On 11 March, an army of less than 100 Mongolian soldiers with six Soviet advisors invaded the disputed village of Tauran, where they defeated the Manchurian defenders.

Later that same day the Imperial Japanese Army with some Manchurian volunteers launched a massive attack to retake the village.

The Japanese forces consisted of ten armored vehicles and dozens of warplanes, which bombed the village overnight.

The next morning the Japanese launched their ground assault with a force of more than 400 soldiers and a few tanks.

A quarter of their initial force was killed along with two officers and their commander, Feodor Sokolow.