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"When did World War Two start?"
Ask that question to a room of History Professor's, and include a few revisionists, you'll get different answer.
1933. Hitler takes power as Fuerher.
1934. Japan versus China on the China Mainland.
1936. The Spanish Civil War.
1939. The Invasion of Poland.
And a long and lengthy debate will follow.
"What was the pivotal Battle of World War 2?"
Ask that question and you will get an equal amount of diverse answers :- The Battle of Britain. Invasion of Russia. Kursk. Pearl Harbor. Midway. Nomonhan.
Nomonhan?
First, the facts. If you have a large-scale map of Russia, find Lake Baikal and go west, to the city of Chita. Southeast of Chita is Hailaern, in Inner Mongolia. About 125 miles south of Hailern is the Hailhaiin River, and the site of the Battle of Nomonhan. And it has been a Battle lost to the Ages, except in Military schools (And the Japanese Command Staff school in particular).
In late May, Japanese soldiers, augmented by local Manchukuo elements, skirmished with the Russians, and soon began a series of small-scale battles that escalated. Platoons were shipped in, then companies, then Battalions, and then regiments. The Russians, owing to superior Tanks, camouflage skills, and an extreme lapse in Japanese Intelligence (imagine the US Navy Knowing about Midway but doing nothing and that's the gist), started their attack on the 20th of August 1939. By the 31st of August, the Russians, with help from incompetent Japanese leadership, had destroyed the IJA forces in and around Nomonhan. Of the 60000 Japanese soldiers at Nomonhan, 45000 were killed. Not wounded, killed.
The outcome of the Battle convinced the Japanese that they couldn't win a fight against the Russians. When their Foreign Minister went to Italy and Germany to sign the Tripartite pact, he made a detour to Moscow, to sign a neutrality pact.
Upon signing, Stalin enveloped the Japanese Minister in a bear hug and said, "We are both Asiatics, Japan can now turn south." That was in March, of 1941. The treaty was a free hand for Japan to turn against the Pacific, but it also guaranteed the safety of Russia's deep-water ports on the Pacific.
But the main effect of the Neutrality agreement was felt against the Germans. With nothing to fear from the Japanese, the commander at Nomonhan, General Georgi Zhukov, was able to transfer 1700 tanks, 3 cavalry divisions, 15 rifle divisions, and 1500 aircraft to the defense of Moscow. Those troops saved the city, and the Entire Eastern Front.
So now we come to my POD.
What if the Japanese Intelligence had processed the information sooner? They would have been able to meet the Russians flanking attack, and not be surprised. And an escalation on the Far Eastern Front would have forced Russia into a two front war, and those troops would not have been available to save Moscow.
And with more of their forces facing the Russians Japanese strategy in the Pacific would have been altered.
World War Two would have been much different.
Part One
Empty Steppe. Wide open, sparse, rolling grasslands. Genghis Khan and his hordes had ridden through these parts in ancient times, and the way things looked, his hordes would be gathering on the other side of the low hills, horses ready, arrows notched, waiting for the word.
Corporal Tenyo paused as he considered this. The Mongols had conquered the eastern world at one point in time, and most of the western world. From the Danube to the Pacific, Mongol toumans had ranged far and wide. Only a storm, the Kamikaze, the Divine wind, had swept the Mongol Hordes from the shores of Japan.
He slapped away a group off mosquitoes, pondering his thoughts. Tenyo's company had been in this area since June, brought up by rail form Manchukuo to Halun Arshan, then a 50-mile road march. Since then it had been a series of small arms battles. The Russians were good, fighters, brave fighters, and they died almost as well as a Japanese soldier. Almost. . .
"Corporal!" It was Yuiji. His voice was hushed. "Movement on the front. Enemy tanks and Cavalry!"
Grabbing his rifle, Tenyo motioned for the rest of his squad to follow. Two carried the light machine guns, other member of his squad carried gasoline filled bottles, and anti-tank mines on 10-foot poles. They moved quickly, low to the ground. The clanking sound of the tracks could be heard, carried on the wind.
Scouting force, thought Tenyo, taking a risk to see what was approaching. Three BT-7M's. Good, he thought to himself. Last week they had run into several obsolete Vickers, OT-130's. They had charged confidently, but had not expected the turret-mounted flamethrowers. Tenyo had a hard time removing the stench of Captain Ao's body from his senses. No flamethrowers this time.
About 60 accompanying cavalry. Tenyo had 28 men with him. He looked over his position carefully. Experience over the past few weeks had taught him much.
"Take out the cavalry first. Wait until then to charge the tanks. Pass it down. Yuiji, bring your squad!" Yuiji and his four men came rushing over.
