The beginning of the defense of Port Arthur. The heroic defense of the Port Arthur fortress

Defense of Port Arthur 1904

Taking advantage of the insufficient preparedness of the Russian army and navy for hostilities, the Japanese fleet on the night of January 27, 1904, without declaring war, suddenly attacked the Russian squadron on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur, putting out of action the battleships Retvizan, Tsesarevich and the cruiser Pallada ".

Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Port Arthur 1904
This was the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. On February 24, 1904, Vice-Admiral S.O. Makarov arrived at the Port Arthur fortress, taking energetic measures to prepare the fleet for active combat operations. On March 31, the squadron under his leadership went out to meet the Japanese fleet. The battleship "Petropavlovsk", on which Makarov was, was blown up by Japanese mines and sank. After the death of Makarov, the Russian squadron, led by the uninitiated Rear Admiral V.K. Witgeft, was unable to prevent the enemy from transferring troops to the Kwantung Peninsula.

In March 1904, Japanese troops landed in Korea, and in April - in South Manchuria. The Russian detachment under the command of General M.I. Zasulich was forced to retreat. In May, the Japanese captured the Jinzhou position, thus cutting off Port Arthur from the Manchurian land army. Leaving part of the forces for the formation of the 3rd army of General Noga, intended for operations against Port Arthur, they began an offensive to the north. In the battle of Vafangou (June 1-2), Russian command in the eye with General A. N. Kuropatkin, unable to ensure the coordination of the actions of individual units and the overall leadership of the battle, ordered a retreat.

Squadron battleship "Poltava" in the area of Port Arthur, 1904.
The direct struggle for Port Arthur began in late July - early August 1904, when the Japanese army, which landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, approached the outer contours of the fortress. By the beginning of the close siege of Port Arthur, out of 50 thousand people, one third of the population remained in the city, of which 2 thousand were Russians, the rest were Chinese. The fortress garrison consisted of 41,780 soldiers and 665 officers, armed with 646 guns and 62 machine guns. In addition, 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 2 mine cruisers, 4 gunboats, 19 destroyers and the Amur mine transport were stationed in the bay. The personnel in the squadron and the Kwantung naval crew numbered up to 8 thousand people.

From the male population of the city, not called up for mobilization, but able to carry weapons, 3 squads of 500 people each were formed. The squads worked around the clock on the construction defensive structures, carried guard duty on the central fence of the fortress. Later, they delivered ammunition and food to positions and were a defense reserve on extreme case. Bicycle flying mail was formed from local residents, which provided communication between the headquarters of the fortress and numerous fortifications on the front line during the fighting. In November, bicycles were first used to transport the wounded.

Battleships on the outer roads of Port Arthur
The defense of Port Arthur was led by General A. M. Stessel, to whom all land and engineering troops, as well as fortification artillery. The fleet was subordinate to the commander-in-chief, who was in Manchuria and could not manage it.

Port Arthur was poorly equipped as a base for the navy: the inner harbor for parking ships, cramped and shallow, besides, it had only one exit, and narrow and shallow. The outer raid, completely open, was dangerous for the parking of ships. In addition, the fortress was not sufficiently protected from land and sea. Despite the tremendous work done by the Russian troops and the civilian population on the initiative and under the leadership of the energetic and talented General R.I. Kondratenko, who was the commander of the land defense, the construction of fortifications proceeded very slowly.

Serious shortcomings in the system of defense of the fortress from land, the absence of a unified command of the defense forces and the isolation of the fortress from the main forces of the Russian army operating in Manchuria, created a very unfavourable conditions for the defenders of Port Arthur.

The 3rd Army, formed by the Japanese for the siege of the fortress, consisted of three infantry divisions, two reserve brigades, one field artillery brigade, two detachments of naval artillery and a reserve engineer battalion. Apart from special troops, General Nogi had over 50 thousand bayonets, more than 400 guns, of which 198 were special siege artillery.

Cruiser "Pallada", sunk in Port Arthur, 1904
On August 6, the first assault began, which lasted 5 days. Heated battles unfolded in the Western sector for Mount Corner, in the Northern sector - at the Vodoprovodny and Kuminersky redoubts, and especially in the Eastern sector - for redoubts No. 1 and No. 2. On the night of August 10-11, Japanese units broke through to the rear of the main line of Russian defense. Russian infantry and companies of sailors swiftly counterattacked from different directions.

About half an hour later, the remnants of the Japanese troops were forced to flee. Thus, the first assault on Port Arthur ended in the defeat of the Japanese, one of the reasons for which was the remarkable accuracy of the Russian artillery at night. The army of the Foot lost 15 thousand soldiers, some units ceased to exist.

