The Richard Ernest and Trevor Nevitt Dupuy Encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work charting the evolution of the art of war from Antiquity to the present day. In one volume, a wealth of material is collected and systematized: a colossal volume of archival documents, rare maps, summaries of statistical data, excerpts from scientific works and detailed descriptions of the greatest battles.
For ease of use of the encyclopedia, the history of mankind is conventionally divided into twenty-two chapters, each of which is devoted to the time period from the 4th millennium BC to the end of the 20th century. The essays preceding the chapters contain information about the principles of tactics and strategy of a particular period, the characteristics of weapons, the development of military theoretical thought and outstanding military leaders of the era. The encyclopedia contains two indexes: names mentioned in the text, as well as wars and significant armed conflicts. All this will help the reader to recreate and perceive the historical canvas as a whole, understand the causes of a particular war, trace its course and evaluate the actions of the commanders.
/ / / / /Siege of Port Arthur 1904–1905
Siege of Port Arthur
1904–1905
1904, May, 25. Battle of Nanynan. Nan Shan Hill, an outpost of the defense of Port Arthur, is held by a 3,000-strong Russian garrison. A frontal attack by Oku troops was repulsed. Then the troops of the Japanese right flank, having made their way through the surf, bypass the left flank of the Russian troops. The defenders are forced to hastily retreat. The Japanese are fighting fiercely. The 30,000-strong Oku corps loses 4,500 soldiers, the Russians lose 1,500. The Japanese capture Nanynan, and the port of Dalniy (Dairen, now Dalian) is left without cover. The Japanese capture Dalny and create their own naval base there. Port Arthur is surrounded both by land and sea. The Japanese 3rd Army under the command of General Maresuke Nogi (who captured Port Arthur from China in 1894) begins to concentrate at the port of Dalniy. Nogi's army is entrusted with the siege of Port Arthur, while Oku's 2nd Army heads north to stop the advance of Stackelberg's corps, reluctantly launched by Kuropatkin on Alekseev's orders.
1904, June, 1-22. Rival forces at Port Arthur. While Nogi concentrates his forces, Stoessel (the most incompetent of the commanders) feverishly awaits the assault. The complex of defensive structures of Port Arthur consists of three main lines: a moat surrounding the old city itself, the so-called Chinese Wall, 3.7 km away from the moat and representing a ring of concrete forts interconnected by a network of strong points; and external fortifications, consisting of a ring of fortified heights (partially unfinished). The garrison (not counting ship crews) numbers about 40 thousand soldiers and 506 guns. Food supplies are not enough for a long siege, but should be enough for several months. Nogi's troops are gradually concentrated in the vicinity of Port Arthur. By the end of June, the 3rd Army increases to 80 thousand soldiers with 474 guns. But even such large forces are not enough to storm Port Arthur.
1904, June 15. Losses of the Japanese fleet. 2 Japanese battleships are blown up by Russian mines. Togo's squadron still has 4 battleships and several cruisers.
1904, June, 23. Foray of the Russian fleet. Admiral Wilhelm Vitgeft, who replaced Makarov, having repaired the damaged ships, makes a sortie and causes some concern to Togo, who had already lost 2 ships. The latter prepares to take the fight, but Vitgeft avoids the battle and returns to the port.
1904, June, 26. Land attack of Russian troops. Stoessel tries to make a sortie, but is quickly repulsed.
1904, July, 3–4, 27–28. Preliminary attempts at a Japanese assault. These attempts lead to a fierce but inconclusive battle at the outer ring of the defenses.
1904, August, 7–8. The first assault on Port Arthur. Fearing that the Russian fleet is still quite combat-ready, Nogi attacks the eastern heights of the outer line of defensive fortifications and, after a fierce battle, takes them.
1904, August, 10. Battle of the Yellow Sea. Nicholas II orders Vitgeft to break through and join the Vladivostok squadron, which is still at full strength, despite attempts to attack from Kamimura's squadron, consisting of armored cruisers. Vitgeft sails with a squadron consisting of 6 battleships, 5 cruisers and 8 destroyers. By noon, Togo enters into battle with the Russian squadron. Japanese artillery is significantly superior to Russian; 4 Japanese battleships of the latest construction have higher firepower than their Russian counterparts. The ships of both sides receive significant damage. After a 1.5-hour battle, a 12-inch artillery shell hits Vitgeft's flagship Tsarevich. The admiral dies. Left without a commander, the Russian squadron becomes confused and scatters in disarray. One cruiser, heavily damaged, sinks. A few ships sail to neutral ports and are interned, but most return to Port Arthur.
1904, August 14. Naval Battle of Ulsan. Kamimura's 4 armored cruisers in the Korea Strait attack the 3 remaining ships of Admiral Essen's Vladivostok squadron and sink the cruiser Rurik. The 2 surviving ships leave. Japan seizes complete supremacy at sea.
1904, August, 19–24. Second assault on Port Arthur. In a massive frontal attack, the Japanese strike both the fortifications of the Chinese Wall in the northeast and the 174-meter height in the northwest. Machine gun fire from Russian troops pushes back the attackers again and again. Much of the battle takes place at night, but Russian searchlights and rockets illuminate the battlefield. Both of them fight with desperate courage. Nogi, having lost more than 15 thousand soldiers, stops the assault. It captures the 174-meter height and one of the outer artillery batteries on the eastern side of the fortifications. The rest of the Russian positions were not damaged. Russian losses amounted to 3 thousand. Nogi, having called in heavy siege artillery, is engaged in undermining and placing mines under the walls.
