Liaoyang, Battle of

Inconclusive clash between Japanese and Russian forces during the Russo-Japanese War 25 August–4 September 1904, in Manchuria, about 80 km/50 mi southwest of Mukden (now Shenyang). The battle foreshadowed the tactics of World War I, with the use of massed armies, modern rifles and machine guns, barbed wire, and entrenchments.

Disposition of forces The Russians, under General Alexei Kuropatkin, had prepared three strong defensive lines south of Liaoyang: the first was some 88 km/55 mi long, the second 24 km/15 mi long, and the third was a series of forts and strongpoints outside the town. The Russian strength was about 145,000 troops; the Japanese force, under Marshal Iwao Oyama, was about 120,000 strong and divided into three armies, though the Russians believed it to be much stronger.

Battle The 1st Japanese Army, under Count Tamesada Kuroki, attacked from the east, to make a junction with the 4th Army under Nodzu attacking from the south, while the 2nd Army under Oku attacked from the southeast. The attacks began 22 August: while Kuroki met with strong resistance, the other two Japanese armies made good progress, and Kuropatkin, believing them much stronger than they really were, was bluffed into retreating to his second line. The Japanese followed up and began their attack on this line 29 August. The struggle was at first inconclusive, until Kuroki pushed his army around to the northwest to try and cut the Russian line of retreat to Mukden 31 August. After severe fighting, Kuropatkin managed to frustrate this move, but then decided to abandon his position. He retreated to the north and the Japanese entered Liaoyang 4 September. The Russians cannot be said to have been defeated, as they retired in good order with their reserves uncommitted and lost only 16,000 troops to the heavy Japanese losses of 25,000. Had Kuropatkin kept his nerve, and had he known the actual Japanese strength, he could probably have defeated them.