Russia Against Japan, 1904-1905: A New Look at the Russo-Japanese War PDF
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Russia against Japan, 1904-1905 : A New title: Look At the Russo-Japanese War author: Westwood, J. N. publisher: State University of New York Press isbn10 | asin: 0887061915 print isbn13: 9780887061912 ebook isbn13: 9780585091297 language: English subject Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905. publication date: 1986 lcc: DS517.W48 1986eb ddc: 952.03/1 subject: Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905. Russia Against Japan, 1904-05 A New Look at the Russo-Japanese War J. N. Westwood State University of New York Press First published in USA by State University of New York Press Albany All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission © J. N. Westwood 1986 For information, address State University of New York Press. State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246 Printed in Hong Kong Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Westwood, J. N. Russia against Japan, 1904-05. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905. I. Title. DS517.W48 1986 952.03'1 85-22112 ISBN 0-88706-191-5 Page v Contents List of Illustrations vi Preface viii Map x 1 The Inevitable War? 1 2 The Contenders 24 3 Admiral Togo Strikes 37 4 The War in Manchuria 52 5 The End of the Russian Squardron 72 6 The Siege of Port Arthur 94 7 The Road to Mukden 116 8 Tsushima 137 9 Peace and its Sequel 152 Notes and References 164 Bibliography 173 Index 178 Page vi List of Illustrations Plates 1a. General Kuropatkin 1b. General Stoessel 1c. Admiral Togo 1d. Admiral Rozhestvensky 2a Japanese cavalryman 2b. Russian cavalry 3a. Russian mobilisation 3b. Quarterdeck of Asahi 4a. Japanese sailors 4b. Japanese infantry 5a. Russian squadron returns to Port Arthur 5b. Cruiser Varyag 5c. Loss of the Petropavlovsk 5d. 6a. Russian reservists 6b. Russian howitzer 7a. Japanese field artillery 7b. General Zasulich 8a. Captured Russian guns 8b. On the South Manchuria Railway 9a. Russian infantry at field kitchen 9b. Japanese balloon 10a. Japanese howitzer 10b. A Russian missile is launched 11a. End of the Rurik 11b. Damage of Rossiya 12a. Interment of Russian casualty 12b. Japanese infantry 13a. Suvorov officers 13b. Wardroom of Aleksandr 111 14a. The Tsar aboard Svetlana 14b. 2nd Squadron nears Tsushima 15a. Admiral Nebogatov surrenders 15b. Vladivostok in 1905 16a. Japanese mule carts 16b. The negotiators at Portsmouth Page vii (Table is on previous page.) With two exceptions, all the photographs were first published during or soon after the war in Russian, British and American periodicals. After so many years it has not been possible to identify those to whom credit should be given for some of these pictures. It is known that on the Russian side many photographs were made by Viktor Bulla, whose work was used by the magazine Niva and syndicated abroad. Other photographs were copyrighted by Underwood & Co., H. C. White & Co., and Collier's Weekly, but the individual photographers were not identified. Some pictures were retouched to suit them for publication. Where considerable artwork was used the words 'from a photograph' have been included in the captions. Map The war zone Page viii Preface Every decade or so a new book appears about the RussoJapanese War, usually fatter than this one. So the appearance of yet another volume on the subject needs to be explained, if not excused. Until August 1914 put it into the background, this war attracted enormous interest. First came the newspaper accounts, then the first memoirs translated from Russian or Japanese, or written by western attachés, correspondents and freelances who had followed the campaigns in person. In the military and naval world, painstaking analyses were made, sometimes for the interested public and sometimes for restricted circulation. It was felt at the time that this war, with its combination of advanced technology and massive human involvement, was a precursor of things to come. By 1914 the military and naval staffs of all the great powers were well advanced in the publication of multi-volume official histories of the war that were intended for the education of their officers. Of these, the British Official History is probably the best, and has served as a basis for subsequent, more popular, accounts. However, apart from its justifiable neglect of the non-military aspects of the war, the Official History makes over-confident use of questionable Russian and Japanese sources. As with most wars, the first books to be written (and translated) were not the best; the more thoughtful and reliable accounts too often came after intense public interest had subsided, and they were not translated. Subsequent general books for general readers relied on the Official History, memoirs of doubtful reliability and, worst of all, contemporary newspaper accounts. Most writers accepted that unreliable sources make the most exciting narratives. In this volume a few examples will be noted of distortions that have long been treated as historical evidence, but the main purpose is to draw upon the enormous stock of neglected, mainly Russian- language, material. The result is a book which omits, as unreliable, much anecdotal and hitherto unchallenged material recycled in Page ix previous works, and which at the same time seeks to view the events of 1904-05 from new or long-forgotten angles. J. N. WETWOOD BRISTOL Page x Map
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