The Battle of Vladivostok (Part 1)
The Battle of Vladivostok, Part I
On the 6th of December, 1904, the guns roared to life across the harbor of Vladivostok. Advancing from the northeast, the first elements from the Japanese ground forces. The initial naval bombardment was light, meaning to “shake up” the Russians in their defensive positions, and make the rapid advancement of Japanese infantry much smoother. This did not go according to plan.
Thanks to the odd terrain, bitter cold and general disorder in and around the city, British and Japanese intelligence was limited to telescopic lenses and night time infiltration, that lead to many scouts being captured and executed as spies. Vladivostok itself was not totally abandoned, and a large number of Russian civilians, both men and women, essentially volunteered to assist in the defense. A huge series of trenches began to expand into the city’s inner limits, with barricades made from rubble found along the damaged harbor and factories. These defenses were expanded slowly but surely, and the Japanese ships in port believed that a short lived barrage would break apart the fortifications and the battle would be over. They were wrong.
The bombardment--only lasting around 10 minutes--ceased, and the Japanese infantry advanced at a rapid pace in order to take over the first line of trenches. Russian soldiers began to start shooting, and the “lack of overwhelming fire” drove the Japanese to quicken their pace and seize the moment. Out of nowhere, nearly three dozen Japanese soldiers of the advancing echelons suddenly descended into the ground and were impaled on sharpened stakes. Over the previous nights, Russian partisans had constructed false trenches, covering them in thin walkways that were placed over fire-hardened wood stakes. This trap worked only the first time, as officers not only pressed their soldiers forward, but that only a small number had been made. These “悪魔の歯”/”Devil’s Teeth”[1] were nonetheless notorious, and some groups of Japanese infantry had become wary about approaching the Russian lines.
A major order was given to the Russian defenders by general Brusilov, generally referred to as the “Одиночная Пуля, Одиночная Цель”/“Single Bullet, Single Target”[1] command. In essence, the orders were given that Russian soldiers were to limit themselves to firing on targets less than 100 meters away, and to use at most one or two bullets before “waiting to re-assess one’s aim”. This was in order to prevent the wasting of the ammunition that was already in horribly short numbers due to the miserable transference of supplies over the railways in siberia. Soldiers were also demanded to “call out” their targets, to stop multiple soldiers from shooting at the same target. This order was not followed perfectly, but the idea had caught on as the battle continued.
The Japanese began to pour their numbers into the attack, believing that the overwhelming numbers would “wash over the Russians like a tide”, and pushed harder and harder towards the defenses. The Russians however, uphill and entrenched, had a massive advantage over the Japanese, and began to rake the attackers with machine gun and rifle fire. What few field guns were left fired their rounds sparingly, though many of them landed in the large concentrations of Japanese infantry. Though most of the Japanese Second Army had yet to fully dedicate itself to the battle, the initial infantry attacks cost them dearly. Only a few hours had passed, and nearly 7,000 Japanese soldiers had been killed or wounded. Upon hearing the news, Yasukata ordered the withdrawal of the attack, and attempted to coordinate further naval barrages.
How it happened is still unknown, whether it was Yasukata not knowing that his troops had not fully left the field, or that naval officers became overzealous in their desire to fire upon the Russians. Nonetheless, the Japanese ships still in the harbor began to bombard the forward Russian positions with impunity. The Russians began to take heavy casualties of their own, but the exposed and disorganized Japanese were shredded by the falling shells, and the withdrawal became a panicked route. More than 2,000 more Japanese had been killed or maimed in the barrage, and once the attack had ceased, the bloodied attackers returned to their lines in shocking disarray.
Infuriated, Yasukata ordered that the Japanese fleet “explain its actions and be called to justice.” Insulted, Tōgō responded to Yasukata’s demands with a simple and yet brutal reply.
Almost an hour after that response, which was difficult to deliver due to poor communication to the mainland, as well as the messengers fearing reprisal for such an emotionally charged response, the Japanese ships began to withdraw from Vladivostok’s harbors. What few British vessels were present were confused, having been left out entirely from the conversation between army and navy, and followed the Japanese out. This was the first, but not the last, of the intense rivalry between the Japanese army and navy.
Yasukata, now unable to utilize the larger guns of the ships, resorted to field guns brought in from Manchuria, and began to bombard the Russian positions for hours. The gunnery officers, though trained well and experienced in previous combat, were forced to deal with short supplies. The hasty advance of the Second Army and its newly attached divisions did not allow for any form of rest or resupply, and the number of shells was shockingly low. Though central Manchuria was just as cold as Vladivostok in winter, the Japanese were totally unprepared for the freezing cold that blew out of the northeast, and it showed in their total lack of winter supplies. Expecting the war to be over quickly, the Japanese army did not deploy large numbers of coats, gloves or wrappings for their troops, causing many of them to suffer frostbite or go into hypothermia.
