Did Russia miss a chance to conquer Hokkaido by not attacking Japan earlier, before they finished off Nazi Germany?
Did the freezing of water in Strait Perousse give Russia a chance to attack Hokkaido from Sakhalin after conquering south Sakhalin, if Russia attacked in winter?
By december 1944, it was clear Nazi Germany was going to lose, so Russia could have afforded to sent part of the Russian army eastward.
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No. The IJN even at its weakest was superior to the Sovet Far East Fleet. The Soviets never had a credible way to implement an amphibious operation in the Far East. Similary the USN determined that the postwar occupation woulld be American for the same reason.
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Good point, even when they attacked the Kuriles after the surrender with US lend landing craft it became a stalemate until Hiro Hito intervened because of fear of resumed bombings
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The reason why the Soviet Union did not go to war with Japan earlier than they did in August 1945 can be summed up with one word:
Logistics
Stavka Chief of the General Staff, Marshal A.I. Antonov would admit to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Foreign Minister Anton Eden, US Ambassador Averill Harriman, and Head of the US Military Mission, General John Deane that the Trans-Siberian Railroad can only substain a maximum military force of 500,000 men for a sustained offensive against Japan during the Moscow Conference on October 16, 1944. The only way the Soviet Union could sustain a larger offensvie force against Japan would be for the United States to provide the logistical support while the Trans-Siberian railroad is only used for the transportation of military equipment, soldiers, airmen, and ammunition. The Soviet request came out to a total 1,066,410 tons of Lend Lease. After debate, the Joint Chiefs of Staff passed on the request to be approved by President Roosevelt. This will become known as Operation Milepost with the naval component known as Operation Hula.
This will give a partial breakdown of Operation Milepost:
186,000 tons of food and fodder
14,580 tons of clothing material and hospital supplies
296,385 tons of automotive vehicles, road construction machinery, and airdrome construction equipment. This includes 1,000 DUKW’s, 32,000 trucks, 814 M4A2 Sherman tanks, the equipment to build 4,200 km of all-weather military roads along the Manchurian border, and 53 newly constructed airfields.
50,000 tons of steel mating was provided to convert most of the existing 323 airfields and the 53 new airfields to all-weather airfields.
306,500 tons of railroad equipment which included 500 locomotives and 6,000 rail cars along with the necessary supplies to build a brand new 307 km railroad connecting the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Baikal railroads and a second new 126 km railroad line connecting Irkutsk to Slyudyanka.
20,175 tons of miscellaneous engineer and signal equipment.
650 transport aircraft
230,000 tons of POL supplies including 206,000 tons of gasoline, fuel oil, and diesel. The remaining 24,000 tons consists of collapsible gas stations, tanks, and pipelines.
On the naval side, the US will deliver by the start of the war:
10 patrol frigates (PF)
12 minesweepers (AM)
30 large infantry landing craft (LCI(L))
25 auxiliary motor minesweepers (YMS)
20 submarine chasers (SC)
4 floating workshops (YR) – at Cold Bay.
This will give you an idea of the total amount of logistical support provided by the United States for the Soviet Manchurian Strategic Offensive. All of this is provided between the beginning of January to the end of June 1945.
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Did they improve the rail? Or was it the same single tracked railway since the Tsar’s time?