Soviet invasion of Manchuria

The Soviet invasion of Manchuria was a large offensive launched by the Soviet Union against Japan's Kwantung Army in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in northeast China, just after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It was carried out under Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky by well over a million Soviet troops, supported by Mongolian forces, in a three-pronged attack that exploited Soviet superiority in armour and air power. The once powerful Japanese army, weakened by the transfer of its best units to other fronts, collapsed within days. The Soviets captured Manchuria and the last emperor of China, Puyi, who had been the nominal ruler of Manchukuo. The offensive helped to persuade Japan to surrender, and it left behind a large number of prisoners taken to the Soviet Union.

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