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The Battle of Nanshan (南山の戦い Nanzan no tatakai) was one of many vicious land battles of the Russo-Japanese War. It took place on 24–26 May 1904 across a two-mile-wide defense line across the narrowest part of the Liáodōng Peninsula, covering the approaches to Port Arthur and on the 116-meter high Nanshan Hill, the present-day Jinzhou District, north of the city center of Dalian, Liaoning, China.

Woodblock tripich (ukiyoe nishiki-e) of Battle of Nanshan, Russo-Japanse War. Labeled: In the Battle of Nanshan Our Troops Took Advantage of a Violent Thunderstorm and Charged the Enemy Fortress by Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1904
Woodblock tripich (ukiyoe nishiki-e) of Battle of Nanshan, Russo-Japanse War. Labeled: In the Battle of Nanshan Our Troops Took Advantage of a Violent Thunderstorm and Charged the Enemy Fortress by Kobayashi Kiyochika, 1904
( Click image to enlarge)

 

Background

After the Japanese victory at the Yalu River, the Japanese Second Army commanded by General Yasukata Oku landed on the Liaotung peninsula, only some 60 miles from Port Arthur. The Second Army was 38,500 strong and consisted of three divisions: the First Division (Tokyo), Third Division (Nagoya) and Fourth Division (Osaka). Landing was completed by 5 May 1904.

The Japanese intention was to break through this RussianRussian EmpireRussian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. The rise of the Russian Empire coincided with the decline of neighbouring rival powers: the Swedish Empire, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Qajar Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and Qing China. Russia remains the third-largest empire in history, surpassed only by the British Empire and the Mongol Empire.Russian defensive position, capture the port of Dalny, and lay siege to Port Arthur.

Russian Viceroy Yevgeni Alekseyev had been recalled to Moscow for consultations with Tsar Nicholas II. He had left Major-General Baron Anatoly Stoessel in command of Russian ground forces in the Kwantung Peninsula, and Admiral Wilgelm Vitgeft in control of the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. Since no direct orders had been left, the indecisive and incompetent Admiral Vitgeft allowed the Japanese landing to proceed unopposed.

General Stoessel had approximately 17,000 men and the 4th, 5th, 13th, 14th and 15th East Siberian Rifles, from which about 3,000 men of the 5th East Siberian Rifles under Colonel Nikolai Tretyakov were dug into fortified positions on Nanshan hill, where they planned to hold out despite knowing they would be greatly outnumbered. The reserve divisions were under command of Lieutenant-General Alexander Fok, a former police officer who had risen to his position through political patronage rather than experience or ability. The Russian forces had 114 pieces of field artillery, machine guns, and had dug a network of trenches and barbed wire. The Japanese were well aware of the fortifications, as a Colonel Doi of Japanese intelligence was one of the thousands of "Chinese laborers" recruited by the Russians to work on the project in 1903.

The Battle

On 24 May 1904, during a heavy thunderstorm, the Japanese Fourth Division under the command of Lieutenant General Ogawa Mataji attacked the walled town of Chinchou (modern-day Jinzhou District 金州), just north of Nanzan hill. Despite being defended by no more than 400 men with antiquated artillery, the Fourth Division failed on two attempts to breach its gates. Two battalions from the First Division attacked independently at 05:30 on 25 May 1904, finally breaching the defenses and taking the town.

With his flank thus secure, General Oku could then commence the main assault on the entrenched Russian forces on Nanshan Hill. The assault was postponed a day due to the weather. On 26 May 1904, Oku began with prolonged artillery barrage from Japanese gunboats offshore, followed by infantry assaults by all three of his divisions. The Russians, with mines, Maxim machine guns and barbed wire obstacles, inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese during repeated assaults. By 18:00, after nine attempts, the Japanese had failed to overrun the firmly entrenched Russian positions. Oku had committed all of his reserves, and both sides had used up most of their artillery ammunition.

Finding his calls for reinforcement unanswered, Colonel Tretyakov was amazed to find that the uncommitted reserve regiments were in full retreat and that his remaining ammunition reserves had been blown up under orders of General Fok. Fok, paranoid of a possible Japanese landing between his position and the safety of Port Arthur, was panicked by a flanking attack by the decimated Japanese Fourth Division along the west coast. In his rush to flee the battle, Fok had neglected to tell Tretyakov of the order to retreat, and Tretyakov thus found himself in the precarious position of being encircled, with no ammunition and no reserve force available for a counter-attack. Tretyakov had no choice but to order his troops to fall back to the second defensive line. By 19:20, the Japanese flag flew from the summit of Nanshan Hill. Tretyakov, who had fought well and who had lost only 400 men during the battle, lost 650 more men in his unsupported retreat back to the main defensive lines around Port Arthur.

