What was the official name of the Soviet offensive against Japanese forces in Manchuria in 1945?

The official name commonly given to the Soviet offensive against Japanese forces in Manchuria was the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation. It began on August 9, 1945, as Soviet forces attacked from multiple directions against Japan’s Kwantung Army and the Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo.

The operation was coordinated across three major axes: from the Soviet Far East, from Mongolia across the western frontier, and from the north. Soviet forces used large formations of tanks, artillery, aircraft, and infantry to exploit the wide spaces of Manchuria and bypass or isolate Japanese defensive positions.

The campaign is also widely known as the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and, especially in English-language military history, Operation August Storm. These labels describe the same broad campaign, but “Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation” is the formal operational name. The offensive continued into September, even though Japan had announced its decision to surrender in August.