"Did you Know in 1945, the Navy Secretly Handed Over 150" Topic

…Warships to Russia for an Invasion of Japan

"By late 1944 and early 1945, the defeat of Nazi Germany seemed imminent and Allied attention moved to the East.

Russia and Japan had fought a bloody, undeclared war at Khalkhin-Gol in 1939. By 1941, they had secured a truce that let both powers focus their attention elsewhere. But both sides still kept significant forces in the area.

Stalin and the Soviet General Staff desperately wanted to transfer more forces during the critical period in 1941 and 42, and it wasn't until 1944 that the Japanese forces in the area assumed a defensive posture…"
War History complete article here
link

Armand

Most folks know about the WW1 cruiser as lend lease.

By way of Pacific via Alaska they loaned some fifty, yes I said fifty, of the Tacomas which were the US pattern River class frigates. At least an equal number of minesweepers/escorts. Not so sure on the number of subchasers. I don't know of any of the DE's going, mind the Tacomas were pretty much in the same category.

Funny thing is, the navy hesitated on handing over any landing craft. They wanted the USSR to be strictly on the continent and not in Japan itself.

Strangest thing was that during the shooting war that was korea,,,the USSR was handing back ships through the early fifties while the Korean war was still waging!

Thanks!.

Armand

I would love to learn about the Lend Lease convoys to Vladivostok and how the Japanese allowed them to pass.

Free passage of Russian traffic (both vessel and aircraft) across the Pacific was agreed to by Japan as part of the agreement that ended the Russo-Japanese fighting in the Khalkin Gol region of Mongolia.

Japan honored its commitment, as the ships all flew Soviet colors. As well, Russian air crew sere sent from the USSR to the Aleutian Islands, where they took possession of American Lend-Lease aircraft, re-painted them with Soviet markings and flew them across the Bering Strait to the USSR unmolested by the Japanese.

FWIW.

B

BTW, those 150 ships were provided to the USSR to support their desire to perform an amphibious attack to recover the Kuril Islands (surrendered to Japan as part of the Treaty of Portsmouth ending the RJW). The ships were in no way sufficient in number to enable the Soviets to invade Japan proper.

The Soviet invaders were stopped cold by the Japanese garrison, who did not surrender until the official capitulation of the Japanese government that ended WW2.

The USSR did finally regain the islands as part of the formal peace settlement.

B