@BasilD He is a bad actor and a bad fighter too. Every time he got into close-quarters combat, he got beaten. First time by Sugimoto, then the 7th soldier and got knocked out in Stenka.
@OtHeR-THinG They battled in both Manchuria and Sakhalin. But the 7th division didn't participate in that Sakhalin battle since they were in Manchuria. 13th Division was the one fought in that battle. If the ferru captain had knowledge about Japanese army then Ogata's scheme would be exposed since his uniform is of 27th Infantry regimen of 7th division.
In the chapters when they stayed at the light house, the old couple mentioned that the Russian army gave them explosive to destroy the lighthouse to avoid the Japanese army taking it. However, the couple was so angry with the Russian army, they gave the light house to the Japanese.