Battle of Motien Pass
Encyclopedia
was a minor land conflict of the Russo-Japanese War
, between the Imperial Japanese Army
under General Kuroki Tamemoto
and the Imperial Russian Army under General Count Fedor Keller
over control of a strategic mountain pass on the main road between the coast and Liaoyang
, Manchuria
on 27 June 1904.
General Count Fedor Keller
had assumed command of the Russian Eastern Force from General Zasulich after the Battle of Yalu River
. His force of 25,000 men held Motien Pass, in the middle of Liaodong Peninsula, on the main road between Antung (modern Dandong
, China) and Liaoyang
. Keller, a loyal friend of General Aleksey Kuropatkin
and a student of General Mikhail Skobelev
, observed that the Japanese strategy was similar to that of the First Sino-Japanese War
(i.e. that the three Japanese armies would converge on Haicheng, as they had 10 years previously). Kuropatin agreed, and in an effort to fortify his position at Haicheng, he began a series of complex and confusing troop movements as he endeavored to plug real or imaginary gaps in his defensive line. Keller, already weakened by the loss of men at the Battle of Te-li-Ssu
, was further forced to give up two more regiment
s to Kuropatin's defenses at Haicheng.
The Japanese 1st Army, under command of General Kuroki Tamemoto
, paused at Fenghaungshang (modern Fengheng, Liaoning Province, China
) from 19-25 June to await supplies and reinforcements. Kuroki decided to attack on 26 June, which was, by coincidence, the same day that General Keller received orders from General Kuropatkin depriving him of yet another regiment to support the defenses of Haicheng.
Guarding the strategic Motien Pass, the Russians had three infantry
regiments, three artillery
batteries and a Cossack
regiment. To the west was the reserve infantry regiment supported by a Cossack brigade. During the night of 25-26 June, a Japanese force moved along an unguarded path to the rear of the Russian right flank. This force was supported by Maxim machine guns
and mountain artillery. Another group, clad in Japanese straw sandals to mask their movements, moved around the Russian left flank undetected.
The battle began at 05:15 on 27 June with a direct Japanese frontal attack. This attack faltered by 07:00 due to strong artillery fire from the Russian positions; however, by 08:00, the Russians found themselves all but encircled by the Japanese flanking attack. By 10:00, the Russians were in full retreat towards Hsimucheng (modern Ximu, Liaodong Province, China).
The Japanese moved in to occupy Motien Pass on 30 June. Casualties on both sides were relatively light, and later commentators have speculated extensively on why General Keller (otherwise known to be competent) abandoned such a strategic and easily-defendable location with so little resistance. Keller, who perished due to shrapnel
wounds from Japanese artillery in an ill-fated counterattack to retake Montien Pass left no notes.
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, between the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
under General Kuroki Tamemoto
Kuroki Tamemoto
Count was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was the head of the Japanese First Army during the Russo-Japanese War; and his forces enjoyed a series of successes during the Manchurian fighting at the Battle of Yalu River, the Battle of Liaoyang, the Battle of Shaho and the Battle of...
and the Imperial Russian Army under General Count Fedor Keller
Fedor Keller
Count Fyodor Keller was a general in the Imperial Russian Army, noted for his role in the Battle of Motien Pass during the Russo-Japanese War.-Biography:...
over control of a strategic mountain pass on the main road between the coast and Liaoyang
Liaoyang
Liaoyang is a city in China, Liaoning province, located in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula. The city is situated on the T'ai-tzu River and forms with Anshan a built up area of 2,057,200 inhabitants in 2010....
, Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
on 27 June 1904.
General Count Fedor Keller
Fedor Keller
Count Fyodor Keller was a general in the Imperial Russian Army, noted for his role in the Battle of Motien Pass during the Russo-Japanese War.-Biography:...
had assumed command of the Russian Eastern Force from General Zasulich after the Battle of Yalu River
Battle of Yalu River (1904)
The Battle of Yalu River, 30 April to 1 May 1904, was the first major land battle during the Russo-Japanese War...
