What nickname is commonly used in the West for the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945?

Operation August Storm is a common Western nickname for the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945.

The campaign began on 9 August 1945, when Soviet forces attacked Japanese-held Manchuria and the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. It is also formally called the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or the Manchurian Operation.

The Red Army advanced from several directions with overwhelming numerical and material strength. Soviet forces crossed into Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, and northern Korea, while other operations targeted southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Japan’s Kwantung Army, once considered a powerful force, collapsed rapidly.

Operation August Storm is sometimes confused with Operation Downfall, the Allied plan for a possible invasion of Japan’s home islands. Downfall was never carried out. The Soviet offensive, together with the atomic bombings and other pressures, formed part of the crisis that led Japan to surrender.