FEBRUARY 1904

Russia:
1 February: Speaking at a Winter Palace dinner, the Tsar predicts There will be no war.
Diplomacy:
1 February: Britain and France pledge neutrality in the event of war in the Far East.
Japan:
1 February: Japanese Chief of Staff Oyama informs the Emperor of the plans for a preemptive strike and makes an
appeal for war. Japanese army strength is at 180,000, with an active reserve of about 400,000 - about a sixth of
Russias manpower.
Naval Operations:
3 February: Japanese intelligence reports that the Russian Port Arthur squadron has put to sea.
Japan:
4 February: The Japanese Imperial Council formalizes the decision for war, and plans to eventually have America
mediate the peace agreement.
Diplomacy:
4 February: The British ambassador in Tokyo assures the London Times that there will be no war between Japan
and Russia.
Japan/Russia:
4 February: The Japanese ultimatum to Russia expires.
5 February: Japanese-Russian talks are broken off - the Japanese Ambassador leaves St. Petersburg.
Naval Operations:
5 February: Admiral Togo receives the Imperial war order.
6 February: A Japanese Naval war council is held at Sasebo; Togo informs his officers of the impending attack on
Port Arthur. [0100 hours] - the Japanese main fleet under Togo sails for Port Arthur [0900 hours] - the Japanese
squadron under Uriu sails for Korea [early afternoon.]
Korean Front:
6 February: Russian forces cross the Yalu into northern Korea.
Diplomacy:
6 February: Japan breaks diplomatic relations with Russia.
Port Arthur Front:
7 February: Port Arthurs telegraph line is cut.
Russia:
8 February: A Russian Imperial Conference is held on the impending war: General Kuropatkin is one of the few
leaders to be concerned about Japans war-making ability.
Naval Operations Korean Front:
8 February: A Japanese squadron enters Chemulpo (Inchon) harbor and briefly exchanges fire with a Russian
warship [1415 hours]: THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR IS UNDERWAY - Japanese troops land at Chemulpo in
Korea [1815 hours.]
Naval Operations:
8-9 February: A Japanese destroyer squadron leaves the main fleet and makes for Port Arthur [1800 hours] - a
surprise Japanese torpedo attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur damages two battleships and a cruiser [0020
hours] - the Japanese Fleet gains the initiative - Russian authorities are stunned: Viceroy Alexeiev exclaims
Impossible!
Port Arthur Front:
9 February: Stoessel, the inept Russian commandant of Port Arthur, orders that all rumors cease immediately.
Naval Operations:
9 February: [1130 hours] The Naval Battle of Chemulpo, in Korea: the Japanese squadron cripples Russian
warships as they attempt to escape the harbor - the Russian ships soon afterwards scuttle themselves.
Naval Operations:
9 February: [1110 hours] Togos ships shell Port Arthur and the Russian fleet.
Korean Front:
9 February: Japanese troops occupy Seoul.
Diplomacy:
10 February: Japan declares war on Russia.
10 February: At the urging of Germany, the US sends a circular note asking the powers to prevail on Russia and
Japan to respect Chinese neutrality outside of Manchuria - Russia and Japan soon comply.
Naval Operations:
11 February: The Russian minelayer Yenisei and the cruiser Boyarin are sunk by Russian mines off Port Arthur
with heavy loss of life.
Diplomacy:
11 February: The US proclaims neutrality as regards the Russian-Japanese War.
12 February: China formally declares its neutrality.
Russia:
12 February: A great spontaneous pro-war demonstration occurs in St. Petersburg - patriotic rallies are sweeping
Russia - the high point of Tsar Nicholas IIs popularity
Naval Operations:
15 February: The Japanese fail in an attempt to mine the approaches to Port Arthur.
Korean Front:
16 February: The Japanese begin occupying Korea in force: the Japanese 12th Division lands at Chemulpo -
Japanese troops begin advancing north toward the Yalu - the First Japanese Army is organized.
Diplomacy:
16 February: Russia declares war on Japan.
Manchuria:
20 February: Kuropatkin is named the Russian Far East commander - Witte urges him to arrest Viceroy Alexeiev
upon reaching Mukden.
Korea:
23 February: Korea is compelled to allow Japan to guarantee Korean independence and internal order and to
deploy troops: Korea falls under Japanese domination.
Naval Operations:
24 February: [pre-dawn] The Russians destroy the first Japanese attempt to seal Port Arthur harbor with
blockships.
Diplomacy:
24 February: Japanese emissary Kaneko sets out for the US, where he has success in enlisting support for Japan in
its war with Russia.
Naval Operations:
24 February: [night] Japanese destroyers launch a torpedo attack on Port Arthur.
25 February: [morning] The Japanese fleet indirectly shells Port Arthur.
25 February: The Japanese fleet clashes with Russian ships off Port Arthur.
26 February: Japanese ships sink the Russian destroyer Vnushitelni at Pigeon Bay near Port Arthur - the Russian
navy adopts a risk nothing policy until March 7th.
Port Arthur Front:
26 February: Port Arthur commander Stoessel orders sentries to shoot any Chinese civilian seen signaling -
Chinese civilians are shot like partridges.
Russia (Siberia):
February: The cessation of normal trade with Siberia occurs as the Russian military takes over the Trans-Siberian
Railroad.
Poland:
February: The Polish socialist/nationalist PPS announces that Poland would benefit from a Japanese victory over
Russia - the PPS soon establishes contact with Japan.

