsibility and new diplomatic complications from Japan, ordered the return of this unit back, believing that "the border guards should fight first."

At the same time, the situation on the border became critical and required an immediate solution. In accordance with the directive of the Far Eastern Front, two reinforced battalions of the 118th and 119th rifle regiments began to move into the Zarechye-Sandokandze region, and a separate tank battalion of the 40th rifle division into the Slavyanka region. At the same time, all other units of the 39th Rifle Corps of the 1st Army were put on alert. The Pacific Fleet was ordered in the event of the outbreak of hostilities by means of aviation and air defense (air defense), together with the aviation of the 2nd Air Army, to cover ground troops, as well as the areas of Vladivostok, America Bay and Posyet, to be ready to launch air strikes on Korean ports and airfields. At the same time, it should be noted that all our hills to the west of the lake. Hasan was still defended by some border guards. The army support battalions of the 1st Army, due to impassability, were still at a considerable distance from the heights of Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya by this time.

The fighting began on 29 July. At 16:00, the Japanese, having pulled up field troops and artillery to the border, in two columns of 70 people each, invaded Soviet territory. At that time, at the height of Bezymyannaya, on which the main blow was inflicted by the enemy, only 11 border guards with one heavy machine gun were defending. The border guards were commanded by the assistant chief of the outpost lieutenant. Engineering work was carried out under the direction of a lieutenant. At the top of the hill, the fighters managed to build trenches, cells for shooters from soil and stones, and equip a position for a machine gun. They erected barbed wire fences, laid land mines in the most dangerous areas, and prepared stone blockages for action. The engineering fortifications they created and personal courage allowed the border guards to hold out for more than three hours. Assessing their actions, the Main Military Council of the Red Army in its resolution noted that the border guards "fought very bravely and courageously."

The chains of the invaders could not withstand the dense fire of the defenders of the hill, repeatedly lay low, but urged on by the officers, again and again rushed to the attack. In various places, the fight escalated into hand-to-hand combat. Both sides used grenades, bayonets, small sapper shovels and knives. There were dead and wounded among the border guards. Leading the battle, Lieutenant A.E. Makhalin, and with him 4 more people. The 6 border guards remaining in the ranks were all wounded, but continued to resist. The support company of a lieutenant from the 119th rifle regiment of the 40th rifle division was the first to help the brave men, and with it two reserve groups of border guards of the 59th border detachment under the command of lieutenants G. Bykhovtsev and I.V. Ratnikov. The friendly attack of the Soviet soldiers was crowned with success. By 18:00, the Japanese were driven out from the Bezymyannaya height and pushed back 400 m deep into the Manchurian territory.

The participation of border guards in the fighting near Lake Khasan in July 1938

The border guards Alexei Makhalin, David Yemtsov, Ivan Shmelev, Alexander Savinykh and Vasily Pozdeev, who fell in battle, were posthumously awarded the Orders of Lenin, and their commander, Lieutenant A.E. Makhalin was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The hero's wife, Maria Makhalina, distinguished herself in these battles. She, having heard the sounds of a flaring battle, left a young child at the outpost and came to the aid of the border guards: she brought cartridges, made dressings for the wounded. And when the machine-gun crew went out of order, she took a place at the machine gun and opened fire on the enemy. The brave woman was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

The Japanese repeatedly tried to take the hill by storm, but, suffering heavy losses, rolled back. In these battles, only the company D.T. Levchenko repulsed the attack of two enemy battalions. Three times the lieutenant himself led the fighters into counterattacks, even when wounded. The company did not cede to the Japanese an inch of Soviet land. Its commander was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

However, intelligence reported that the Japanese were preparing for new attacks on the Bezymyanny and Zaozernaya heights. Their forces numbered two infantry regiments and a howitzer artillery regiment. The concentration of enemy troops ended on the night of July 31, and at 3 o'clock on August 1 the offensive began.

By this time, the area of the Khasan sector was defended by the 1st battalion of the 118th and 3rd battalions of the 119th rifle regiments of the 40th rifle division of the 1st army with reinforcements and border guards of the 59th Posyetsky border detachment. Enemy artillery continuously fired on Soviet troops, while our artillerymen were forbidden to fire at targets on enemy territory. The counterattacks of the battalions of the 40th Infantry Division, unfortunately, were undertaken in an insufficiently organized manner, sometimes scattered, without well-established interaction with artillery and tanks, and therefore most often did not bring the desired result.

But the Soviet soldiers fought fiercely, throwing the enemy three times from the slope of the Zaozernaya height. In these battles, incomparable courage was shown by the tank crew of the 118th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division consisting of (tank commander), and. The tank, with well-aimed fire, destroyed several enemy firing points and broke deep into its location, but was hit. The enemies offered the crew to surrender, but the tankers refused and fired back to the last shell and cartridge. Then the Japanese surrounded the combat vehicle, doused it with fuel and set it on fire. The crew died in the fire.

The commander of the fire platoon of the 53rd separate anti-tank fighter battalion of the 40th rifle division, the lieutenant, under enemy machine-gun fire, advanced the gun to an open firing position in the infantry battle formations and supported its counterattacks. Lazarev was wounded, but continued to skillfully lead the platoon until the end of the battle.

Skillfully suppressed the enemy's firing points, the commander of the department of the 59th Posyet border detachment, junior commander. When the Japanese tried to surround his unit, he drew fire on himself, ensured the withdrawal of the wounded soldiers, and then himself, being seriously wounded, managed to pull the wounded commander from the battlefield.

