     The Russo-Japanese War
          1904 to 1905

Japan prepared for a limited war 
in Korea and Manchuria to take
needed resources and to gain 
revenge against the Russians for 
interfering with the Sino-
Japanese Treaty.  In the forced 
treaty revisions, the shamed 
Japanese had to give up the 
Liaotung Peninsula and Port 
Arthur to the Russians.

The Japanese war plan was fairly 
simple:  destroy the Russian Far 
East Fleet, and capture its base,
Port Arthur, on the tip of the 
Liaotung Peninsula.  After 
accomplishing these goals, Japan 
would have command of the Asian 
Pacific, and would be able to 
land troops to force the Russians
out of Manchuria.


         - Port Arthur -

On February 8, 1904, the Japanese
launched a surprise attack with 
torpedo boats on the Russian 
fleet at Port Arthur.  The 
Japanese 1st Army landed at 
Chemulpo and pushed inland 
towards the Yalu River to cover 
operations at Port Arthur while 
the Imperial Navy blockaded the 
city.


     - Battle of Yalu River -

The Japanese army prepared 
several crossing points across 
the Yalu, confusing and spreading
thin the defending Russians.
The attack started with a 
Japanese artillery bombardment 
on the exposed Russian artillery.
The Japanese made a wide flanking
movement around the Russians' 
flank;  the Russians retreated 
back towards Mudken.  In the wake
of the battle, the Russians had 
2,500 casualties, but the 
Japanese only 1,100 lost - they 
seemed unstoppable.


         - Nanshan Hill -

In order to complete the 
isolation of Port Arthur, the 
Japanese Army had to sieze the 
ground around Nanshan Hill.  Due 
to the close terrain, the 
Japanese decided to frontally 
assault the Russians across open 
ground.  Russian forces were 
already in a fortified position.
The assault failed, and the 
Japanese lost over 4,500 in 
comparison to only 700 Russian 
casualties.


  - Capture of 203 Meter Hill -

After four months and five 
assault attempts, the Japanese 
launched another attack at a 
Russian stronghold outside of 
Port Arthur, 203 Meter Hill.  
The Russian fortification was 
essential, as it would allow the
Japanese to position their six 
11" guns to bombard the Russian 
fleet in Port Arthur.  After 
several days of intense fighting,
the Japanese finally overran the 
Russian defenders - Port Arthur 
was in Japanese hands.
  

           - Telissu -

Back in the Russian capital city
of St. Petersburg, the Czar 
convened his war council and 
decreed there must be an attempt 
to relieve Port Arthur.  The bulk
of the Asian-based Russian forces
proceded to the Manchurian 
border, and the two nations again
collided at a small town in 
Manchuria called Telissu.  After 
three days of fighting, the 
Russians were forced to retreat 
back to the city of Liao-yang.


          - Liao-yang -

The Russians had their main 
concentration of troops in Asia 
based at Liao-yang.  This was 
also the last place the Japanese 
would have to take before pushing
on to Mudken.  After eight days 
of frontal assaults, the Japanese
were able to push the Russians' 
flanks slightly back.  The 
Russian commander decided to 
abandon the area and fall back to
Mudken.  By keeping their forces
intact, the Russians denied the 
Japanese a chance to end the 
war.


           - Mudken -

The Japanese and Russians, 
each with a total force of 
approximately 310,000 troops, 
entrenched in the area around 
Mudken.  Several attacks were 
launched by the Japanese over 
the course of several weeks; 
finally, the Japanese were able 
to push back the Russian line.  
The Russians decided to fall back
again, leaving the bulk of 
the army intact - the Russians 
only lost 20,000 men, to 70,000 
for the Japanese.  


          - Stalemate -

During the beginning of 1905, 
the Russians and Japanese built 
up their forces across the 
Manchurian plains, with close to 
a million men on the field.  
The Japanese had over 360,000 
front line troops present, the 
Russians 446,000.  The Russian 
troops were no longer second 
tier Siberian troops; instead, 
they were elite European 
infantry.  Through several 
months of fighting, the two 
armies reached a stalemate.


    - Treaty of Portsmouth -

Through the efforts of the 
United States' President 
Theodore Roosevelt, peace 
negotiations led to a treaty 
that saved face for both 
nations and ended the war.  
The Russians recognized the 
interests of Japan throughtout 
Korea and ceded the Liaotung 
Peninsula and Port Arthur to the
Japanese.  Both agreed to 
evacuate Manchuria except for 
the areas around Liaotung and 
the Trans-Siberian Railroad.  

On October 14, 1905, this bloody 
struggle, the last of the Age of 
Rifles finally came to an end.