Russo-Japanese War Timeline
(1904-1905)

 
A historical overview of the
Russo-Japanese War
 

This section will give a history of the Russo-Japanese war.  For ease of reference the table below allows you to study each conflict year by year.  At the end of this section the costs of the war in both men and equipment will be discussed. With few exceptions noted in parenthesis, all dates given below are according to the Julian Calendar that was used by Russia during this period. It was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by the rest of the world. Additionally, the dates below are also color coded depending on where the selected event took place. All dates in Dark Green took place around Port Arthur, naval actions will be highlighted in Dark Blue, all other dates are in Black.

Timeline of the Conflict
  

Russian Leaders
(1900-1913)

1884-1917 Nicholas Romanov II
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Russian Wars of the

Early Twentieth Century

 

 

Prelude to War

 

The Russo-Japanese war was a conflict between two empires - the rising Japanese Empire and the declining Russian Empire - and their plans for the future of Asia (Manchuria and Korea in particular).  Russian failure to withdraw from Manchuria and Russian penetration into northern Korea was countered by Japanese attempts to negotiate a division of the area into spheres of influence. The Russian government, however, was inflexible, and it was willing to risk an armed conflict in the belief that Japan was bound to be defeated and that a Russian victory would head off the growing threat of internal revolution in Russia.

 

   Timeline 1904-1905

 

1904
  24 January
(6 February)
Japanese break off diplomatic relations with Russia after negotiations prove futile.
25 January
(7 February)
Japanese naval forces under command of Admiral Togo attack Port Arthur and bottle up Russian fleet.
15 March General Kuropatkin arrives in Manchuria to oversee the buildup of Russian forces.
29 March Japanese Guards division lands at Pyongyang.
17 April General Kuroki attacks Russian forces and drives them from three islands in the Yalu river.
18 April Three Japanese divisions attack across the Yalu river.  The battle results in 5000 Russian casualties and 2000 Japanese casualties.
Late April Russian reinforcements begin to arrive from Priamur and Transbaikal military districts.
2-7 May General Oku of the Japanese 2nd Army moves west to cut the Russian rail line between Port Arthur and Liaoyang.
12 May General Oku attacks Russian outposts in town of Chinchou.  The town falls to the Japanese after a stubborn defense.
13 May General Oku launches several probing attacks against the reinforced Russian 5th East Siberian Rifle division.  The Russians respond with accurate and deadly fire.  Initially the Russian line holds, but disorder at the command level causes Russians to fall back in last stages of battle.
14 May Japanese 2nd Army resumes advance and occupies Dal'nii without opposition.  General Oku's 1st Division at Dal'nii is reassigned to General Nogi's 3rd army for the attack on Port Arthur.
Mid May Nanshan falls to the Japanese.  A six week lull in the fighting around Port Arthur ensues.  Both sides begin preparations for the battle ahead.
Late May Japanese reinforcements arrive by sea.
27 May Under pressure from St. Petersburg, General Kuropatkin begin to move south from Mukden to counter Japanese advances and preserve the Liaoyang railroad.
1-2 June Battle of Telissu
Poor coordination by Russian forces lead to their defeat by Japanese 2nd army.
Mid June Japanese 1st army under General Kuroki manage to seize Motien Pass with little opposition.
More Japanese reinforcements arrive by sea.
4 July Russian forces attempt to push Kuroki's 1st Army from Motien Pass, but suffer heavy casualties to Japanese artillery.  Russians suffer 1,000 casualties before withdrawing across the Lan-ho.
9 July General Oyama (the appointed commander-in-chief of all operations in Manchuria) arrives at General Oku's headquarters to coordinate all Japanese movements.
11 July At General Oyama's order the Japanese 2nd army strikes at the I and IV Siberian Corps.  After a day-long battle the Russians fall back to Haicheng.
13 - 15 July The Battle of the Passes
General Nogi attacks the first Russian defensive line in the Green Hills.  Russians are easily forced out of their positions.
17 July General Nogi then attacks a second defensive line in the Wolf Hills.  Russians retreat after a three hour battle.
25 -26 July Seige of Port Arthur begins with attacks on Big Orphan Hill (Takushan) and Little Orphan Hill (Hsiaokushan).  Both hills fall after a massive battle that saw 12 Japanese battalions thrown at the three Russian battalions that attempted to hold the hills.
26 July Tsar Nicholas orders the fleet to sea in an attempt to join the Pacific Squadron at Vladivostok.
28 July Russian Admiral V. K. Vitgeft takes fleet to sea but is killed by a 12 inch shell.  The fleet returns to port Arthur.
3 August Japanese send a formal surrender ultimatum to the Russian garrison at Port Arthur.  The Russians refuse.
6 August General Nogi launches attack against Port Arthur, concentrating on an area running between Fort #2 and Fort #3.  Russians manage to hold their line
7 August Japanese attack defenses on Crooked Hill.  Russians suffer terrible losses and withdraw from the hill.  The Panlunshan redoubt also falls to the Japanese.
7 August General Kuropatkin withdraws to Liaoyang to plan further operations against the Japanese.
9 August Japanese launch a surprise attack on the Kuropatkin Lunette.  Russians manage to hold the line, but are forced to use sailors to reinforce infantry in the area due to lack of reserves.
10 August Russian forces begin moving to forward defensive positions around Liaoyang.
10-11 August Battleship Sevastopol shells Japanese forces in the Takushan Valley.  General Nogi launches another attack on Large Eagle Nest and Fort #2.  The Russians manage to drive off the Japanese attack.
12 August General Oyama launches attack against Russian forward positions around Liaoyang.  Russians repel the attack, but fall back that evening.  Heavy rain lasting until 14 August covers his withdrawal.
15 August Russians occupy secondary defensive positions, but keep between half and 2/3 of their forces in reserve.
17 August General Oyama begins another attack on Russian line around Liaoyang.  By the end of the day the Russians manage to hold the entire line.
17-18 August General Kuroki acting on misinformation begins to attempt to envelop Kuropatkin's force.  In doing so he leaves a huge gap in the Japanese line.  When Russians learn of this they fall back to further defensive positions rather than exploit the gap.
19-20 August Kuroki's forces occupy they Manju-Yama, holding key ground in the region and confusing Russian movements.
20 August Russian force withdraws from the Yentai Mines.
21 August Russian forces launch an attack against the Japanese at 0230.  After only 30 minutes of fighting and reports of resistance General Shtakel'berg begins a retreat.  General Kuropatkin orders a full retreat three hours later.  Total losses for the Liaoyang campaign were 23,000 Japanese and 16,000 Russian.  Russian morale also begins to fall.
24 August Kuropatkin's force reaches Mukden.
Early September Russian I and VI Siberian Corps arrive at Mukde bringing total Russian strength to 195,000 troops.
6-7 September Japanese launch another attack that results in the taking of the Waterworks redoubt and Temple redoubt.  Japanese also launch an attack on Long Hill and 203 Meter Hill.  Long Hill falls to the Japanese that night.
6-9 September A renewed attack on 203 Meter Hill begins.  Japanese fail to take the hill despite heavy fighting
22-27 September Russian forces under General Kuropatkin attack on a 65 kilometer front.  The battle of the Sha-ho river begins.
27 September - 4 October Japanese begin a massive counterattack that drives the Russian force back to their starting positions.  Total casualties for the Russians are 41,351 and 20,000 for the Japanese.
13 October Japanese begin a four day bombardment of Port Arthur defenses.
17 October The Japanese begin a fierce assault on Forts #2 and #3.  They are repulsed in close combat by the Russian counter attack.
November Japanese and Russians continue mining and counter mining activities around the Port Arthur defensive perimeter.  The Russian garrison beings to run short of supplies.
13 November At 0800 the Japanese begin attack on eastern sector of Port Arthur defenses.  Many mines are detonated near Russian strongpoints.  Russians manage to repulse the attack after heavy fighting.
14-21 November General Nogi shifts the attack to 203 Meter Hill.  The Russian defenders desperately fight the fierce Japanese attacks.
22 November 203 Meter Hill falls to the Japanese.  The battle would cost the Russians over 5500 casualties, while the Japanese would suffer 10,000 causalties.
20 December
(2 January)
Russian General Stessel raises the white flag, signaling his intent to surrender to General Nogi.
22 December The Seige of Port Arthur ends.
Russian garrison at Port Arthur surrenders to the Japanese.  The battle had cost the Japanese 58,000 casualties and 30,000 sick due to illness.
23 December Russian General Mishchenko is ordered to conduct a raid with 7,500 cavalrymen and destroy Japanese supplies at port of Inkou.
27 December Mishchenko's raiding force sets out for Inkou.  He takes pains to avoid Japanese positions.
30 December Raiding force reaches Takuzhen and waits to launch their raid on Inkou that night.  In an unrelated development a trainload of Japanese soldiers arrives at the station.  The raid only destroys two trains, takes 19 prisoners, and disrupts Japanese communications for six hours.
1905
  3 January Kuropatkin (now commanding three Russian field armies) orders an attack on General Oyama's force before the reinforcements from Port Arthur join it.
11-15 January Battle of Sandepu
Russian attack is half hearted and disorganized.  Freezing weather and conflicts in high command eventually cause Kuropatkin to call off the attack.  Russian losses number 12,000 while Japanese losses only 9,000.
  