The Japanese were forced to proceed to a long-term siege of the fortress. On August 12, enemy engineering battalions entered the front lines. In late August - early September, siege work made significant progress. During this time, the enemy artillery regiment was replenished with eleven-inch siege howitzers.

The Nogi divisions, which had thinned during the August assault, were replenished with 16 thousand soldiers and officers and, in addition, 2 companies of sappers. In turn, the defenders of Port Arthur improved defensive structures. Thanks to the installation of new naval batteries, the number of artillery in September increased to 652 barrels. The consumption of shells was reimbursed by the fleet, and on September 1, 1904, the fortress had 251,428 shots. A stubborn struggle unfolded for the dominant heights Long and High, which had importance in the defense system of the fortress.

The assaults on these heights followed one after another. The enemy's manpower in the main direction of attack outnumbered the defense by about 3 times, and in some areas - up to 10 times. When repelling attacks, the Russians widely used a number of new means of struggle, including mortars invented by midshipman S.N. Vlasyev. After four days of fighting, the Japanese managed to capture Mount Long. The attacks on Mount Vysokaya on September 6-9, during which the Japanese lost up to 5 thousand soldiers and officers, ended in vain. The Russians lost 256 people killed and 947 wounded. This ended the second assault on the fortress.

From September 29, front-line soldiers began to receive 1/3 pound of horsemeat per person twice a week; things were worse with bread - it was given out at 3 pounds a day. Scurvy appeared, taking away more lives than projectiles and bullets. In early November, more than 7,000 wounded and sick with scurvy, dysentery and typhoid were in the hospitals of the city. The civilian population was in an even worse situation. At the end of November, dog meat was sold at the market, and horse meat became a luxury.

The ships stationed in the inner roadstead provided great assistance to the ground forces in the defense of the fortress. So, the fleet allocated 284 guns and a large amount of ammunition for this. Through the efforts of the sailors, 15 different fortifications were built and armed on the shore. A large number of sailors and officers of the fleet were transferred to land to replenish the forces of the defenders of the fortress. However, the main form of naval assistance to the troops was artillery support, which was systematic and continued until the fall of Port Arthur.

On October 17, after a 3-day artillery preparation, the Japanese carried out the third assault on the fortress, which lasted 3 days. All enemy attacks were repulsed by Russian troops with huge losses for him. On November 13, Japanese troops (over 50 thousand people) launched a fourth assault. They were courageously resisted by the Russian garrison, which by this time numbered 18 thousand people. Particularly heavy fighting took place behind Vysokaya Mountain, which fell on November 22. Having occupied Vysokaya Mountain, the enemy began shelling the city and harbor with 11-inch howitzers.

Scuttled squadron battleship Pobeda in Port Arthur, December 1904...
Having received numerous damages, on November 22 the battleship "Poltava" sank, on November 23 - the battleship "Retvizan", on November 24 - the battleships "Peresvet" and "Victory", the cruiser "Pallada"; The cruiser "Bayan" was badly damaged.

On December 2, the heroes of defense, General Kondratenko, died with a group of officers. This was a great loss for the defenders of the fortress. Although after the death of the squadron the situation of the besieged greatly deteriorated, the garrison was ready to continue the fight. The combat-ready units still held the defense, 610 guns could fire (of which 284 were naval), there were 207,855 shells (there was not enough large caliber), there was no acute need for bread and crackers, no more than 20 of the 59 fortified knots of the fortress were lost.

However, due to the cowardice of General Stessel and the new head of the land defense, General A.V. Fock December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905, new style) Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.

The struggle for Port Arthur, which lasted about 8 months, cost the Japanese army and navy huge losses, which amounted to about 112 thousand people and 15 ships. various classes; 16 ships were seriously damaged. Russian losses amounted to about 28 thousand people.

Medal "Defenders of Port Arthur" 1904
The fall of Port Arthur predetermined the further course of the war and the defeat in it tsarist Russia, which lost its fleet and naval base on pacific ocean. The Japanese troops released after the capture of Port Arthur were used against the Russian army in Manchuria. Under the Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 1905, the leasehold rights to Port Arthur passed to Japan.
"History of military art",

This was the start Russo-Japanese War . February 24, 1904 in Fortress of Port Arthur Vice-Admiral S.O. Makarov arrived, who took vigorous measures to prepare the fleet for active combat operations. On March 31, the squadron under his leadership went out to meet the Japanese fleet. The battleship "Petropavlovsk", on which Makarov was, was blown up by Japanese mines and sank. After the death of Makarov, the Russian squadron, led by the uninitiated Rear Admiral V.K. Witgeft, was unable to prevent the enemy from transferring troops to the Kwantung Peninsula.

