x A pitched battle took place on May 28. The Japanese had badly
underestimated both the size and the quality of the Russian
opposition. The Russians had equipped even their light tanks and
armored cars with relatively heavy cannons, which chewed up the
weakly armed and armored Japanese.
x The Japanese high command wanted to avoid this distraction, but
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invasion. The Kwantung Army staff eventually came around and
committed a large force to a renewed attack. This group featured
Japan’s only independent tank brigade, which boasted two
regiments of medium tanks and one of light tanks. The Japanese
estimated that to oppose this powerful army, the Russians could
muster only around 1,000 infantry and a dozen tanks.
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had reinforced the area with a large army of their own. Most
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had deployed 186 tanks and 266 armored cars, almost all of them
more heavily armed. In addition, a new commander had been
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of Russia’s greatest generals.
x After some preliminary aerial warfare, the Japanese launched their
offensive, executing a successful night attack in which their tanks
charged and scattered an unsuspecting Russian infantry regiment.
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unable to coordinate their movements with the supporting infantry,
and many of his superior armored vehicles were knocked out by
Japanese suicide attacks.
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began to wipe out the surrounded pockets of Japanese troops and
vehicles. The remaining Japanese had no choice but to attempt
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