What name is often given to the Soviet invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria in August 1945?

Operation August Storm is a name often given to the Soviet invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria in August 1945.

The offensive began on 9 August 1945, after the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. Soviet forces attacked from the east, west, and north, using large formations of armor, artillery, aircraft, and infantry against Japan’s Kwantung Army. The campaign rapidly overran much of Manchuria and also included related operations in southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

“Operation August Storm” became a widely used English-language name after American military historian David Glantz used it as the title of a study published in the 1980s. Soviet and other historical accounts also use terms such as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.

The offensive should not be confused with the Soviet-Japanese border conflicts of 1939, especially the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. Those earlier clashes helped shape Japanese strategic decisions, but they were separate from the 1945 campaign. The 1945 invasion contributed to Japan’s final surrender decision and changed the balance of power in Northeast Asia.