Perang Rusia-Jepang: Perbedaan antara revisi

During the night of February 13-14, the Japanese attempted to block the entrance to Port Arthur by sinking several cement-filled steamers in the deep water channel to the port. But the steamers sank in too deep water for it to be effective. Another attempt to block the harbor entrance on the night of May 3-4, with blockships also failed. In March, the energetic Vice Admiral Makarov took command of the First Russian Pacific Squadron with the intention of making plans to break out of the Port Arthur blockade. By then, both sides began a policy of tactical offensive minelaying by laying mines in each others ports. This was the first time in warfare that mines were used for offensive purposes. In the past, mines were used as purely defensive purposes by keeping harbors safe from invading warships. The Japanese minelaying policy was effective at restricting the Russian movement of its ships outside Port Arthur when on [[April 12]], [[1904]], two Russian battleships, the flagship ''[[Petropavlosk]]'' and the ''[[Pobieda]]'' ran into a Japanese minefield off Port Arthur, both striking mines. The Petropavlosk sank within an hour, while the Pobieda had to be towed back to Port Arthur for extensive repairs. Makarov died on the Petropavlosk by choosing to go down with his ship. But the Russians soon learned the Japanese policy of offensive minelaying and decided to play the strategy too. On [[May 15]], [[1904]], two Japanese battleships, the ''[[Yashima]] ''and the ''[[Hatsuse]],'' were both lured into a recently laid Russian minefield off Port Arthur both striking at least two mines. The ''Yashima'' sank within minutes taking 450 sailors to their deaths, while the ''Hatsuse'' sank under tow a few hours later. On [[June 23]], a breakout attempt by the Russian squadron, now under the command of Admiral Vitgef failed. By the end of the month, Japanese artillery were already putting shells into the harbor.

 

 

Japan began a long [[siege of Port Arthur]], which had been heavily fortified by the Russians. On [[August 10]], [[1904]], the Russian fleet attempted to break out from Port Arthur and proceed to [[Vladivostok]], but they were intercepted and defeated at the [[Battle of the Yellow Sea]]. The remnant of the Russian fleet remained in Port Arthur, where they were slowly sunk by the artillery of the besieging army. Attempts to relieve the city from the land also failed, and after the [[Battle of Liaoyang]] in late August, the Russians retreated to Mukden ([[Shenyang]]). Port Arthur finally fell on [[January 2]], [[1905]], after a series of brutal, high-casualty assaults.

The Japanese army was now able to attack northward. To finalize the war, Japan needed to crush the Russian army in [[Manchuria]]. The [[Battle of Mukden]] opened in the end of February. Japanese forces progressed step by step with damage and tried to encircle [[General Kuropatkin]] Headquarters at Mukden ([[Shenyang]]). Russian forces resisted but on [[March 10]], [[1905]], they decided to retreat. The heavily damaged Japanese could not pursue the Russians. Because strategically the possession of the city meant little, the final victory was dependent on the navy.

 

Meanwhile, at sea, the Russians had already been preparing to reinforce their fleet the previous year by sending the [[Baltic Sea]] fleet under Admiral [[Zinovi Petrovich Rozhdestvenski]] around the [[Cape of Good Hope]] to Asia. On [[October 21]], [[1904]], while passing by [[United Kingdom|Britain]] (an ally of Japan but neutral in this war), they nearly provoked a war in the [[Dogger Bank incident]] by firing on British fishing boats that they mistook for torpedo boats. The duration of the journey meant that Admiral Togo was well aware of the [[Baltic Fleet]]'s progress, and he made plans to meet it before it could reach port at [[Vladivostok]]. He intercepted them in the [[Tsushima Strait]] between Korea and Japan, and in the [[Battle of Tsushima]], [[May 27]]–[[May 28|28]], [[1905]], the more modern Japanese fleet, numerically inferior but with superior speed and firing range, shelled the Russian fleet mercilessly, destroying all eight of their [[battleship]]s.