MARCH 1904
Russia (Siberia):
March 01-27: The Russians run trains directly over the frozen surface of Lake Baikal, until the locomotives break
through the ice
Korea:
March 03: A bomb is thrown at the Korean Foreign Ministers residence in protest against the Korean pact with
Japan - ~anti-Japanese demonstrations
Naval Operations:
March 06: The Japanese fleet shells Vladivostok
Korean Front:
March 08: Cossacks ineffectively attack advancing Japanese troops in northern Korea at Pakchon, north of
Pyongyang
Naval Operations:
March 08: The able Admiral Makarov arrives in Port Arthur to assume naval command - Russian naval morale
revives
March 09. [early]: Fierce destroyer night battle off Port Arthur
March 10.[early AM]: The Russian destroyer Steregushchi is sunk off Port Arthur in a ferocious night battle
March 10: The Japanese fleet shells Port Arthur town and harbor
Korean Front:
March 14-18: The Japanese Guards Division lands at Chenampo in Korea
General:
March 14 to early July: The London Times correspondent sends uncensored war news by radio from a ship off
Manchuria
Russia:
March 14: The Finnish leftist Zilliacus is the first to predict the growth of Russian anti-war sentiment and to
suggest that opposition groups form a broad front to exploit it for political gain
Port Arthur Front:
mid. March: The capable General Smirnov takes command of the Port Arthur fortress
Korean Front:
March 17: Japanese First Army commander Kuroki transfers his headquarters from Japan to Chenampo in Korea
March 23: The first contacts between the Japanese First Army and advanced Cossack patrols in northern Korea
Naval Operations:
March 23: Makarov successfully sorties the Russian fleet against a Japanese attempt to shell Port Arthur
Korea:
Late March: Reporting from Korea, Japanese envoy Hayashi recommends that Japan install a minister with broad
powers and urges the imposition of fiscal reform, economic concessions, and permanent military bases
Russia:
Late March: A RSDRP (Russian socialist) manifesto condemns the Russo-Japanese War as capitalist profit-hunting
Manchuria:
March 26: Reports circulate that Russian Viceroy Alexeiev is threatening to exterminate the Chinese population of
Manchuria if they become hostile
Naval Operations:
March 27 [early.AM]: A second Japanese block ship raid nearly seals the entrance to Port Arthur harbor
Manchuria:
March 28: Kuropatkin arrives in Liaoyang and assumes command of Russian forces in Manchuria
Korean Front:
March 28: In Korea, a Cossack raid on the advancing Japanese First Army fails - Japanese forces take Chengju

