Russia invades Manchuria, New Years, 1943

[The Exorcist]

This is partly a carry-over from another thread, and partly a turn-about on an earlier thread of mine.

Lets take what the Soviets had in place in Siberia, and add to that the large force that was expended uselessly in operation Mars.

I don't know why, or really care. What IF Stalin had ignored Zhukov's obsession with AGC and instead gave his people an easy victory by clobbering some Japanese.... and gaining unlimited credit with the West at the same time.

Well, that would be the plan, anyhow.

Would 300-350k troops have been able to tip the scales enough for a limited offensive to work? The industrial facilities and resources in Manchuria could have made it a profitable operation... but could it have worked?

And given the actual fate of the troops involved, how could it be said to be a waste?

[Carl Schwamberg]

Losing the Eastern supply route from the US might have balanced out any gain, but we need to examine the numbers.

If the IJA were defeated or severely set back in Manchuria it might have triggered the 1944 change in government much earlier. The sucesses of the IJA in Burma, and China in 1943/44 offset the defeats in the distant Pacific islands. With a major threat or loss in Japans second industrial area attitudes about Tojos policies would have 'evolved' sooner.

[The Exorcist]

Just looking for a less wasteful use of the troops that were expended at Rzhev, and a way to shorten the war, perhaps.
If it had worked.... well, that is an awfully big if.

The IJA in Manchuria would have had a serious numerical advantage, maybe two to one if they had been reasonably efficient in shuttling their Asiatic reserves around.

And Vladivostok was about the most out=of-the-way port the Russians had. If they griped about supplies coming in through Iran instead of the Arctic route, than I am skeptical that they placed a high premium on the Trans-Siberian route.

Convincing a new Japanese Government to seek a negotiated peace in Early 1943 could only have helped defeat Germany that much sooner. Right away, half a dozen Marine Divisions and at least that many more would have been available for use against Germany.
D-Day in August, 1943....?