Results

The Russians lost a total of about 1,400 killed, wounded and missing during the battle. Although the Japanese did not win lightly, having at least 6,198 casualties, they could claim victory. Among the 739 dead was the eldest son of General Nogi Maresuke. The Japanese had fired 34,000 artillery shells during the battle – more than had been expended during the entire First Sino-Japanese War.

Due to lack of ammunition, the Japanese could not move from Nanshan until 30 May 1904. To their amazement, they found that the Russians had made no effort to hold the strategically valuable and easily defendable port of Dalny, but had retreated all the way back to Port Arthur. Although the town had been looted by the local civilians, the harbor equipment, warehouses and railway yards were all left intact.

After JapanJapanThe Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent formation of modern Japan. Economic and political turmoil in the 1920s led to the rise of militarism, nationalism and totalitarianism eventually culminating in Japan's membership in the Axis alliance. Japan occupied Dalny, a memorial tower was erected on top of Nanshan Hill with a poem by General Oku. The tower was demolished after the Pacific War, and only the foundation is left. A portion of a stone tablet with the poem is now displayed in the Lushun Prison, Dalian.

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  • Outline of the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
    Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) | Stories Preschool
    HISTORIC BATTLES

    Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)

    The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea. View Historic Battle »

    Historical background: In 1853 Commodore Perry of the US Navy arrived in Japan and brought an end to Japan's policy of self-isolation by forcing the Tokugawa shogunate to sign the Convention of Kanagawa the following year.

    Pre-war negotiations: The Japanese statesman Itō Hirobumi started to negotiate with the Russians. He regarded Japan as too weak to evict the Russian militarily, so he proposed giving Russia control over Manchuria in exchange for Japanese control of northern Korea.

    Declaration of war: Japan issued a declaration of war on 8 February 1904. However, three hours before Japan's declaration of war was received by the Russian government, the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the Russian Far East Fleet at Port Arthur.

    Campaign of 1904: The Japanese fleet under Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō opened the war with a surprise torpedo boat destroyer attack on the Russian ships at Port Arthur.

    Campaign of 1905: With the fall of Port Arthur, the Japanese 3rd Army could continue northward to reinforce positions south of Russian-held Mukden.

    Peace and aftermath: Throughout 1905, the Imperial Russian government was rocked by revolution. The population was against escalation of the war.

    Effects of the War: Japan had become the rising Asian power and had proven that its military could combat the major powers in Europe with success. Most Western powers were stunned that the Japanese not only prevailed but decisively defeated Russia.

  • List of Russo-Japanese War Battles
    Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) | Stories Preschool
    HISTORIC BATTLES

    Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)

    The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea. View Historic Battle »

    Battle of Port Arthur

    1904 Battle of Port Arthur

    Battle of Port Arthur

    It began with a surprise night attack by a squadron of Japanese destroyers on the Russian fleet anchored at Port Arthur, Manchuria, and continued with an engagement of major surface combatants the following morning. View Battle of Port Arthur »

    Battle of Chemulpo Bay

    1904 Battle of Chemulpo Bay

    Battle of Chemulpo Bay

    The opening stage of the Russo-Japanese War began with a pre-emptive strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the Russian Pacific Fleet spread among Port Arthur, Vladivostok, and Chemulpo Bay. View Battle of Chemulpo Bay »

    1904 Battle of Yalu River

    1904 Battle of Yalu River

    1904 Battle of Yalu River

    and was the first major land battle during the Russo-Japanese War. It was fought near Wiju (modern village of Uiju, North Korea) on the lower reaches of the Yalu River, on the border between Korea and China. View Battle of Yalu River »

    1904 Battle of Nanshan

    1904 Battle of Nanshan

    1904 Battle of Nanshan

    The Battle of Nanshan was one of many vicious land battles of the Russo-Japanese War. It took place on 24–26 May 1904 across a two-mile-wide defense line across the narrowest part of the Liáodōng Peninsula, covering the approaches to Port Arthur. View Battle of Nanshan »

    1904 Battle of Te-li-Ssu

    1904 Battle of Te-li-Ssu

    1904 Battle of Te-li-Ssu

    It was fought on 14–15 June 1904 between the Japanese Second Army under General Oku Yasukata and the Russian First Siberian Army Corps under Lieutenant General Georgii Stackelberg. View Battle of Te-li-Ssu »