APRIL 1904
Korean Front:
Early April: Kuroki defeats a Russian advance force near Pyongyang in northern Korea
Manchurian Front:
April 08: A weak Japanese First Army advance guard reaches Uiju (Wiju), on the lower Yalu at the Manchurian
frontier - Russian forces fail to attack
Stepan Ossipovich Makarov
Naval Operations:
April 13 [morning]: Japanese warships sink the Russian destroyer Strashni in a fierce fight off Port Arthur - the
Russian fleet is lured out and encounters Togos main force - the Russian battleship Petropavlovsk strikes a mine,
explodes, and sinks with most hands: Admiral Makarov is killed; the Russian fleet is profoundly demoralized, and
resumes a timid no risk policy
April 14-15: The Japanese fleet shells Port Arthur
Manchurian Front:
April 15: Kuropatkin orders a defensive campaign until Russian forces are up to strength - he is soon in conflict
with his subordinates and with Viceroy Alexeiev
April 18: Kuropatkin orders the weak Russian force on the Yalu to avoid a decisive battle - he is ignored by General
Zasulitch, the local commander
Diplomacy:
April 20: German Chief of Staff Schlieffen reports that the Russian army in Europe is in disarray due to the
mobilization for the Russo-Japanese War - Russian international influence is weakening
Late April: In his letters to the Czar, the Kaiser stops referring to Nicholas as Admiral of the Pacific Ocean
Manchurian Front:
April 25-26 [night]: Japanese forces drive Russian outposts from the islands in the Yalu
April 26: A Japanese detachment crosses the Yalu at Su-ku-chin, east of the main Russian line
Naval Operations:
April 26: After the Russian Navy sinks a Japanese troop transport, every single Japanese soldier goes down with the
ship rather than surrender
Manchurian Front:
The Battle of the Yalu (or Kiu-lien-Cheng):
April 30: The Japanese 12th Division crosses the Yalu in force at Su-ku-chin and begins advancing on the Russian
left flank [300.AM] - concealed Japanese batteries near Wiju annihilate the Russian artillery in front of the main
Japanese force on the Yalu [1000-1030.AM] - Zasulitch forbids any Russian withdrawal from the river, despite the
urgings of his field officers [evening]
Russia:
April (Old Style): The socialist leader Plekhanov writes that the war promises to shatter to its foundations the
regime of Nicholas II. - but overall, the Russian left is still paying little attention to the conflict
Spring: The Russian press is growing apprehensive about the war
Spring to Summer: The rail gap at Lake Baikal is causing Russian regiments to pile up in Irkutsk

MAY 1904
Naval Operations:
May 02-03 [night]: The third Japanese attempt to seal Port Arthur harbor with block ships fails, but Togo reports it
a success
Port Arthur Front:
May 05: The Japanese 2nd Army lands unopposed near the Kwantung (Liaotung) Peninsula at Pi-tzu-wo, sixty
miles northeast of Port Arthur [530.AM] - Viceroy Alexeiev flees from Port Arthur [1100.AM] - THE PORT
ARTHUR CAMPAIGN to Jan.1905Manchurian Front:
May 06: Japanese forces defeat the Russians at Fengcheng
Naval Operations:
May 06: Viceroy Alexeiev urges the Port Arthur fleet to attack the Japanese landings - the fleet does nothing
Port Arthur Front:
May 10: The last trains escape from Port Arthur - Port Arthur is cut off
May 13: The entire Japanese 2nd Army has landed on the Kwantung Peninsula
May 14: Japanese forces are probing the outposts of the first Russian defense line on the Kwantung Peninsula, near
Nanshan forty miles northeast of Port Arthur
Naval Operations:
May 15: The Japanese battleship Hatsuse and the cruiser Yashima are sunk by Russian mines off Port Arthur - the
cruiser Yoshino and the gunboat Oshima are sunk in collisions - the gunboat Tatsuta runs aground - the Japanese
battle fleet looses a third of its strength but succeeds in concealing most of the losses
May 16: The Japanese destroyer Miyako is sunk by a mine
May 17: The Japanese destroyer Akatsuki is sunk by a mine
Manchurian Front:
May 19: The Japanese Fourth Army lands unopposed at Ta-ku-shan (Dongou), west of the mouth of the Yalu - it
begins advancing north
Korea:
May 19: Korea finally breaks relations and abrogates its treaties with Russia
Port Arthur Front:
May 25: The Battle of Nanshan, to May 26: Japanese attacks drive in Russian outposts, but fail to take Chin-chou
May 26: The Japanese take Chin-chou and begin costly assaults on the main Nanshan defense line [early.AM] -
after a determined defense the Russians are driven from Nanshan [dusk]: Port Arthurs first line of defense is
breached - severe Japanese losses, 6,200 out of 30,000 engaged compared to 1,100 out of 3,000 Russians
Manchurian Front:
May 27: The aggressive Viceroy Alexeiev and the realistic General Kuropatkin argue violently over Russian
strategy [evening]
Port Arthur Front:
May 27: The Russians evacuate Dalny, but fail to destroy either the harbor or the supply stores [early.AM]
May 30: The Japanese occupy Dalny
May 30: The inept General Stoessel tells the gallant Russian survivors of Nanshan: You are a wretched,
undisciplined corps of traitors, cowards, and blackguards.
End May: Stoessel is squabbling with Port Arthur fortress commander Smirnov
Korea:
May 31: The Japanese cabinet adopts plans to control Korean foreign policy, military, police, finances,
communications, and transportation - vague plans are formulated for Japanese migration to Korea and for
exploitation of its resources
Russia:
May: The Russian economy is being seriously impacted by the disruption of trade brought on by the war