In March 1904, Japanese troops landed in Korea, and in April - in Southern Manchuria. The Russian detachment under the command of General M.I. Zasulich was forced to retreat. In May, the Japanese captured the Jinzhou position, thus cutting off Port Arthur from the Manchurian land army. Leaving part of the forces for the formation of the 3rd army of General Noga, intended for operations against Port Arthur, they began an offensive to the north. In the battle of Vafangou (June 1-2), Russian command in the eye with General A. N. Kuropatkin, unable to ensure the coordination of the actions of individual units and the overall leadership of the battle, ordered a retreat.

The direct struggle for Port Arthur began in late July - early August 1904, when the Japanese army, which landed on the Liaodong Peninsula, approached the outer contours of the fortress. By the beginning of the close siege of Port Arthur, out of 50 thousand people, one third of the population remained in the city, of which 2 thousand were Russians, the rest were Chinese. The fortress garrison consisted of 41,780 soldiers and 665 officers, armed with 646 guns and 62 machine guns. In addition, 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 2 mine cruisers, 4 gunboats, 19 destroyers and the Amur mine transport were stationed in the bay. The personnel in the squadron and the Kwantung naval crew numbered up to 8 thousand people.

From the male population of the city, not called up for mobilization, but capable of carrying weapons, 3 squads of 500 people each were formed. The squads worked around the clock on the construction of defensive structures, carried out guard duty on the central fence of the fortress. Later, they delivered ammunition and food to the positions and were a reserve of defense in case of emergency. Bicycle flying mail was formed from local residents, which provided communication between the headquarters of the fortress and numerous fortifications on the front line during the fighting. In November, bicycles were first used to transport the wounded.

The defense of Port Arthur was led by General A. M. Stessel, to whom all ground and engineering troops, as well as fortress artillery, were subordinate. The fleet was subordinate to the commander-in-chief, who was in Manchuria and could not manage it.

Port Arthur was poorly equipped as a base for the navy: the inner harbor for parking ships, cramped and shallow, besides, it had only one exit, and narrow and shallow. The outer raid, completely open, was dangerous for the parking of ships. In addition, the fortress turned out to be insufficiently protected from land and sea. Despite the tremendous work done by the Russian troops and the civilian population on the initiative and under the leadership of the energetic and talented General R.I. Kondratenko, who was the commander of the land defense, the construction of fortifications proceeded very slowly.

Serious shortcomings in the system of defense of the fortress from land, the lack of a unified command of the defense forces and the isolation of the fortress from the main forces of the Russian army operating in Manchuria created very unfavorable conditions for the defenders of Port Arthur.

On August 6, the first assault began, which lasted 5 days. Heated battles unfolded in the Western sector for Mount Corner, in the Northern sector - at the Vodoprovodny and Kuminersky redoubts, and especially in the Eastern sector - for redoubts No. 1 and No. 2. On the night of August 10-11, Japanese units broke through to the rear of the main line of Russian defense. Russian infantry and companies of sailors swiftly counterattacked from different directions.

The assaults on these heights followed one after another. The enemy's manpower in the main direction of attack outnumbered the defense by about 3 times, and in some areas - up to 10 times. When repelling attacks, the Russians widely used a number of new means of struggle, including mortars invented by midshipman S.N. Vlasyev. After four days of fighting, the Japanese managed to capture Mount Long. The attacks on Mount Vysokaya on September 6-9, during which the Japanese lost up to 5 thousand soldiers and officers, ended in vain. The Russians lost 256 people killed and 947 wounded. This ended the second assault on the fortress.

From September 29, front-line soldiers began to receive 1/3 pound of horsemeat per person twice a week; things were worse with bread - it was given out at 3 pounds a day. Scurvy appeared, claiming more lives than shells and bullets. In early November, more than 7,000 wounded and sick with scurvy, dysentery and typhoid were in the hospitals of the city. The civilian population was in an even worse situation. At the end of November, dog meat was sold at the market, and horse meat became a luxury.

Having received numerous damages, on November 22 the battleship "Poltava" sank, on November 23 - the battleship "Retvizan", on November 24 - the battleships "Peresvet" and "Victory", the cruiser "Pallada"; The cruiser "Bayan" was badly damaged.

On December 2, the heroes of defense, General Kondratenko, died with a group of officers. This was a great loss for the defenders of the fortress. Although after the death of the squadron the situation of the besieged greatly deteriorated, the garrison was ready to continue the fight. The combat-ready units still held the defense, 610 guns could shoot (of which 284 were naval), there were 207,855 shells (there was not enough large caliber), there was no acute need for bread and crackers, no more than 20 out of 59 fortified knots of the fortress were lost.

However, due to the cowardice of General Stessel and the new head of the land defense, General A.V. Fock December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905, new style) Port Arthur was surrendered to the Japanese.

The struggle for Port Arthur, which lasted about 8 months, cost the Japanese army and navy huge losses, which amounted to about 112 thousand people and 15 ships of various classes; 16 ships were seriously damaged. Russian losses amounted to about 28 thousand people.

