ABSTRACT
The War of Khalkhin-Gol was the first in history to use aircraft on any large scale. This chapter attempts to analyse various aspects of the little-publicized and well-nigh forgotten war. Looking at it from a historical standpoint it poses the question of why it took place at all, and why at that particular moment of history. From the military standpoint what immediately strikes the scholar is the remote and desolate character of the battlefield, entailing huge problems for both combatants. The chapter examines the location and terrain of the battlefield, the logistical problems posed by these and the solutions to them sought by the Red Army. It seeks to analyse how war heroes are born, or made; and last but not least it asks why, so soon after a brilliant victory had been achieved, the lessons of that victory should have been disregarded and forgotten.