JUNE 1904
Port Arthur Front:
4 June: General Nogi takes command of the Third Japanese Army and the Port Arthur front, by summer he has
80,000 men opposing the Russian garrison of 40,000.
Manchurian Front:
Early June: Japanese-led guerilla forces are active around Liaoyang in Manchuria, harassing Russian outposts and
gathering intelligence.
Korea:
Early June to end Sep: A Japanese attempt to impose the Nagamori Plan to develop Korea fails in the face of
strong Korean opposition.
Japan, United States:
13 June: Theodore Roosevelt warns the Japanese Ambassador against the dangers of Japan entering into a general
career of insolence and aggression - he writes I am perfectly well aware that if (the Japanese) win out it may
possibly mean a struggle between them and us in the future.
Manchurian Front:
14-15 June: The Battle of Te-li-ssu: a premature Russian relief expedition is routed eighty miles north of Port
Arthur: the Russians loose 3,500 out of 25,000 men; the Japanese loose 1,200 of 35,000.
Naval Operations:
15 June: Russian warships sink two Japanese transports off Japan - over 2000 men and several batteries of siege
guns are lost.
20 June: Imperial Naval Conference: Russia decides to send its Baltic Fleet around the world to the Far East.
23 June: After many delays, the Russian Port Arthur fleet makes an attempt to escape to Vladivostok, but returns
when the Japanese fleet appears - Alexeievs repeated orders to sail are ignored.
Port Arthur Front:
24 June: Japan decides to take Port Arthur, rather than merely isolate it, if casualties can be kept fairly light.
26 June: Japanese forces quickly check a Russian attack at Port Arthur.
General:
June: Japan finally allows some reporters near the front, under strict controls
Poland:
June to July: The Polish radical leader Pilsudski travels to Japan, but fails to secure Japanese funds for anti-Russian
activity.

JULY 1904
Manchurian Front:
Early July: The rainy season breaks in Manchuria, and the roads quickly become choked with mud

Port Arthur Front:

3 July: Japan decides to take Port Arthur as quickly as possible, regardless of losses
3-4 July: Japanese forces probe Port Arthurs outer defenses

Manchurian Front:
Early July: Japanese First Army easily takes Motien Pass on the Antung-Liaoyang road
Naval Operations:
6 July - 3 September: Russian warships stop vessels in the Red Sea - British protests lead to a settlement with
Russia

Manchurian Front:
17 July: The Battle of Motien Pass: a Russian counterattack is cut up by Japanese First Armys artillery
22 July: General Oyama takes command of Japanese forces in Manchuria, with Kodama as his Chief of Staff
24 July: The Battle of Ta-shih-chiao (Dashiqiao): Russian forces withdraw after being attacked by the Japanese
Second Army

Russia:
Late July: Japanese intelligence chief Akashi meets with Russian revolutionaries in Switzerland - Japan subsidizes
Lenin

Port Arthur Front:

27-28 July: Japanese forces probe Port Arthurs outposts - Russian forces retreat to a line in the Wolf Hills, five
miles north of Port Arthur, but are soon ousted

Diplomacy:
July: Count Witte extends Russian peace feelers to the Japanese Ambassador in London
The United States warns Russia that it will aid Japan if Germany or France extend aid to Russia
Foreign Minister Komura submits a formal draft of Japanese peace terms to the government: Japan plans to extend
its influence in Korea, Manchuria and China

AUGUST 1904
Manchurian Front:
1-25 Aug: Russian forces in Manchuria are falling back on Liaoyang

Korea:
Early Aug: The Korean court agrees to appoint pro-Japanese advisors on financial and foreign affairs - the Korean
currency is reformed, securing Japanese financial hegemony

Port Arthur Front:

Early Aug: Port Arthurs food supplies are dwindling
7 Aug: The first shells from Japanese land forces fall on Port Arthur during a church service to pray for victory
7-9 Aug: The Japanese take Big and Little Orphan Hills northeast of Port Arthur, loosing 3,000 men in furious
fighting