"Take your squad, stay low, go one hundred meters left, and dig in quickly. GO!" He slapped Yuiji on the back, almost knocking the smaller man over.
"Akira!" Another soldier came running over. Tenyo told him the same thing, except to go to the right. The Russians were 800 meters away, moving at a slow trot. The cavalry began to spread out, preceding the tanks slightly.
Seven Hundred Meters.
Six Hundred. Five Hundred.
Four Hundred.
Small Arms fire erupted from the right. A Few horsemen fell out of their saddles.
"AKIRA!" Tenyo screamed at the top of his lungs. The surprise was gone, the ambush spoiled. A few feet away the Nambu erupted into action. More horsemen fell, but the others were reacting, and so were the tanks. Machines guns opened up, and the 76-millimeter canon fired. The resulting explosion scattered dirt and grass over him. The Nambu jammed, the private manning it screaming his disgust.
Things were moving too quickly. The horsemen had started to charge, the tanks speeding up to catch them. A few Russians fired from the saddle, shots going wild. A few had dismounted and were running to keep up with the tanks. The machine guns hammered away.
Corporal Tenyo Jumped up took quick aim and fired. A horseman fell, but Tenyo didn't see it, he was to busy hugging the ground. The thunder of hooves grew closer. The ground began to shake. The Nambu started firing again. The cry of wounded horses echoed across the plain. Screams of soldiers. The clanking noise of the tanks grew. From the left Yuiji and his squad opened fire, enveloping the flank of the horseman, a few wheeled around and began to ride Yuiji's way, firing from the saddle. Tenyo went to jump up again, but a large shadow stopped him short. A Russian, still mounted, leaped over his position, followed by others. All were screaming at the top of their lungs. Not even bother to take aim, Tenyo pointed and fired. A horse screamed, and toppled over, throwing his rider to the ground. Another soldier of to Tenyo's right fired at the soldier and killed him with a headshot. Horsemen were all around, screaming, firing. His own men were screaming in return. Tenyo was screaming with them. One horseman had turned and began to charge, firing his rifle one handed. The soldier he was firing at fired his rifle as fast as he could. When the rifle clicked empty, he threw it down, and then picked up one of the poles with an anti tank mine attached to it.
"Banzai!" he screamed, running forward as fast as he could. A bullet punched him back to the ground before he had gotten 10 feet. Tenyo watched in amazement, then another explosion threw him to the ground. Picking himself up, he grabbed his rifle, reloaded it, and turned back around. A tank was less than 50 meters away, machine gun yammering. A small knot of soldiers ran forward. One threw a bottle, flaming at the top. With a large whoosh, the bottle burst into flame upon contact with the closest tank. The machine gun stopped firing, oily black smoke began to go skyward.
More firing came from the right. Apparently someone from Akira's squad had lived, and was trying to do his best to affect the outcome of the battle. There were fewer horseman; most were dismounted. The Nambu had fallen silent; both men crewing it were dead. Another explosion shook Tenyo out of his stupor. Another group of soldiers had rushed the tank on the left, thrusting anti tank mines at the tracks. Two exploded, and the BT lurched to a halt. The turret rotated as fast as it could, machine gun firing, but an enterprising soldier ran amount back, climbed onto the tank deck, crouched down and lit his gasoline bomb. Lifting the commader/gunner hatch enough to toss the flaming bottle in, he dove of the tank as the bottle exploded. The screams of the crew were loud.
A bullet whizzed by Tenyo's ear, catching his attention. A Russian was charging him, bayonet at the high quarter. Another soldier, Shujimi, ran forward as well, screaming at the top of his lungs. It was over quickly; the Russian was focused on Tenyo, and did not see Shujimi.
Suddenly it was over. The third tank had been disabled by another mine, several soldiers were busy thrusting their bayonets through the vision slits. The screams were over quickly. Wounded men and horses moaned; single shots ran out across the battlefield. Yujimi and his squad came in form the left, covered with dirt and blood. A toothy smile covered Yujimi's face.
"Well done Yujimi!" Tenyo clapped his compatriot on the shoulder. Yujimi could only nod.
"Sir, Corporal Tenyo!" It was Shujimi. He had gone out with the others to take care of the wounded and to peruse the bodies. He was carrying a bloodied leather satchel.
"What is it Private?"
"Sir, I recovered this from the body of a Colonel sir. It contains detailed maps of the area." Shujimi's voice was light with excitement. A weight suddenly lifted of Tenyo's shoulder as well. With detailed plans they would be able to find the weak points in Zhukov's defenses. Day and night, if one listened carefully enough, you could hear the jackhammers and yells of men in the cold air.
"We need to take this to higher headquarters'."