By 06:00 on August 1, after a stubborn battle, the enemy still managed to push our units back and take the Zaozernaya height. At the same time, the advancing 1st battalion of the 75th infantry regiment of the enemy lost 24 killed and 100 wounded; the losses of the 2nd battalion were even greater. The Japanese conducted heavy artillery fire throughout the entire area from Nagornaya to Novoselka, Zarechye and further to the north. By 22:00, they managed to expand their success and capture tactically important Bezymyanny, Machine-gun, 64.8, 86.8 and 68.8 heights. The enemy advanced 4 km deep into the Soviet land. This was already real aggression on their part, because. all these heights were on the side of a sovereign state.

The main forces of the 40th Infantry Division were unable to provide assistance to their advanced battalions, because. were at that time on the move in difficult terrain 30-40 km from the battle area.

The Japanese, having mastered the heights north of Lake. Hassan, immediately began their engineering reinforcement. Building materials, including liquid concrete, armored caps, arrived hourly by rail directly to the battle area. With the help of the mobilized Manchu population, new roads were laid, trenches were torn off, shelters were erected for infantry and artillery. Each hill was turned by them into a heavily fortified area capable of waging a long battle.

Japanese officers at Lake Khasan. August 1938

When the Japanese emperor was informed of the results of these actions, he "expressed pleasure." As for the Soviet military-political leadership, the news of the capture by the Japanese of the heights of Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya caused him great irritation. On August 1, a conversation took place over a direct wire, V.M. Molotov and with the front commander V.K. Blucher. The marshal was accused of defeatism, disorganization of command and control, non-use of aviation, setting unclear tasks for the troops, etc.

On the same day, People's Commissar of Defense Marshal K.E. Voroshilov issued a directive to immediately put all the troops of the front and the Pacific Fleet on full combat readiness, disperse aviation to airfields, and deploy air defense systems in wartime states. Orders were given on the material and technical support of the troops, especially in the Posyet direction. Voroshilov demanded that the troops of the Far Eastern Front "within our borders, sweep away and destroy the interventionists who occupied the heights of Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya, using combat aircraft and artillery." At the same time, the commander of the 40th Infantry Division received from the commander of the 1st Primorsky Army K.P. Podlas ordered to restore the situation at the height of Zaozernaya.

On August 1, at 13:30 - 17:30, front aviation in the amount of 117 aircraft carried out waves of raids on the Zaozernaya and 68.8 heights, which, however, did not give the desired results, because. most of the bombs fell into the lake and onto the slopes of the heights without harming the enemy. The attack of the 40th Infantry Division, scheduled for 16:00, did not take place, because. its units, which made a difficult 200-kilometer march, arrived in the area of concentration for an attack only at night. Therefore, by order of the chief of staff of the front, brigade commander G.M. Stern, the division's offensive was postponed to 2 August.

At 8:00 in the morning, units of the 40th division, without prior reconnaissance and reconnaissance of the area, were immediately thrown into battle. The main blows were delivered by the 119th and 120th rifle regiments, a tank battalion and two artillery battalions along Bezymyannaya height from the north, an auxiliary one by the 118th rifle regiment from the south. The infantrymen, in fact, advanced blindly. The tanks got stuck in swamps and ditches, were hit by enemy anti-tank guns and could not effectively support the advance of the infantry, which suffered heavy losses. Due to the dense fog that enveloped the hill, aviation did not take part in the battle, the interaction between the branches of the military and management was unsatisfactory. For example, the commander of the 40th Rifle Division received orders and tasks simultaneously from the front commander, the military council of the 1st Primorsky Army, and from the commander of the 39th Rifle Corps.

Unsuccessful attempts to overturn the enemy from the hills continued until late at night. The front command, seeing the futility of the offensive actions of the troops, ordered to stop the attacks on the heights and return parts of the division to their previously occupied positions. The withdrawal from the battle of the units of the 40th division was carried out under the influence of heavy enemy fire and was completed only by the morning of August 5. The division, despite its tenacity in battle, was unable to fulfill the assigned task. For this, she simply did not have the strength.

In connection with the expansion of the conflict, at the direction of People's Commissar K.E. Voroshilov, the front commander V.K. arrived in Posyet. Blucher. On his orders, units of the 32nd Infantry Division (commander - Colonel), units and subunits of the 40th Infantry Division (commander - Colonel) and units of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade (commander - Colonel) began to pull up to the battle area . All of them became part of the 39th Rifle Corps, commanded by Commander G.M. Stern. He was given the task of defeating the invading enemy in the area of Lake. Hasan.

By this time, the troops of the corps were on the move to the area of concentration. Due to impassability, formations and units moved extremely slowly, their supply of fuel, fodder, food and drinking water was unsatisfactory. G.M. Stern, having understood the situation, believed that under such conditions it would be possible to start an operation to defeat the enemy no earlier than August 5 after the regrouping of units of the 40th Infantry Division to the left flank of the front, replenishing it with people, ammunition, tanks, since in previous battles the division suffered heavy losses (up to 50% of shooters and machine gunners).

On August 4, Japanese Ambassador to the USSR Shigemitsu informed People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Litvinov of the Japanese government's readiness to resolve the military conflict in the area of Lake Khasan by diplomatic means. Obviously, by doing so, it tried to buy time to concentrate and consolidate new forces on the conquered heights. The Soviet government unraveled the enemy's plan and confirmed its earlier demand for the immediate liberation by the Japanese of the territory of the USSR they had captured.