Feb-March General Oyama defeats Kuropatkin's Russian forces at Mukden (Shenyang).
3 March General Kuropatkin is removed from command of Russian forces in Manchuria, but manages to retain a lesser post.
13 March Russian forces withdraw to a strong defensive position at Hsipingkai and begin to rebuild their army.
(27 May) Russian fleet under Admiral Rozhdestvenski at Tsushima is destroyed by Admiral Togo's fleet.  Russians lose 12 battleships, 7 cruisers, and 6 destroyers.
(5 September) Through the mediation of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt the Treaty of Portsmouth (New Hampshire) is signed ending the war.  Russia was forced to cede Port Arthur to Japan, but Japan was not provided with a war indemnity.

 

Aftermath of the War

The disastrous outcome of the war for Russia was one of the immediate causes of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Japan gained the position of a world power, becoming the first modern imperialist state in East Asia.

 

Cost of the Russo-Japanese War

At this point I only have the very incomplete statistics for Russian losses during the Russo-Turkish  war.  This will improve with time, but for now I have listed only the statistics that I have.  Those that I do not know at this time are marked as uncertain at present.  Suffice it to say that the Russians suffered over 100,000 casualties of one type or another. 

Number of Russian military personnel who served in the Conflict: Uncertain at Present
 

Force Breakdown

Russian Army: Uncertain at Present
Russian Navy: Uncertain at Present

Total Killed and Wounded

Killed in Action: 40,000
Died of Illness: 13,000
Missing in Action: Uncertain at Present
Wounded: 140,000

Equipment Losses

Artillery Pieces and Mortars

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Warships

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