The () was a major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, on the outskirts of the city of Liaoyang in present-day Liaoning Province, China. The city was of great strategic importance as the major Russian military center for southern Manchuria, and a major population center on the main line on the Russian South Manchurian Railway connecting Port Arthur with Mukden. The city was fortified by the Imperial Russian Army with three lines of fortifications.

Background

When the Imperial Japanese Army landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, Japanese General Ōyama Iwao divided his forces. The IJA 3rd Army under Lieutenant General Nogi Maresuke was assigned to attack the Russian naval base at Port Arthur to the south, while the IJA 1st Army, IJA 2nd Army and IJA 4th Army would converge on the city of Liaoyang. Russian General Aleksey Kuropatkin planned to counter the Japanese advance with a series of planned withdrawals, intended to trade territory for the time necessary for enough reserves to arrive from Russia to give him a decisive numerical advantage over the Japanese. However, this strategy was not in favor with the Russian Viceroy Yevgeni Ivanovich Alekseyev, who was pushing for a more aggressive stance and quick victory over Japan.

Both sides viewed Liaoyang as a site suitable for a decisive battle which would decide the outcome of the war.

Ōyama also divided his forces into three groups:

  • IJA 1st Army under General Kuroki Tamemoto,
  • IJA 2nd Army under General Oku Yasukata,
  • IJA 4th Army under General Nozu Michitsura.

Ōyama had a total of eight divisions with 120,000 men and 170 artillery pieces. The overall Japanese strategy, which had been developed by General Kodama Gentarō, was to have the 2nd Army advance along the railway line, while the 1st Army converged upon the city via Motien Pass from the north. The 4th Army would be a reserve to be committed to the right of the 2nd Army towards the end of the battle.

Russian forces were supported by observers in a variety of balloons, providing aerial monitoring of the unfolding battle.

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File:Russian_Baloon_in_the_Battle_of_Liaoyang_1.jpg|Battle of Liaoyang, Russian crew of balloon handlers on the ground

File:Russian_Baloon_in_the_Battle_of_Liaoyang_2.jpg|Battle of Liaoyang, Russian balloon anchored between missions

File:Russian_Baloon_in_the_Battle_of_Liaoyang_3.jpg|Battle of Liaoyang, Russian observation balloon in mid-air

File:Russian_Baloon_in_the_Battle_of_Liaoyang_4.jpg|Battle of Liaoyang, Russian balloon, observers in the basket

File:Japanese General Kuroki and his Chief of Staff Shigeta Fujii.jpg|Japanese General Kuroki Tamemoto and Chief of Staff Fujii Shigeta

</gallery>

Notes

References

  • Jukes, Geoffrey. The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. Osprey Essential Histories. (2002). .