Kanchazu Island incident

Kanchazu Island incident
Part of the Soviet-Japanese border conflicts
Soviet Amur Flotilla gunboat
Location Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island, Amur River Result Stalemate Soviet withdrawal
Belligerents
Soviet Union	Empire of Japan  Manchukuo
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Col. Mihara Kanae
Units involved
Amur Military Flotilla Type 1124 BKA ‘Armoured Cutters’	Imperial Japanese Army 1st Division 49th Regiment
Strength
3 gunboats, 50-60 men	Unknown
Casualties and losses
1 gunboat sunk, 1 damaged, 37 killed	None

The Kanchazu Island incident (乾岔子島事件 Kanchazutō jiken) occurred in late June 1937 on the Amur River (Soviet–Manchukuo border).

Background

Kanchazu (also spelled "Kanchatzu" 乾岔子島事件) island and known as Bolshoy Ussuriysky (большой Уссурийский Остров) is a unoccupied 4 km long island. It is located in the center of the Amur river that acted as the official border between Manchuria and the USSR.

Events

On June 19, two Soviet motorboats crossed the center line of the river, unloaded twenty troops and occupied Kanchazu island.

On June 20, 17 Manchurian police and soldiers investigating the border intrusion were driven back by Soviet troops. Forty Soviet troops were now entrenched in Kanchazu island and building fortifications. Thinking the Soviets were their to stay the Imperial Japanese Army's 1st division gave approval for the expulsion of Soviet troops from the occupied island.

On 29 June, a plan was approved for a night attack on Kanchazu but the operation was delayed and rescheduled for the following day.

On the morning of June 30, soldiers from the 49th Regiment led by Col. Mihara attacked the Soviets using two horse-drawn 37mm artillery pieces. The Japanese soldiers proceeded to hastily set up improvised firing sites, and load their guns with both high-explosive and armor-piercing shells. They shelled the Soviet gunboats, sinking the lead gunboat, crippling the second, and driving off the third. The Soviets responded with minimal gunfire that did not result in any Japanese casualties. Most Soviet casualties were inflicted by Japanese troops who fired on the swimming crewmen of the first sunken gunboat with machine gun fire as they tried to swim to back to the north bank.

Around 37 Soviet sailors were killed in this incident. The island was reclaimed afterwards.^[1]

Aftermath

Shigemitsu Mamoru, the Japanese ambassdor, met with Soviet Comissar Litvinov on June 29 to discuss the turn of events. The Soviets insisted the Amur islands belonged to them following a 1860 agreement and their placement on a Soviet map. During negotiations, the Soviets however agreed to pull back their forces from the Amur river to defuse the situation. Apparently, the Soviets were more concerned with events unfolding in North China and Europe, as well as internal strife. In the aftermath seven Soviet gunboats appeared sometime in July, but the Japanese took no action.^[2]

Eventually, as part of the agreement the Soviets were allowed to salvage the sunken gunboat, which was accomplished between October 22–29.

References

1. "Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939". Retrieved December 20, 2015.