The heroic defense of Port Arthur collapsed because of the short-sighted decisions of the generals. This defeat of the Russian troops predetermined the outcome Russo-Japanese War.

The beginning of the war

On January 26, 1904, large-scale hostilities of the Russo-Japanese War began with the attack of Japanese destroyers on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur on the Russian squadron. The Japanese torpedoed and temporarily disabled the best Russian battleships Tsesarevich and Retvizan, as well as the cruiser Pallada. Measures to protect ships in the outer roadstead were clearly insufficient. It is worth recognizing that none of the Russian ships received fatal damage, and after an artillery battle on the morning of January 27, the Japanese fleet was forced to retreat. The moral factor played a fatal role - the Japanese fleet managed to seize the initiative. Our squadron began to suffer ridiculous and unjustified losses in the following days due to poor interaction and control. So, two days after the start of the war, the Yenisei minelayer and the Boyarin cruiser were killed on their own mines.

mine war

During the struggle for Port Arthur, both sides actively used minefields: the Russians to protect the approach to the fortress, and the Japanese to strengthen the blockade measures. Moreover, the losses from mines in ships and personnel for both sides turned out to be much greater than than in all artillery naval battles at Port Arthur combined. As a result of an explosion on Japanese mines, the battleship Petropavlovsk sank (Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov, his headquarters and most of the crew died on the ship), the gunboat Thundering and four destroyers. During the fighting, Russian ships laid 1442 mines on the approaches to the fortress, the victims of which were 12 Japanese ships, including the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima. Thus, the Japanese fleet suffered the heaviest losses in the war of 1904-1905 precisely from Russian mines near Port Arthur.

Who does time work for?

The events at Port Arthur to a large extent determined the general course of hostilities of the Russo-Japanese War. The Russian command needed to carry out a series of offensive actions in order to unblock the fortress. This forced them to go on the offensive. The results of such forced and ill-prepared offensives were failures near Wafangou and Shahe.

For the Japanese, who planned to capture Port Arthur immediately, a long siege also turned out to be challenging task. She pinned down a third of all Japanese troops on the continent. Attempts to solve the problem with one powerful assault (as on the eve of the battles on the Shahe) led to colossal losses with minimal military results. The surrender of the fortress on January 5, 1905, allowed the Japanese command to timely transfer the 3rd Army from Port Arthur to Manchuria shortly before the biggest battle of the war near Mukden.

Food

During the struggle for Port Arthur, both the Russian and Japanese armies experienced food shortages. The situation in the fortress was aggravated by General Stessel's ban on the local Chinese population from fishing, which could be a serious help in the fight against food shortages. And if the reserves of flour, crackers and sugar at the time of the surrender of the fortress remained for another month and a half, then there was practically no meat and vegetables. Scurvy began to rage among the garrison.

Japanese troops experienced no less difficulties. Initially, the Japanese food system was not adapted to the fighting on the continent in a more severe climate than on the Japanese islands and the frosty winter of 1904-1905. The huge decline in the Japanese army near Port Arthur (up to 112 thousand people, according to Russian historians) was due not only to combat, but also to huge sanitary losses.

The death of General Kondratenko

A heavy loss for the defenders of Port Arthur, which hastened the fall of the fortress, was the death of the head of the land defense, Lieutenant General Roman Kondratenko. The name of this man, who became the soul of the defense of Port Arthur, is associated with a number of measures to strengthen the defense of the fortress. Under the leadership of Kondratenko, the defense of Port Arthur was actually built anew. The concentration of large forces in the direction of the main attacks of the enemy more than once allowed Kondratenko to repel the onslaught of superior Japanese forces. Kondratenko paid much attention to the introduction of technical innovations (mortars, barbed wire with electric current passed through it). Being a fearless defender of Port Arthur, at the same time, Kondratenko advocated an early end to the war with Japan, pointing out the need to sign a peace before the Japanese were able to capture Port Arthur. After the death of Kondratenko on December 2, 1904, Generals Stessel and Fok began to actively pursue a policy aimed at surrendering the fortress to the Japanese.

high

High (height 203) was one of the key points in the defense of Port Arthur. From Vysoka one could see the fortress and the inner roadstead, where most of the ships of the 1st Pacific Squadron were located. Japanese troops made repeated attempts to capture this height. The fiercest battles on Vysokaya unfolded in mid-November 1904, when the Japanese threw two divisions into battle and concentrated the fire of heavy 280 mm siege howitzers, from which shells no protection could save. On November 23, the Japanese finally took possession of Vysokaya, having received the opportunity to correct the fire of siege artillery on Russian ships in Port Arthur, which predetermined the death of most of the squadron.