1904, September, 15–30. Third assault on Port Arthur. Nogi, having brought the fleet of siege equipment as close as possible to the external defensive fortifications at the heights covering the approaches to the fortress from the north and north-west, launched a second massive frontal attack. The northern positions are taken (September 19), and the next day the Japanese capture one of the northwestern positions. But the height of 203 m, which is the key point of the entire external defensive system of Port Arthur, withstands all attacks. The dense attacking columns of the Japanese are literally swept away by Russian fire until all the slopes of the mountain are covered with the bodies of the dead and wounded.
1904, October 1. Arrival of Japanese siege artillery. It includes 19 28-centimeter howitzers firing 250-kilogram shells at 10 km. Russian fortifications are subject to continuous bombardment; Mining and mining operations are ongoing around the height of 203 m. In the eastern direction, Nogi is preparing for a massive frontal attack.
1904, October, November 30, 1. Resumption of the assault. Starting at 9 a.m., the Japanese simultaneously stormed the northern and eastern fortifications. Meanwhile, Japanese infantry in thick columns is trying to break through a hail of machine gun, artillery and rifle fire. Having suffered huge losses, she retreats. The bloody operation is repeated the next day. Food supplies in the fortress are running low; the number of sick and wounded is growing. The news that ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet came out from Libava to help Port Arthur (October 15) inspires the defenders. The same news prompts the Japanese command to intensify hostilities. The Japanese need to destroy the Port Arthur squadron at any cost before a squadron from the Baltic approaches it and defeats the Togo squadron.
1904, November 26. Fifth assault (general). Russian troops repulse the Japanese attack in all positions. The Japanese are losing 15 thousand soldiers. Nogi concentrates his forces against a height of 203 m - a powerful redoubt, surrounded by barbed wire and covered on both flanks by smaller heights. This system of defensive fortifications, dominating the harbor and 3.6 km away from the main fortress wall, is held by a 2,200-strong garrison under the command of Colonel Tretyakov. The capture of these fortifications by the Japanese would mean the defeat of the Russian fleet.
1904, November, December 27, 5. Capture of a height of 203 m. After shelling the fortifications all day, Japanese troops launch an attack at dusk, reaching the barbed wire entanglements. There they held out the entire next day, despite the incessant artillery, machine gun and rifle fire from the defenders of the height. Meanwhile, the bombardment of the redoubt continues. Until December 4, the Japanese attacked wave after wave, walking over the corpses of their comrades. Twice the Russians sweep them away with counterattacks from already conquered bridgeheads. Finally, a handful of surviving Russians leave the heights. During its assault, the Japanese lose 11 thousand soldiers. The next day, Japanese artillery from a captured height shoots a Russian squadron standing in the harbor. Togo's ships are heading to Japan for repairs in preparation for battle with the Baltic Fleet.
1905, January, 2. Capitulation of Port Arthur. The Japanese continue to storm the northern fortifications of the fortress, despite the frost and blizzard. On New Year's Day the last fort fell. The next day, Stoessel, at the head of a 10,000-strong still combat-ready but hungry garrison, capitulated. The Japanese capture large quantities of guns, rifles, and food (further proof of Stoessel's blatant incompetence). In total, the Japanese lost 59 thousand during the siege.
killed, wounded and missing; approximately 34 thousand more are sick. Russian losses amount to 31 thousand. Nogi is preparing to link up with other Japanese armies in the north.
RUSSIA. February 9, 1904 (January 27, O.S.) Saint Petersburg. Emperor Nicholas II issued a Manifesto declaring war Japan.
Vladivostok. Commander of the cruiser detachment adm. Jessen, received an order from the governor general. Alekseev to begin military operations and inflict the most sensitive blow possible and damage communications Japan with Korea, went to sea with the cruisers "Rurik", "Russia", "Gromoboy" and "Bogatyr".
Port Arthur- Defense of Port Arthur. The main base of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the headquarters of Russian troops in Northeast China was located on the Liaodong Peninsula (China). On the night of January 27, 1904, a detachment of Japanese destroyers attacked the Russian fleet in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. However, the Japanese failed to land troops then. Military operations began on land in mid-April 1904, when the forces of three Japanese armies were landed in different places: the 1st Army of General Kurski (45 thousand people) at Tyurencheng, the 2nd Army of General Oku at Biziwo, the 4th Army General Nozu at Dagushan. They were later joined by General Noli's 3rd Army. In May 1904, Port Arthur was cut off from Manchuria by the Japanese. After a long defense, on December 20, 1904, Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese. During the offensive battles near Port Arthur, the Japanese army lost up to 110 thousand people and 15 warships. The losses of Russian troops were also significant.
Port Arthur (rus). In the morning, while on reconnaissance, the cruiser "Boyarin" discovered the main forces of the Japanese fleet, Vice Adm. Kh.Togo (6 battleships, 5 armored cruisers, 4 cruisers). At 11.00 the Japanese squadron opened fire. The Russian ships responded by staying under the protection of coastal batteries, which, as the shells were delivered, sequentially entered into battle. The battle lasted about 40 minutes, after which the Japanese fleet, having received a repulse, retreated, establishing a complete naval blockade of the Russian naval base, remaining out of range of fire from its coastal batteries. In the battle, the battleship Poltava and the cruisers Askold and Novik received minor damage. Orders of the viceroy adm. Alekseev about the announcement of mobilization in the Far East and the promotion of the 3rd East Sib. sbr gen. Kashtalinsky to the border of Manchuria with Korea, passing along the river. Yalu.