The Japanese began to try and entrench their own positions, though the ground had nearly frozen completely, and only small dugouts could be made. By the end of the first day, the Japanese ended their attack on the Russian positions, waiting for all of their troops to gather for an “encirclement”, though what plan they had made to do that was unknown to the lower ranking field officers. After but a single day of fighting, the Japanese had taken well over 10,000 casualties, in comparison to the 4,000 Russian losses[2]. The nightmarish embarrassment of the Japanese that day had yet to end, as when night fell the “Бригада Сопротивления”/”Resistance Brigade”[1] quietly made into the Japanese encampments.
Though numbering less than one hundred men, these partisans raised hell amongst the Japanese camps. Piecemeal patrols, combined with the frigid darkness, allowed many of the Russians to slip through undetected. Carrying a hodgepodge of weapons, which included Russian or Japanese rifles, shotguns, revolvers, knives, axes and even pitchforks, the Russians began rampaging through Japanese defenses, catching them totally by surprise. Lanterns were tossed onto tents or supply boxes, setting them ablaze in the dry air. Some partisans had even brought lamp oil, and began dousing Japanese soldiers in it, setting them on fire and inflicting horrible wounds.
Despite the surprise and ferocity of the attack, the Japanese quickly overwhelmed the attackers, and many of the “Resistance Brigade” were killed in their attempt to escape, or were captured by the Japanese and summarily executed, though Yasukata would later court martial those that did so. The raid had nonetheless done its job, shaking up the Japanese attackers and making things far more difficult than they wanted it to be. A fire ripped through a number of tents protecting munitions, and the rattle of bullets cooking off could be heard as far as the Russian lines.
Brusilov, proud of his men and their achievements, had nonetheless issued a dire warning.
Brusilov’s warning would be heeded, as the Japanese prepared for their next assault, and the First Indian Force was only days away from landing. The battle to decide the fate of the war, and the fate of the next century, was about to begin in ernest.
On the 6th of December, 1904, the guns roared to life across the harbor of Vladivostok. Advancing from the northeast, the first elements from the Japanese ground forces. The initial naval bombardment was light, meaning to “shake up” the Russians in their defensive positions, and make the rapid advancement of Japanese infantry much smoother. This did not go according to plan.
Thanks to the odd terrain, bitter cold and general disorder in and around the city, British and Japanese intelligence was limited to telescopic lenses and night time infiltration, that lead to many scouts being captured and executed as spies. Vladivostok itself was not totally abandoned, and a large number of Russian civilians, both men and women, essentially volunteered to assist in the defense. A huge series of trenches began to expand into the city’s inner limits, with barricades made from rubble found along the damaged harbor and factories. These defenses were expanded slowly but surely, and the Japanese ships in port believed that a short lived barrage would break apart the fortifications and the battle would be over. They were wrong.
The bombardment--only lasting around 10 minutes--ceased, and the Japanese infantry advanced at a rapid pace in order to take over the first line of trenches. Russian soldiers began to start shooting, and the “lack of overwhelming fire” drove the Japanese to quicken their pace and seize the moment. Out of nowhere, nearly three dozen Japanese soldiers of the advancing echelons suddenly descended into the ground and were impaled on sharpened stakes. Over the previous nights, Russian partisans had constructed false trenches, covering them in thin walkways that were placed over fire-hardened wood stakes. This trap worked only the first time, as officers not only pressed their soldiers forward, but that only a small number had been made. These “悪魔の歯”/”Devil’s Teeth”[1] were nonetheless notorious, and some groups of Japanese infantry had become wary about approaching the Russian lines.
A major order was given to the Russian defenders by general Brusilov, generally referred to as the “Одиночная Пуля, Одиночная Цель”/“Single Bullet, Single Target”[1] command. In essence, the orders were given that Russian soldiers were to limit themselves to firing on targets less than 100 meters away, and to use at most one or two bullets before “waiting to re-assess one’s aim”. This was in order to prevent the wasting of the ammunition that was already in horribly short numbers due to the miserable transference of supplies over the railways in siberia. Soldiers were also demanded to “call out” their targets, to stop multiple soldiers from shooting at the same target. This order was not followed perfectly, but the idea had caught on as the battle continued.
The Japanese began to pour their numbers into the attack, believing that the overwhelming numbers would “wash over the Russians like a tide”, and pushed harder and harder towards the defenses. The Russians however, uphill and entrenched, had a massive advantage over the Japanese, and began to rake the attackers with machine gun and rifle fire. What few field guns were left fired their rounds sparingly, though many of them landed in the large concentrations of Japanese infantry. Though most of the Japanese Second Army had yet to fully dedicate itself to the battle, the initial infantry attacks cost them dearly. Only a few hours had passed, and nearly 7,000 Japanese soldiers had been killed or wounded. Upon hearing the news, Yasukata ordered the withdrawal of the attack, and attempted to coordinate further naval barrages.
