The Soviet assault on Maoka (Maoka Landing, russian: Десант в порт Маока) was carried out at the port of Maoka (now Kholmsk), Southern Sakhalin during August 19-22, 1945, by the forces of the Soviet

Northern Pacific Flotilla The Northern Pacific Flotilla () was a flotilla of the Pacific Fleet of the Soviet Navy between 1939 and 1945, with its main base at Sovetskaya Gavan in the Soviet Far East. It defended the Strait of Tartary and the Sea of Okhotsk during World ...

of the Pacific Fleet during the South Sakhalin Offensive of the Soviet–Japanese War at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was the second amphibious assault on South Sakhalin, after the (now

Shakhtyorsk Shakhtyorsk (russian: Шахтёрск; ja, 塔路, ''Tōro'') is a town in Uglegorsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the western coast of the Sakhalin Island, northwest of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the administrative center of th ...

) on August 16.

Assault

Japanese forces in the port and the city had two battalions of infantry, artillery and mortar units, and coast guard. All of them were subordinate to the commander of the 88th Infantry Division of the Fifth Area Army. After a Soviet submarine and aviation reconnaissance on August 17, on August 19 an amphibious force of the 113th Rifle Brigade and a battalion of marines of total force of 3,400 moved out from

Sovetskaya Gavan Sovetskaya Gavan (russian: Сове́тская Га́вань, lit. ''Soviet harbor'') is a town in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, and a port on the Strait of Tartary which connects the Sea of Okhotsk in the north with the Sea of Japan in the south. P ...

and landed at Maoka early morning on August 20. Due to heavy fog, there was no aviation support, and instead the city was subject to heavy artillery bombardment from ships. Due to initial surprise, the coastal facilities were quickly occupied, but later the Soviet troops, according to the Soviet sources, were met with fierce Japanese resistance.Chapter 13, "Освобождение Южного Сахалина"
in: Захаров, С. Е., Багров В. Н., Бевз С. С., Захаров М. Н., Котухов М. П. "Краснознаменный Тихоокеанский флот", Moscow,

Voenizdat Voenizdat (russian: Воениздат) was a publishing house in Moscow, Russia that was one of the first and largest publishing houses in USSR. The name is a Russian abbreviation for "Voennoe Izdatelstvo", meaning "Military Publication". Voen ...

, 1973 However the Japanese side states that their military tried to avoid engagement keeping defensive positions, busy with evacuation of equipment (described as "looting the city" in some Soviet sources ) and guiding the evacuation of about 18,000 civilians. Kokumin-Fuku

After the success of the assault, during August 22-24 Soviet reinforcements arrived from

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

and proceeded to clear the Japanese forces from South Sakhalin. David Glantz, ''The Soviet Strategic Offensive in Manchuria, 1945: 'August Storm
p 293
/ref> According to refugees already evacuated from the area, Soviet forces carried out fierce naval bombardment and artillery strikes against Japanese installations in

Maoka Kholmsk (russian: Холмск), known until 1946 as Maoka ( ja, 真岡), is a port town and the administrative center of Kholmsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It is located on the southwest coast of the Sakhalin Island, on coast of the gu ...

, Shikuka and civilians who were awaiting evacuation. Nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in this attack. Witnesses reported that to a high level of fatalities among civilians were caused by the confusion of European-style ''

kokumin-fuku The was the European-style men's civil attire introduced in Japan in 1940 during World War II. A number of telephone operators of the city post office pledged not to evacuate and maintained contact with the city of Wakkanai on

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, as well as

mainland Japan is a term to distinguish the area of Japan from its outlying territories. It was an official term in the pre-war period, distinguishing Japan and its colonies in the Far East. After the end of World War II, the term became uncommon, but stil ...

, until the moment that Soviet forces destroyed the telephone and postal installations in the city. On August 20, fearing that they would be raped by the invading Soviet troops, nine of the twelve female operators poisoned themselves. Three were saved by male colleagues' intervention. The survivors at the post office were treated well by the Soviets. In Japan it is known as the . The city of Wakkanai has a memorial to these post office operators. On August 21 the weather permitted the operation of aviation, nevertheless the Japanese continued the resistance following the order to cover the evacuation.

In popular culture

* ''

Karafuto 1945 Summer Hyosetsu no Mon is a 1974 Japanese film based on the Soviet Union's invasion of Karafuto during the Soviet–Japanese War near the end of World War II. The movie is set in Maoka (present day Kholmsk), and the story is based on the deaths of nine women who worked ...

'' * ''

Kiri no Hi is a Japanese television drama which originally aired on Nippon Television (NTV) on August 25, 2008. Directed by Nozomu Amamiya and with a screenplay by Yō Takeyama, it starred Etsuko Ichihara and Karina Nose. The production won a TV Drama Awa ...

References

{{reflist Pacific theatre of World War II Battles of World War II involving Japan Battles involving the Soviet Union Japan–Soviet Union relations Karafuto 1945 in Japan 1945 in the Soviet Union Conflicts in 1945 Mass murder in 1945 August 1945 events in Asia