Fascinating battle in Manchuria between the Soviets and the Japanese shortly before the dropping of the atomic bomb. I never understood why it has been claimed that it was the Soviet declaration of war on Japan that caused surrender and not the bomb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mutanchiang …
But, when you realize that Manchuria was Japan's source of oil and other resources necessary for the war effort, it starts to make more sense. Soviets blitzkrieged the Japanese in northeastern China and shortly thereafter Japan's flag lost its red dot.