On August 4, the order of the NCO of the USSR No. 71ss "On bringing the troops of the DC Front and the Trans-Baikal Military District to full combat readiness in connection with the provocation of the Japanese military" is issued. And on August 5, the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR sent a directive to the commander of the Far Eastern Front, in which, emphasizing the uniqueness of the area around Zaozernaya, he actually allowed, finally, to act in accordance with the situation, when attacking, use the enemy's flank bypass across the state border line. “After clearing the height of Zaozernaya,” the directive stated, “all troops should immediately withdraw beyond the border line. The height of Zaozernaya should be in our hands under all conditions.

Intelligence established that on the Japanese side of the hills Zaozernaya, Bezymyannaya and Machine-gun Gorka were held by: the 19th Infantry Division, an infantry brigade, two artillery regiments and separate reinforcement units, including three machine-gun battalions, with a total number of up to 20 thousand people. At any time, these troops could be reinforced by significant reserves. All the hills were reinforced with full profile trenches and wire fences in 3-4 rows. In some places, the Japanese dug anti-tank ditches, installed armored caps over machine-gun and artillery nests. Heavy artillery was stationed on the islands and beyond the Tumen-Ula River.

Soviet troops were also actively preparing. By August 5, the concentration of troops was completed, and a new strike force was created. It consisted of 32 thousand people, about 600 guns and 345 tanks. The actions of the ground troops were ready to support 180 bombers and 70 fighters. Directly in the combat area there were over 15 thousand people, 1014 machine guns, 237 guns, 285 tanks, which were part of the 40th and 32nd rifle divisions, the 2nd separate mechanized brigade, the rifle regiment of the 39th rifle division, 121 th cavalry and 39th corps artillery regiments. The general offensive was scheduled for 6 August.

Infantrymen of the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division named after S. Ordzhonikidze work out combat coherence, being in the reserve of the advancing group. Zaozernaya height area, August 1938. Photo by V.A. Temin. Russian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents (RGAKFD)

The plan of operation, developed on August 5 by brigade commander G.M. Stern, provided for simultaneous strikes from the north and south to pinch and destroy enemy troops in the zone between the Tumen-Ula River and Lake Khasan. In accordance with the order given for the offensive, the 95th rifle regiment of the 32nd rifle division with a tank battalion of the 2nd mechanized brigade were to deliver the main blow from the north across the border to the Chernaya height, and the Bezymyannaya height was to be captured by the 96th rifle regiment.

The calculation of the 76.2-mm gun reads the summary from the combat area. 32nd Infantry Division, Khasan, August 1938. Photo by V.A. Temin. RGAKFD

The 40th Rifle Division with the tank and reconnaissance battalions of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade launched an auxiliary strike from the southeast in the direction of the Oryol height (119th Rifle Regiment) and Machine-gun Gorka hills (120th and 118th Rifle Regiments), and then to Zaozernaya, where, together with the 32nd division, which was performing the main task, they were supposed to finish off the enemy. The 39th rifle division with a cavalry regiment, motorized rifle and tank battalions of the 2nd mechanized brigade formed a reserve. It was supposed to secure the right flank of the 39th Rifle Corps from a possible bypass of the enemy. Before the start of the infantry attack, it was planned to deliver two air strikes of 15 minutes each and artillery preparation lasting 45 minutes. This plan was reviewed and approved by the front commander, Marshal V.K. Blucher, and then People's Commissar of Defense Marshal K.E. Voroshilov.

Cavalry platoon of the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division named after S. Ordzhonikidze in an ambush. Zaozernaya height area, August 1938. Photo by V.A. Temin. RGAKFD

At 16:00 on August 6, the first air strike was delivered to enemy positions and areas where his reserves were located. Heavy bombers, loaded with six 1000-kilogram and ten 500-kilogram bombs, were especially effective. G.M. Stern later reported to I.V. at a meeting of the Main Military Council. Stalin that even on him, an experienced warrior, this bombing made a "terrible impression." The hill was covered with smoke and dust. The roar from bomb explosions was heard for tens of kilometers. In areas where the bombers dropped their deadly payload, the Japanese infantry was hit and 100% incapacitated. Then, after a short artillery preparation, at 16:55, infantry rushed to the attack, accompanied by tanks.

However, on the hills occupied by the Japanese, not all fire weapons were suppressed, and they came to life, opening destructive fire on the advancing infantry. Numerous snipers hit targets from carefully camouflaged positions. Our tanks had difficulty crossing swampy terrain, and the infantry often had to stop at the enemy's barbed wire and manually make passages through them on their own. The infantry and artillery fire and mortars located across the river and on Machine Gun Hill prevented the advance of the infantry.

In the evening, Soviet aviation repeated its attack. Artillery positions on Manchurian territory were bombed, from where enemy artillery fired on Soviet troops. The enemy fire immediately weakened. By the end of the day, the 118th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division stormed Zaozernaya Hill. The lieutenant was the first to break into the height and hoisted the Soviet banner on it.

The soldiers set the banner of victory on the hill Zaozernaya. 1938 Photo by V.A. Temin. RGAKFD

On this day, fighters, commanders and political workers showed exceptional heroism and skillful leadership of the battle. So, on August 7, the commissar of the 5th reconnaissance battalion, the senior political instructor, repeatedly raised the fighters to attack. Being wounded, he remained in the ranks and continued to inspire the fighters by personal example. The brave warrior died in this battle.

