Editing Mongolian Armed Forces (section)

====Battles of Khalkhin Gol====
{{See also|Battles of Khalkhin Gol}}
{{Multiple image
|image1=
|caption1=[[Grigory Shtern]], [[Khorloogiin Choibalsan]] and [[Georgy Zhukov]] at [[Battles of Khalkhin Gol|Khalkhin Gol]].
|image2=MNRA soldiers 1939.jpg
|caption2=Mongolian People's Army soldiers fighting Japanese soldiers at Khalkhin Gol in 1939.
}}
The Battles of Khalkhin Gol began on 11 May 1939. A Mongolian cavalry unit of some 70–90 men had entered the disputed area in search of grazing for their horses. On that day, Manchukuoan cavalry attacked the Mongolians and drove them back across the Khalkhin Gol. On 13 May, the Mongolian force returned in greater numbers and the Manchukoans were unable to dislodge them.

On 14 May, Lt. Col. [[Yaozo Azuma]] led the reconnaissance regiment of 23rd Infantry Division, supported by the 64th Infantry Regiment of the same division, under Colonel [[Takemitsu Yamagata]], into the territory and the Mongolians withdrew. Soviet and Mongolian troops returned to the disputed region, however, and Azuma's force again moved to evict them. This time things turned out differently, as the Soviet–Mongolian forces surrounded Azuma's force on 28 May and destroyed it.<ref>{{cite web|last=Drea|first=Edward J.|url=http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/resources/csi/drea2/BigMaps.html#map3|title=Leavenworth Papers No. 2 Nomonhan: Japanese Soviet Tactical Combat, 1939 – BIG MAPS – Map 3|access-date=13 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113082544/http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/resources/csi/drea2/BigMaps.html#map3 |archive-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> The Azuma force suffered eight officers and 97 men killed and one officer and 33 men wounded, for 63% total casualties. The commander of the Soviet forces and the [[Far East Front]] was [[Comandarm]] [[Grigory Shtern]] from May 1938.<ref name="Grigoriy Shtern">{{cite web |title=Biography Grigory Stern |url=http://www.peoples.ru/military/general/shtern/ |website=peoples.ru |language=ru}}</ref>

Both sides began building up their forces in the area: soon Japan had 30,000 men in the theater. The Soviets dispatched a new [[Corps]] commander, [[Comcor]] [[Georgy Zhukov]], who arrived on 5 June and brought more motorized and armored forces (I Army Group) to the combat zone.<ref>{{cite book|author=Baabar|date=1999|pages=1001–1011|title=The History of Mongolia|chapter=The Great Purge|editor1-first=David |editor1-last=Sneath |editor2-first=Christopher |editor2-last=Kaplonski|doi=10.1163/9789004216358_053|publisher=Brill}}</ref> Accompanying Zhukov was Comcor [[Yakov Smushkevich]] with his aviation unit. [[Zhamyangiyn Lhagvasuren]], Corps Commissar of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army, was appointed Zhukov's deputy.

The Battles of Khalkhin Gol ended on 16 September 1939.