germany,russia and japan

just wondering why the Japs never declared war on Russia although Hitler tried to get them to.

Also why did the Russians have 100,000 troops on the border towards Japan when intelligence said they wouldnt attack even if they did its around 7000 miles to moscow this would have taken a bigger operation than d-day so why waist thousands off men.

in the end these men were part off the defence of moscow but could they have been sooner.

look forward to your thoughts

 

The Russians and Japanese fought a border war in the summer of 1939 mainly through their client states Mongolia and Manchuria respectively. The result was a bloody nose for the Japanese at Nomonhan and an effective end to any thought of expansion into Siberia. It was the reason they turned south instead.

You've basically answered your own question regarding Russian troops. Being 7000 miles away in a more or less unpopulated region the always cautious Stalin needed the troops on the ground just in case the Japanese did change their minds and pulling troops away may have swayed it for them. Once they attacked Pearl Harbor he knew he could start bringing them back amongst whom included a certain general called Zhukov.

 

excellant ...thanks SMC

but in hine site if the Japs had attacked Russia how far would they have got 7000 miles away from Moscow which is mostly land. The German travelled around 600 from Polanf to Moscow and they had a great force of troops. bombers,tanks and supplies.

even if Stalin had removed his troops earlier surely the Japs thought it was impossible to get to Moscow. The Japs fought well they had a good navy and airforce aswell as an army but could they have realisticlly invaded russia on a large scale

 

I don't think the Japs would have been interested in going to Moscow.
I suspect they would have just gone for the Pacific Ports & Harbours. Also any areas of Pacific Russsia that would be usful to them.
Well that's my idea.



cheers owen good idea must be some truth in that and in that case surely Stalin could have replaced half of the 100,000 troops facing Japan with farmers from ww1 with pitch folks.

 

As Owen says, there is no evidence the Japanese would have attacked Moscow: unlike certain European dictators they were not interested in World domination and took only calculated risks. They were interested in dominating the Pacific Rim; for this reason they and the US had been squaring up to
each other at least since the 20's and really since the 1860's.

But of course Stalin was completely paranoid and probably did worry about them attacking Moscow. And he knew that even if they only succeeded annexing Eastern Siberia and Kamchatka, he would be seen as weak and open to a coup by his rivals. Hence, it was worth compromising the war with Germany to keep to troops in the East.
Adrian

 

The Soviets had about 30 divisions in the far east in June 1941. Between June and December they transferred 18 divisions and a great deal of the armour and aircraft. They were partly replaced with newly mobilised units and large transfers with replacements from mobilised units continued till the end of 1942. The new replacement units were not as trained as the units they replaced and had a low priority for equipment.

Hitler had not informed the Japanese of his planned attack on the SU and did not ask them for help, he had tried to persuade them to strike at Singapore. He did offer immediate intervention by Germany if Japan became involved in a war with America as the strength of the three Pact powers lay in their common action and not allowing themselves to be picked of one by one.

Japan signed a neutrality pact with the SU in 1941 without informing Hitler probably to keep things quiet with the SU while she struck in the Pacific. The oil embargo placed on Japan by the USA, GB and Holland meant Japanese industry and the armed forces were facing very serious consequences if it could not be ended. A strike against the SU even if successfull would have done nothing to avert this coming crisis as they would still have the problem of the oil embargo. The Japanese mentality at that time being what it was it meant they would have to go to war and strike South.