The platoon commander of the 303rd separate tank battalion of the 32nd rifle division, a lieutenant, replaced the company commander who was out of action at the critical moment of the battle. Being surrounded in a wrecked tank, he bravely withstood a 27-hour siege. Under cover of artillery fire, he got out of the tank and returned to his regiment.

Part of the forces of the 32nd Rifle Division advanced along the western shore of Lake Khasan towards the 40th Rifle Division. In this battle, the commander of one of the battalions of the 95th Infantry Regiment of the 32nd Infantry Division, Captain, especially distinguished himself. He led the fighters on the attack six times. Despite being wounded, he remained in service.

The commander of the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division in the area of the Zaozernaya height successfully controlled the battle. He was wounded twice, but did not leave the unit, continued to carry out the task assigned to him.

The fighting continued with great tension in the following days.

The enemy constantly carried out powerful counterattacks, trying to recapture the lost terrain. To repel enemy counterattacks, on August 8, the 115th Infantry Regiment of the 39th Infantry Division with a tank company was transferred to the Zaozernaya height. The enemy offered strong resistance, often turning into hand-to-hand combat. But the Soviet soldiers fought to the death. On August 9, units of the 32nd Infantry Division dislodged the Japanese from the height of Bezymyannaya and threw them back abroad. The height of Machine-gun Hill was also liberated.

Schematic map. The defeat of the Japanese troops at Lake Khasan. July 29 - August 11, 1938

The evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield was carried out exclusively by horse-drawn vehicles under heavy enemy fire, and then by ambulances and trucks to the nearest seaports. After a medical examination, the wounded were reloaded onto fishing boats, which, under the cover of fighters, followed to Posyet Bay. Further evacuation of the wounded was carried out by steamships, warships and seaplanes, following to Vladivostok, where military hospitals were deployed. In total, 2848 wounded soldiers were delivered by sea from Posyet to Vladivostok. Warships of the Pacific Fleet also carried out numerous military transportations. They delivered 27325 fighters and commanders, 6041 horses, 154 guns, 65 tanks and tankettes, 154 heavy machine guns, 6 mortars, 9960.7 tons of ammunition, 231 vehicles, 91 tractors, a lot of food and fodder to the Posiet Bay. This was a great help to the soldiers of the 1st Primorsky Army, who fought with the enemy.

On August 9, the entire territory previously captured by the Japanese was returned to the USSR, but the enemy's counterattacks did not weaken. Soviet troops firmly held the recaptured positions. The enemy suffered heavy losses and was forced to withdraw on August 10.
On the same day, the Japanese ambassador to the USSR, M. Shigemitsu, proposed to start negotiations on a truce. The Soviet government, always striving for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, agreed. At noon on August 11 at 12:00, hostilities near Lake Khasan were stopped. According to the armistice agreement, Soviet and Japanese troops were to remain at the lines that they occupied on August 10 by 24:00 local time.

But the truce process itself was difficult. On November 26, 1938, Stern reported at a meeting of the Military Council under the NPO of the USSR (quoted from the transcript): “The corps headquarters received an order at 10:30. with instructions to cease hostilities at 12 noon. This order of the people's commissar was brought to the bottom. 12 o'clock comes, fire is being fired from the side of the Japanese. 12 hours 10 minutes too, 12 hours 15 minutes. also - they report to me: in such and such a sector, heavy artillery fire is being conducted by the Japanese. One was killed, and 7-8 people. wounded. Then, in agreement with the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, it was decided to launch an artillery raid. For 5 min. we fired 3010 shells at the targeted lines. As soon as this our fire raid ended, the fire from the Japanese ceased.

Thus was put the last point in the two-week war with Japan on Lake Khasan, in which the Soviet Union won a landslide victory.

Thus, the conflict ended with the complete victory of Soviet weapons. This was a serious blow to Japan's aggressive plans in the Far East. Soviet military art has been enriched by experience in the mass use of aviation and tanks in modern combat, artillery support for offensives, and combat operations under special conditions.

For the exemplary performance of combat missions, the courage and courage of the personnel, the 40th Infantry Division was awarded the Order of Lenin, and the 32nd Infantry Division and the 59th Posietsky Border Detachment were awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Fighters and commanders who participated in the battles in the area of Lake Khasan read the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On perpetuating the memory of the heroes of Khasan." Battle area, 1939

26 participants in the battles (22 commanders and 4 Red Army soldiers) were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 6.5 thousand people were awarded orders and medals, including the Order of Lenin - 95 people, the Order of the Red Banner - 1985, the Red Star - 1935, medals " For Courage" and "For Military Merit" - 2485 people. All participants in the battles were marked with a special badge "Participant in the battles on Lake Khasan", and the Posietsky district of Primorsky Krai was renamed the Khasansky district.

Badge “Participant in the battles on Lake Khasan. 6 VIII-1938". Established 5 July 1939

The victory over the enemy was not easy. When repulsing Japanese aggression in the area of Lake Khasan, the casualties during the period of hostilities alone amounted to: irretrievable - 989 people, sanitary - 3279 people. In addition, 759 people were killed and died from wounds at the stages of sanitary evacuation, 100 died from wounds and diseases in hospitals, 95 people went missing, 2752 people were wounded, shell-shocked and burned. There are other losses as well.