4. Combat operations on the approaches to Port Arthur. 25.5-8.7.1904 War in the context of world politics
Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905(chronological table)
Battle of Tsushima(detailed chronicle of the battle and its analysis)
Defense of Port Arthur (from July 17, 1904 (July 30, 1904) to December 23, 1904 (January 5, 1905)) is the longest battle in the Russo-Japanese War. During the siege of the fortress, such new types of weapons were used as 11-inch mortars, rapid-fire howitzers, barbed wire barriers, and hand grenades.
The significance of Port Arthur
The Port Arthur fortress was located at the extreme southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula. This area was leased by Russia from China in 1898, after which the construction of an ice-free military port on the Pacific Ocean, which was desperately needed by the Russians, began there. (Vladivostok froze in winter)
Japanese movement towards Port Arthur
Literally on the first day of the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese unexpectedly attacked the Port Arthur squadron, causing severe damage to it. 1904, April 21-22 - The Second Japanese Army of General Oku landed in the north of Liaodong, which headed towards Port Arthur to attack it from land. On May 13, Oku, having lost about 5,000 soldiers, was able to take the strategically important Jinzhou Heights in the center of the peninsula.
The commander-in-chief of the Russians, Kuropatkin tried to prevent the siege of Port Arthur with skirmishes at Wafangou and Dashichao, but could not achieve success. Before the inevitable encirclement of the fortress, the Port Arthur squadron tried to break through from it to Vladivostok. But the Japanese squadron of Admiral Togo blocked her path and, after the battle in the Yellow Sea on July 28, forced her to return back.
After Jinzhou was taken, the Japanese ground army accumulated forces and did not disturb the Russians for a long time, who took up positions on the Green Mountains (20 kilometers from Port Arthur). The delay in the Japanese advance was partly due to the fact that the Russian Vladivostok detachment of cruisers sank a large Japanese transport, which was delivering 11-inch guns to the army intended for the siege. Eventually reinforced, the Japanese Third Army of Nogi launched a powerful assault on the Green Mountains on July 13, 1904. The Russians were thrown back from their positions and on July 17 they retreated to the fortress area. After which the defense of Port Arthur began.
Siege of Port Arthur. First assault
Port Arthur was not only a naval port, but also a powerful land fortress. It had three lines of defense, even with concrete structures. The city was surrounded by a line of forts, and a network of redoubts, defensive ditches, and batteries. These structures were based on the mountainous terrain favorable for defense. But not all of the fortifications were completed. At the beginning of the defense, the garrison of the fortress numbered approximately 50 thousand. The defense of Port Arthur was headed by the head of the Kwantung fortified area, General Stessel.
On August 6, the first assault on the fortress was launched. It took place mainly at night, but for the first time, searchlights and rockets used to repel night attacks helped the besieged destroy the attackers. After 5 days of fierce attacks, the Japanese managed to break deep into the Russian defense on the night of August 11, but they were driven back by a swift counterattack. During the first assault, the ships of the Russian Pacific squadron took to sea for the last time. The battleship Sevastopol, under the command of Captain 1st Rank Nikolai Essen, left the port, accompanied by two destroyers. He supported the Russian defenders with fire from the bay. But on the way back, the Russian ships ran into mines, and both destroyers sank from the explosions. The first assault ended unsuccessfully for the Japanese side. They lost about 15,000 soldiers in the process. Russian losses amounted to 6,000.
Second assault
Having failed to capture Port Arthur on the move, Nogi began a systematic siege. Only a month later, on September 6, 1904, having received reinforcements and after carrying out serious engineering and sapper work, the Japanese launched a second assault on the fortress. In 3 days of fighting, they were able to capture two redoubts (Vodovodny and Kumirnensky) on the Eastern “front”, and capture Mount Dlinnaya on the Northern “front”. However, the attempts of the Japanese troops to capture the key defense object - Mount Vysokaya dominating the city - were defeated by the fortitude of the besieged.
In repelling the attacks, the Russians used new means of combat, including mortars invented by midshipman S. Vlasyev. During the second assault (September 6-9), the Japanese side lost 7,500 soldiers. (5,000 of them during the assault on Vysoka). The losses of the defenders of Port Arthur amounted to 1,500 people. Great assistance in the defense of Port Arthur was provided by the ships of the Pacific squadron, which supported the besieged with fire from the internal roadstead. Part of the naval artillery (284 guns) was transferred directly to the position.
Third assault
On September 18, the Japanese side began shelling the fortress with 11-inch guns. Their shells destroyed fortifications that were not designed for such a caliber. But the besieged, fighting in the ruins, were able to repel the third assault (October 17-18), during which 12,000 Japanese soldiers were killed.
The position of the besieged fortress became more and more difficult. Food supplies were running out, the number of killed, wounded and sick was growing all the time. Scurvy and typhus began to appear, raging more severely than the weapons of the Japanese. By the beginning of November, there were 7,000 wounded and sick (scurvy, dysentery, typhus) in hospitals. The main struggle in November unfolded over Mount Vysokaya on the Northern Front, as well as for the 2nd and 3rd forts on the Eastern Front.
