The fortress of Port Arthur was located on the extreme southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula. This area was leased by Russia from China in 1898, after which the construction of the much-needed Russian non-freezing military port in pacific ocean. (Vladivostok froze in winter.)
Japanese advance towards Port Arthur in the first months of the war
On the very first day Russo-Japanese War The Japanese attacked the Port Arthur squadron without warning, causing heavy damage to it. On April 21-22, 1904, the 2nd japanese army General Oka, who moved to Port Arthur to attack him from the land. On May 13, Oku, having lost about 5 thousand soldiers, took the strategically important Jinzhou heights in the center of the peninsula. Russian commander in chief Kuropatkin tried to prevent the siege of Port Arthur by skirmishes at Vafangou and Dashichao, but did not achieve success. In the face of the inevitable encirclement of the fortress, the Port Arthur squadron tried to break through from it to Vladivostok. However, the Japanese squadron of Admiral Togo blocked her path and, after the battle in the Yellow Sea on July 28, forced her to return.
After the capture of Jinzhou, the Japanese ground army accumulated strength and for a long time did not disturb the Russians, who had taken up positions on the Green Mountains (20 km from Port Arthur). The delay in the Japanese advance was due in part to the fact that the Russian Vladivostok cruiser detachment sank a large Japanese transport that was carrying 11-inch guns to the army destined for the siege. Finally, having received reinforcements, the 3rd Japanese Foot Army on July 13, 1904 launched a powerful assault on the Green Mountains. Russian troops were driven back from their positions and on July 17 retreated to the area of the fortress. From that day on, the defense of Port Arthur began.
Russo-Japanese War. Port Arthur. video film
The beginning of the siege of Port Arthur and its first assault
Port Arthur was not only a naval port, but also a powerful land fortress. She had 3 lines of defense, even with concrete structures. The city was surrounded by a line of forts, as well as a network of redoubts, defensive ditches, and batteries. This system of structures was based on the mountainous terrain favorable for defense. But not all the fortifications were completed. The garrison of the fortress at the beginning of the defense totaled approximately 50 thousand. The defense of Port Arthur was headed by the head of the Kwantung Fortified Region, General Stessel.
On August 6, the first assault on the fortress began. It was fought mainly at night, but searchlights and rockets, used for the first time to repel a night assault, helped the Russian defenders to destroy the attackers. After five days of fierce attacks, the Japanese broke through deep into the Russian defenses on the night of August 11, but were driven back by a decisive counterattack. During the first assault, the ships of the Russian Pacific squadron took to the sea for the last time. From the port, accompanied by two destroyers, the battleship Sevastopol, led by Captain 1st Rank Nikolai Essen, left the port. He supported the besieged by fire from the Gulf. However, on the way back, Russian ships ran into mines, and both destroyers sank from the explosions. The first assault ended in failure for the Japanese. They lost about 15 thousand soldiers in it. Russian losses amounted to 6 thousand.
Second assault on Port Arthur
Unable to take Port Arthur on the move, Nogi began a systematic siege. Only a month later, on September 6, 1904, having received reinforcements and carried out serious engineering and sapper work, the Japanese troops launched a second assault on the fortress. In three days of fighting, they managed to capture two redoubts (Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky) on the Eastern “front”, as well as capture Mount Long on the Northern “front”. But the attempts of the Japanese to capture the key object of defense - the High mountain dominating the city, were shattered by the steadfastness of the defenders of Port Arthur. When repelling attacks, the Russians used new means of struggle, including mortars invented by midshipman S. N. Vlasyev. During the second assault (September 6-9), the Japanese lost 7.5 thousand people. (of which 5 thousand people during the assault on High). Russian losses amounted to 1.5 thousand people. Great help in the defense was provided by the ships of the Pacific Squadron, which from the inner raid supported the defenders with fire. Part of the naval artillery (284 guns) was transferred directly to the positions.
Third assault on Port Arthur
On September 18, the Japanese began shelling the fortress with 11-inch guns. Their shells destroyed fortifications not designed for such a caliber. But Port Arthur, fighting on the ruins, repulsed the third assault (October 17-18), during which 12 thousand Japanese were killed.
