Battle of Lake Khasan
Lake Khasan, Primorsky Krai, Russia, near the borders of China and North Korea
What happened
Soviet forces under Marshal Vasily Blyukher fought Japanese forces under Lieutenant General Kamezō Suetaka. Japan and the Soviet Union disagreed about where the border ran near Lake Khasan, where Russia, Manchuria (then under Japanese control) and Korea meet. In late July 1938, Japanese troops took Zaozernaya Hill, which the Soviets had fortified. In August the Soviets counter-attacked with tanks, aircraft and infantry and pushed the Japanese back.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Japan asked for peace and withdrew from the disputed area. It was the first of two border wars between Japan and the Soviet Union before the Second World War.
What came next
Fighting stopped on 11 August 1938, and the border was set along the Tumen River. A year later the two countries fought again, on a larger scale, at Khalkhin Gol.
Did you know?
A Japanese officer reported that the Soviets fired more shells in one day than the Japanese fired in the whole two-week battle.
Timeline
- 15 July 1938Japan protests Soviet border positions.
- 29 July 1938Fighting begins.
- 11 August 1938The fighting ends.
- 1939Japan and the Soviet Union fight at Khalkhin Gol.