Naval Operations:
7 Aug: Admiral Vitgeft receives an order signed by the Czar to take the Port Arthur fleet to Vladivostok
10 Aug: The Battle of the Yellow Sea: Togo repels a final escape attempt by the Port Arthur fleet; Russian Admiral
Vitgeft is killed
14 Aug: The Battle of Ulsan: Japan mauls the Russian Vladivostok fleet; the Russian cruiser Rurik is sunk, other
ships are damaged - Japan consolidates its naval dominance off Manchuria

Port Arthur Front:

16 Aug: A Japanese offer for Port Arthurs surrender is angrily refused by the Russians
19 Aug [dawn]-24 Aug [dawn]: Nogis first assault on Port Arthurs main defense lines - very fierce fighting;
appalling Japanese losses in repeated frontal attacks - Russian troops are driven from 174 Meter Hill and from the
Pan-lung forts - the Japanese loose over 18,000 men; the Russians loose 3,000

Manchurian Front:
THE IMMENSE BATTLE OF LIAOYANG in Manchuria:
26 Aug: The Japanese First Army takes Kosarei Peak and Hung-sha Pass southeast of Liaoyang - Kuropatkin pulls
back from the outer Russian defense line, with the Japanese in determined pursuit
29-30 Aug: Russian troops repel intense Japanese assaults on the main defense lines south of Liaoyang - the
Japanese Second and Fourth Armies are exhausted
31 Aug - 3 Sep: The Japanese First Army crosses the Tai-tzu River northeast of Liaoyang, holding off confused
Russian counterattacks
4 Sep: Kuropatkin evacuates Liaoyang [early.AM] - the city is sacked in succession by Russian, Chinese, and
Japanese forces - Japanese losses are 23,600 out of 125,000 men engaged; Russian losses are 17,900 out of 158,000

Naval Operations:
End Aug: Admiral Rozhdestvensky takes command of the Baltic Fleet (or Second Pacific Squadron), and begins
trying to prepare it for its voyage to the Far East
31 Aug: The Russian cruiser Novik, having escaped from Port Arthur, is sunk by the Japanese off Sakhalin Island

Diplomacy:
Aug: Britain warns Germany not to aid Russia against Japan

Korea:
Aug: Korean collaborators form the Ilchinhoe (Restoration Society or Progress Society) to support Japan -
Japanese authorities remain wary of the group

SEPTEMBER 1904
Manchurian Front:
Early September: Considerable Russian reinforcements are arriving in Manchuria via the Trans-Siberian Railroad

Naval Operations:
Early September: Preparing for its voyage to the Far East, the Russian Baltic Fleet holds a drill; most crew
members sleep through it - the fleets first target practice scores no hits at all

Port Arthur Front:

Early September: The Japanese begin using siege techniques against Port Arthurs defense lines
18 September - End September: Renewed Japanese attacks at Port Arthur - the Waterworks, the Temple Redoubts
and NamakoYama Hill soon fall
19 September: The Russians repel the first Japanese attacks on the key 203 Meter Hill

Manchurian Front:
24 September: The Czar announces the creation of the Russian Second Army, commanded by the deaf and
inexperienced General Grippenberg

Russia (Siberia):
25 September: The Lake Baikal rail loop officially opens - after thirteen years of construction, the Trans-Siberian
Railroad is completed

Russia:
30 September - 9 October: Russian liberal and revolutionary groups secretly meet in Paris to form a united front,
with the support of Japanese intelligence chief Akashi - rising political agitation in Russia

OCTOBER 1904
Naval Operations:
Oct 01: Japanese siege guns open fire on the Russian Port Arthur fleet
Oct 03: The Russian Baltic Fleet sails from Kronstadt for Reval: the battleship Orel immediately runs aground
Diplomacy:
Oct 04: Germany informs Russia that it will honor its coaling contract to Baltic Fleet, even if drawn into war with
Britain and France

Manchurian Front:
The indecisive Battle of Sha-Ho in Manchuria:
Oct 05: A Russian general offensive opens north of Liaoyang, with the main advance to be through the mountains to
the east - Russian attacks on the left flank gain ground to Oct.11
Oct 10 (evening): Oyama orders a major Japanese counter-offensive to strike the Russian right
Oct 12-13: The Japanese halt the Russian advance in the mountains to the northeast of Liaoyang - the Russian
center south of the Sha River is threatened
Oct 16-17: Renewed fighting south of the Sha River exhausts both armies - the Russians have lost 41,000 out of
200,000 engaged against 20,000 Japanese lost out of 170,000