The position of the blockaded fortress became more and more difficult. Food was running out, the number of dead, wounded and sick was constantly growing. Scurvy and typhus appeared, starting to rage more cruelly than Japanese weapons. By the beginning of November, 7 thousand wounded and sick (scurvy, dysentery, typhoid) had accumulated in hospitals. The main struggle in November unfolded for Mount Vysokaya on the Northern Front, as well as for the 2nd and 3rd forts on Eastern Front.
Fourth assault. Capture of High Mountain by the Japanese
Nogi directed the main attacks on these key defense objects of Port Arthur during the fourth assault (November 13-22, 1904). It was attended by 50 thousand Japanese soldiers. Mount High, which was defended by 2.2 thousand people, was subjected to the main blow. led by the hero of the battles for Jinzhou - Colonel Nikolai Tretyakov. For ten days, the Japanese assault units, regardless of losses, climbed wave after wave to attack the High. During this time, they twice managed to capture the height strewn with corpses, but both times the Russians returned it back with counterattacks. Finally, on November 22, after another attack, the Japanese soldiers captured the mountain. Almost the entire garrison was killed. The last Russian night counterattack on Vysokaya was repulsed. During the 10-day battles, the Japanese lost 11,000 soldiers.
Having installed long-range artillery on the High (11-inch guns fired at a distance of 10 km), the Japanese began shelling the city and port. From that moment on, the fate of Port Arthur and the fleet was decided. Under Japanese fire, the remnants of the 1st Pacific Squadron standing on the roadstead were killed. To protect against fire, only the battleship Sevastopol, led by the courageous Essen, decided to enter the outer roadstead. On November 26, he stood in the White Wolf Bay, where for six nights he heroically repelled the attacks of Japanese destroyers. destroying two of them. After receiving serious damage, the battleship was flooded by her crew. In December, a desperate battle unfolded for the 2nd and 3rd forts on the Eastern Front. On December 2, the head of the land defense, General Roman Kondratenko, died. By December 15, the line of forts on the Eastern Front had fallen.
Surrender of Port Arthur by Stessel
By the evening of December 19, after fierce fighting, the defenders of the fortress retreated to the third, last line of defense. Stessel considered further resistance pointless and signed the capitulation on 20 December. This decision had serious reasons. The continuation of the defense by 10-12 thousand soldiers after the loss of key positions became meaningless. Port Arthur was already lost as a base for the fleet. The fortress could no longer pull off significant Japanese forces from the army of Kuropatkin. For its blockade, one division would now be enough. The defenders of the fortress soon faced starvation (food remained for 4-6 weeks). However, upon arrival in Russia, Stessel was put on trial and sentenced to death, commuted to ten years in prison. Such a harsh sentence most likely became a tribute to public opinion, aroused by military failures.
The impact of the defense of Port Arthur on the overall course of the war
After the surrender of the fortress, about 25 thousand people were taken prisoner (of which over 10 thousand were sick and wounded). Fighting in a complete blockade, the Port Arthur garrison pulled over about 200,000 Japanese soldiers. Their losses during the 239-day siege amounted to 110 thousand. In addition, during the naval blockade, the Japanese lost 15 ships of various classes, including two squadron battleships that were blown up by mines. A special award cross "Port Arthur" was issued for the participants in the defense.
By taking Port Arthur and destroying the 1st Pacific Squadron, Japan solved the main goals that it set in the war of the war. For Russia, the fall of Port Arthur meant the loss of access to the non-freezing Yellow Sea, the deterioration of the strategic situation in Manchuria. Its consequence was the further strengthening of the revolutionary events.
An outstanding Russian naval commander and leader of the White movement was a participant in the defense of Port Arthur
A distant piece of land on the edge of the world, abundantly watered with the blood of Russian soldiers. Eleven centuries ago, the eyes of the whole world were riveted to this place. It was here that the main events of the Russo-Japanese War unfolded. Great feats were accomplished here and fatal, and sometimes contradictory decisions were made. The defense of Port Arthur is a vivid example of the military prowess of Russian soldiers.
Port Arthur, which served as the main base Russian fleet in this region, occupied a strategically advantageous position. From this bridgehead, the Russian squadron could strike in the direction of the Korean and Pechili bays. Thus threatening the most important operational lines of the Japanese army. But for all its strategically advantageous position, Port Arthur was not well equipped to serve as a reliable and secure naval base. The inner harbor, where the main forces of the fleet were located, was too cramped and shallow. With only one very narrow exit, it was a real mousetrap in the military-tactical aspect.
