What was the common Western codename for the Soviet invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria in 1945?

Operation August Storm was the common Western codename for the Soviet invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria in 1945.

The offensive began on 9 August 1945, when Soviet forces attacked Japan’s puppet state of Manchukuo from several directions. Soviet armies advanced from the east, west, and north, overwhelming the Japanese Kwantung Army and rapidly seizing territory in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Korea, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands.

The campaign is also called the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or the Manchurian Operation. “Operation August Storm” is a widely used Western label, but it was not the Soviet operation’s formal Russian name.

The timing was significant. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan late on 8 August, following agreements made with the other Allies. The offensive began hours later, between the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August and the bombing of Nagasaki on 9 August. Japan’s leaders cited the Soviet entry into the war as a major factor in the surrender decision.