    1904 Battle of Motien Pass

    1904 Battle of Motien Pass

    1904 Battle of Motien Pass

    A minor land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought between the Imperial Japanese Army under General Kuroki Tamemoto and the Imperial Russian Army under General Count Fedor Keller over control of a strategic mountain pass on the main road. View Battle of Motien Pass »

    1904 Battle of Tashihchiao

    1904 Battle of Tashihchiao

    1904 Battle of Tashihchiao

    The town of Tashihchiao was of strategic importance in the war, as it was a railroad junction between the main line. Control of both was essential for further advances by Japanese forces towards Liaoyang and Mukden. View Battle of Tashihchiao »

    1904 Battle of Hsimucheng

    1904 Battle of Hsimucheng

    1904 Battle of Hsimucheng

    It was fought on 31 July 1904 near Hsimucheng, a hamlet about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of the strategic junction town of Haicheng, on the main road connecting Haicheng with the coast between elements of the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Russian Army. View Battle of Hsimucheng »

    1904 Battle of the Yellow Sea

    1904 Battle of the Yellow Sea

    1904 Battle of the Yellow Sea

    It was a major naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Port Arthur to break out and form up with counterparts from Vladivostok, forcing them to return to port. View Battle of the Yellow Sea »

    1904 Battle off Ulsan

    1904 Battle off Ulsan

    1904 Battle off Ulsan

    Also known as the Battle of the Japanese Sea or Battle of the Korean Strait, took place on 14 August 1904 between cruiser squadrons of the Imperial Russian Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War, four days after the Battle of the Yellow Sea. View Battle off Ulsan »

    1904–1905 Siege of Port Arthur

    1904–1905 Siege of Port Arthur

    1904–1905 Siege of Port Arthur

    Port Arthur was widely regarded as one of the most strongly fortified positions in the world at the time. The ease of his victory during that previous conflict, and overconfidence by the Japanese General Staff in Japan's ability to overcome improved fortifications made by the Russians, led to a much longer campaign, with much heavier losses than expected. View Siege of Port Arthur »

    1904 Battle of Liaoyang

    1904 Battle of Liaoyang

    1904 Battle of Liaoyang

    The city was of great strategic importance as the major Russian military center for southern Manchuria, and a major population center on the main line on the South Manchurian Railway connecting Port Arthur with Mukden. The city was fortified by the Imperial Russian Army with three lines of fortifications. View Battle of Liaoyang »

    1904 Battle of Shaho

    1904 Battle of Shaho

    1904 Battle of Shaho

    The second large-scale land battle of the Russo-Japanese War fought along a 37-mile (60 km) front centered at the Shaho River along the Mukden–Port Arthur spur of the China Far East Railway north of Liaoyang, Manchuria. View Battle of Shaho »

    1905 Battle of Sandepu

    1905 Battle of Sandepu

    1905 Battle of Sandepu

    Was a major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. It was fought within a group of villages about 36 miles (58 km) southwest of Mukden, Manchuria. View Battle of Sandepu »

    1905 Battle of Mukden

    1905 Battle of Mukden

    1905 Battle of Mukden

    The largest land battles to be fought before World War I and the last and the most decisive major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. Involving 610,000 combat participants and 164,000 combatant casualties, it was the largest modern-era battle fought prior to World War I. View Battle of Mukden »

    1905 Battle of Tsushima

    1905 Battle of Tsushima

    1905 Battle of Tsushima

    Was a major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War. It was naval history's only decisive sea battle fought by modern steel battleship fleets, and the first naval battle in which wireless telegraphy (radio) played a critically important role. View Battle of Tsushima »

HISTORY

 

Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) | Stories Preschool

Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)

The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea.


Belligerents of Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)

Empire of Japan Russian Empire
Empire of Japan Russian Empire
Date: 8 February 1904 - 5 September 1905 (1 year, 6 months and 4 weeks)
Location: Manchuria, Yellow Sea, Korean Peninsula
Result: Japanese victory; Treaty of Portsmouth
Strength Empire of Japan Strength Russian Empire
1,200,000
(total)
1,365,000
(total)

Getsuzō's woodblock print of The Battle of Liaoyang, 1904 | Stories Preschool
Getsuzō's woodblock print of The Battle of Liaoyang, 1904
( Click image to enlarge)

Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) | Stories Preschool Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) | Stories Preschool
Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) | Stories Preschool

 

List of Battles


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RESOURCES
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Russo-Japanese War" and "Battle of Nanshan", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

 



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