Battle of Nanshan
Encyclopedia
The was one of many vicious land battle
s of the Russo-Japanese War
. It took place on 25 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
.
, 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 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 the Tsar
. 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 about 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 gun
s, 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 "Chinese laborers" recruited by the Russians to work on the project in 1903.
With his flank thus secure, General Oku could then commence the main assault on the entrenched Russian forces on Nanshan Hill. The Japanese infantry
assault was assisted by a prolonged artillery barrage from Japanese gunboats offshore.
The Russians, with mines
, machine gun
s and barbed wire
obstacles, inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese during repeated assaults. By 1800 hours, after nine attempts, the Japanese had failed to overrun the firmly entrenched Russian positions. General Oku had committed all of their 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.
By 1920 hours, 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.
.
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 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.
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
s of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
. It took place on 25 May 1904 across a two-mile wide defense line across the narrowest part of the Liáodōng Peninsula, covering the approaches to Port Arthur
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
and on the 116-meter high Nanshan Hill, the present-day Jinzhou District, north of the city center of Dalian
Dalian
Dalian is a major city and seaport in the south of Liaoning province, Northeast China. It faces Shandong to the south, the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, Dalian is the southernmost city of Northeast China and China's...
, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Background
After the Japanese victory at the Yalu RiverBattle of Yalu River (1904)
The Battle of Yalu River, 30 April to 1 May 1904, was the first major land battle during the Russo-Japanese War...
, the Japanese Second Army
Japanese Second Army
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was raised and demobilized on four separate occasions.-History:The Japanese 2nd Army was initially raised during the First Sino-Japanese War from September 27, 1894 to May 14, 1895 under the command of General Ōyama Iwao.It was revived for the...
commanded by General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
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)
1st Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The ' was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the .-History:The 1st Infantry Division was formed in Tokyo in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Tokyo Garrison had responsibility for the eastern...
, Third Division (Nagoya)
3rd Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call sign was the .-History:The 3rd Infantry Division was formed in Nagoya in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. The Nagoya Garrison had responsibility for the central...
and Fourth Division (Osaka)
4th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call-sign was .-History:The 4th Infantry Division was formed in Osaka City in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army...
. Landing was completed by 5 May 1904.
The Japanese intention was to break through this Russian
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
defensive position, capture the port of Dalny, and lay siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
to Port Arthur.
Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Yevgeni Alekseyev had been recalled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for consultations with the Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
. He had left Major-General Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Anatoly Stoessel
Anatoly Stoessel
Anatoly Mikhaylovich Stessel , last name also romanized Stoessel was a Russian baron, military leader, and general responsible for the fall of Port Arthur to the Japanese on January 2, 1905.- Biography :...
in command of Russian ground forces in the Kwantung Peninsula, and Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Wilgelm Vitgeft
Wilgelm Vitgeft
Wilgelm Karlovich Vitgeft , sometimes written Wilhelm and Withöft was an admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy, noted for his service in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.-Biography:...
in control of the Russian fleet
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
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 about 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
Nikolai Tretyakov
Nikolai A. Tretyakov - 5 February 1917) was a military engineer and general in the Imperial Russian Army, noted for his heroic role in the Siege of Port Arthur during the Russian-Japanese War.-Biography:...
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
Alexander Fok
Alexander Viktorovich Fok ; September 6, 1843–1926 ) was a lieutenant general of the Imperial Russian Army during the Russo-Japanese War.-Biography:...
, 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
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
, machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, and had dug a network of trenches
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
and barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
. The Japanese were well aware of the fortifications, as a Colonel Doi of Japanese intelligence was one of the "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 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 0530 hours 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 Japanese infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
assault was assisted by a prolonged artillery barrage from Japanese gunboats offshore.
The Russians, with mines
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
, machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s and barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
obstacles, inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese during repeated assaults. By 1800 hours, after nine attempts, the Japanese had failed to overrun the firmly entrenched Russian positions. General Oku had committed all of their 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.
By 1920 hours, the Japanese flag
Rising Sun Flag
The is the military flag of Japan. It was used as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army and the ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy until the end of World War II...
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 4,855 casualties, they could claim victory. Among the 739 dead was the eldest son of General Maresuke NogiMaresuke Nogi
Count , also known as Kiten, Count Nogi, was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and a prominent figure in the Russo-Japanese War.- Early life :...
.
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 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
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, and only the foundation is left. A portion of a stone tablet with the poem is now displayed in the Lushun Prison, Dalian.