Fourth assault. Capture of Mount Vysoka
Nogi concentrated the main attacks on these key defenses of Port Arthur during the fourth assault (November 13-22, 1904). 50,000 Japanese soldiers took part in it. The main blow fell on Mount Vysokaya, which was defended by 2,200 thousand soldiers, under the command of the hero of the battles for Jinzhou, Colonel Nikolai Tretyakov. For ten days, Japanese assault units, regardless of losses, attacked wave after wave of Vysokaya. During this time, they twice managed to capture the height strewn with corpses, but both times Russian counterattacks brought it back. Finally, on November 22, after another attack, the Japanese managed to capture the mountain. Almost all of its garrison perished. The last night Russian counterattack on Vysokaya was repulsed. During the 10-day battles, the Japanese lost 11,000 soldiers.
Japanese shelling of Russian ships in Port Arthur harbor
Having placed long-range artillery on Vysoka (11-inch cannons fired at a distance of 10 km), the Japanese side began shelling the city and port. From that time on, the fate of Port Arthur and the fleet was decided. Under Japanese fire, the remnants of the 1st Pacific squadron stationed in the roadstead were killed. To protect against fire, only the battleship Sevastopol under the command of the courageous Essen decided to go to the outer roadstead. On November 26, he stood in White Wolf Bay, where for six nights he heroically repelled the attacks of Japanese destroyers, destroying two of them. After serious damage was sustained, the battleship was scuttled by her crew. In December, a fierce battle broke out for the 2nd and 3rd forts on the Eastern Front. On December 2, the head of ground defense, General Roman Kondratenko, was killed. By December 15, the line of forts on the Eastern Front had fallen.
Surrender of Port Arthur
December 19, evening - after desperate fighting, the besieged retreated to the third and final line of defense. Stoessel considered further resistance pointless and on December 20 he signed a capitulation. This decision had serious reasons. Continuing the defense of 10-12,000 soldiers after the loss of the main positions became pointless. Port Arthur was already lost as a base for the fleet.
The fortress was also no longer able to pull significant forces of the Japanese army away from Kuropatkin’s army. One division would now be enough to blockade it. The defenders of the fortress soon faced starvation (there was only enough food left for 4-6 weeks). But upon arrival in Russia, Stoessel was put on trial and sentenced to death, which was commuted to ten years in prison. Such a harsh sentence was most likely a tribute to public opinion, excited by military failures.
The importance of the defense of Port Arthur
After the surrender of the fortress, about 25,000 people were captured (of which more than 10,000 were sick and wounded). Fighting under conditions of complete blockade, the Port Arthur garrison was able to attract about 200,000 Japanese soldiers. Their losses during the 239-day siege amounted to 110,000. In addition, during the naval blockade, the Japanese lost 15 ships of different classes, including 2 squadron battleships that were blown up by mines. A special award cross “Port Arthur” was issued for participants in the defense of Port Arthur.
With the capture of Port Arthur and the destruction of the 1st Pacific Squadron, the Japanese side achieved the main goals that they set in the war. For Russia, the fall of Port Arthur meant the loss of access to the ice-free Yellow Sea and the deterioration of the strategic situation in Manchuria. Its consequence was the further strengthening of the revolutionary events that began in Russia.
Taking advantage of the insufficient preparedness of the Russian army and navy for combat operations, the Japanese fleet, on the night of January 27, 1904, without declaring war, suddenly attacked the Russian squadron in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur, disabling the battleships Retvizan, Tsesarevich and the cruiser Pallada. ".
This was the start Russo-Japanese War . February 24, 1904 at Port Arthur fortress Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov arrived and took energetic measures to prepare the fleet for active combat operations. On March 31, the squadron under his leadership came out to meet the Japanese fleet. The battleship "Petropavlovsk", on which Makarov was, was blown up by Japanese mines and sank. After the death of Makarov, the Russian squadron, led by the uninitiative Rear Admiral V.K. Vitgeft, could not prevent the enemy from transferring troops to the Kwantung Peninsula.
In March 1904, Japanese troops landed in Korea, and in April - in South Manchuria. Russian detachment under the command of General M.I. Zasulich was forced to retreat. In May, the Japanese captured the Jinzhou position, thus cutting off Port Arthur from the Manchurian land army. Leaving part of the forces to form the 3rd Army of General Nogi, intended for operations against Port Arthur, they began an offensive to the north. In the battle of Vafangou (June 1-2), the Russian command, in close cooperation with General A., N. Kuropatkin, having failed to ensure the coordination of the actions of individual units and the overall leadership of the battle, gave the order to retreat.
The direct struggle for Port Arthur began at the end of July - beginning of August 1904, when the Japanese army, which had landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, approached the outer contours of the fortress. By the beginning of the close siege of Port Arthur, out of 50 thousand people in the city, one third remained, of which 2 thousand were Russians, the rest were Chinese. The fortress garrison numbered 41,780 soldiers and 665 officers, armed with 646 guns and 62 machine guns. In addition, there were 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 2 mine cruisers, 4 gunboats, 19 destroyers and the Amur mine transport in the bay. There were up to 8 thousand personnel on the squadron and the Kwantung naval crew.
From the male population of the city, who were not called up for mobilization, but capable of carrying weapons, 3 squads of 500 people each were formed. The squads worked around the clock on the construction of defensive structures, and carried out guard duty on the central fence of the fortress. Later, they delivered ammunition and food to the positions and served as a defense reserve in case of emergency. A bicycle flying post was formed from local residents, which provided communication between the fortress headquarters and numerous fortifications on the front line during battles. In November, bicycles were used for the first time to transport the wounded.