Naval Operations:
Oct 09: At a farewell banquet for the Russian Baltic Fleet, the captain of the Alexander III says: ...You have
wished us victory but there will be no victory... (If the ships arrive in the Yellow Sea), Togo will blow them to bits.
His fleet is infinitely better than ours and the Japanese are real sailors. I can promise you one thing, however. (We)
shall at least know how to die. - on May.27, the captain is killed at the Battle of Tsushima
Oct 13: The German ambassador to Britain erroneously warns Russia that Japanese warships are active in the North
Sea
Oct 15: The Russian Baltic Fleet sets out for the Far East, from Libau
Oct 17: The Baltic Fleet steams into the North Sea
Oct 22: The Dogger Bank Incident: in the North Sea, the panicky Russian Baltic Fleet mistakes English fishing
trawlers for Japanese torpedo boats and fires on them, sinking one and damaging their own cruiser Aurora [after
midnight] - the furious British press calls the Russians this fleet of lunatics - sharp British-Russian crisis

Manchurian Front:
Oct 25: Viceroy Alexeiev yields his military powers to Kuropatkin; he leaves Manchuria five days later

Port Arthur Front:

Oct 26-Nov 02: Renewed forceful Japanese attacks on the Chinese Wall at Port Arthur achieve little

Naval Operations:
Oct 28: London informs its naval commander at Gibraltar: It may become necessary for you to stop the Baltic
Fleet.

At the urging of France, the Czar agrees to refer the Dogger Bank dispute to the Hague Tribunal - the last great
British crisis with Czarist Russia is defused

Manchurian Front:
Fall 1904: With winter approaching, the Russian army in Manchuria is drastically short of adequate clothing and
food

NOVEMBER 1904
Port Arthur Front:
Nov 17-24: Japanese forces set off mine explosions under the forts at Port Arthur, with limited success
Nov 26-27: The Japanese renew their general assault on the Port Arthur lines in severe winter conditions, and suffer
very heavy losses for little gain
Nov 27-Dec 05: Extremely violent fighting on 203 Meter Hill at Port Arthur, with massive barrages from Japanese
siege guns
Japan:
Nov: The Japanese government approaches opposition parties for support on the war budget - the origins of a
corrupt secret deal between the parties to rotate control of the government, in effect until 1913

DECEMBER 1904
Port Arthur Front:
Dec 05: The last surviving Russian officer on 203 Meter Hill desperately calls for help just before line goes dead
[400.PM] - Japanese forces complete the conquest of 203 Meter Hill, overlooking Port Arthur [500.PM] - 14,000
Japanese and 5,000 Russian troops have been lost on this one small hill

Naval Operations:
Dec 05: In Port Arthur harbor, the battleship Poltava is blown up when a magazine is struck by a Japanese shell
Dec 06: A Japanese observation post on 203 Meter Hill directs the siege guns fire on the Russian fleet stranded in
Port Arthur harbor - most of the fleet is destroyed by Dec 09
Mid Dec: The Japanese Combined Fleet returns to its home bases for refit and intensive gunnery training

Port Arthur Front:

Dec 15: At Port Arthur, the capable Russian General Kondratenko is killed by a Japanese shell; commandant
Stoessel replaces him with the incompetent General Fock

Russia (Siberia):
Mid Dec: The Trans-Siberian Railroad is temporarily thrown into chaos by a derailment west of Lake Baikal

Japan:
End 1904: The Japanese governments foreign debt stands at 312 million, having tripled within a year

Port Arthur Front:

Dec 29: A Russian war council is held in Port Arthur - commandant Stoessel is pressured into fighting on

Manchurian Front:
Dec: The Russian reinforcement and supply situation in Manchuria is starting to improve

Japan-United States:
Dec: Theodore Roosevelt comments on Japan: I wish I were certain that the Japanese down at bottom did not
lump...all of us, simply as white devils inferior to themselves...to be treated politely only so long as would enable the
Japanese to take advantage of our various national jealousies, and beat us in turn.- So long as Japan takes an
interest in Korea, in Manchuria, in China, it is Russia which is her natural enemy. - America tacitly encourages
Japanese expansion in Asia

