Karafuto

Relief map of Karafuto

Karafuto was the Japanese-controlled southern half of Sakhalin Island, just north of Hokkaido. The major port was Otomari.

On 11 August 1945, the Russians launched a major attack on Karafuto from nothern Sakhalin. 1 Far East Front intended to use Karafuto as a springboard for an invasion of Hokkaido, but met furious resistance that could not be overcome before 3 September 1945. The combination of fanatical resistance from the Japanese and diplomatic pressure from Truman, based on provisions of the Potsdam agreement placing Hokkaido within the American occupation zone, prevented Russian occupation of Hokkaido.

References
Frank (1999)

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