In August 1968 in the village. Kraskino on Krestovaya Sopka, a monument was opened to the soldiers and commanders who died in the battles near Lake Khasan in 1938. It is a monumental figure of a warrior hoisting the Red Banner on one of the heights after the enemy was driven out. On the pedestal there is an inscription: "To the Heroes of Hasan". The authors of the monument are the sculptor A.P. Faidysh-Krandievsky, architects - M.O. Barnes and A.A. Kolpin.

Memorial to those who died in the battles near Lake Khasan. Pos. Kraskino, Krestovaya Sopka

In 1954, in Vladivostok, at the Marine Cemetery, where the ashes of those who died in the naval hospital after severe injuries were transferred, as well as those previously buried at the Egersheld cemetery, a granite obelisk was erected. On the memorial plaque there is an inscription: "The memory of the heroes of Hassan - 1938."

The material was prepared by the Research Institute
(military history) Military Academy
General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Black night, dark night -
There was an order on the front given,
A stubborn fight ensued
Near lake Khasan!
The stars in the sky did not shine
But the blood burned with fire
We beat the Japanese more than once
And let's eat again!
S. Alimov

A friend of my father, who lived in one of the ancient Great Permian villages, for some reason unknown to me, had a tradition to give the nickname Khasan to all the cats that lived with him. Therefore, one of the streets of Perm with a consonant name for a long time gave rise in my childish imagination to images of either a one-eyed eastern robber, or a cat that began to whine and blink desperately as soon as I came back from fishing. It is not surprising that I called this street none other than Hero Hassan Street ...

From the memoirs of the former head of the Podgornaya frontier post, Hero of the Soviet Union P. Tereshkin:
“On July 29, the head of the political department of the district, divisional commissar Bogdanov and Colonel Grebnik arrived at the height of Zaozernaya. ... At the beginning of the conversation, Lieutenant Makhalin urgently called me on the phone. I reported to Bogdanov. In response: "Let them act independently, do not allow the Japanese into our territory ...". Makhalin calls again and in an excited voice says: “A large detachment of the Japanese violated the border and began to attack the positions of the border detachment, we will stand to the death, avenge us! The connection was interrupted. I asked divisional commissar Bogdanov for permission to hold Makhalin's group with heavy machine gun fire. I was denied this with the reasoning that this would cause retaliatory actions by the Japanese in the Zaozernaya height area as well. Then I sent 2 squads under the command of Chernopyatko and Bataroshin to help Lieutenant Makhalin. Soon the divisional commissar Bogdanov and the head of the department Grebnik left for Posyet..

29 July 19 hours. 20 minutes. Report of the UKPVV of the Far Eastern District by direct wire: “Colonel Fedotov, who was at the height of Zaozernaya at 18:00. 20 minutes. reported that the Nameless Hill was liberated from the Japanese. And that Lieutenant Makhalin was found dead at the height and four wounded Red Army soldiers were found. The rest have not yet been found at all. The Japanese withdrew in the fog and settled down about 400 meters from the border line ".