Not much more preferable in this regard was an external raid. Completely open, it represented an outright danger, as a parking lot for warships. In addition, the fortress did not have proper protection from either sea attack or land attack. In general, on the eve of the war, it was difficult to call this fortress an impregnable stronghold. Port Arthur was not able to withstand the massive attack of the army and navy of Japan. And he could not provide the Pacific squadron with a safe base. These are the basic premises of the tragedy of this war.
By the time the tight siege of Port Arthur began, out of the 552 guns of the fortress, only 116 were in combat readiness. The garrison was not fully staffed by the fourth and seventh East Siberian rifle divisions. As for the fleet, the Port Arthur raid was the location of the first Pacific squadron and the Siberian flotilla.
The war, and, accordingly, the defense of Port Arthur, began on the night of January 27, 1904. The beginning of hostilities was initiated by an attack by 10 Japanese destroyers on a squadron stationed on the roadstead of Port Arthur. Immediately, Japanese torpedoes damaged two squadron battleships and one cruiser. These were the first losses of this dramatic and bloody war...
In the morning, the main forces of the Japanese squadron approached under the leadership of Admiral Heihachiro Togo. From that moment on, the defense of Port Arthur from the Japanese armada, which had a fourfold superiority, directly started. The daytime battle, which did not bring success to the squadron of Admiral H. Togo, culminated in a complete blockade of the fortress. In order to prevent Russian ships from leaving the harbor and disrupt the transportation of Japanese troops to
The valiant defense of Port Arthur lasted 329 days, but the fall of Port Arthur was inevitable. On the 329th day of heroic and fierce resistance, the fortress nevertheless fell. The protracted and exhausting defense of Port Arthur frustrated the plans of the Japanese command regarding the lightning defeat of the Russian troops in Manchuria. The price of 27 thousand Russian lives is the result of the defense of Port Arthur. The damage of the attackers was so great (112 thousand dead and wounded, fifteen sunk and sixteen damaged ships) that the commander-in-chief of the Japanese M. Nogi, who suffered for such monstrous and unjustified losses, was about to perform the hara-kiri rite. But the emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun forbade him this act. And only after the death of the monarch, the general carried out his intention ...
For a long time and with curiosity, I studied the history of the defense of the Port Arthur fortress during the Russo-Japanese War. It eventually fell due to the betrayal of the head of the fortress, Stessel (for reference, a German surname with Polish-Lithuanian roots, buried in the Vinnitsa region after death) and Fock (German surname), who hurried to surrender it after the death of the actual head of defense Kondratenko, although the fortress could still defend. There were supplies of provisions, and a garrison of 24,000 soldiers and sailors. Stoessel and Fok ended up being court-martialed for this surrender, but were ultimately pardoned.
While the Russian soldiers and sailors under the leadership of Makarov and Kondratenko were shedding blood for the fortress, they made plans to surrender behind their backs, which they did when the real defenders died.
I emphasized the origin of the traitors not with the aim of inciting nationalist sentiments, but with the aim of understanding people's motivations. In tsarist Russia, there was a dominance of foreign leaders who did not really associate themselves with Russia, and therefore were not going to fight to the end. For them, this is a common occurrence. What is there to walk in the mud under bullets. They handed over and left for St. Petersburg, besides, the Japanese guaranteed safety, they immediately released me. In St. Petersburg, for the sake of appearance, they scolded at the tribunal and pardoned. The same story was then in the first world war. Mass surrender of generals.
But I did not start my story because of these facts. This came to mind along the way. I have long noticed the dominance of German and Polish-Lithuanian surnames in the highest echelons of power in the empire. Yes, I think everyone who is interested in the topic sees this. Alexander Pyzhikov writes about this in detail.
Today I accidentally found out how we got the fortress:
"FROM. Yu. Witte protested against such a proposal: after the Russian-Chinese secret defense treaties, in which we “undertook to protect China from any encroachments of Japan to occupy any part of Chinese territory ... after all this, such a seizure would be an outrageous measure and in high degree insidious ... This measure is dangerous ... The occupation of Port Arthur or Da-lian-wang will undoubtedly excite China and from a country extremely disposed to us and friendly will make a country that hates us, due to our cunning.»