. His force of 25,000 men held Motien Pass, in the middle of Liaodong Peninsula, on the main road between Antung (modern Dandong
Dandong
Dandong , previously known as Andong and Antung, is a city in Liaoning Province, Northeast China. It lies on the border between China and North Korea, which is marked by the Yalu River, and is the largest border city in China. Also, to the southwest of the city, the river flows into Korea Bay...
, China) and Liaoyang
Liaoyang
Liaoyang is a city in China, Liaoning province, located in the middle of the Liaodong Peninsula. The city is situated on the T'ai-tzu River and forms with Anshan a built up area of 2,057,200 inhabitants in 2010....
. Keller, a loyal friend of General Aleksey Kuropatkin
Aleksey Kuropatkin
Alexei Nikolayevich Kuropatkin was the Russian Imperial Minister of War who is often held responsible for major Russian drawbacks in the Russian-Japanese War, notably the Battle of Mukden and the Battle of Liaoyang.-Early years:Kuropatkin was born in 1848 in what is now Pskov, in the Russian...
and a student of General Mikhail Skobelev
Mikhail Skobelev
Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev was a Russian general famous for his conquest of Central Asia and heroism during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Dressed in white uniform and mounted on a white horse, and always in the thickest of the fray, he was known and adored by his soldiers as the "White...
, observed that the Japanese strategy was similar to that of the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
(i.e. that the three Japanese armies would converge on Haicheng, as they had 10 years previously). Kuropatin agreed, and in an effort to fortify his position at Haicheng, he began a series of complex and confusing troop movements as he endeavored to plug real or imaginary gaps in his defensive line. Keller, already weakened by the loss of men at the Battle of Te-li-Ssu
Battle of Te-li-Ssu
The Battle of Te-li-ssu , also called Battle of Wafangou after the nearby railway station, was a land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. It was fought at a hamlet some north of Port Arthur, Manchuria. The hamlet is known today as Delisi, and is located just north of Wafangdian, Liaoning Province,...
, was further forced to give up two more regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s to Kuropatin's defenses at Haicheng.
The Japanese 1st Army, under command of General Kuroki Tamemoto
Kuroki Tamemoto
Count was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was the head of the Japanese First Army during the Russo-Japanese War; and his forces enjoyed a series of successes during the Manchurian fighting at the Battle of Yalu River, the Battle of Liaoyang, the Battle of Shaho and the Battle of...
, paused at Fenghaungshang (modern Fengheng, Liaoning Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) from 19-25 June to await supplies and reinforcements. Kuroki decided to attack on 26 June, which was, by coincidence, the same day that General Keller received orders from General Kuropatkin depriving him of yet another regiment to support the defenses of Haicheng.
Guarding the strategic Motien Pass, the Russians had three infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiments, three artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
batteries and a Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
regiment. To the west was the reserve infantry regiment supported by a Cossack brigade. During the night of 25-26 June, a Japanese force moved along an unguarded path to the rear of the Russian right flank. This force was supported by Maxim machine guns
Maxim gun
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
and mountain artillery. Another group, clad in Japanese straw sandals to mask their movements, moved around the Russian left flank undetected.
The battle began at 05:15 on 27 June with a direct Japanese frontal attack. This attack faltered by 07:00 due to strong artillery fire from the Russian positions; however, by 08:00, the Russians found themselves all but encircled by the Japanese flanking attack. By 10:00, the Russians were in full retreat towards Hsimucheng (modern Ximu, Liaodong Province, China).
The Japanese moved in to occupy Motien Pass on 30 June. Casualties on both sides were relatively light, and later commentators have speculated extensively on why General Keller (otherwise known to be competent) abandoned such a strategic and easily-defendable location with so little resistance. Keller, who perished due to shrapnel
Shrapnel
Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried a large number of individual bullets close to the target and then ejected them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike the target individually. They relied almost entirely on the shell's velocity for...
wounds from Japanese artillery in an ill-fated counterattack to retake Montien Pass left no notes.