Lieutenant of the Border Troops A.Makhalin

From this battle, in which 11 Soviet border guards fought with the infantry of the Japanese regular army, the Khasan incident began. He matured a long time ago. Even during their unsuccessful intervention of 1918-22, the Japanese began to seriously think about breaking away from Russia and annexing the entire Far East to the Mikado empire up to Baikal. Tokyo did not hide their expansionist fantasies; in 1927, Prime Minister Tanaka voiced them in his memorandum. In response, the USSR in 1928 offered to conclude a non-aggression pact, but the proposal was not accepted. On the contrary, the imperial general staff began to develop plans for a war against the USSR. These plans differed essentially from the usual operational plans, the drawing up of which is the function of any general staff of any country. The plans for the war against the USSR, which had the code name "Otsu", were never theoretical in nature, they were always distinguished by the specificity and thoroughness of their development.
In 1931, the Japanese-Chinese war and the occupation of Manchuria began, according to Japanese plans, this was only a prelude to the invasion of Siberia. It was calculated that by 1934 the Kwantung Army should be technically and organizationally ready for an attack on the USSR. The Soviet Union again offered to conclude a non-aggression pact, but to no avail.
In order to create more favorable conditions for an attack on the USSR, in the early 30s, the Japanese organized numerous provocations on the Chinese Eastern Railway (), connecting Transbaikalia with Port Arthur (Luishun). The road was built under the Russian Empire, was the property of the USSR, had a right-of-way and extraterritorial status. In 1929, the Red Army had already fought for it with the White Chinese, but this time the enemy was much more serious.
In response to the extreme aggravation of the situation on the CER in 1933, the Soviet Union offered Japan to buy the road, after a very difficult bargain, on March 23, 1935, an agreement was signed on the acquisition of the road by the authorities of Manchukuo, controlled by the Japanese, for 140 million yen. This was significantly less than the funds that the Russian government once invested in the construction of the CER.
In February 1936, a coup d'etat was attempted in Tokyo, and although it failed, more radical politicians came to power. On November 25 of the same year, Japan signed the so-called Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany, the main goal of which was the elimination of the USSR. In response, the Soviet Union stepped up aid to China, which, by its resistance, kept Japan from invading. The Nanking authorities (the capital at that time was the city of Nanjing) and the communists received Soviet money, weapons, military advisers and volunteers were sent, among whom there were especially many pilots. The USSR did the same in the West, helping, in contrast to Germany and Italy, the Reds in the just-flared civil war in Spain.
Meanwhile, preparations for a war against the USSR intensified in Japanese government and military circles. The main elements in it were the acceleration of the creation of a military and military-industrial foothold in Manchuria and Korea, the expansion of aggression in China and the seizure of the most developed regions of North, Central and South China. The program was approved by the government of General S. Hayashi, who came to power in February 1937. At the very first meeting of the government, General Hayashi declared that "the policy of liberalism towards the Communists will be finished." Openly anti-Soviet articles began to appear in the Japanese press, calling for "a march to the Urals."
The Hayashi cabinet was soon forced to resign, giving way to a new government headed by Prince F. Konoe, whose political platform was openly anti-Russian. Both countries were on the verge of a major war.
What this war could be was shown by the monstrous massacre carried out by the Japanese during the capture of the Chinese capital of Nanjing in December 1937, as a result of which more than 300,000 civilians were killed and at least 20,000 Chinese women were raped.
Anticipating the possibility of a sharp aggravation of relations, on April 4, 1938, the Government of the USSR proposed to Japan to resolve all disputed issues by peaceful means. The response to this was a propaganda campaign around the so-called "disputed territories" on the border of Manchukuo with Primorye, launched by Japan in May-June 1938.
The Japanese were ready. Already at the end of 1937, thirteen fortified areas were created in Manchuria on the border with the Soviet Union and the MPR. Each of them could accommodate from one to three infantry divisions. Half of the 13 Urs were built near the borders of Primorye. Japan actively built roads in Manchuria, military installations, enterprises located in close proximity to the borders of the USSR. The main grouping of the Kwantung Army was concentrated in Northern and Northeastern Manchuria (about 400 thousand people, which accounted for 2/3 of the entire Japanese army). In addition, the Japanese kept reserve armies in Korea.
But the Soviet Union was also preparing for a collision. In January 1938, the Japanese tried to capture the height in the Zolotaya section of the Grodekovsky border detachment, in February the same thing happened at the Duck outpost section of the Posietsky border detachment, both provocations were stopped.
On April 14, the head of the Posyet border detachment, Colonel K.E. Grebnik, issued an order to prepare outposts and units for defensive battles in connection with the intentions of the Japanese to commit armed provocations on the border. And on April 22, 1938, the commander of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern District, Marshal V.K.
On June 13, 1938, an unusual incident occurred on the Soviet-Japanese border. It was crossed over and surrendered to the Japanese by the head of the NKVD department for the Far Eastern Territory G. Lyushkov. The information received from him completely shocked the Japanese command. It learned that the Red Army in the Far East was much stronger than the Japanese had supposed. Nevertheless, preparations for reconnaissance in combat by Japan continued.
The Soviet side did the same. On June 28, 1938, the Special Red Banner Far Eastern District was transformed into the Far Eastern Red Banner Front, which was headed by Marshal of the Soviet Union V.K. Blucher. Throughout May and June, more and more brazen Japanese provocations continued on the border.
In response to this, on July 12, Soviet border guards occupied the Zaozernaya (Changgufen) hill, one of the two dominant heights in the area of Lake Khasan, on the disputed territory with Manchukuo. And they began to build fortifications there.

On July 14, the Government of Manchukuo protested the USSR about the violation of the Manchurian border by Soviet troops, and on the 15th, during another provocation in the Zaozernaya region, a Japanese gendarme was killed. An immediate reaction followed - on July 19, with the connivance of the official authorities of Japan, local fascists raided the embassy of the Soviet Union in Tokyo.
On July 20, the Japanese demanded that the Lake Hasan area be handed over to Manchukuo. A collision became inevitable. On July 22, a directive was issued by People's Commissar of Defense Marshal K. Voroshilov to the commander of the Far Eastern Red Banner Front, Marshal V. Blucher, on bringing the troops of the front on combat readiness, and on the 24th, a directive of the Military Council of the front was issued on bringing combat readiness of 118, 119 rifle regiments and 121 cavalry regiment. Demoralized by the wave of repressions in the army, the front commander played it safe and sent a commission to the Zaozernaya height to investigate the actions of the Soviet border guards. After the commission discovered a violation of the Manchurian border by 3 meters by the border guards, V. Blucher sent a telegram to the People's Commissar of Defense demanding the immediate arrest of the head of the border station and other "culprits in provoking the conflict" with the Japanese, for which he was sharply pulled back from Moscow.
After the beginning of the incident on July 29 and the attack on the detachment of border guards on the Zaozernaya hill, the Japanese continued their attacks the next day, expanding the offensive zone and including Bezymyannaya height in it. Parts of the 53rd separate anti-tank artillery division were urgently transferred to help the border guards. The 1st Primorsky Army and the Pacific Fleet were put on alert.
At 3 o'clock in the morning on July 31, Japanese troops attacked the Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya hills with significant forces, and by 8 o'clock they occupied them. All further struggle in the course of the conflict was for these dominant heights. On the same day of the front, Marshal V. Blucher sent the 32nd rifle division and the 2nd mechanized brigade to the area of the incident. Commander G. Shtern, chief of staff of the front, and army commissar 1st rank L. Mekhlis, who arrived in the Far East on July 29, arrived at the headquarters of the 39th Rifle Corps.

The calculation of the 76.2-mm gun of the 1902/1930 model reads a summary from the combat area.
32nd Rifle Division of the Red Army, early August 1938 (AVL).

