The official AHF Japan at War quiz thread

[waldorf]

Very good and the next question is yours.

The man's name was Tsuda Sanzo.

[Kim Sung]

In the Kuril Islands, the battle between the Soviet Union and Japan started after the surrender of Japan. On the night of August 17, 1945, the Red Army started its operation on the Kuril Islands. On one of these islands, the last battle of WW2 was fought.

When the Red Army landed on that island with the support of bombers and artillery, the commander of Japanese division notified the Soviets that the war is already over and his unit doesn't want to fight anymore, suggesting a peaceful surrender.

But, the Soviets brutally rejected this Japanese offer and opened fire against their unwilling enemy. A group of Japanese soldiers sent for truce negotiation with a white flag in their hands were shot and killed by the Soviets. The fierce battle lasted for 4 days, resulting in bloody surrender of Japanese forces.

According to the Japanese record, Japanese casualties were 500, the Soviets 3000, while the Soviet record states 1000 Japanese and 1500 Soviet casualties. One certain fact is that the Soviets cost even higher casualties than their enemy.

What is the name of this Island where the last battle of WW2 was fought?

* The Soviet conquest of the Kuril Islands was completed on September 5, 1945. There were some petty fightings on other islands, but the battle for the above island was the biggest one.

* The southernmost advance point of the Red Army in WW2 was Seoul in which I'm editing my post now. They reached a northwestern part of Seoul in early September, but they went back northward soon. (This is an unknown fact)

[waldorf]

Sakhalin Island??

Chris

[Kim Sung]

The Soviet attack on the South Sakhalin(樺太) started on August 11, 1945. The 56th Sniper Corps consisting of the 79th Sniper Division, the 2nd Sniper Brigade, the 5th Sniper Brigade and the 214 Armored Brigade attacked the Japanese 88th Division.

Although the Red Army greatly outnumbered the Japanese three times, they couldn't advance due to strong Japanese resistance. It was not until the 113rd Sniper Brigade and the 365th Independent Marine Sniper Battalion from Sovietskaya Gaban(Советская Гавань) landed on 塔路, a seashore village of western Sakhalin on August 16 that the Soviets broke the Japanese defense line.

Japanese resistance grew weaker after this landing. Actual fightings continued until August 21 and these fightings were petty compared to that of the above island. From August 22 to 23, most of the remaining Japanese units announced truce.

The Soviets completed the conquest of Sakhalin on August 25, 1945 by occupying the capital of Sakhalin, 大泊(Ю́жно-Сахали́нск).

[waldorf]

In 1811, the crew of a Russian ship was imprisoned by Japan while surveying the Kurile Islands. What was the name of the vessel?

Chris

[Kim Sung]

Диана

Vasilli Mikhailovich Golovnin(Василий Михайлович Головнин), captain of the Russian naval vessel Diana, was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese while surveying the Kuril Islands(he is released in 1813). His account of his experiences, published in 1816, was translated into English in 1818 as Narrative of My Captivity in Japan. In 1821, he was appointed assistant director of the Naval College, and later General Quartermaster of the Fleet in 1823. Being a highly educated person and a talanted administrator, he successfully managed activities of the shipbuilding, clothing, and artillery departments. Golovnin teached a number of famous navigators like Fyodor Litke, Ferdinand Wrangel and others.

http://www.rustrana.ru/article.php?nid= ... 657&crypt=)

http://www.gov.ryazan.ru/Famous/Golovnin/golov.htm


Hint for my quiz : The island where the last battle of WW2 was fought is the northernmost one among the Kuril Islands.

[waldorf]

Sorry about the confusion Killchola, I thought my answer was correct and went ahead and asked my question out of turn. You of course are correct about Diana.

Chris

[waldorf]

Shumshu Island??

[Kim Sung]

Correct!!!!! I've waited for a long time to get a right answer. It's your turn, Chris!


