Battles of Khalkhin Gol
Khalkh River, on the border of eastern Mongolia and China
What happened
Soviet and Mongolian forces under Georgy Zhukov fought Japanese and Manchukuo forces, including the 23rd Division under Lieutenant General Michitarō Komatsubara. Japan and Manchukuo said the border with Mongolia followed the Khalkhin Gol river, while Mongolia and the Soviet Union said it lay about 16 km further east. Small clashes in May grew into months of fighting. In August Zhukov launched a large attack with tanks, artillery and aircraft and surrounded the Japanese forces.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The defeat turned Japan away from expanding north into Soviet lands and toward Southeast Asia and the Pacific. It also made Zhukov's name; he later used similar tactics at Stalingrad.
What came next
A ceasefire took effect on 16 September 1939. In April 1941 Japan and the Soviet Union signed a Neutrality Pact, which held until the Soviet Union declared war on Japan in August 1945.
Did you know?
The border was settled where the Soviets and Mongolians said it was, so in the end the line on the map did not change.
Timeline
- 11 May 1939Border clashes begin.
- 20 August 1939Zhukov launches the main Soviet attack.
- 16 September 1939The ceasefire takes effect.
- 13 April 1941Japan and the Soviet Union sign a Neutrality Pact.
- 8 August 1945The Soviet Union declares war on Japan.