Marshal V. Blucher received personally from I. Stalin a scolding for delay in the use of aviation (the Japanese did not use their existing aviation throughout the entire conflict). But the marshal had an excuse, the weather during the battles was not just cloudy, the fighters fought under a real tropical downpour. However, even without this, for a number of reasons, the troops were insufficiently prepared to fight a strong enemy. The main one was the low level of training of commanders, many of whom took up their positions quite recently, having made dizzying careers as a result of repression.
To strengthen the command, on August 3, the People's Commissar of Defense sent V. Blucher a directive demanding the immediate liquidation of multiple commands in command and control. All units operating in the conflict area were reduced to the 39th Rifle Corps, consisting of 40th, 32nd, 39th Rifle Divisions, 2 mechanized brigades and other smaller units. Chief of Staff of the Front G. Stern was appointed commander of the corps.

On August 4, Japan offered to resolve the incident peacefully, in response, the USSR stated that it could only be resolved if the troops were withdrawn to the line that they occupied as of the beginning of July 29.
Meanwhile, the fighting continued. G. Stern advanced parts of the corps to positions south of Lake Khasan. In total, more than 15 thousand people, 1014 machine guns, 237 guns, 285 tanks have already been pulled into the combat area.

T-26 from the tank battalion of the 32nd rifle division of the Red Army.
The tanks are camouflaged by engineering means. Lake Khasan area, August 1938 (RGAKFD)

On August 5, Moscow allowed the troops to use Manchurian territory for attacks on the dominant heights. V. Blucher gave the order to start the offensive on 6 August.

Map of the fighting at Lake Khasan

During August 7 and 8, the Japanese continuously attacked Zaozernaya up to 20 times a day, but to no avail, on August 9, units of the Red Army took the Soviet part of the Bezymyannaya height.

The infantrymen of the 120th Infantry Regiment of the 40th Rifle Division are practicing combat coherence,
being in the reserve of the advancing group. Zaozernaya height area, August 1938 (RGAKFD)

The commanders and fighters of one of the battalions of the 78th Kazan Red Banner Rifle Regiment of the 26th Zlatoust Red Banner Rifle Division under the command of Captain M.L. Svirin in the operational reserve near the village of Kraskino. Far Eastern Front, August 9, 1938 (RGAKFD)

Red banner over Zaozernaya height
During the conflict, up to 20 thousand people participated from each side. The losses of the Soviet troops amounted to 960 dead and 2752 wounded. Of the dead:

Killed on the battlefield - 759,
- died in hospitals from wounds and diseases - 100,
- missing - 95,
- died in non-combat incidents - 6.

Japanese losses, according to Soviet figures, were about 650 killed and 2,500 wounded.

Two and a half months after the end of the conflict at Lake Hassan. For the exemplary performance of combat missions and the courage and heroism shown at the same time, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 25, 1938, the 40th Infantry Division was awarded the Order of Lenin, the 32nd Infantry Division and the Posietsky Border Detachment were awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
26 combatants were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union; 95 fighters and commanders were awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner - 1985 combatants; 4 thousand people were awarded the Order of the Red Star, medals "For Courage" and "For Military Merit" (this award was established on purpose). A total of 6,500 participants in the Khasan events received military state awards.

On the Krestovaya hill, near the village of Kraskino, there is an 11-meter figure of a Red Army soldier cast in bronze. This is a monument to those who fell for the Motherland in the battles near Lake Khasan. Many railway stations and villages of Primorye are named after the heroes - Makhalino, Provalovo, Pozharskoye, Bamburovo and others.
In 1938, the Government of the USSR established a special badge "Participant of the Khasan battles." It was also awarded to home front workers who helped and supported the fighters and commanders of the Red Army.

A year after the conflict at Lake Khasan, the Japanese once again checked the combat capability of the Red Army. The crushing defeat on the shores of Khalkhin Gol finally forced them to sign a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, which secured the USSR in the upcoming world war from fighting on two fronts.

The street, named after the Heroes of Khasan, appeared in Perm 20 years after the events in the Far East. In the early 1950s, in connection with the new layout of the southern part of the city, the Siberian tract began to adjoin not to Karl Marx (Sibirskaya) Street, but to Komsomolsky Prospekt. It was this new section of the Siberian Highway from Komsomolskaya Square to Gazeta Pravda (Solovyova) Street that was originally named Geroev Khasan Street. School No. 77 was then located at Geroev Hasan, 1. Since 1961, when the entire Siberian Highway began to bear the name of Geroev Hassan, the numbering of houses has changed.

Having occupied northern Manchuria, Japan considered (under favorable conditions) the possibility of transferring military operations to the border regions of the USSR. To check the combat state of the OKDVA units, Japanese troops periodically organized provocations on the Soviet-Chinese border. Japanese aviation demonstratively invaded the airspace of the USSR, mainly for reconnaissance purposes. From June 11 to June 29, 1937, its aircraft violated the air borders in Primorye 7 times, being over Soviet territory from 2 to 12 minutes.

On April 11, 1938, a large group of Japanese aircraft violated the airspace of the Soviet Union, one of which was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from the border troops. Pilot Maeda was captured. During his interrogation, it became clear that the Japanese side was carefully studying the air routes in the border zone in the Soviet Far East in case hostilities began.

Providing effective assistance to the Republic of China during, the armed forces of the USSR have been fighting for almost a year (by the forces of military advisers and volunteers, up to 4 thousand people) with Japanese troops in China. A full-scale war between the Soviet Union and Japan was only a matter of time. In the second half of the 1930s. the general staff of the Japanese ground forces had already prepared a plan for a military invasion of the USSR in three directions - eastern (seaside), northern (Amur) and western (Khingan). A special emphasis was placed on the use of air forces. According to the estimates of the General Staff of the Red Army, in the event of the outbreak of hostilities, Japan could quickly concentrate up to 1,000 land aircraft near our borders.