The defense of Port Arthur was led by General A. M. Stessel, to whom all ground and engineering troops, as well as fortress artillery, were subordinate. The fleet was subordinate to the commander-in-chief, who was in Manchuria and could not control it.
Port Arthur was poorly equipped as a base for the navy: the inner harbor for ships was cramped and shallow, and also had only one exit, which was narrow and shallow. The outer roadstead, completely open, was dangerous for the anchorage of ships. In addition, the fortress turned out to be insufficiently protected from land and sea. Despite the enormous work done by the Russian troops and civilian population on the initiative and under the leadership of the energetic and talented General R.I. Kondratenko, who was the commander of the ground defense, the construction of fortifications proceeded very slowly.
Serious shortcomings in the system of defense of the fortress from land, the lack of a unified command of the defense forces and the isolation of the fortress from the main forces of the Russian army operating in Manchuria created very unfavorable conditions for the defenders of Port Arthur.
Formed by the Japanese to besiege the fortress, the 3rd Army consisted of three infantry divisions, two reserve brigades, one field artillery brigade, two naval artillery detachments and a reserve engineer battalion. Not counting special troops, General Nogi had over 50 thousand bayonets, more than 400 guns, of which 198 were special siege artillery barrels.
On August 6, the first assault began, which lasted 5 days. Hot battles broke out in the Western sector for Mount Uglovaya, in the Northern sector - at the Vodoprovodny and Kuminersky redoubts, and especially in the Eastern sector - for redoubts No. 1 and No. 2. On the night of August 10-11, Japanese units broke through to the rear of the main line of Russian defense. Russian infantry and companies of sailors quickly counterattacked from different directions.
After about half an hour, the remnants of the Japanese troops were forced to flee. Thus, the first assault on Port Arthur ended in the defeat of the Japanese, one of the reasons for which was the remarkable night shooting of the Russian artillery. The Army of Nogi lost 15 thousand soldiers, some units ceased to exist.
The Japanese were forced to move on to a long-term siege of the fortress. On August 12, enemy engineering battalions reached the front lines. At the end of August - beginning of September, siege work made significant progress. During this time, the enemy's artillery regiment was replenished with eleven-inch siege howitzers.
The Nogi divisions, thinned out during the August assault, were replenished with 16 thousand soldiers and officers and, in addition, 2 companies of sappers. In turn, the defenders of Port Arthur improved their defensive structures. Thanks to the installation of new naval batteries, the number of artillery in September increased to 652 barrels. The cost of shells was reimbursed by the fleet, and on September 1, 1904, the fortress had 251,428 rounds. A stubborn struggle unfolded for the dominant heights of Long and High, which were important in the defense system of the fortress.
The assaults on these heights followed one after another. The enemy's manpower in the main direction of attack outnumbered the defense by about 3 times, and in some areas - up to 10 times. When repelling attacks, the Russians widely used a number of new means of combat, including mortars invented by midshipman S.N. Vlasyev. After four days of fighting, the Japanese managed to capture Mount Long. The attacks on Mount Vysokaya on September 6–9, during which the Japanese lost up to 5 thousand soldiers and officers, ended without results. The Russians lost 256 people killed and 947 wounded. This completed the second assault on the fortress.
From September 29, front-line soldiers began to receive 1/3 pound of horse meat per person twice a week; Things were worse with bread - it was given out at 3 pounds a day. Scurvy appeared, claiming more lives than shells and bullets. At the beginning of November, there were over 7 thousand wounded and sick with scurvy, dysentery and typhus in the city's hospitals. The civilian population was in an even more difficult situation. At the end of November, dog meat was sold at the market, and horse meat became a luxury.
The ships stationed in the inner roadstead provided great assistance to the ground forces in the defense of the fortress. So, the fleet allocated 284 guns and a large amount of ammunition for this. Through the efforts of the sailors, 15 different fortifications were built and armed on the shore. A large number of sailors and naval officers were transferred to land to replenish the forces of the fortress defenders. However, the main form of assistance from the fleet to the troops was artillery support, which was systematic and continued until the fall of Port Arthur.
On October 17, after a 3-day artillery preparation, the Japanese carried out a third assault on the fortress, which lasted 3 days. All enemy attacks were repulsed by Russian troops with huge losses. On November 13, Japanese troops (over 50 thousand people) launched a fourth assault. They were bravely resisted by the Russian garrison, which by this time numbered 18 thousand people. Particularly heavy fighting took place for Mount Vysoka, which fell on November 22. Having occupied Mount Vysoka, the enemy began shelling the city and harbor with 11-inch howitzers.
Having received numerous damages, the battleship Poltava sank on November 22, the battleship Retvizan on November 23, the battleships Peresvet and Pobeda, and the cruiser Pallada on November 24; The cruiser Bayan was heavily damaged.
On December 2, the hero of the defense, General Kondratenko, died with a group of officers. This was a great loss for the defenders of the fortress. Although after the death of the squadron the situation of the besieged greatly worsened, the garrison was ready to continue the fight. Combat-ready units still held the defense, they could fire 610 guns (of which 284 were naval), there were 207,855 shells (there was a lack of large caliber), there was no urgent need for bread and crackers, and no more than 20 of the 59 fortified units of the fortress were lost.