占守島(しゅむしゅとう)は、千島列島の北東端を占める島。面積は230㎢で千島海峡に面している。1945年まで日本領であったが、同年8月15日の日本降伏に伴いソ連軍が日ソ中立条約を一方的に無視して突如侵攻し、これを占領した。後に日本はサンフランシスコ講和条約で同島の領有権を放棄したが、同条約の調印国ではないにもかかわらずその後もソ連が支配を続け、ソ連消滅後は引き続きロシア支配下にある。日本ではロシアからの返還を望む声が多数ある。


占守攻防戦

1945年8月15日、日本敗戦の報とともに米軍機による爆撃が停止されたが、即日国籍不明機（実際はソ連機）が先行爆撃を実施。同17日深夜、勧告等は一切無く陸上砲台・艦艇からの支援射撃を背景にソ連軍部隊が強襲上陸を開始した。そして21日の停戦までソ連軍と帝国陸軍第91師団との間で激烈な戦いが繰り広げられた（途中、日本側から停戦のための白旗を掲げた軍使隊が派遣されるがソ連軍はこれを射殺した）。この闘いにおけるソ連側死傷者数は日本側死傷者数を上回ったことが判明している（日本側資料では日本側死傷者500名以上、ソ連側死傷者約3,000名、ソ連側資料では日本側約1,000名、ソ連側死傷者約1,500名）。また生存した日本兵は武装解除の後シベリアへ送られ、抑留された。

日本軍の勝因

上陸できる砂浜が狭い竹田浜しかなく上陸地点が予想され狭い砂浜で効果的に攻撃された。
ソ連軍の戦車揚陸艦が撃沈され戦車を揚陸できなかった。
天候不良、航続距離の短さのためソ連軍の航空兵力による効果的な援護ができなかった。
ソ連軍は上陸作戦の経験がなく上陸前の艦砲射撃が１時間しか行われず陣地の破壊が充分はではなかった。
日本軍の兵士はノモンハン事件やガダルカナル島の生き残りが多く経験、士気が高かった。

[waldorf]

Here is an easy one.

What was the Mukden Incident?
When did it occur?
Within approx. 5 mos Japan took over the rest of the territory and renamed it what?

Chris

[Kim Sung]

The Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931), also called Manchurian Incident, occurred in northern Manchuria when a section of railroad, owned by Japan's South Manchuria Railway, near Mukden (盛京) (today's Shenyang) was blown up. Japan's military accused Chinese dissidents of the act, thus providing an excuse for the Japanese annexation of Manchuria. It has sometimes been compared with the burning of the Reichstag in Germany. In Chinese, this incident is referred to as the "9.18 Incident."

They occupied Manchuria and renamed it as 'Manchukuo(満州国)''.

[waldorf]

The next question is yours killchoa.

[Kim Sung]

When I visited Yasukuni shrine on January 1998, I got surprised to see a photo of a man who has a Caucasian look in an exhibition room. He was a half Japanese and half American. He's the only Caucasian-looking guy enshrined in Yasukuni. He was a pilot and his rank was captain.

His father was married to an American woman and was a high ranking diplomat who was sent to the United States as a special envoy to make a peace negotiation just before the outbreak of the Pacific War. He was born in Chicago where his father worked as a consul general. I saw the letter he sent to his mother in USA.

He bought several air battles against US fighter aircrafts. On February, 1945, he was severely wounded by enemy fire during a dogfight. Despite fatal wounds, he controled his aircraft and landed on the air base. Bleeding fatal amount of blood and stumblng, he walked to his boss and reported the combat result of his squadron. All his bosses and men on the air base gathered around him and saw him report to his boss. After completing the report, he fell down on the ground and died.

He was the most impressive and shocking man on my visit to Yasukuni, of whom I am often reminded. What is the name of this guy? And, on September 2004, a novel dealing with the story of his family was published in America. What is the title of this book?

[major grubert]

Would he by any chance happened to be Ryo Kurusu, the son of Saburo and Alice Kurusu?

[Kim Sung]

His name is Ryu Kurusu, not Ryo. My remaining question : What is the title of the novel based on the Kurusu family, published last year in America? It is based on actual events and people whose names have been changed.