A surprise 1904 torpedo attack on Port Arthur marked the first modern defeat of a European power
A daring nighttime torpedo raid by the Japanese navy caught the Russian fleet off guard, launching a conflict that shattered the myth of Western military invincibility in the early twentieth century.
On the night of February 8, 1904, Japanese destroyers launched a surprise attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet stationed at Port Arthur. This bold strike began the Russo-Japanese War without a formal declaration of hostilities, catching the Russian commanders completely by surprise.
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