Why didn't Japan Join the Offensive against Soviet Union?

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#History #Documentary

[Knowledgia]

Thank you so much for watching, and for your constant support and consideration!
Check out the original video linked at the bottom of this short 🔻

[sez]

Simple, they didn’t select that focus tree

[starguy]

Fun fact, after the signing of the Soviet-Japanese non aggression treaty, Stalin, Molotov and the Japanese delegation got absolutely hammered. They got so drunk that the Japanese Foreign Minister almost missed his train back to Japan, and Stalin and Molotov had to basically put him on it as he could barely stand

[malickfan]

The US issued an oil embargo on Japan after they occupied French Indochina in the early part of the war. This cut Japan off from 80% of its oil income, making it impossible to continue their war with China. Thus, they had to go south in order to get oil from the Dutch East Indies because they didn’t have any other choice at that point. I personally think they would have attacked the ussr at some point if the embargo didn’t happen.

[samuelodhuu]

An interesting true story of my family:

My great grandfather fought at the battle of Khalkhiin Gol - as we pronounce in Mongolian.

The outnumbered Mongolian forces had been holding the border and fighting the invading Japanese for about 5 months until September 1939 when the Soviet ‘cavalry’ came in and drove the Japanese back into Manchukuo.

Among the numerous(approximately 5, 000) Japanese troops who had surrendered, my great grandfather was one of them. They were seen as expendables, a lost cause by the Japanese generals, who did not bother to send reinforcements or transport to their rescue.

Subsequently, the Japanese soldiers were forced to walk back into Manchuria through the unforgiving Gobi Desert. Most of the soldiers died on the way due to exhaustion and dehydration.

My great grandfather was lucky enough to stumble into a Mongolian girl(my great grandmother) who was no older than 16 at the time. They ‘married’ and my grandfather was born, 4~5 years after which my great grandfather died.

All of this was revealed to our whole family long after (20 years ago) as Mongolia was a Soviet satellite state up until 1991.

I didn’t really believe the whole story until recently when I took a DNA test via 23andMe. And sure enough, I’m a Mongolian who is 13% Japanese.

[ugandaforever]

Basically: They didn't make the Soviets fight on two fronts because the Soviets would also make them fight on two fronts

[zenxel]

Alot of people don't realise how much geography plays in war.
If Japan had invaded Russia, they would have to fight in the Siberian snow and forests. It would be a war of attrition with little to gain except helping to distract an opponent of your ally.

[thatoneinitialdfan]

Fun fact: battle of Khalkin Gol was the first major battle for Georgy Zhukov as a commander and it marked the start of his career as a major figure in soviet war history and overall the history of his country.

[mikekelleher]

Interestingly, the Soviet general who defeated the Japanese was Georgy Zhukov, the same guy who led the assault against the Nazis.

[Ronald]

**Japan declares war on USSR**

USSR : LMAO good luck walking through Siberia even without troops stationed there!😂😂😂

[gunther]

Far Easterner here (East Siberia for rest of the world). Let's not forget that the USSR had two major battles with Japanese Empire: the battle on Lake Hasan (1938) and the major battle in Halkin Gol (1939).

In 1937, by agreement with Mongolia, the USSR stationed a contingent of troops on the border with Manchuria. Clashes and small demonstrations on the part of Japan began as early as 1936. Japan even attempted to use bacteriological weapons (Unit 731 and its subordinate units), fortunately their attempts were unsuccessful and it mainly affected cows and Japanese soldiers themselves.

The Soviet victory in the Far East borders was one of the first significant victories of the Soviet Union on the eve of World War II and helped to significantly reorganize the young Red Army, as well as put forward the figure of Zhukov as a talented commander.

The people of Russia are grateful to the United States for occupying Japan, which enabled the USSR to recall a significant garrison of troops from the Far Eastern frontiers to fight the German fascists at Moscow. The Soviet Union, true to its promise to the Allies, would launch a large-scale operation against Japan after the surrender of Nazi Germany.

And lastly, it can be argued at length what played a significant role in Japan's defeat. Was it the brilliant destruction of the Kwantung Army by Marshal Vasilevsky, or was it the two nuclear bombs? Personally, I think Curtis Leamey and his operation to burn japanese cities before the nukes were dropped played a significant role and numbered Japanese empire days.

[룰러-ju]

Japan was already fighting China, the U.S. and the U.K. on three fronts, so attacking the Soviet Union is suicide. 1 million troops are deployed to the Chinese front, but there is no remaining force of the Japanese military for attacking USSR

[PilotAwe]

Also, even if you wanted to wage a war with USSR, you simply cannot invade them from that direction, there is simply nothing but endless forest and a harsh climate.

[bluestarlee]

Germany : Our ally Japan, let’s advance to the east together.
Japan : Ah, east!

[TH-ludu]

The irony is that huge oil reserves were waiting to be discovered in North Sakhalin

[GDP]

Invading Siberia would be a logistical nightmare. It was simply almost impossible.

[Jordan_offline_]

"Imagine getting dunked on by both the US and the USSR can't be me"
~ Hirohito

[Kabutoes]

Japan: “I signed a non aggression pact with the Soviet Union so I don’t have to worry about the war there and focus on China”
Germany: “ok”
Japan: “so please don’t attack them, if we are in an alliance”
Germany: “ok”

[tmclaug]

Also, Germans never told the Japanese of their plans to invade USSR.

[joeshar.]

Americans: Japanese bombed our Pearl Harbor. We are allies right?
Soviets: Yes
American: Japanese invaded every land on East Asia, you are just miles away from their homeland
Soviets: Yes
Americans: So...
Soviets: So what?