Before noon on August 10, 1945, a mother and her son have received a boiled rice ball from an emergency relief party. One mile southeast of Ground Zero, Nagasaki, 08/10/1945
I’ve done my research, primarily from Frank’s “Downfall” and Glantz’ “When Titans Clashed” and I’m going to call it a draw. For the Manchurian Operation, the Soviets assembled three Fronts:
Transbaikal Front under Rodion Malinovsky, 654,000 men with 6th Guard Tank Army, four combined-arms armies and two cavalry-mechanized groups. Malinovksy had been a Front commander since 1943 and led Soviet armies across the lower Dneper and did the conquest of the northern Balkans.
Second Far Eastern Front under Kirill Meretskov with 586,000 men in four combined-arms armies and one mechanized corps. Merestkov had been a commander along the northern sector of the Russo-German Front.
First Far Eastern Front under Maxim Purkayev with 337,000 men in eleven rifle divisions and various independent and tank brigades.
Glantz puts the total Soviet force as 1,600,000 men, and Frank states the armored component was 3,704 tanks and 1,852 self propelled guns. Frank states that the Soviets moved 403,000 men and 2,100 tanks and self-propelled guns to the east.
So from looking at the map of the deployment, with the two Far Eastern Fronts being deployed on the eastern face of the Manchurian bulge, and the Transbaikal Front on the western face, I have concluded the following:
1. The two Far Eastern Fronts conducted the operation with what was already on hand. Given the extra distance and the timetable for the operation, it made sense to not ship most reinforcements to them.
2. On the western face of the Manchurian bulge, the Great Kinghan Mountain Range was considered impassible by the Japanese, and on the other side lay the vast Mongolian desert. The Soviets would have left this area more or less undefended until May 1945.
3. The Soviets created the Transbaikal Front almost entirely from forces shipped from the west. That would have been the shortest route logistically along the Trans Siberian Railroad. Also, the preponderance of commanders in that Front who had recently fought in the Balkans (Malinovsky, Kravchenko, Pliev) leads me to that conclusion. That Front was intended to be highly mobile to get across the marshy passes of the Great Khingan range before the Japanese knew what was afoot.
So for the eastern half of Soviet operations, it was forces on hand. The western half was entirely transferred units.
“a draw” = “kissing your sister”
http://marshallfoundation.org/library/documents/memorandum-chief-staff-august-10-1945/
Memorandum to Chief of Staff, August 10, 1945
1945
1959-1960
Author: Leslie R. Groves
Date: August 10, 1945
When I handed this memorandum to the Chief of Staff, I recommended orally that I be authorized to delay the shipment of the fissionable material for the third bomb from the United States in order that the Japanese would have an opportunity to surrender. I did not want future anti-American propagandists to accuse us of wanting to inflict unnecessary punishment on the Japanese. A delay until noon of 13 August was approved by General Marshall, who then added his written note at the bottom of my memorandum.
When the deadline came there was still no Japanese surrender. Neither General Marshall nor Secretary Stimson was available. I discussed the problem with the Deputy Chief of Staff, General Handy. Neither of us felt that he could authorize me to further delay the shipment. I then made my decision. I asked General Handy to inform General Marshall that I was exceeding my instructions and in the absence of any word from him would not ship any fissionable material for the third bomb until I could see him.
Some days later General Marshall told me how glad he was that I had taken the action I had.
Memorandum to Chief of Staff, August 10, 1945 pdf - http://marshallfoundation.org/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2014/07/Groves_Leslie_R_Marshall.pdf
Before noon on August 10, 1945, a mother and her son have received a boiled rice ball from an emergency relief party. One mile southeast of Ground Zero, Nagasaki, 08/10/1945
I wonder why it wasn't intended for release in the Western Hemisphere....and who was on "List A"?
Looking at a map of the operation, in terms of geography that is the biggest double envelopment I’m aware of.