“Dubasov quickly solved the problem of the landing of Russian troops in Port Arthur and the departure of the Chinese garrison from there. After the distribution of bribes to petty officials, General Song Qing received 100 thousand rubles, and General Ma Yukun - 50 thousand (not in banknotes, of course, but in gold and silver coins). After that, the local garrison of 20,000 left the fortress in less than a day, leaving the Russians with 59 guns along with ammunition. Some of them will then be used to defend Port Arthur.
« After big bribes to the dignitaries there (500,000 rubles for Li Hongzhang and 250,000 rubles for Chang Yinghuang), an agreement (Russian-Chinese Convention) was signed on March 15 (27), 1898 in Beijing.
How to buy and sell. Just washed with blood.
There is a very interesting book on this topic - Port Arthur, a historical novel by A. N. Stepanov.
A little about the heroism of our sailors on the Varyag and the assessment of their actions by foreign ships. For those who simply do not know what happened there, I will briefly retell below.
Exactly at the appointed time, the Varyag, accompanied by the Korean, moved off. Immediately, a combat alarm was sounded on both ships and topmast flags were raised on the masts. As if welcoming the Russians, it looked out from behind the clouds bright sun and illuminated the gloomy raid of Chemulpo. The city was immediately decorated with white and red spots of buildings, the sea turned blue, in which the ice floes that had not yet melted were floating.
Whole garlands of multicolored flags flew up on foreign ships, expressing greetings and best wishes to Russian ships going to battle. When the cruiser caught up with the Talbot, the Russian anthem sounded from the English ship, the crew lined up on deck took guard, saluting the Russian flag.
The same thing happened when passing by Pascal, Elbe and Vicksburg. The temperamental French could not stand it, with a cry they broke the line and began tossing up their berets with red pompoms, noisily expressing their delight.
“You might think that we are not going to battle, but to the parade,” Lyashenko said excitedly.
The solemn farewell had an encouraging effect on everyone. Bondarenko stopped frowning and busily fiddled around the gun. Having passed the guardhouse and having reached the outer roadstead, the Russians saw in front of them six dark silhouettes of Japanese cruisers and eight destroyers clearly looming against the light blue background of the sky. They positioned themselves in a bearing formation in the direction of the entrance beacon in such a way that they closed both passages into the sea around the island of Idolmi. On the lead cruiser "Naniva" the flag of Admiral Uriu fluttered. Behind him in the wake column were five other cruisers. The end was "Asama".
The essence of the situation is that the Russian ships Varyag and Koreets met the beginning of the war in the neutral port of Chemulpo. A Japanese landing force landed on the ground, the exit to the sea was blocked by the Japanese fleet. The ships were trapped. They were asked to surrender. At the same time, the captains of some foreign ships offered to take in all the sailors if they wished to leave the ships.
Captain Varyaga Rudnev made a suicidal decision to break through with a fight, which caused bewilderment and delight of the crews of foreign ships standing in the roadstead. They were aware of the hopelessness of the situation and the very unequal distribution of forces at sea. What happened next, I think most people know. The Varangian took an unequal battle, was badly damaged, returned to the port, where he was flooded.
Defense of Port Arthur
Shelling of Russian warships in the bay by Japanese artillery
Opponents
Side force commanders
Side forces
The defense of Port Arthur is the longest battle of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. During the siege, such new types of weapons as 11-inch mortars, quick-firing howitzers, Maxim machine guns, barbed wire fences, and hand grenades were widely used. Port Arthur was the birthplace of a new weapon - the mortar.
Defense of Port Arthur. The main base of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the headquarters of Russian troops in Northeast China was located on the Liaodong Peninsula (China). On the night of January 27, 1904, a detachment of Japanese destroyers attacked the Russian fleet in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. However, the Japanese failed to land troops. Hostilities began on land from mid-April 1904, when the forces of three Japanese armies were landed in different places: the 1st Army of General Kursky (45 thousand people) at Tyurenchen, the 2nd Army of General Oku at Bizvo, 4th Army General Nozu at Dagushan. Later they were joined by General Noli's 3rd Army. In May 1904, Port Arthur was cut off by the Japanese from Manchuria. After a long defense on December 20, 1904, Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.
Characteristics of the parties involved
- - The cruisers Nissin and Kassuga, bought from Argentina, entered service on April 11, 1904.
- - This number includes the mine cruisers "Horseman" and "Gaydamak".