How it happened is still unknown, whether it was Yasukata not knowing that his troops had not fully left the field, or that naval officers became overzealous in their desire to fire upon the Russians. Nonetheless, the Japanese ships still in the harbor began to bombard the forward Russian positions with impunity. The Russians began to take heavy casualties of their own, but the exposed and disorganized Japanese were shredded by the falling shells, and the withdrawal became a panicked route. More than 2,000 more Japanese had been killed or maimed in the barrage, and once the attack had ceased, the bloodied attackers returned to their lines in shocking disarray.
Infuriated, Yasukata ordered that the Japanese fleet “explain its actions and be called to justice.” Insulted, Tōgō responded to Yasukata’s demands with a simple and yet brutal reply.
Tōgō Heihachirō said:
Almost an hour after that response, which was difficult to deliver due to poor communication to the mainland, as well as the messengers fearing reprisal for such an emotionally charged response, the Japanese ships began to withdraw from Vladivostok’s harbors. What few British vessels were present were confused, having been left out entirely from the conversation between army and navy, and followed the Japanese out. This was the first, but not the last, of the intense rivalry between the Japanese army and navy.
Yasukata, now unable to utilize the larger guns of the ships, resorted to field guns brought in from Manchuria, and began to bombard the Russian positions for hours. The gunnery officers, though trained well and experienced in previous combat, were forced to deal with short supplies. The hasty advance of the Second Army and its newly attached divisions did not allow for any form of rest or resupply, and the number of shells was shockingly low. Though central Manchuria was just as cold as Vladivostok in winter, the Japanese were totally unprepared for the freezing cold that blew out of the northeast, and it showed in their total lack of winter supplies. Expecting the war to be over quickly, the Japanese army did not deploy large numbers of coats, gloves or wrappings for their troops, causing many of them to suffer frostbite or go into hypothermia.
The Japanese began to try and entrench their own positions, though the ground had nearly frozen completely, and only small dugouts could be made. By the end of the first day, the Japanese ended their attack on the Russian positions, waiting for all of their troops to gather for an “encirclement”, though what plan they had made to do that was unknown to the lower ranking field officers. After but a single day of fighting, the Japanese had taken well over 10,000 casualties, in comparison to the 4,000 Russian losses[2]. The nightmarish embarrassment of the Japanese that day had yet to end, as when night fell the “Бригада Сопротивления”/”Resistance Brigade”[1] quietly made into the Japanese encampments.
Though numbering less than one hundred men, these partisans raised hell amongst the Japanese camps. Piecemeal patrols, combined with the frigid darkness, allowed many of the Russians to slip through undetected. Carrying a hodgepodge of weapons, which included Russian or Japanese rifles, shotguns, revolvers, knives, axes and even pitchforks, the Russians began rampaging through Japanese defenses, catching them totally by surprise. Lanterns were tossed onto tents or supply boxes, setting them ablaze in the dry air. Some partisans had even brought lamp oil, and began dousing Japanese soldiers in it, setting them on fire and inflicting horrible wounds.
Despite the surprise and ferocity of the attack, the Japanese quickly overwhelmed the attackers, and many of the “Resistance Brigade” were killed in their attempt to escape, or were captured by the Japanese and summarily executed, though Yasukata would later court martial those that did so. The raid had nonetheless done its job, shaking up the Japanese attackers and making things far more difficult than they wanted it to be. A fire ripped through a number of tents protecting munitions, and the rattle of bullets cooking off could be heard as far as the Russian lines.
Brusilov, proud of his men and their achievements, had nonetheless issued a dire warning.
Aleksei Brusilov said:
Brusilov’s warning would be heeded, as the Japanese prepared for their next assault, and the First Indian Force was only days away from landing. The battle to decide the fate of the war, and the fate of the next century, was about to begin in ernest.
[1]Translations wrong? Please point these out!!!
[2]I know it might seem tilted in one direction or another, but this is early 20th century warfare, bodies meant nothing.
Also, as this TL goes on, I will become more “broad” and less specific in my writings, as handling individual divisions and units during large scale campaigns, or tracking literal hour-by-hour aspects of a battle is tiresome for both writer and reader.
[2]I know it might seem tilted in one direction or another, but this is early 20th century warfare, bodies meant nothing.
Also, as this TL goes on, I will become more “broad” and less specific in my writings, as handling individual divisions and units during large scale campaigns, or tracking literal hour-by-hour aspects of a battle is tiresome for both writer and reader.
