What the Battle of Kursk was for the Third Reich, the Battle of Tsushima was for the Russian fleet. Russia may have forgotten about the victory in the whole war.
The Russians, by bringing their ships to the Far East, hoped to reverse the fate of the war with Japan. They miscalculated. They disregarded the enemy. They also did not take care to prepare an appropriate battle plan. As a result, the Russian fleet was literally massacred.
Historical background of the Battle of Tsushima
The famous battle of Tsushima was the culmination of the Japanese-Russian war, which was largely fueled by a conflict over influence in East Asia. We should also remember that Japan could count on the sympathy of Great Britain, the USA and Germany. The war began in 1904. On February 6, Japan broke off diplomatic relations with Russia. Literally 2 days later, the first attack occurred. On February 8, Japanese admiral Heihachirō Tōgō decided to bomb the Russian ships moored in Port Arthur. It was a severe blow as Russia was unable to use the fleet in the still frozen Vladivostok.
What the Battle of Kursk meant for the Third Reich, the Battle of Tsushima was for the Russian fleet
The Japanese began to be successful also on land - after a quick mobilization and landing on Chinese shores. A particularly important, but also Pyrrhic victory was the capture of Port Arthur by the Japanese army on January 2, 1905. The losses on both sides were enormous. The Russians lost about 40,000 soldiers, the Japanese as many as 60,000. The Russians suffered defeat after defeat. They decided to bring more ships into the area of fighting, which - or so they hoped - would separate Japan from its troops on the Asian continent and face the Japanese fleet near Tsushima.
Long voyage of the Baltic Fleet
There is no doubt that on the eve of the great - as it turned out - battle Japan was in a better position . First of all, Tsushima, located in the Korean Strait, which was to become the site of the battle, was for Japan just a stone's throw from its territory. Moreover, Great Britain supported the expansion of the Japanese navy. These countries had entered into an alliance a few years earlier, on January 30, 1902.
Russia, on the other hand, had yet to bring its ships to the scene. It was decided to bring in the elite Baltic Fleet. The road ahead was, however, very long - and even lengthened “thanks to” the decisions of Great Britain. The state did not consent to Russian warships passing through the Suez Canal . So a cruise around all of Africa awaited them. So freshness was not on Russia's side. The cruise of the Baltic Fleet lasted from October 1904 until May 1905. The clash of the two fleets took place on May 27.
Preparing for battle
Eye contact between the two fleets took place just before the battle - on May 27 at around 1:40 pm. The Russians spotted 4 Japanese battleships, including the flagship of Admiral Tōgō Mikasa and 8 cruisers. The admiral himself at that time in a message called on the sailors to fulfill their duty, because the fate of the empire depended on it . The Japanese fleet was approaching the Russian one from the northeast. Vice Admiral Zinowij Rożestwieński was pleased with this, because he had placed his most modern battleships in the front and was counting on an effective attack from the very beginning. These hopes, however, turned out to be in vain.
Vice Admiral Zinowij Rożestwieński
Heihachirō Tōgō decided to perform a risky maneuver with the entire fleet, which would later ensure him victory. It was a repetition of Admiral Nelson's maneuver at the Battle of Trafalgar. Aligning his ships in a line, perpendicular to the Russian fleet, he decided to draw a line with them over T. The vertical line was made up of Russian ships, and his own - the horizontal one. Anyway the Japanese fleet successfully repeated this maneuver several times during the battle . Such a tactic allows you to fire the enemy from all guns on the sides while the enemy only has bow guns at his disposal. And this is mainly on the leading ship, because the further you go, the less you can shoot over your own ships. As the Japanese were moving in the opposite direction to the Russians at this point, a maneuver adjustment was needed. This turned out to be crucial.
Start of match
Admiral Tōgō decided to stretch his ships into a 180-degree wide semicircle with which he continued the maneuver and set out on the same course as the Russians. At the same time, was facing the weaker part of the Russian fleet, which Rozestwieński wanted to avoid. This maneuver was successful thanks to the speed advantage of the Japanese ships. In addition, the Russians were not very accurate shooters, thanks to which the Japanese were not hit too seriously in the critical moment of passing by the battleships. Rożestwieński still tried to react by ordering his units to make a turn, but the speed was not corrected. The twists and the sudden drop of it turned the orderly array into a partially chaotic setting.
