The Russo-Japanese War - interesting facts

The Russo-Japanese War is one of the main events in the history of Russia. Some consider it a shameful stain on the country's reputation, caused by the narrow-mindedness and excessive conservatism of officials and the Tsar, while others claim that the revolutionaries led by the intellectuals are to blame. But discussions about who will leave the historians to blame, and we will pay attention to some interesting events of those years. The Russian-Japanese war is an interesting fact.

https://pixabay.com/photos/apocalypse-war-disaster-destruction-2459465/

1. The war between Russia and Japan began because of the letter (the case with the letter was an occasion, the reasons for the war were in the territorial expansion of Russia and Japan). The fact is that in 1904 the Japanese gave the Russian Empire an ultimatum: either Nicholas II orders his troops to stop advancing to the Far East, or they open an armed opposition. Russian diplomats sent a letter to the Japanese capital offering to settle everything peacefully, but in Nagasaki the letter was delayed to provoke military action. The Japanese government, without receiving any response, considered that the Russian Empire had no respect for their ultimatum and declared war in January 1904.
2. The Japanese were helped by England, France and the United States. These countries supplied Japan with arms and money, so they believed that the war was beneficial to them: the states did not want to strengthen the position of Nicholas II in the Far East.
3. During the year of active fighting Russia did not win any major battle. It defended Port Arthur, the ports of Chemulpo and Dalniy, well kept in the battle on the river Yalu, near the city of Liaoyang, on the river Shahe and Mukden.
4. The most noble episode in the Russo-Japanese War is the battle at the port of Chemulpo. Navigator of the Japanese ship Urio SotoKichi warned the crew of the enemy cruiser in advance that he was going to attack. He explained that he had no personal grievances, but was forced to do so because of the relations between their countries.
5. Rudnev, the captain of the cruiser "Varyag", collided with the fleet of Urio Sotokichi, heroically held the defense, but still lost the battle. It was decided to sink the ship so that it would not fall into the hands of the enemy. The Japanese took the cruiser out of the water and appropriated it for themselves. In 1917, the ship was bought by the British, later it passed to the Germans, it sank in the Irish Sea during the storm.
6. By the end of 1904, the defense of Port Arthur, which lasted for a year, was stopped. Russian generals suddenly gave up their positions, despite the fact that the resources to continue the battle would have been sufficient for at least another month. The decision to surrender shocked even the Japanese, who planned to continue the siege of the port for another month and a half. Both commanders were tried after the end of the war.
7. Despite the many victories won in the battles, Japan was on the brink of economic collapse. The government, in order to avoid a crisis and mass migration of the population, came up with a trick. The Japanese asked the President of the United States for help in proposing a peace agreement to the belligerent parties and, of course, requested that the request be kept secret. Roosevelt had become a peacemaker in the eyes of the public, and Japan had become the victorious country.
8. At the end of the summer of 1905, the peace talks of the warring states took place in America: Japan was represented by Foreign Minister Komura Jutaro and Russia by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Witte. As a result of the negotiations, Russia was freed from retribution, recognized Japan's influence in Korea and gave part of Sakhalin Island to the Japanese (even though Japanese troops had occupied the entire island by the time of the negotiations). After the negotiations, Nicholas II gave Witte the title of Count. His ill-wishers nicknamed the minister "Count of Polusakhalinskiy".
9. During the Russo-Japanese War, electronic warfare was successfully used for the first time. The Japanese army shelled Port Arthur with the help of special adjusters, which allowed to ensure accurate hitting, while being out of the reach of the enemy. Admiral Ukhtomsky ordered the radio operators to jam the Japanese signals. In those days, the development of radio technology was at the initial stage: the so-called "spark" transmitters were used. They provided a powerful broadband signal that prevented two radio stations from operating at the same time - they jammed each other.
10. The first mortar also appeared during the Russo-Japanese War, or rather during the battles at Port Arthur. In the summer of 1904, Japanese troops surrounded the city. The first assault did not bring results and the warring armies began to build trenches. Forcing the Japanese to leave the trenches was almost impossible. An officer of the Russian army, Leonid Gobyato, suggested throwing mines at the enemy with the help of a special vehicle. The first two 75 mm howitzers were designed and constructed in August of the same year. Three of the four shells fired hit the target.