Russo-Japanese War

“Over the north country whose seas are frozen

Spring wind blows across

It is time to beat Russia

Rampant for three hundred years”

This poem written by Orgai Mora in 1904 sets the stage for a war in which Russia was not prepared for. Throughout the course of the war Japanese forces continually put pressure on the Russian military and for the most part Russia could do nothing. Russia’s lack of modern war strategy and lack of communication sent their military into a downward spiral until finally it collapsed. Russia should have never gotten into this war, and their greed of imperialism would set them on a course for a war of which would have tremendous effects on the government and revolution after the war.

The cause of this war can be dated back to 1868 with the Meiji Restoration, where the Meiji Government of Japan wanted to accustom itself to Western ideas, technology, and customs. Japan, in a short time, transformed itself into a more modern industrialized state and wanted to be seen as an equal to the Western powers. At the same time, Russia had established itself as a major Imperial Power and wanted to establish itself in the East. With the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway to the port of Vladivostok, Russia wanted to build a foundation and make its presence known in the East Region.

What Russia was really interested in was Port Arthur in China, which was a warm-water port on the Pacific Coast. Russia thought this would be of great strategic value for economic and military purposes. In December 1897 a Russian fleet appeared off Port Arthur and after 3 months Russia and China came to an agreement in the China would lease the port and the surrounding waters to Russia. To establish Russia’s presence then in Port Arthur, Russia built a railway from Harbin through Mukden to Port Arthur. This railway contributed to the Boxer Rebellion and the railway stations at Tiehling and Lioyag were burned down. Russia quickly organized its forces and occupied Manchuria.

At this same time Japan was trying to take over Korea, which had a protection pact with Russia and China. Japanese Statesman, Ito Hirobumi began talking with Russia and proposed that Japan would give Russia control over Manchuria in exchange for control of Northern Korea. Also, in a behind-the-back sort of fashion, Japan had been speaking with the United Kingdom and made the Angelo-Japanese Alliance in 1902, where the British were seeking to restrict naval competition by keeping the Russian Pacific seaports of Vladivostok and Port Arthur from their full use. So what this was saying was that if Russia and Japan ever did go to war and someone joined Russia’s side then the British would join Japan’s side. This meant now that Russia could not receive any help from France or Germany without the fear of Britain getting involved. This gave Japan the opportunity to freely use military force if they needed too. And on Feb. 6, 1904 Japanese and Russian relations were terminated after each country opposed each other’s consolidation plans for Manchuria and Korea.

On February 8, 1904, before every declaring war, Japan, led by Admiral Togo, attacked Russia’s Far East Fleet. “The rise and fall of the Empire depends upon this battle. Every man is expected to do his utmost”, said Togo. This statement ironically was also shown to the Japanese military on December 7, 1941. This “stunned” Tsar Nicholas II, because he had been assured by his ministers that Japan would not fight and that Japan would not initiate war without a formal declaring of war. This was the first of many military blunders that Russia would have, based on its out-of-date military procedures. Russia declared war on Japan eight days later.

In the Campaign of 1904, Japanese strategy was rapidly trying to gain ground control over Manchuria. Before they were able to begin their plans their first objective was to neutralize the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. The Japanese opened with a surprise torpedo attack on the Russian ships in the port. This attack, on February 8, 1904, turned into the Battle of Port Arthur. This naval battle gave the Japanese cover to deploy ground troops near Incheon. With this cover the Japanese were ready to enter into the Russian-occupied Manchuria soon after that.

As Japan was continually on the offensive, Russia stood tall on its strategy of fighting "delaying actions" to gain time for Russian reinforcements to arrive. The reinforcements arrived by the Trans-Siberian Railway, which, however, was not complete yet. This was a sign of poor planning and communication by the Russian military that would continue throughout the war. The first of many mishaps by the military was before the Battle of the Yalu River, when Russian forces let the Japanese forces cross the river without any fight. Then by the use of “Human Wave” tactics, where large numbers of men would storm a position, won an easy battle and began moving up the Manchurian Coast, driving the Russians back towards Port Arthur. The only good part for the Russians is that the Japanese were losing large numbers of men because of the tactics they were using, but they never took advantage of this and their focus remained on defending and did not counterattack. This again is a sign of the lack of military intelligence at that time and also the lack of experience in a more modern war.

The war then shifted its focus back to naval engagements. The Russians were blocked from exiting Port Arthur, by the Japanese fleet commander Heihachiro Togo. On many occasions the Russian fleet tried to break the blockade but the Japanese were in a perfect strategic position to attack any Russian vessel that tried to leave the Port. During these many trials of the Russians trying to break through, Admiral Makarov, who was considered the most effective Russian naval strategist died. This just added to the much heartache the Russians encountered during this lopsided war. However, the Russians were beginning to change their strategy somewhat; in that they used the Japanese tactic of offensive mine laying, which was able to sink two enemy battleships. This hope did not last long and soon after the Japanese began firing artillery into the port. The Russians were preparing to send the Baltic Sea fleet to provide reinforcements for the port. They would have to travel almost across the world using the Cape of Good Hope to get to Asia. Ironically enough they almost provoked war with Britain, who was Japan’s ally, when passing by they fired on British fishing boats that they mistook for enemy torpedo boats in