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.
|