1939 Khalkhin Gol—Sowing the Seeds of WWII ............................

Lecture 33

T

he Battle of Khalkhin Gol, fought between Russia and Japan in 1939,
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dispute concerning a 10-mile strip of featureless steppe at the point
where Mongolia, Manchuria, and China converge. It was an accidental
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technological testing ground for new weapons, yet it remains a relatively
little-known event. Probably the most surprising aspect of its obscurity
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World War II.

Background to Khalkhin Gol
x Since Japan embarked on its rapid industrialization in the late
19 th century, its greatest challenge had been obtaining the natural
resources required by large-scale mechanization. Thus, Japan’s
imperial ambitions focused on conquering regions where these raw
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the mainland of Asia.

x The military commanders were the most aggressive advocates for

expansionism in Manchuria, Korea, and other mainland regions,

and because the military enjoyed the emperor’s favor, this policy

prevailed, resulting in Japan’s occupation of Manchuria and China

in the 1930s. In these campaigns, the Japanese army experienced a

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began to eye Mongolia and Siberia.

x During the 1930s, the portion of the Japanese armed forces that

occupied Manchuria, now organized into the puppet state of

Manchukuo, had developed an odd structural relationship to the

rest of the military. It was known as the Kwantung Army after the