What was the Western name for the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945?

Operation August Storm was the Western name for the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945.

The operation began on August 9, 1945, when Soviet forces attacked Japanese-controlled Manchuria and the puppet state of Manchukuo. Soviet troops advanced from several directions with large mechanized formations, overwhelming the Japanese Kwantung Army in a rapid campaign.

The Soviet attack came between the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan’s leaders had hoped the Soviet Union might mediate with the Western Allies, but the Soviet declaration of war ended that possibility. Historians debate the relative weight of the Soviet offensive and the atomic bombings in Japan’s decision to surrender, but both events transformed the strategic situation.

Operation August Storm is not the same as Operation Downfall, the Allied plan for a possible invasion of Japan’s home islands. The Soviet campaign focused on Japanese-held territory in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, northern Korea, and related areas.