Tactical and technical data of some Russian ships on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War
| Ship | Year of descent | Displacement | Travel speed, knots | guns | torpedo tubes | population personnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squadron battleships | ||||||
| "Petropavlovsk" | 1894 | 11354 | 17 | 6 | 651 | |
| "Poltava" | 1894 | 10960 | 17 | 4 - 305 mm 12 - 152 mm 12 - 47 mm 28 - 37 mm | 6 | 651 |
| "Sevastopol" | 1895 | 11842 | 17 | 4 - 305 mm 12 - 152 mm 12 - 47 mm 28 - 37 mm | 6 | 651 |
| "Peresvet" | 1898 | 12674 | 18 | 4 - 254 mm 11 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 20 - 47 mm 8 - 37 mm | 5 | 778 |
| "Retvizan" | 1900 | 12902 | 18 | 4 - 305 mm 12 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 24 - 47 mm 8 - 37 mm | 6 | 778 |
| "Victory" | 1900 | 12674 | 18 | 4 - 254 mm 9 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 20 - 47 mm 8 - 37 mm | 5 | 778 |
| "Tsesarevich" | 1901 | 12900 | 18 | 4 - 305 mm 12 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 20 - 47 mm | 4 | 827 |
| Cruisers 1st rank | ||||||
| "Rurik" | 1892 | 11690 | 18 | 4 – 203 mm 16 – 152 mm 6 – 120 mm | 6 | 719 |
| "Russia" | 1896 | 13675 | 19 | 4 - 203 mm 6 -152 mm 12 - 75 mm 16 - 37 mm | 5 | 839 |
| "Thunderbreaker" | 1899 | 13880 | 19 | 4 - 203 mm 16 - 152 mm 24 - 75 mm 12 - 47 mm 18 - 37 mm | 4 | 874 |
| "Varangian" | 1899 | 6500 | 23 | 12 – 152 mm 12 – 75 mm 8 – 47 mm | 6 | 573 |
| "Pallada" | 1899 | 6731 | 20 | 3 | 567 | |
| "Diana" | 1899 | 6731 | 20 | 8 – 152 mm 24 – 75 mm 8 – 37 mm | 3 | 567 |
| "Askold" | 1909 | 5905 | 23 | 12 - 152 mm 12 - 75 mm 8 - 47 mm | 6 | 573 |
Tactical and technical data of some Japanese ships
| Ship | Year of descent | Displacement | Travel speed, knots | guns | torpedo tubes | The number of personnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squadron battleships | ||||||
| "Fuji" | 1896 | 12649 | 18 | 4 | 652 | |
| "Yashima" | 1896 | 12517 | 18 | 4 – 305 mm 10 – 152 mm 16 – 75 mm 4 – 47 mm | 4 | 652 |
| "Shikishima" | 1898 | 14850 | 18 | 4 | 791 | |
| "Hatsuse" | 1899 | 15000 | 18 | 4 - 305 mm 14 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 12 - 47 mm | 4 | 830 |
| "Asahi" | 1899 | 15200 | 18 | 4 - 305 mm 14 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 12 - 47 mm | 4 | 791 |
| "Mikasa" | 1900 | 15352 | 18 | 4 - 305 mm 14 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 12 - 47 mm | 4 | 830 |
| Cruisers | ||||||
| "Iwate" | 1900 | 9800 | 21 | 4 | 585 | |
| "Izumo" | 1899 | 9800 | 21 | 4 - 203 mm 14 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 7 - 47 mm | 4 | 585 |
| "Tokiwa" | 1898 | 9755 | 21 | 4 - 203 mm 14 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 7 - 47 mm | 5 | 553 |
| "Asama" | 1899 | 9755 | 21 | 4 - 203 mm 14 - 152 mm 20 - 75 mm 7 - 47 mm | 5 | 553 |
| "Azumo" | 1899 | 9460 | 21 | 5 | 948 | |
| "Yakumo" | 1899 | 9800 | 20 | 4 - 203 mm 12 - 152 mm 12 - 75 mm 7 - 47 mm | 5 | 470 |
| "Nissin" | 1903 | 7583 | 20 | 4 -203 mm 14 - 152 mm 10 -76 mm | 4 | 525 |
| "Kassuga" | 1902 | 7583 | 20 | 1 - 254 mm 2 -203 mm 14 - 152 mm 10 - 76 mm 8 - 37 mm | -- | 498 |
The course of the battle
Battles for advanced fortifications
On July 25 (August 7), 1904, the Japanese opened fierce fire on the advanced position of the Eastern Front - the Dagushan and Xiaogushan redoubts, and by evening they were attacked. All day July 26 (August 8), 1904 there was a stubborn battle - and on the night of July 27 (August 9), 1904, both redoubts were abandoned by Russian troops.
