Khalkhin Gol, Mongolia
A few years ago I began a study of the antecedents of the Pacific war. Many of the sources I looked at referred to a battle between the Imperial Japanese Army and the Soviet Red Army during the summer of 1939 on the eastern Mongolia steppe. The battle was essentially a border dispute between the Mongolian People’s Republic and the Kwantung Army of Japan that was a virtual undeclared war between Russia and Japan. Several of these sources referred to a place called Nomonhan. I had never heard of Nomonhan before or of a battle between Soviet Russia and Japan prior to the outbreak of World War II. One book was particularly helpful, Nomonhan, 1939, The Red Army’s Victory that Shaped World War II, but Dr. Stuart Goldman. I read this book cover to cover and became intrigued with this battle and its effect on both the war in Europe (The eastern front in Russia) and the looming war in the Pacific, two years in the future. According to Goldman, the outcome of this battle contributed to the outbreak of the war in Europe and figured into the decision by Japan to forego becoming entangled in another war with Russia and, instead, go south into the Dutch East Indies for their oil. This meant attacking both the British and America and risking a war against America. A war with America would be primarily naval in character. Japan gambled that by destroying the Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, America would settle for a negotiated peace leaving Japan with her newly conquered territories. There was, of course, far more to this decision to go south rather north than the defeat at Nomonhan, but it did effect this decision.
Two years ago, I called Dr. Goldman out of the blue and told him of my interest in this battle as related in his book. Eventually, my wife and I went to Florida and met Stuart and his wife. We spent an enjoyable afternoon together talking about the war and this battle; we became friends through our mutual interest. I told him then that I wanted to visit this battlefield. He told me about his interpreter and eventually helped me arrange to go to Mongolia in the middle of August after my annual tour of Guadalcanal.
I had a wonderful time in Mongolia, and everything turned out better than I had hoped. I also became friends with the interpreter, Urgoo. The following photo essay summarizes my time at Khalkhin Gol, the English spelling of the Russian name for the battle.
Connoisseurs of Experiences 