However, heavy losses in the battles for Vysokaya (5,000 killed and 7,000 wounded in the November battles alone) forced the Japanese command to abandon further large-scale frontal attacks, concentrating on operations against individual Russian fortifications.

stossel

Not the last negative role in the defense of Port Arthur was played by Lieutenant General Anatoly Stessel. In literature, he is often called the commandant of the fortress, although this is not so. Stessel was the head of the Kwantung fortified region, after the abolition of the latter in June 1904, contrary to orders, he remained in Port Arthur. As a military leader, he did not show himself by sending out reports with exaggerated data on Russian losses and the number of Japanese troops. Notorious for a number of very dark financial affairs in the besieged fortress. On January 2, 1905, contrary to the opinion of the military council, he began negotiations with the Japanese on the surrender of Port Arthur. After the war, under the pressure of public opinion, he was put on trial and was sentenced to 10 years in a fortress, but six months later he was released by decision of the emperor and hurried to go abroad.

“On December 2, 1904, during the heroic defense of Port Arthur, Lieutenant General Kondratenko, who was the soul of defense, an example of selflessness, tireless energy, true knowledge, art and high military prowess, died. The qualities shown by General Kondratenko during the immortal defense give him the right to join the ranks of national heroes.
Order of the Minister of War dated March 20, 1906

110 years ago, on December 2 (15), 1904, the hero of the defense of Port Arthur, Roman Isidorovich Kondratenko, died. A direct hit by a howitzer shell on Fort No. 2 claimed the life of the mastermind behind the defense of the fortress. Distinctive property Major General Kondratenko had the ability to influence the spirit of the Russian troops, to support the soldiers in the most difficult moments, which affected several assaults, when no one hoped for success. The general connected the land and naval troops into one whole, skillfully directed the Russian troops to friendly, joint work.

The death of Kondratenko led to the imminent fall of Port Arthur. On December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905), the commandant of Port Arthur, General A. M. Stessel, and General Alexander Fok, who was appointed head of the land defense of the fortress after the death of Kondratenko, capitulated. According to many military researchers, the fortress could still be defended. Therefore, Stessel was accused of surrendering the fortress. However, Stessel was amnestied by Emperor Nicholas II.

The soul of the defense of the fortress of Port Arthur

“Port Arthur,” noted the military historian Kersnovsky, “gave the Russian armies and navy outstanding commanders. Not to mention the main character of the entire war - General Kondratenko - we will name only the names of Gorbatovsky, Irman, Schwartz, Grigorovich, Essen, Kolchak.

Kondratenko was one of those people who in Russia are called "salt of the earth." In peacetime, a calm, impeccably honest and inconspicuous serviceman, during fatal trials, transforming into a real hero, who himself becomes a hero and leads the rest, with a less strong spirit.

Roman Isidorovich was born on September 30 (October 12), 1857 in the family of a retired major of the Tiflis garrison battalion. His father, Isidor Denisovich Kondratenko, was recruited from the ordinary peasant family from the Yekaterinoslav region and served the rank of major and the title of nobility with impeccable service. The family was poor, lived on a small pension of his father, so the last tenth child of Major Roman from the age of 7 earned his first money as a peddler of spring water in the Tiflis bazaar. After the father died suddenly, the family almost fell into poverty. However, the situation was saved by Roman's older brother Elisha, who received a good education. He was married to Yulia Vasilievna, née Tanner. She was a wealthy woman and took a lively part in the fate of Roman.

She went through an elementary school course with her little nephew, taught Roman German and French. Talent and high efficiency allowed young Roman to easily enter the Polotsk military gymnasium and finish it brilliantly. He studied well, not only helping his comrades, but also giving lessons to those preparing to enter the school, earning money for small needs. Just as brilliantly finishes Roman and the Nikolaev Engineering School in St. Petersburg. Kondratenko not only managed to successfully master the course, which here was the most difficult among the military educational institutions, but also intensively engaged in self-education. In particular, he mastered English language, which was not included in the required course.

In 1877 he was promoted to warrant officer in the 1st Caucasian engineer battalion, then received the rank of lieutenant. Kondratenko did not get bogged down in the routine of the daily service of distant garrisons, did not drink, did not become a player out of boredom, but intensively engaged in self-education. This allowed him to brilliantly graduate from two academies - Engineering and the General Staff. For success in the sciences in 1881 he was promoted to staff captain. In 1882 he was transferred to the military engineers of the Caucasian military district. Roman Isidorovich not only studied well, but was also an inventor. He drew up a project of land fortifications of the Batumi fortress that amazed many specialists and defended it in St. Petersburg in the Engineering Committee. Later, this work will help Kondratenko create the land defense of Port Arthur.