First assault
On August 6 (August 19), 1904, the Japanese began bombarding the Eastern and Northern fronts, and the latter was attacked. On August 6-8 (August 19-21), 1904, the Japanese attacked the Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky redoubts and the Long Mountain with great energy, but were repulsed from everywhere, having only managed to occupy the Corner and the fortification of Panlongshan.
On August 8–9 (August 21–22), 1904, Nogi stormed the Eastern Front, captured the front redoubts at the cost of severe losses, and on August 10 (August 23), 1904, approached the line of forts. On the night of August 11 (August 24), 1904, he thought of delivering a decisive blow to the fortress, in the gap between forts II and III, but this blow was repelled. The forts and the Chinese wall remained behind the besieged.
Siege and second assault
After the failure of the first assault, Nogi switched to a siege for a while. The Japanese received reinforcements and built siege structures.
The second assault began on September 6 (September 19), 1904, and by the morning of September 7 (September 20), 1904, the Japanese captured the advanced positions of the Russians - the Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky redoubts and the Long Mountain. September 8-9 (September 21-22), 1904, there was a stubborn battle for the High Mountain, in which the Japanese saw the key to Arthur. However, the Japanese failed to take the High Mountain - the Russian army owes its preservation as a result of the fighting on September 9 to the eye and resourcefulness of Colonel Irman, the decisiveness of Lieutenant Podgursky and the heroism of the shooters of the 5th regiment. Podgursky with three hunters knocked out three companies of Japanese with pyroxylin checkers, who were about to occupy the lunettes.
Continuation of the siege and the third assault
After another failure, the Japanese launched earthworks on an even larger scale. The sappers, having reached the front line, dug day and night, drawing parallels, trenches and communication passages to the forts and other fortifications of Port Arthur.
On September 18 (October 1), 1904, for the first time, the besiegers used 11-inch howitzers to bombard the fortress, the shells of which pierced the concrete vaults of the forts and the walls of the casemates. Russian soldiers still steadfastly held out, although their situation worsened. From September 29, front-line soldiers began to receive 1/3 pound of horsemeat per person, and then only twice a week, but there was still enough bread, it was given out at 3 pounds per day. Shag disappeared from the sale. In connection with the hardships of trench life and with the deterioration of nutrition, scurvy appeared, which on some days pulled out more people from the ranks than the shells and bullets of the enemy.
On October 17 (October 30), 1904, after a three-day artillery preparation, which certainly weakened the strength of the defense, General Nogi gave the order for a general attack. In the morning the siege artillery opened heavy fire. By noon, he had reached his peak strength. Supported by artillery, the Japanese infantry attacked. The attacks ended in the complete defeat of the Japanese. Although on October 18 (October 31), 1904, it was quite clear that the next assault on the fortress had failed, nevertheless, Nogi ordered to continue the attacks against Fort No. II. The battle began at 5 o'clock in the afternoon and lasted intermittently until one in the morning and again unsuccessfully for the Japanese.
Fourth assault. The death of the squadron
In early November, Noga's army was reinforced by a new (7th) infantry division. On November 13 (November 26), 1904, General Nogi launched the fourth - general - assault on Arthur. The blow was directed from two sides - to the Eastern Front, where it was reduced to a desperate, frenzied onslaught, and to Mount High, where a nine-day general battle of the entire siege was played out. In the fruitless attacks of the defensive fortifications of the fortress, the Japanese troops lost up to 10% of their manpower in the attacking divisions, but the main task of the assault, to break through the Russian front, remained unfulfilled.
General Nogi, assessing the situation, decided to stop the attacks on the broad (Eastern) front and concentrate all his forces to capture Mount High, from which, as he became aware, the entire Port Arthur harbor was visible. After ten days of fierce fighting, November 22 (December 5), 1904 High was taken. The next day after the capture of the mountain, the Japanese equipped an observation post on it to correct artillery fire and opened fire from 11-inch howitzers at the ships of the Port Arthur squadron. Thus, the fate of Russian battleships and cruisers was finally sealed.
