The Invasion of the Kuril Islands (russian: Курильская десантная операция, lit=Kuril Islands Landing Operation) was the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Soviet military operation to capture the

Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese language, Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakh ...

from

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

in 1945. The invasion, part of the Soviet–Japanese War, was decided on when plans to land on

Hokkaido is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

were abandoned. The successful military operations of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

at Mudanjiang and during the Invasion of South Sakhalin created the necessary prerequisites for invasion of the Kuril Islands.

Order of battle

;

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

* 2nd Far Eastern Front **

87th Rifle Corps The 87th Rifle Corps () was a rifle corps of the Red Army during World War II and the Soviet Army in the early years of the Cold War. World War II On 10 July 1945 it comprised 231st and 300th Rifle Divisions as part of 1st Red Banner Army, ...

***

355th Rifle Division The 355th Rifle Division () was a standard Red Army rifle division of World War II, formed twice. The division's first formation began forming in August 1941 in the Kirov Oblast. During the winter counteroffensive in the Moscow region it was com ...

***113th Separate Rifle Brigade ** 56th Rifle Corps ***2nd Rifle Brigade **Kamchatka Defense Area *** 101st Rifle Division ***Separate Rifle Regiment ***128th Composite Air Division (78 aircraft) * Soviet Pacific Fleet (operating from Paul naval base) **60 ships and vessels including transports **2nd Independent Naval Aviation Bomber Regiment **Coastal Artillery battery **365th Marine Battalion *60th Border Guards Detachment ; Imperial Japan * 5th IJA Area Army ** IJA 27th Army *** 91st Infantry Division ****73rd Infantry Brigade ****74th Infantry Brigade ****11th Tank Regiment *** 89th Infantry Division ***31st Air Defence Regiment (Shumshu) ***41st Mixed Regiment ***129th Infantry Brigade

Battle

The operation took place between 18 August and 1 September. The attack was made by the

(Guards Lieutenant General A. S. Ksenofontov) of the 16th Army (Lieutenant General L. G. Cheremisov) from the 2nd Far Eastern Front, and elements of the Kamchatka Defense Area (

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Alexey Gnechko commanding). Ships and transportation were drawn from the Petropavlovsk military base ( Captain Dmitry Grigorievich Ponomarev). The 128th Aviation Division also provided support. The islands were occupied by the Japanese 91st Infantry Division ( Shiashkotan, Paramushir, Shumshu, and Onekotan), 42nd Division ( Shimushiro), 41st Independent Regiment (

Matua Island Matua (russian: Матуа, ja, 松輪島, Matsuwa-tō) is an uninhabited volcanic island near the center of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean, across Golovnin Strait from Raikoke. Its name is derived ...

), 129th Independent Brigade ( Urup Island), and 89th Infantry Division ( Iturup and Kunashiri). The Japanese commander was

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

Tsutsumi Fusaki. Initial reconnaissance was undertaken on 18 August by a detachment of the 113th Separate Rifle Brigade (Captain-Lieutenant G. I. Brunshtein), carried by two mine trawlers (ТЩ-589 and ТЩ-590) to Rubetzu Bay on Iturup island. The landings on Iturup were continued by the

, which also landed on the smaller island of Urup. On 23 August, the 20,000-strong Japanese garrisons on the islands were ordered to surrender as part of the general

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Na ...

. However, some of the garrison forces ignored this order and continued to resist Soviet occupation. From 22 to 28 August, troops of the Kamchatka Defense Area occupied the Kuril Islands from Urup north. On 1 September, elements of the 87th Rifle Corps were landed by torpedo boats, mine trawlers and transports (departing from Otomari) on Kunashir and Shikotan in the southern Kuril Islands. This was an assault landing against Japanese resistance. On 4 September, 87th Rifle Corps occupied five smaller islands (Sibotzu, Taraku-Shima, Uri-Shima, Akiuri, and Suiseto). After 4 September, Soviet forces occupied the rest of the Kuril Islands without further resistance. The islands remained part of Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but their true legal status remains in question as part of the Kuril Islands dispute between Russia, Japan, and other parties.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuril Islands

Military operations involving the Soviet Union Japan–Soviet Union relations Kuril Islands 1945 in Japan 1945 in the Soviet Union Conflicts in 1945

Amphibious operations of World War II August 1945 events in Asia September 1945 events in Asia Military operations involving Japan

Order of battle

Battle

See also

References