Soviet Forces

Conquering heroes - Soviets in Dalian.

Unknown author.

Soviet troops liberate Dalian, Manchuria, 1945. This was a highlight and culmination of the Soviets' Manchurian campaign, during which (and in spite of having to deal with some difficult terrain), the battle-hardened Soviets totally defeated Japan's Kwangtung Army, at this stage the last significant Japanese military force outside the Japanese Home Islands. Dalian - known for a time as Port Arthur after the British Royal Navy lieutenant who first surveyed the area - was an ancient city, but it was generally a pretty quiet place for a very long time. Located at the point of the Liaodong Peninsula, it was a strategic key to China's colonization of northern Korea - but this took place some 1,800 years ago, and the place was of relatively little interest to Imperial Chinese governments after that. At least, that was the case until Europe's (and Japan's) period of colonial expansion in the 19th century, during which the city acquired increased strategic significance, changing hands between Great Britain, China, Russia and Japan on a number of occasions. Curiously, this imperial merry-go-round proved to be very good for the city. In particular, Russia's occupation period in the late-19th century saw extensive development, since the Russians were interested in developing Dalian as a year-round warm-water naval and commercial outlet in the East. This resulted in the city giving its name to the "Battle of Port Arthur", in which a surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy on the Russian Far East Fleet in Dalian Bay signaled the opening of the 1904 Russo-Japanese War. Subsequent Japanese occupation saw further development of the port and city, setting their course for their present status as the major northern port of the People's Republic of China. Dalian finally, and conclusively, returned to Chinese control when the Soviets handed it over to Chairman Mao in 1950; the two great Communist powers were still friends at that time. Best regards, JR.