However, due to the cowardice of General Stessel and the new chief of ground defense, General A.V. Foka December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905, new style) Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.
The fight for Port Arthur, which lasted about 8 months, cost the Japanese army and navy enormous losses, which amounted to about 112 thousand people and 15 ships of various classes; 16 ships were seriously damaged. Russian losses amounted to about 28 thousand people.
On January 5, 1905 (December 23, 1904, old style), the traitor Stessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese, having heroically defended it for 159 days.
|
Major General Roman Isidorovich Kodratenko At the most difficult moment of the siege of the city, he led the defense, improved defensive positions, and personally led the defense in the most difficult and dangerous areas. He died on December 2 at Fort No. 2 from a direct hit in the fort’s casemate by a howitzer shell. Eight other officers died along with him. There is a version that the Japanese shelling of Fort No. 2 from large-caliber guns during Kondratenko’s stay there was not accidental and was caused by the conscious betrayal of one of the supporters of the surrender of the fortress.
Lieutenant General Baron Anatoly Mikhailovich Stessel For the surrender of the fortress in 1906, he was sentenced to a military tribunal. As a result of the investigation, Stessel was found guilty. On February 7, 1908, he was sentenced to death, commuted to 10 years' imprisonment in a fortress. Released on May 6, 1909 by order of Nicholas II. |
On January 27, 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began. It began precisely in Port Arthur: even before the official declaration of war, eight Japanese destroyers launched a torpedo attack on the ships of the Russian fleet stationed on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur.
The settlement on the site of Port Arthur, which existed since the Jin Dynasty, was originally called Mashijin (? ??). The modern Chinese name of the city, Lushunkou (???? - bay of calm travel) appeared only in 1371. Lushun received the English name Port Arthur due to the fact that in August 1860, the ship of the English Lieutenant William K. Arthur was repaired in this harbor. This English name was later adopted in Russia and other European countries. On November 21, 1894, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Port Arthur was captured by Japanese troops. Japanese troops of the 2nd Army of the one-eyed General Matahara, under the pretext that the remains of captured Japanese soldiers had been discovered in the city, staged a merciless four-day massacre in the city in the traditional Japanese style... ...During these four days, more than 20 thousand civilians were killed, regardless from gender and age. Of the entire population of the city, the Japanese left only 36 people who were supposed to bury the corpses of the dead. On their hats, by order of the Japanese command, it was written: “Don’t kill these.” The collection of bodies continued for a month, after which, on the orders of the Japanese, a huge mountain of bodies was doused with oil and set on fire, maintaining the fire for 10 days.
In 1895, under the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Port Arthur passed to Japan, but due to strong pressure from Russia, Germany and France, Japan was soon forced to return Port Arthur to China.
In those years, Russia needed an ice-free naval base like air, and it was hard to imagine a better place than Port Arthur. In December 1897, the Russian squadron entered Port Arthur. The commander of the Pacific squadron, Rear Admiral Dubasov, under the cover of the 12-inch guns of the battleships Sisoy the Great and Navarin and the guns of the 1st rank cruiser Rossiya, held short negotiations with the command of the local fortress garrison, generals Song Qing and Ma Yukun. Dubasov quickly resolved the problem of the landing of Russian troops in Port Arthur and the departure of the Chinese garrison from there. After distributing bribes to minor officials, General Song Qing received 100 thousand rubles, and General Ma Yukun - 50 thousand. After this, the local 20,000-strong garrison left the fortress in less than a day, leaving the Russians with 59 cannons along with ammunition. Some of them will later be used for the defense of Port Arthur. The first Russian military units came ashore from the Volunteer Fleet steamship Saratov, which arrived from Vladivostok. These were two hundred Transbaikal Cossacks, a field artillery division and a fortress artillery team. On March 15 (27), 1898, Port Arthur, together with the adjacent Liaodong (Kwantung) Peninsula, was officially leased by the Chinese to Russia for 25 years. However, we were hardly going to limit our presence to 25 years: soon the creation of the Kwantung Governorate was proclaimed on the Liaodong Peninsula, which in 1903, together with the Amur Governor-General, became part of the Far Eastern Viceroyalty.
Construction of the fortress began in 1901 according to the design of military engineer K. Velichko. By 1904, about 20% of the total work had been completed. Admiral Stark's 1st Pacific Squadron (7 battleships, 9 cruisers, 24 destroyers, 4 gunboats and other vessels) was based in the port. The Port Arthur Fortress Infantry Regiment was stationed in the fortress under the command of Vice Admiral Evgeniy Ivanovich Alekseev (since 1899), formed on June 27, 1900, consisting of 4 battalions from the troops of European Russia. On December 6, 1902, N. R. Greve was appointed commander of the port of Arthur; in 1904 he was replaced by I. K. Grigorovich.
Near Port Arthur on the night of January 27, 1904, the first military clashes of the Russo-Japanese War began, when Japanese ships fired torpedoes at Russian warships stationed in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. At the same time, the battleships Retvizan and Tsesarevich, as well as the cruiser Pallada, were seriously damaged. The remaining ships made two attempts to escape from the port, but both were unsuccessful.
