2nd Far Eastern Front

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2nd Far Eastern Front
Active August 5, 1945 - 1 October 1945
Country Soviet Union
Branch Soviet Army
Type Army Group Command
Size Several Armies
Engagements World War II
Battle of Manchuria
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Maksim Purkayev

The 2nd Far Eastern Front (Russian: 2-й Дальневосточный фронт) was a Front — a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group — of the Soviet Army. It was formed just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, and was active from August 5, 1945 until 1 October, 1945.[1]

[edit] History

Main article: Battle of Manchuria

Promptly following its creation, the 2nd Far East Front was engaged the Japanese 1st front, 5th front and 4th separate army in Manchuria, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. In Manchuria, soldiers of the front swiftly crossed the Amur and Ussuri rivers, destroying all Japanese resistance. On August 20, the front's 15th Army took Harbin. Later, the 2nd Red Banner Army entered the Kalochzhan and Lyunchzhen regions, the 15th Army entered the Sansin region, and the 5th Rifle Corps entered the Boli region. The Japanese armies failed to render significant resistance in these regions, and by August 20, they began to surrender into Soviet captivity.[1]

On August 11, elements of the 16th Army began an offensive in Southern Sakhalin and by August 18 they had captured most of the island. From August 19-25 the front conducted amphibious assault operations near port Kholmsk, and combined amphibious and airborne assault operations near port Korsakov. By August 25, Soviet forces captured the administrative centre of Sakhalin, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. By early September, the Japanese forces ended their resistance, but due to slow advances on Sakhalin, the planned Soviet operation on the Japanese island of Hokkaidō was never carried out.[1]

Meanwhile, an operational group composed of the 101st Rifle Division captured the Kurile Islands.

[edit] Structure

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c 2-й Дальневосточный фронт. Russian ministry of defense. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.