Anticipating the possibility of such a scenario developing, the Soviet military leadership took appropriate measures. On July 1, 1938, OKDVA, additionally reinforced with personnel and military equipment, was transformed into the Red Banner Far Eastern Front (KDF, 2 armies) and the Northern Group of Forces of Central Subordination. Marshal of the Soviet Union V.K. Blyukher became the commander of the Far Eastern Fleet, his deputy for aviation -. The 2nd Air Army was created from the Far Eastern Aviation.

In the 20th of July 1938, an increased activity of Japanese troops in the coastal region was noticed, accompanied by rifle and machine-gun shelling of the Soviet border territory. Our border guards were instructed to use weapons in case of direct violation of the border. The units of the 1st Primorsky Army of the Far Eastern Fleet were put on high alert.

Meanwhile, the Japanese side chose the Posyetsky region in Primorsky Krai, at the junction of the borders of the USSR, the puppet state of Manchukuo and Korea, to attack the USSR, seeking to seize the disputed territories (the heights of Zaozernaya and Bezymyannaya) in the region of Lake Khasan.

On July 29, 1938, an armed conflict broke out. In the following days, regardless of losses, the enemy managed to capture the dominant heights, which he quickly turned into heavily fortified positions.

The commander of the troops of the Far Eastern Fleet was given the task of defeating the enemy in a short time and liberating the border strip he had captured (without invading the adjacent territory of Manchukuo). For combat operations in the air, an advanced aviation group was created: 21 R-5 SSS attack aircraft of the 2nd cap (Shkotovo airfield or Shkotovskaya Dolina), 15 I-15 fighters of the 40th IAP (Avgustovka), 12 of the 36th Sbap (Knevichi ) and 41 I-15s (11 from and 30 from the 48th IAP, Zaimka Filippovsky airfield).

On August 1, our aviation, with the forces of 4 squadrons (40 I-15, 8 R-Zet), inflicted a bombing and assault strike on Japanese troops, causing them minor damage. This was followed by other raids by bomber, attack and fighter aircraft. To combat Soviet aircraft, the Japanese side used only 2 anti-aircraft batteries (18-20 guns) located on the territory of Manchukuo, which damaged 3 Soviet vehicles (1 I-15, 2 SB) with their fire. The next day our air raids continued.

Fearing retaliatory actions from the Japanese Air Force, in accordance with the order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR and the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army of August 4, 1938 No. 0071 "On bringing the troops of the Far Eastern Front and the Trans-Baikal Military District to full combat readiness in connection with the provocation of the Japanese military at lake Khasan" in the major air defense points of the Far East and Transbaikalia, it was prescribed: “set artillery and machine-gun units in position, relocate fighter aircraft to operational airfields and raise the VNOS system, verifying the connection of VNOS posts with command posts and airfields of the fighter unit.”

On August 5, unverified information was received from one of the Pacific Fleet submarines that 98 Japanese bombers were approaching Vladivostok. The air defense of the city was urgently brought to full combat readiness. Up to 50 fighters were lifted into the air. Fortunately, the information turned out to be false.

The task was also set to provide airfields, rifle, cavalry and tank units stationed in camps or bivouacs with air defense means. For this purpose, 5 anti-aircraft divisions were involved (32nd, 39th, 40th rifle divisions; 39th and 43rd rifle corps).

The measures taken were based on the presence of an aviation group (up to 70 aircraft) on the Japanese side in the area of Lake. Hasan. However, she was almost never involved in battles. As a result, the 69th Fighter Aviation Brigade, armed with and, refocused on conducting aerial reconnaissance, protecting its aircraft and bombing enemy positions.

On August 4-9, Soviet troops, actively supported from the air by aviation, managed to defeat the Japanese-Manchu grouping in the area of Lake Khasan and squeeze it out of the territory of the USSR. On August 11, the conflict was settled, which was officially recognized in Tokyo.

During the period of hostilities near Lake Khasan, Soviet aviation made 1003 sorties, of which: - 41, SB - 346, I-15 -534, SSS - 53, R-Zet - 29, I-16 - 25. 4265 were dropped on the enemy bombs of various calibers (with a total weight of about 209 tons), 303,250 rounds of ammunition were spent.

Japanese anti-aircraft artillery shot down 1 SB and 1 I-15 (lieutenant Solovyov). From anti-aircraft gun and machine-gun fire, 29 aircraft had minor holes and damage, of which: 18 - I-15, 7 - SB and 4 - TB-3RN. Two more I-15 fighters were considered lost for non-combat reasons. Pilot Koreshev crashed the fighter aircraft while landing on an unfamiliar airfield - the plane fell into a ditch and hooded. Another car was crushed by an unsuccessful landing on the airfield.

The reluctance of the Japanese side to use its Air Force in an armed conflict was probably caused by the danger of air strikes by Soviet bomber aircraft not only in the area of Lake Khasan, but also on Japanese territory.

According to the publication: 100 years of the Russian Air Force (1912 - 2012)/ [Dashkov A. Yu., Golotyuk V. D.]; under total ed. V. N. Bondareva. - M.: Fund "Russian Knights", 2012. - 792 p. : ill.

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