Surrender of the fortress
Photo of the scuttled Russian ships in the harbor of Port Arthur. In the foreground "Poltava" and "Retvizan", then "Victory" and "Pallada". On December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905), General A. M. Stessel announced his intention to enter into negotiations on surrender. The widespread thesis that this was done contrary to the opinion of the Military Council of the fortress is not true, since the Council did not express any general and final opinion or decision. December 23, 1904 (January 5, 1905) capitulation was concluded. The officers could return to their homeland, having given their word of honor that they would not participate in hostilities.
officers 153 lower ranks 12,300 who died after surrender 1,567 died on the way from Port Arthur to Dalniy died in captivity 300 sailors officers 83 lower ranks 2,500 total 17,000
Siege of Port Arthur- the longest battle of the Russo-Japanese War. During the siege, new types of weapons such as 11-inch mortars, quick-firing howitzers, Maxim machine guns, barbed wire, hand grenades and even chemical weapons were widely used.
Before the war
According to the Shimonosek Treaty, concluded in 1895 after the end of the Sino-Japanese War, China transferred the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan with Port Arthur. However, on April 23, Russia, Germany and France appealed to the Japanese government demanding that they abandon the annexation of the Liaodong Peninsula. Nicholas II, supported by the Western allies, had his own vision of Port Arthur as an ice-free port for Russia. China agreed to transfer Port Arthur to Russia in a concession for 25 years, and also granted Russia the rights to build a railway. The main investments went into the development of the Dalniy port, which was conceived as an "open city" - that is, without armed forces, for commercial use only.
Fortifications of the fortress
The project for the construction of fortifications was approved in 1900. It was planned to build 27 long-term batteries on the coastal front, and on the land front to build eight forts, nine fortifications, six long-term batteries and eight redoubts.
The fortifications of Port Arthur at the beginning of the siege of the fortress by the Japanese troops consisted of five forts (No. I, II, III, IV and V), three fortifications (No. 3, 4 and 5) and four separate batteries (letters A, B, C and D). In the intervals between them, rifle trenches were dug, which were covered with barbed wire and, in the most dangerous directions, with land mines buried in the ground. On the flanks of the fortress on the mountains Syagushan, Dagushan, High and Corner, forward positions of the field type were equipped. The Kumirnensky, Vodoprovodny and Skalisty redoubts were moved towards the Shuishin valley.
Port Arthur fortress had three fronts: Eastern on the right flank. North in the center and West on the left flank of the defensive line. The defense of the Eastern Front was entrusted to General Gorbatovsky, the Northern Front was entrusted to Colonel Semyonov, and the Western Front was entrusted to Colonel Irman. The entire defense of the land front was in charge of General Kondratenko, while the reserves were in charge of General Fok. The eastern front was made up of forts: I, II, III and a number of long-term fortifications interconnected by a rampart - the so-called "Chinese wall". The advanced position here was made up of redoubts: Dagushan and Xiaogushan. The northern front consisted of a forward position - the Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky redoubts and the redoubt from Fort IV. On the Western front- hastily fortified advanced positions on the mountains of Angular, Long and High and the main position (forts V and VI) in its infancy.
Defense
Battles for advanced fortifications
On July 25 (August 7), the Japanese opened fierce fire on the advanced position of the Eastern Front - the Dagushan and Xiaogushan redoubts, and by the evening they were attacked. All day on July 26 (August 8) there was a stubborn battle - and on the night of July 27 (August 9), both redoubts were abandoned by Russian troops. The Russians lost 450 soldiers and officers in battle. The losses of the Japanese, according to their data, amounted to 1280 people
First assault
On August 6 (August 19), the Japanese began bombarding the Eastern and Northern fronts, and the latter was attacked. On August 6-8 (August 19-21), the Japanese attacked the Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky redoubts and the Long Mountain with great energy, but were repulsed from everywhere, having managed to occupy only the Corner and the fortification of Panlongshan.
On August 8-9 (August 21-22), Nogi stormed the Eastern Front, took possession of the advanced redoubts at the cost of severe losses, and on August 10 (August 23) approached the line of forts. On the night of August 11 (August 24), he thought to deliver a decisive blow to the fortress, in the gap between forts II and III, but this blow was repelled. The forts and the Chinese wall remained behind the besieged.
In this four-day battle, almost half of the Japanese army lay down - 20,000 people (of which 15,000 were in front of the Eastern Front). Losses Russian army amounted to about 3,000 killed and wounded.
