NOMONHAN, 1939 S D. G TUART OLDMAN NOMONHAN, 1939 _______________________________________ T R A ’ V T S W W II HE ED RMY S ICTORY HAT HAPED ORLD AR Naval Institute Press Annapolis, Maryland The statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed in this book are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Government, or the U.S. Navy. Naval Institute Press 291 Wood Road Annapolis, MD 21402 © 2012 by Stuart D. Goldman All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Goldman, Stuart D. (Stuart Douglas), 1943- Nomonhan, 1939 : the Red Army victory that shaped World War II / by Stuart Goldman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61251-098-9 (ebook) 1. Khalkhin Gol, Battle of, Mongolia, 1939. 2. Russo-Japanese Border Conflicts, 1932–1941. 3. Mongolia—Strategic aspects. 4. Manchuria (China)—Strategic aspects. 5. Soviet Union. Raboche-Krest?ianskaia Krasnaia Armiia—History—World War, 1939–1945. 6. World War, 1939– 1945—Causes. I. Title. DS798.9.H33G65 2012 952.03’3—dc23 2011048511 This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper). 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First printing FOR MY SISTER CAROL, WHO CHEERED ME ON FROM THE SIDELINES THROUGH THE DOUBLE MARATHON OF THIS BOOK, AND PASSED AWAY JUST BEFORE I CROSSED THE FINISH LINE C ONTENTS LIST OF MAPS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: THE LEGACY OF THE PAST CHAPTER 2: THE GLOBAL CONTEXT CHAPTER 3: CHANGKUFENG CHAPTER 4: NOMONHAN: PRELIMINARIES CHAPTER 5: NOMONHAN: A LESSON IN LIMITED WAR CHAPTER 6: NOMONHAN, THE NONAGGRESSION PACT, AND THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II CHAPTER 7: NOMONHAN CASTS A LONG SHADOW EPILOGUE NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX LIST OF MAPS MAP 1. Manchuria and Environs in the 1930s MAP 2. Locale of Changkufeng Incident July-August 1938 MAP 3. Nomonhan Disputed Border MAP 4. Nomonhan, May 28-29 MAP 5. July 1-3 Japanese Offensive MAP 6. August 20-30 Soviet Offensive