KANTOKUEN Kantokuen

planned japanese penetrations on ussuri front, dates of addition in response soviet fortification

stung initial setback @ hands of war ministry, ija hardliners revenge, @ least in principle. during personal visit on july 5, 1941, major general shinichi tanaka, ags operations chief , co-leader (along matsuoka) of strike north faction in tokyo, managed persuade war minister hideki tojo support army general staff s opinions concerning rightness , viability of reinforcing manchuria. general tanaka , supporters pushed greater commitment army s june 1941 plan – total of 25 divisions in – under guise of establishing readiness stance of 16 divisions preferred war ministry. tanaka s plan involved 2 stages, build , readiness phase (no. 100 setup) followed offensive stance (nos. 101 , 102 setups), after kwantung army await order attack. entire process referred acronym of kantokuen, (kantogun tokubetsu enshu), or kwantung army special maneuvers. tojo s support kantokuen secured, hardliners completed circumvention of war ministry on july 7, when general hajime sugiyama visited imperial palace request hirohito s official sanction build up. after assurances general kwantung army not attack on own initiative after receiving reinforcements, emperor relented.

operationally speaking, kantokuen identical war plan of 1940, albeit abbreviated force structure (25 vs. 43 divisions) presumably banking on soviet inability reinforce far east in light of conflict germany. level of commitment, however, still enormous – far single greatest mobilization in history of japanese army. in order facilitate operation, tremendous quantity of both combat , logistical assets have dispatched manchuria on top of existing structure. in particular, capitalize on japanese advantage of interior lines relative soviets, railways in north , east have expanded accommodate increased burden offensive war carry. additionally, port facilities, military housing, , hospitals augmented. previous concepts drawn in aftermath of nomonhan incident, kantokuen begin massive initial blow on ussuri front against primorye, followed attack north against blagoveshchensk , kuibyshevka. under umbrella organization of first area army, japanese third , twentieth armies, supported 19th division of korea army, penetrate border south of lake khanka aim of overcoming main soviet defensive lines , threatening vladivostok. simultaneously, fifth army strike south of iman (present day dalnerechensk), completing isolation of maritime province, severing trans-siberian railway, , blocking reinforcements arriving north; these groupings comprise 20 divisions in all, equivalent in smaller units of several more. in northern manchuria, fourth army 4 divisions @ first hold amur river line before transitioning offensive against blagoveshchensk. meanwhile, 2 reinforced divisions of japanese troops outside kantokuen force structure commence operations against northern sakhalin both landward , seaward sides aim of wiping out defenders there in pincer movement. other second stage objectives included capture of khabarovsk, komsomolsk, skovorodino, sovetskaya gavan, , nikolayevsk, while amphibious operations against petropavlovsk-kamchatsky , other parts of kamchatka peninsula contemplated.

special maneuvers underway, 1941

to ensure success of this, critical phase of war, kantokuen called application of overwhelming forces: 1,200,000 men, 35,000 trucks, 500 tanks, 400,000 horses, , 300,000 laborers in 23 24 divisions offensive on eastern , northern fronts alone. have meant, however, western front facing mongolia , trans-baikal region defended 1 2 divisions plus equivalent in border guards units of few more. indeed, during initial phase of operations japanese sixth army allocated 23rd division , 8th border guards unit, veterans of fighting @ khalkhin gol 2 years before. minimize danger soviet counteroffensive in west while bulk of japanese army engaged in east, ija hoped delaying actions combined vast expanses of gobi desert , hailar plain serve strategic buffers preventing red army mounting serious challenge heart of manchuria before main body regrouped pivot west. final objective of japanese troops line running through skovorodino , western slopes of great khingan mountains, along defeat remaining soviet forces , transition defensive stance.

as in modern military operation, air power played crucial role in kantokuen plan. before outbreak of pacific war japanese intended dispatch 1,200 1,800 planes in 3 air divisions bolster existing 600 900 aircraft in manchuria, cooperate 350 navy planes launch sudden, annihilating attack on soviet far east air force both in air , on ground @ outset of hostilities. should have succeeded, japanese air units have focused efforts toward supporting ground forces on tactical level, cutting soviet lines of communication , supply (particularly in amur , trans-baikal regions) , blocking air reinforcements arriving europe.

on whole, japanese , axis forces involved in operations against ussr mongolia sakhalin have totalled approximately 1.5 million men, 40,000 trucks, 2,000 tanks, 2,100–3,100 aircraft, 450,000 horses, , vast quantity of artillery pieces.

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