Location
Lat
46° 10' 0N Long 152° 0' 0E Island chain to the north
of Japan.
History
Prewar, these islands were part of Japanese territory. As early as November 22, 1941 Japanese ships began assembling in the Kurlile Islands area, for the secret 'Hawaiin Operation' the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan blocked the passage to the Sangar
Strait from Soviet ships. Although Russia
and Japan were not officially at war, they were receiving lend-lease
from America. Japanese fortified the Kurile Islands, and were the
target of American attacks from bases in Alaska,
in a strategic effort to tie down Japanese forces in the far north.
The area was occupied by the Japanese until the end of WWII. Seven
days before the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, Russia declared
war on Japan. and occupied the area in August, 1945. Finally,
on August 21, 1945 a localized cease fire between the Russians and
Japanese ended the continuing war.
Today
After World War II,
the Soviet Union (Russia) was given control of southern Sakhalin and the Kurile
Islands.
Laperouse
Strait
(frozen during winter), Controlled
by the Japanese. American ships with lend-lease good went to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,
unloaded, and then returned to the US. Some Soviet ships were probably
sunk by Japanese in this area, even though the were official not at
war.
Shumshu Island (Shimushu)
Japanese naval base
in the Kurile Island chain, occupied by Russia at end of the war.