Japan:
1904: Japanese schools are systematically promoting ultra-nationalism

JANUARY 1905
Port Arthur Front:
Jan 01: The Japanese take the key Wantai fortress north of Port Arthur - commandant Stoessel asks for surrender
terms without consulting fortress commander Smirnov
Jan 02: Sevastopol, the last serviceable ship in the Port Arthur fleet, is scuttled by its crew [early.AM] - PORT
ARTHUR FORMALLY SURRENDERS, with 10,000 surviving troops [700.PM] - looting orgy by the Russian
garrison - 31,000 Russian and 58,000 Japanese have been lost in the fighting; both of Japanese commander Nogis
sons have been killed
Manchurian Front:
Jan 04: Kuropatkin proposes a large cavalry raid against the Japanese Armys rail communications - the raid
accomplishes little

Naval Operations:
Early Jan (Russian Xmas) The Russian Baltic Fleet reaches Nossi Be in Madagascar and refits until March -
widespread disease among the crews

Diplomacy:
Jan 13: At the of urging Germany, US Secretary of State Hay asks the powers to pledge not to carve up China at the
end of the Russo-Japanese War - on Jan.19, Britain, France and Italy support the proposal

Russia:
Jan 22: Bloody Sunday: troops fire on peaceful workers demonstrations in St. Petersburg - THE RUSSIAN 1905
REVOLUTION IS UNDERWAY

Manchurian Front:
Jan 25: The Battle of San-de-pu (Hei-kou-tai) to Jan.27: the Russian left wing takes Hei-kou-tai
Jan 26-27: Russian forces are stalemated in fighting near San-de-pu - Kuropatkin fails to crush Oyama before
Nogis army arrives - massive losses from machine guns - deep Russian demoralization: Grippenberg resigns,
Stackelberg is sacked, 2nd Armys hospital inspector shoots himself

Japan:
Jan 29: The Japanese antiwar Socialist newspaper Heimin Shimbun is suppressed and its editor Kotoku imprisoned
for publishing the Communist Manifesto

Manchurian Front-Japan:
Jan 1905: After Roosevelt proposes that Manchuria be returned to China and neutralized under the guarantee of the
powers, Japanese Foreign Minister Komura pledges that Japan will uphold equal opportunity in Manchuria and
ensure Chinese rule in substance

FEBRUARY 1905
Naval Operations:
Feb 15: Russia sends the obsolete ships of the Baltic Fleet to reinforce Rozhdestvensky's fleet, despite his
objections

Manchurian Front:
THE BATTLE OF MUKDEN, the largest land battle in history to date:
Feb 22: The Japanese right flank clashes with Russian cavalry [evening]
Feb 25: The planned Russian offensive against San-de-pu fizzles as growing Japanese pressure draws Russian
reserves to the east
Feb 27: General Oyama launches the main Japanese drives: the Japanese Third Army outflanks the Russian right;
the Fourth and First Armies attack just east of Mukden
Mar 02-07: Kuropatkin is desperately redeploying westwards to block Nogis Third Army - looting by Russian
troops in Mukden
Mar 05-06: Weak Russian counterattacks against the Japanese Third Army fail
Mar 08-10: A general Japanese offensive is launched at Mukden as the Russian forces begin to retreat in a blinding
dust storm
Mar 10: Russian forces abandon Mukden - the retreating Russian Second and Third Manchurian Armies are
disintegrating, but the Japanese fail to destroy them - 90,000 Russian casualties out of 350,000 troops engaged;
75,000 Japanese losses out of 300,000 - the last major land battle of the war

Diplomacy:
Feb 25: The Hague Tribunal rules against Russia in the Dogger Bank dispute
MARCH 1905
Japan-United States:
Mar 05 to Sep: Pershing is assigned as the US military attach to Japan and an observer of the Russo-Japanese War

Diplomacy:
Mar 09: Russia pays compensation to Britain for the Dogger Bank incident - British-Russian relations improve

Naval Operations:
Mar 16: The Russian Baltic Fleet sails from Nossi Be, Madagascar, for East Asia

Manchurian Front:
Mar 17: Kuropatkin is replaced as Russian commander in Manchuria by the 67 year-old Linievitch

Diplomacy:
Mar 20: Roosevelt tells Japanese envoy Kaneko that hes willing to act as a mediator between Russia and Japan

Japan:
Mar 24: Japan negotiates its third foreign war loan, for 30 million - the total Japanese foreign war debt is at 52
million
Mar 28: Chief of Staff Kodama returns to Tokyo to argue that the war needs to be ended.

