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DTIC ADA143942: August Storm: Soviet Tactical and Operational Combat in Manchuria, 1945 (Leavenworth Papers, Number 8)

The 1945 Soviet campaign in Manchuria ended less than two weeks after it had begun. It took the Soviet Army about seven days to crush the Japanese Kwantung Army and end Japanese domination of northeastern Asia. The Soviets executed their self-styled strategic 'Cannae' by launching three separate fronts along converging axes into central Manchuria. Shortly after midnight on 9 August, more than 1.5 million men commenced the attack. By attacking in the dark, on a broad front, along multiple attack axes, often across terrain the Japanese considered impassable, and, in many sectors, through drenching August rains, Soviet forces exerted maximum pressure on the surprised Japanese defenders. By organizing their forces to achieve a rapid advance in all types of terrain and by leading the advance wherever possible with armored forward detachments, the Soviets generated the speed necessary to overcome initial Japanese defenses and to preempt subsequent Japanese defensive efforts. Eight case studies of the Soviets' strategic success examine the following topics: Army Penetration Operations; Division Advance in Heavily Wooded Mountains; Army Operations in Swampy Lowlands; Set Piece Battle; Redu

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