Siege and second assault
After the failure of the first assault, Nogi switched to a siege for a while. The Japanese received reinforcements and built siege structures.
The second assault began on September 6 (September 19), and by the morning of September 7 (September 20), the Japanese captured the advanced positions of the Russians - Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky redoubts and Long Mountain. On September 8-9 (September 21-22) there was a stubborn battle for the High Mountain, in which the Japanese saw the key to Arthur. However, the Japanese failed to take the High Mountain - the Russian army owes its preservation as a result of the fighting on September 9 to the eye and resourcefulness of Colonel Irman, the decisiveness of Lieutenant Podgursky and the heroism of the shooters of the 5th regiment. Podgursky with three hunters knocked out three companies of Japanese with pyroxylin checkers, who were about to occupy the lunettes. The losses of the Russians amounted to 1500 people, the Japanese - 6000.
Continuation of the siege and the third assault
After another failure, the Japanese launched earthworks on an even larger scale. The sappers, having reached the front line, dug day and night, drawing parallels, trenches and communication passages to the forts and other fortifications of Port Arthur. On September 18 (October 1), the besiegers for the first time used 11-inch howitzers to bombard the fortress, the shells of which pierced the concrete vaults of the forts and the walls of the casemates. Russian soldiers still steadfastly held out, although their situation worsened. From September 29, front-line soldiers began to receive 1/3 pound of horsemeat per person, and then only twice a week, but there was still enough bread, it was given out at 3 pounds per day. Shag disappeared from the sale. In connection with the hardships of trench life and with the deterioration of nutrition, scurvy appeared, which on some days pulled out more people from the ranks than the shells and bullets of the enemy.
On October 17 (October 30), after a three-day artillery preparation, which certainly weakened the strength of the defense, General Nogi gave the order for a general attack. In the morning the siege artillery opened heavy fire. By noon, he had reached his peak strength. Supported by artillery, the Japanese infantry attacked. The attacks ended in the complete defeat of the Japanese. Although on October 18 (October 31) it was quite clear that the next assault on the fortress had failed, nevertheless, Nogi ordered the attacks against Fort No. II to continue. The battle began at 5 o'clock in the afternoon and lasted intermittently until one in the morning and again unsuccessfully for the Japanese.
Fourth assault. The death of the squadron
The shelling of Russian warships in the harbor of Port Arthur by Japanese artillery
In early November, Noga's army was reinforced by a new (7th) infantry division. On November 13 (November 26), General Nogi launched the fourth - general - assault on Arthur. The blow was directed from two sides - to the Eastern Front, where it was reduced to a desperate, frenzied onslaught, and to the High, where a nine-day general battle of the entire siege was played out. In the fruitless attacks of the defensive fortifications, the fortresses lost up to 10% of manpower in the active divisions, but the main task of the assault remained unfulfilled. General Nogi, having assessed the situation, decided to stop further actions on the broad (Eastern) front and throw all his forces into capturing Vysokaya Mountain, from which, as he became aware, the entire Port Arthur harbor was visible. After fierce battles that lasted ten days, November 22 (December 5) High was taken. In the battles for the High, the Japanese army lost up to 12 thousand soldiers and officers. The losses of Russian troops on Vysokaya reached 4,500 people, and on the entire front they exceeded 6,000. The next day, after occupying the mountain, the Japanese equipped an observation post on it to adjust artillery fire and opened fire from 11-inch howitzers at the ships of the Port Arthur squadron. Thus, the fate of Russian battleships and cruisers was finally sealed.
Surrender of the fortress
On December 20, 1904 (January 2), General Stessel announced his intention to enter into negotiations on surrender, contrary to the opinion of the Military Council of the fortress. On December 23, 1904 (January 5), a surrender was concluded, according to which the garrison of 23,000 people (including the sick) surrendered as prisoners of war with all stocks of combat equipment. The officers could return to their homeland, having given their word of honor that they would not participate in hostilities. Stoessel, dismissed from service in 1906, appeared before a military tribunal the following year, which sentenced him to death for surrendering the port. The court found that during the entire period of defense, Stessel did not direct the actions of the garrison to protect the fortress, but, on the contrary, deliberately prepared it for surrender. The sentence was later replaced by a 10-year sentence, but already in May 1909 he was forgiven by the tsar.
Literature
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