The Soviet offensive against Japan’s forces in Manchuria in August 1945 is commonly nicknamed August Storm.
The operation began shortly after midnight on 9 August 1945, when the Soviet Union attacked the Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo. Soviet forces advanced from several directions across difficult terrain and rapidly overwhelmed the Kwantung Army, which had once been Japan’s main force in the region.
The offensive followed the Soviet declaration of war on Japan on 8 August. It coincided with the final phase of the Pacific War, including the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Japan’s decision to accept the Potsdam Declaration. The Soviet advance also extended into Korea, southern Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands.
August Storm is not the formal name used in Soviet military records; the official designation is the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation. The nickname is widely used in English historical writing because of the campaign’s timing and speed.