In his free time, Kondratenko, on his own initiative, develops a statistical section of the Caucasian reference calendar, creates a rangefinder, the model of which he will build at his own expense. Already commanding a company, Roman Isidorovich organized primary school for junior officials. He lectured on a regular basis to the commanders in the battalion and regiment on the theory and practice of military affairs. Among the personal qualities of Roman Kondratenko, impeccable honesty, adherence to principles and a heightened sense of justice can be noted. Smooth and calm, benevolent and gentle in nature, Roman Isidorovich irritated those colleagues who committed flaws in the service. He stubbornly exposed negligent people, regardless of rank and position. At the same time, contemporaries noted the personal courage of Kondratenko. In any confusion and panic, he remained calm and tried to restore order. So, under heavy enemy fire on Vysoky Mountain, General Kondratenko stood up to his full height and told the soldiers, who showed signs of cowardice: “Brothers! It is better to die than to disgrace yourself and retreat. Remember, the Tsar-Father and Russia are counting on you. There is no retreat! We will all die, not retreat. Well, well done, with God, go ahead!” Until his death, Kondratenko will be almost continuously at the forefront.

In 1901, Kondratenko was promoted to major general with the appointment of the district duty general of the headquarters of the Amur Military District. In 1903 he was appointed commander of the 7th East Siberian Rifle Brigade in Port Arthur, which was soon deployed into a division. With the outbreak of war in Japan, he became the head of the land defense of the fortress.

Versatile knowledge allowed Kondratenko to organize the defense of the fortress in such a way that Port Arthur was able to repel 4 assaults. As contemporaries noted, General Kondatenko did as much as had not been done before him in 7 years. This made it possible to tie down the strongest Japanese army for a long time. The Japanese at Port Arthur lost more than 100 thousand people, in fact, put the color of the Japanese imperial army.

General Kondratenko, as a first-class tactician, the only one of all the generals of Port Arthur, and of the entire Manchurian army, saw the importance of building the defense of the fortress on the distant approaches, he especially noted the positions near Jingzhou ( ). Here, the narrow isthmus made it possible, with its preliminary strengthening, to delay the Japanese army for a long time. To take the fortified area (if it were erected), the Japanese army would have to spend a lot of time, resources and effort. However, Stoessel and Fok were not going to defend Jingzhou. Here the defense was held by only one 5th East Siberian Rifle Regiment. The Russian regiment stood to the death, having lost more than a third of its composition and more than half of the officers, but up to 10% of the Japanese army perished in Russian positions. And the main forces of the 4th East Siberian Rifle Division under the command of Major General Fok did not take part in the battle at all. Although their entry into battle at the most decisive moment could radically change the situation. The Russian detachment was not helped by the forces of the fleet either. As a result, the "gates of Port Arthur" quickly fell. They abandoned the port of Dalniy, which was built due to the fact that they saved on the construction of the defensive structures of Port Arthur. All attempts by Kondratenko to help the heroic 5th Regiment were useless.

Thanks to the initiative and energy of Kondratenko, the front line of defense was already equipped during the war, which consisted of a number of temporary forts and field fortifications. Their capture cost the Japanese army enormous effort and sacrifice. General Kondratenko came up with the brilliant idea of fortifying Mount Liaoteshan, a huge rocky outcrop that dominated the forts, city, and port. During the siege, fortifications were built on the Liaoteshan Peninsula. Kondratenko admitted the fact that the Japanese troops would break through the line of forts of the main defensive belt, and the troops would have to be withdrawn to Liaoteshan in order to give the enemy the last battle there and fight there to the last shell and cartridge. Only the premature death of Kondratenko did not allow him to carry out this plan.

In Port Arthur, Kondratenko had not only to confront an external enemy, but also to restrain the intrigues of the command. In the fortress, there were several top leaders at once, who pulled the blanket over themselves. The head of the Kwantung fortified area, General Stessel, the commandant of the fortress, General Smirnov, the governor of Far East Admiral and commander of the Russian troops in Manchuria Alekseev and the commander of the 1st Pacific squadron, Rear Admiral Witgeft, were constantly intriguing. In addition, they created an atmosphere of impatience and misunderstanding between seafarers and representatives ground forces. Only Kondratenko was above intrigue. It was hard for him, unlike the heroes of the defense of Sevastopol, there was no team of top commanders united by a single goal.