On the morning of February 24, the Japanese attempted to scuttle five old transports at the entrance to Port Arthur harbor in order to trap the Russian squadron inside. The plan was foiled by the Retvizan, which was still in the outer roadstead of the harbor. On March 2, Virenius’s detachment received an order to return to the Baltic, despite the protests of S. O. Makarov, who believed that he should continue further to the Far East. On March 8, 1904, Admiral Makarov and the famous shipbuilder N.E. Kuteynikov arrived in Port Arthur, along with several wagons of spare parts and equipment for repairs. Makarov immediately took energetic measures to restore the combat effectiveness of the Russian squadron, which led to an increase in military spirit in the fleet. On March 27, the Japanese again tried to block the exit from Port Arthur harbor, this time using 4 old vehicles filled with stones and cement. The transports, however, were sunk too far from the harbor entrance. On March 31, while going to sea, the battleship Petropavlovsk hit mines and sank within two minutes. 635 sailors and officers were killed. These included Admiral Makarov and the famous battle painter Vereshchagin. The battleship Pobeda was blown up and out of commission for several weeks. Of the entire Russian fleet, only the Vladivostok cruiser detachment (“Russia”, “Gromoboy” and “Rurik”) retained freedom of action and during the first 6 months of the war several times went on the offensive against the Japanese fleet, penetrating into the Pacific Ocean and being off the Japanese coast, then , leaving again for the Korea Strait. The detachment sank several Japanese transports with troops and guns, including on May 31, Vladivostok cruisers intercepted the Japanese transport Hi-tazi Maru (6175 brt), on board which were 18 280-mm mortars for the siege of Port Arthur.
Potre-Arthur shortly before the start of the war.
On May 3, the Japanese made a third and final attempt to block the entrance to Port Arthur harbor, this time using eight transports. As a result, the Russian fleet was blocked for several days in the harbor of Port Arthur, which allowed the Japanese to land the 2nd Japanese Army of about 38.5 thousand people in Manchuria. The landing was carried out by 80 Japanese transports and continued until April 30. At the same time, the commandant of Port Arthur, Baron Stessel, did not take any action to disrupt the Japanese landing.
Luckily, the commander of the 7th East Siberian Rifle Division, Major General R.I. Kondratenko, was appointed head of the fortress’s ground defense. largely thanks to him, the garrison did everything possible to increase the defense capability of Port Arthur. The work was carried out both day and night. Trains with troops, artillery, machine guns and ammunition arrived in the city. By the beginning of the close siege of Port Arthur by Japanese troops, the fortifications of the fortress consisted of five forts (No. I, II, III, IV and V), three fortifications (No. 3, 4 and 5) and four separate artillery batteries (letters A, B, View). In the intervals between them, rifle trenches were dug, covered with barbed wire and, in the most dangerous directions, landmines buried in the ground. On the flanks, forward field-type positions were also equipped on the Syagushan, Dagushan, Vysoka and Uglovaya mountains. The Kumirnensky, Vodoprovodny and Skalisty redoubts were moved towards the Shuishin valley. Behind the belt of the main fortifications, between them, as well as on the seaside front, batteries and separate firing points of dagger action were installed: of these, the most famous in the history of defense are the Big and Small Eagle Nests, the Zaredutnaya battery, the seaside numbered batteries, redoubts No. 1 and 2, Kurgannaya battery, Quail Mountain, Dragon's Back, etc. The system of fortifications was based on a terrain that was quite favorable for defense. All the fortifications were built on the mountains, opposite which to the north there was a relatively flat area. As it approached the fortifications, it moved into open, sloping terrain, which was under fire from artillery and rifle fire from the defenders. There were observation posts everywhere to correct artillery fire. The rear slopes of the heights provided good cover for people and guns.
By July 17 (30), 1904, the Port Arthur fortress was armed with only 646 artillery guns and 62 machine guns, of which 514 guns and 47 machine guns were installed on the land front. For defense from the sea there were: 5 10-inch guns (10 on the report card), 12 9-inch guns, 20 modern 6-inch Kane guns, 12 old 6-inch guns of 190 poods (4 on the report card), 12 battery 120- millimeter guns, 28 57-mm guns (24 according to the report card), as well as 10 11-inch and 32 9-inch mortars. There were only 274,558 shells (of which heavy: 2,004 11-inch, 790 10-inch and 7,819 9-inch), an average of about 400 per gun. To transport cargo, materiel, ammunition, food, etc., there were 4,472 horses in the fortress. By the day of the close siege of the fortress, the garrison was provided with food: flour and sugar for six months, meat and canned food for only one month. Then we had to be content with horse meat. There were few supplies of greens, which is why there were many cases of scurvy in the garrison during the siege.
On July 25 (August 7), 1904, the Japanese opened fierce fire on the forward positions of the Eastern Front - the Dagushan and Xiaogushan redoubts, and by the evening they were attacked. All day on July 26 (August 8), 1904, there was a stubborn battle there - and on the night of July 27 (August 9), 1904, both redoubts were abandoned by Russian troops. The Russians lost 450 soldiers and officers in battle. Japanese losses, according to them, amounted to 1,280 people.
On August 6 (August 19), 1904, the Japanese began bombing the Eastern and Northern fronts, and the latter was attacked. On August 6-8 (August 19-21), 1904, the Japanese attacked with great energy the Water Supply and Kumirnensky redoubts and the Long Mountain, but were repelled from everywhere, managing to occupy only the Corner and the Panlongshan fortification. On August 8-9 (August 21-22), 1904, Nogi stormed the Eastern Front, captured the advanced redoubts at the cost of severe losses, and on August 10 (August 23), 1904, approached the line of forts. On the night of August 11 (August 24), 1904, he thought to deliver a decisive blow to the fortress, in the gap between forts II and III, but this blow was repelled. The forts and the Chinese Wall remained with the besieged. In this four-day battle, almost half of the Japanese army died - 20,000 people (of which 15,000 were in front of the Eastern Front). The losses of the Russian army amounted to about 3,000 killed and wounded.