APRIL 1905
Naval Operations:
Apr 07-08: The Russian Baltic Fleet steams past Singapore after sailing 4700 miles without touching at a port

Diplomacy:
Apr 13: Evasive Russian response to the American offer of mediation

Naval Operations:
Apr 14 - May 14: The Russian Baltic Fleet anchors at Camrahn Bay and Van Phong in Indochina

Diplomacy:
Apr 18: Japan hints at acceptance of American mediation - to the US, Japan reaffirms its support of the Open Door
Policy in China
Apr 21: Roosevelt calls for direct Japanese-Russian peace talks
Apr 21: The Japanese cabinet decides on its peace terms

Russia:
end Apr: Japan funds gunrunning for Russian revolutionaries

Korea:
Apr: The Japanese cabinet decides to impose a protectorate on Korea in the near future

MAY 1905
Naval Operations:
May 09: Nebogatovs obsolete 3rd Squadron joins the Russian Baltic Fleet off Viet Nam, but receives no orders
from Admiral Rozhdestvensky
May 14: The reinforced Russian Baltic Fleet sails from Van Phong in IndoChina on its last leg to Vladivostok
May 25 [late evening]: Togo learns that the Baltic Fleets colliers have been sent to Shanghai, and realizes that the
Russians will go through Tsushima Strait

THE BATTLE OF TSUSHIMA, the largest naval battle in history to date:

May 27: A Japanese picket ship sights the Baltic Fleet, heading for Tsushima Strait [330.AM] - Togo sails from
Masan in Korea to intercept [500.AM] - he sights the disordered Russian fleet [119.PM] and orders a U-turn in the
face of the enemy [155.PM]; within fifteen minutes both fleets are firing - the battleship Oslyabya is sunk [245.PM]
as the Russian fleet falls into chaos - the Russian battleships Suvarov, Bordino, and Alexander III sink [700-
730.PM]; the Japanese battleships cease fire.
May 27-28 [night]: Suicidal attacks by Japanese torpedo boats: the Russian battleship Navarin sinks - Sissoi Veliky
and Admiral Nakhimov are hit and are eventually scuttled.
May 28-29: The Russian battleship Orel surrenders [morning] - after being trapped by Togo, Nebogatov surrenders
the remnants of the Russian Baltic Fleet [1115.AM] - by May 29, the cruisers Monomakh and Dmitri Donskoi are
scuttled; Svetlana and Admiral Ushakov are sunk - Russia has lost 147,000 tons of shipping sunk and 58,000 tons
captured or interned compared to Japans 300 tons sunk - 4,830 Russian sailors have been lost and 6,000 captured
compared to 117 Japanese killed: the young officer Isoroku Yamamoto is wounded - Russian naval power is
destroyed; JAPAN HAS CLEARLY BECOME A GREAT POWER!

Diplomacy:
May 31: Japan urges Roosevelt to invite both combatants to open negotiations

Manchurian Front:
late spring: The Russian Manchurian army has recovered from its near collapse in March - Japanese troops are
showing signs of war weariness.

JUNE 1905

Russia:
Jun 02: The Czar learns the details of the Russian defeat at Tsushima - angry public response; bitter attacks on the
government from the Russian press

Naval Operations:
Jun 03: Admiral Togo meets with the wounded Russian Admiral Rozhdestvensky in the Sasebo naval hospital

Diplomacy:
Jun 03: Germany urges Russia to seek American mediation
Jun 06: The Czar secretly decides to pursue talks with Japan - a Russian Imperial military conference is held in
preparation for seeking peace talks
Jun 07: Through the American ambassador, the Czar accepts the US offer to arrange peace talks with Japan
Jun 08: America officially offers to host peace talks between Japan and Russia
Jun 10: German Chief of Staff Schlieffen assesses Russian forces as ...incapable of standing up to another army...
Jun 10: Japan formally accepts the American offer for peace talks
Jun 12: Russia formally accepts the American offer for peace talks

JULY 1905

Diplomacy:
Jul 05: The Japanese Emperor endorses Komuras instructions for the upcoming Portsmouth talks
Jul 06: China informs Japan, Russia, and America that it will not recognize any peace treaty that it has not approved

Russia (Siberia):
Jul 07: Japanese forces invade Sakhalin Island and overrun it within a month against minimal Russian resistance

Diplomacy:
Jul 08: Japanese Foreign Minister Komura leaves for the Portsmouth peace conference

Japan/United States:
Jul 27: Talks in Tokyo between US Secretary of War Taft and Japanese Prime Minister Katsura
Jul 29: The secret Taft-Katsura memorandum: America recognizes Japanese predominance in
Korea in return for a Japanese pledge not to interfere in the Philippines
Jul 31: The Taft-Katsura agreement is confirmed by Roosevelt