Those who could help the defense of the city went to General Kondratenko. Lieutenant Podgursky built a homemade hand grenade from a 37-mm shell. Kondratenko immediately appreciated the benefits of the new one and launched a hand grenade (“bomb”) into production. By the end of the siege of the fortress, up to 300 grenades were being made per day. Midshipman Vlasyev, in view of the shortage of machine guns, suggested tying five rifles in one machine and using them as a kind of mitrailleuse. So, initially they called a rapid-fire multi-barreled artillery gun that fired salvo fire with rifle-caliber cartridges, then machine guns began to be called that. Vlasyev also became the author of a new formidable weapon - a mortar, which will play a big role in future wars. Midshipman Sergey Vlasyev suggested using a mine for firing from a 47-mm naval gun for this purpose. Captain Leonid Gobyato led the work on the creation of "mine mortars" and invented an over-caliber mine with a stabilizer. Sapper Debigoriy-Mokrievich proposed to the general the idea of a lighting grenade. The sailors suggested using naval mine launchers to fire torpedoes on land and pass through barbed wire electricity. New types of anti-personnel mines have also been introduced. Behind all this was Kondratenko.

At the same time, Kondratenko, with his kind, fatherly attitude towards the soldiers, consolidated the garrison, created a single force. Under the influence of General Kondratenko and his closest associates - Bely, Gorbatovsky, Naumenko and others, the spiritual forces of the defenders of Port Arthur became a single steel blade that bent, but withstood the pressure of the enemy. The soldiers trusted Kondratenko wholeheartedly. “No assault can be terrible,” Roman Kondratenko convinced the defenders of Port Arthur, “if we decide to fully fulfill our oath.”

Before the defense of Port Arthur, the name of Kondratenko was little known. The heroic defense of Port Arthur raised his name to great heights. Kondratenko showed that not only steadfast soldiers and brave officers remained in Russia, but also talented military leaders capable of uniting people in the most terrible time, leading them into battle. Kondratenko retained military honor Russian Empire. The soldiers and officers of Port Arthur literally idolized Roman Kondratenko. When the coffin folk hero traveled from Odessa to St. Petersburg for more than a week, literally the whole country met him.

Funeral of Kondratenko. September 25, 1905

The fortress of Port Arthur was located on the extreme southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula. This area was leased by Russia from China in 1898, after which the construction of the much-needed Russian non-freezing military port in the Pacific. (Vladivostok froze in winter.)

Japanese advance towards Port Arthur in the first months of the war

On the very first day Russo-Japanese War The Japanese attacked the Port Arthur squadron without warning, causing heavy damage to it. On April 21-22, 1904, General Oku's 2nd Japanese Army landed in the north of Liaodong and moved towards Port Arthur to attack it from land. On May 13, Oku, having lost about 5 thousand soldiers, took the strategically important Jinzhou heights in the center of the peninsula. Russian commander in chief Kuropatkin tried to prevent the siege of Port Arthur by skirmishes at Vafangou and Dashichao, but did not achieve success. In the face of the inevitable encirclement of the fortress, the Port Arthur squadron tried to break through from it to Vladivostok. However, the Japanese squadron of Admiral Togo blocked her path and, after the battle in the Yellow Sea on July 28, forced her to return.

After the capture of Jinzhou, the Japanese ground army accumulated strength and for a long time did not disturb the Russians, who had taken up positions on the Green Mountains (20 km from Port Arthur). The delay in the Japanese advance was due in part to the fact that the Russian Vladivostok cruiser detachment sank a large Japanese transport that was carrying 11-inch guns to the army destined for the siege. Finally, having received reinforcements, the 3rd Japanese Foot Army on July 13, 1904 launched a powerful assault on the Green Mountains. Russian troops were driven back from their positions and on July 17 retreated to the area of the fortress. From that day on, the defense of Port Arthur began.

Russo-Japanese War. Port Arthur. video film

The beginning of the siege of Port Arthur and its first assault

Port Arthur was not only a naval port, but also a powerful land fortress. She had 3 lines of defense, even with concrete structures. The city was surrounded by a line of forts, as well as a network of redoubts, defensive ditches, and batteries. This system of structures was based on the mountainous terrain favorable for defense. But not all the fortifications were completed. The garrison of the fortress at the beginning of the defense totaled approximately 50 thousand. The defense of Port Arthur was headed by the head of the Kwantung Fortified Region, General Stessel.

On August 6, the first assault on the fortress began. It was fought mainly at night, but searchlights and rockets, used for the first time to repel a night assault, helped the Russian defenders to destroy the attackers. After five days of fierce attacks, the Japanese broke through deep into the Russian defenses on the night of August 11, but were driven back by a decisive counterattack. During the first assault, the ships of the Russian Pacific squadron took to the sea for the last time. From the port, accompanied by two destroyers, the battleship Sevastopol, led by Captain 1st Rank Nikolai Essen, left the port. He supported the besieged by fire from the Gulf. However, on the way back, Russian ships ran into mines, and both destroyers sank from the explosions. The first assault ended in failure for the Japanese. They lost about 15 thousand soldiers in it. Russian losses amounted to 6 thousand.