The flagship of Admiral Tōgō Mikas was the first to start shelling from the Japanese side. His target was the battleship Oslabja and the Russian counterpart of Mikasa:Suvorov. The Japanese adopted intelligent tactics. Mikasa, at the helm, was attacked at the target, and then the coordinates were passed on to the next ships. Thanks to this, they could deal severe losses to the enemy faster, mainly with the help of a specific ammunition:chimeras, which caused huge fires when they were hit. The Russians, on the other hand, initially focused only on Mikas.
Pogrom of the Russian fleet
The first battleship to sink fairly quickly after the start of the battle was Oslabja. Seriously damaged as a result of a massive fire, Suvorov was out of line, and Vice Admiral Rożestwieński was wounded. Later in the battle, he was transferred to destroyer Bujnyj . The lead ship then became battleship Alexander III. The Russians were seriously suffering from the lack of any specific plan for her before the battle . Rożestwieński also did not think about handing over the command to anyone. Less than an hour later, Alexander III had to retreat to the rear of the ranks due to multiple damage, and Borodino took his place.
In the following hours the demolition of the disorganized Russian fleet continued.
In the following hours the demolition of the disorganized Russian fleet continued . The group of battleships under the command of Rear Admiral Nikolai Niebogatov had little success. Alexander III sank with all the crew on board. Borodino also went down. The fighting forces were separated by the darkness and the smoke from the burning ships , although Admiral Tōgō sent destroyers this time. Suvorov was also sunk shortly before 19:00. The Russians only thought about escaping and breaking through to Vladivostok.
During the night and the next day, the Russian fleet split into several smaller groups, followed by Japanese ships. Some of the Russian ships were destroyed. Some reached different shores and were sunk after the crews had disembarked. The Japanese navy entered the others - captured. The Inequaled Group was encircled by enemy battleships. Seeing no chance, the rear admiral decided to capitulate. Biedowyj was also subjected, with the wounded Rożestwieński on board.
Balance of losses
The defeat of the Russian fleet was devastating. Only one cruiser and two destroyers finally managed to reach Vladivostok . Several ships have been interned in Chinese and Filipino ports. In turn, the Russians managed to sink only 3 Japanese torpedo boats. Human losses were also incomparably greater on the Russian side. More than 5,000 sailors died, twice as many were taken prisoner . The Japanese only lost about 800 people. Hailed as one of the most important naval battles in history, it opened the way for Japan to become a regional power. Russia suffered the greatest defeat in a naval battle in its history.
Hailed as one of the most important naval battles in history, it opened the way for Japan to become a regional power. In the artwork, Admiral Heihachirō Tōgō on the bridge of his flagship battleship Mikasa.
What happened next? Russia was no longer able to continue the war on the current scale. And it wasn't just about hardware and human resources. The latter in particular were increasingly needed elsewhere:in Russia itself. The actions of the revolutionaries grew more and more forceful. However, Japan itself was already beginning to feel the effects of the war. It was more and more difficult to replenish reserves, and financial problems became more and more felt. It was therefore an advantage for both sides to make peace.
Peace agreement
The United States, led by President Theodor Roosevelt, were involved in mediation between states. Incidentally, it paid off for him because i.a. for this he was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize . Negotiations were conducted in the American city of Portsmouth. The peace treaty was finally signed on September 5, 1905. Under it, Russia had to return to Japan the southern Sakhalin taken from her in 1875 . In addition, the Land of the Rising Sun has formally gained control of the Liaotung Peninsula along with the previously conquered Port Arthur, and Korea has found itself in the Japanese sphere of influence.
Looking from the side, Japan has not gained much from this agreement. The way the Americans conducted the negotiations was primarily to blame. However, the image gain was priceless. East Asia had to recognize the emergence of a strong new player on the scene.