On this day in history – 2nd February 1905 – the garrison at Port Arthur (modern Lushunkou) surrenders to Japanese forces after a lengthy siege, in one of the pivotal moments of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). The conflict, initially a power struggle between Imperial Russia and Japan over control of the Manchurian region, ushered in an age of modern warfare as new innovations and technologies would hence come to dominate the battlefields of the 20th century. Among the new technologies involved were larger artillery pieces, such as the Japanese 28cm L/10 howitzer depicted above. Initially built for coastal defence, six of these howitzers went into action at Port Arthur due to a lack of heavy siege guns in early October 1904. They were instrumental in penetrating Russian outer defences, leaving the town of Port Arthur – and the Russian naval squadron anchored in its harbour – dangerously exposed.
By Ibrahim Zamir
Empire of History 