Second assault on Port Arthur

Unable to take Port Arthur on the move, Nogi began a systematic siege. Only a month later, on September 6, 1904, having received reinforcements and carried out serious engineering and sapper work, the Japanese troops launched a second assault on the fortress. In three days of fighting, they managed to capture two redoubts (Vodoprovodny and Kumirnensky) on the Eastern “front”, as well as capture Mount Long on the Northern “front”. But the attempts of the Japanese to capture the key object of defense - the High mountain dominating the city, were shattered by the steadfastness of the defenders of Port Arthur. When repelling attacks, the Russians used new means of struggle, including mortars invented by midshipman S. N. Vlasyev. During the second assault (September 6-9), the Japanese lost 7.5 thousand people. (of which 5 thousand people during the assault on High). Russian losses amounted to 1.5 thousand people. Great help in the defense was provided by the ships of the Pacific Squadron, which from the inner raid supported the defenders with fire. Part of the naval artillery (284 guns) was transferred directly to the positions.

Third assault on Port Arthur

On September 18, the Japanese began shelling the fortress with 11-inch guns. Their shells destroyed fortifications not designed for such a caliber. But Port Arthur, fighting on the ruins, repulsed the third assault (October 17-18), during which 12 thousand Japanese were killed.

The position of the blockaded fortress became more and more difficult. Food was running out, the number of dead, wounded and sick was constantly growing. Scurvy and typhus appeared, starting to rage more cruelly than Japanese weapons. By the beginning of November, 7 thousand wounded and sick (scurvy, dysentery, typhoid) had accumulated in hospitals. The main struggle in November unfolded for Mount Vysokaya on the Northern Front, as well as for the 2nd and 3rd forts on Eastern Front.

Fourth assault. Capture of High Mountain by the Japanese

Nogi directed the main attacks on these key defense objects of Port Arthur during the fourth assault (November 13-22, 1904). It was attended by 50 thousand Japanese soldiers. Mount High, which was defended by 2.2 thousand people, was subjected to the main blow. led by the hero of the battles for Jinzhou - Colonel Nikolai Tretyakov. For ten days, the Japanese assault units, regardless of losses, climbed wave after wave to attack the High. During this time, they twice managed to capture the height strewn with corpses, but both times the Russians returned it back with counterattacks. Finally, on November 22, after another attack, the Japanese soldiers captured the mountain. Almost the entire garrison was killed. The last Russian night counterattack on Vysokaya was repulsed. During the 10-day battles, the Japanese lost 11,000 soldiers.

Having installed long-range artillery on the High (11-inch guns fired at a distance of 10 km), the Japanese began shelling the city and port. From that moment on, the fate of Port Arthur and the fleet was decided. Under Japanese fire, the remnants of the 1st Pacific Squadron standing on the roadstead were killed. To protect against fire, only the battleship Sevastopol, led by the courageous Essen, decided to enter the outer roadstead. On November 26 he got up in the bay White Wolf, where for six nights he heroically repelled the attacks of Japanese destroyers. destroying two of them. After receiving serious damage, the battleship was flooded by her crew. In December, a desperate battle unfolded for the 2nd and 3rd forts on the Eastern Front. On December 2, the head of the land defense, General Roman Kondratenko, died. By December 15, the line of forts on the Eastern Front had fallen.

Surrender of Port Arthur by Stessel

By the evening of December 19, after fierce fighting, the defenders of the fortress retreated to the third, last line of defense. Stessel considered further resistance pointless and signed the capitulation on 20 December. This decision had serious reasons. The continuation of the defense by 10-12 thousand soldiers after the loss of key positions became meaningless. Port Arthur was already lost as a base for the fleet. The fortress could no longer pull off significant Japanese forces from the army of Kuropatkin. For its blockade, one division would now be enough. The defenders of the fortress soon faced starvation (food remained for 4-6 weeks). However, upon arrival in Russia, Stessel was put on trial and sentenced to death, commuted to ten years in prison. Such a harsh sentence most likely became a tribute public opinion, excited by military failures.

The impact of the defense of Port Arthur on the overall course of the war

After the surrender of the fortress, about 25 thousand people were taken prisoner (of which over 10 thousand were sick and wounded). Fighting in a complete blockade, the Port Arthur garrison pulled over about 200,000 Japanese soldiers. Their losses during the 239-day siege amounted to 110 thousand. In addition, during the naval blockade, the Japanese lost 15 ships of various classes, including two squadron battleships that were blown up by mines. A special award cross "Port Arthur" was issued for the participants in the defense.

By taking Port Arthur and destroying the 1st Pacific Squadron, Japan solved the main goals that it set in the war of the war. For Russia, the fall of Port Arthur meant the loss of access to the non-freezing Yellow Sea, the deterioration of the strategic situation in Manchuria. Its consequence was the further strengthening of the revolutionary events.

An outstanding Russian naval commander and leader of the White movement was a participant in the defense of Port Arthur