After another failure, the Japanese began excavation work on an even larger scale. The sappers, having reached the front line, dug day and night, drawing parallels, trenches and communication passages to the forts and other fortifications of Port Arthur.
|
An 11-inch Japanese mortar fires at Port Arthur Russian 11-inch mortar, used in the defense of the fortress. Soviet sailors in liberated Port Arthur Modern Lushunkou |
On September 18 (October 1), 1904, the besiegers used 11-inch howitzers to shell the fortress for the first time, the shells of which pierced the concrete arches of the forts and the walls of the casemates. The Russian soldiers still stood firm, although their situation had worsened. From September 29, front-line soldiers began to receive 1/3 pound of horse meat per person, and then only twice a week, but there was still enough bread, it was given out at 3 pounds per day. Shag disappeared from sale. Due to the hardships of trench life and the deterioration of nutrition, scurvy appeared, which on some days tore more people from the ranks than enemy shells and bullets. On October 17 (October 30), 1904, after a three-day artillery preparation, which certainly weakened the strength of the defense, General Nogi gave the order for a general attack. In the morning, the siege artillery opened heavy fire. By noon it had reached its maximum strength. Supported by artillery, the Japanese infantry launched an attack. The attacks ended in the complete defeat of the Japanese. Although on October 18 (October 31), 1904 it was absolutely clear that the next assault on the fortress had failed, nevertheless Nogi ordered to continue attacks against Fort No. II. The battle began at 5 o'clock in the afternoon and lasted intermittently until one in the morning and again without success for the Japanese.
In early November, Nogi's army was strengthened by a new (7th) infantry division. On November 13 (November 26), 1904, General Nogi launched the fourth - general - assault on Arthur. The blow was directed from two sides - to the Eastern Front, where it boiled down to a desperate, frenzied onslaught, and to Mount Vysokaya, where a nine-day general battle of the entire siege took place. In fruitless attacks on the defensive fortifications of the fortress, Japanese troops lost up to 10% of their manpower in the attacking divisions, but the main task of the assault, to break through the Russian front, remained unfulfilled. General Nogi, having assessed the situation, decided to stop attacks on the broad (Eastern) front and concentrate all forces to capture Mount Vysokaya, from which, as he learned, the entire Port Arthur harbor was visible. After fierce fighting that lasted ten days, on November 22 (December 5), 1904, Vysokaya was taken. In the battles for Vysokaya, the Japanese army lost up to 12 thousand soldiers and officers, about 18,000 on the entire front. The losses of Russian troops on Vysokaya reached 4,500 people, and on the entire front exceeded 6,000. The next day after capturing the mountain, the Japanese equipped it with observation post for adjusting artillery fire and opened fire from 11-inch howitzers at the ships of the Port Arthur squadron.
At this fateful moment 2 (15) General Kondratenko died. Japanese artillery began to hit the fort where the general was located, obviously knowing from someone about his stay in this fort.
On December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905), General Stoessel announced his intention to enter into negotiations on surrender, contrary to the opinion of the Military Council of the fortress. On December 23, 1904 (January 5, 1905), a capitulation was concluded, according to which the garrison of 23,000 people (counting the sick) surrendered as prisoners of war with all supplies of combat equipment. The officers could return to their homeland, giving their word of honor that they would not participate in hostilities. Dismissed from service in 1906, Stoessel appeared before a military tribunal the following year, which sentenced him to death for surrendering the port. The court found that during the entire period of defense, Stessel did not direct the actions of the garrison to defend the fortress, but, on the contrary, deliberately prepared it for surrender. The sentence was later replaced by a 10-year imprisonment, but already in May 1909 he was forgiven by the tsar.
The fall of the fortress decided the fate of the entire war. If Port Arthur had held out until the arrival of the 2nd Pacific Squadron, which was just coming to its aid, it would not have had to go to Vladivostok through the Tsushima Strait, and it would not have been defeated. By the beginning of 1905, the Japanese economy had already been undermined by the war, and if the fortress had held out for a few more months, the Japanese would have had to make peace on our terms.
Port Arthur was liberated from the Japanese by the Soviet Army on August 22, 1945 during Soviet-Japanese war. According to the Soviet-Chinese treaty, the Port Arthur area was transferred by China to the Soviet Union for a period of 30 years as a naval base.
On February 14, 1950, simultaneously with the conclusion of a treaty of friendship, alliance and mutual assistance between the USSR and the PRC, an agreement on Port Arthur was concluded, providing for the joint use of this base by the USSR and the PRC until the end of 1952. At the end of 1952, the government of the People's Republic of China, taking into account the aggravation of the situation in the Far East, turned to the Soviet government with a proposal to extend the stay of Soviet troops in Port Arthur. An agreement on this issue was formalized on September 15, 1952.
However, after the death of Stalin, the Soviet Union unexpectedly abandoned further lease: on October 12, 1954, the government of the USSR and the government of the People's Republic of China entered into an agreement that Soviet military units would be withdrawn from Port Arthur. The withdrawal of Soviet troops and the transfer of structures to the Chinese government was completed in May 1955.
warfiles.ru
The current state of the fortifications of Port Arthur
