Frunze Commentary: Combat experience shows that, depending on the type of mission and the anticipated enemy counter-action, a single lift should consist of a complete, reinforced, air assault (or airborne) company or even up to a reinforced battalion. As a minimum, a company should be reinforced with a mortar platoon, an AGS-17 platoon and a sapper squad. As a minimum, a battalion should be reinforced with a mortar battery, two or three AGS-17 platoons and a sapper platoon. A supporting artillery battalion and a supporting battery of BM-21 MRLS must be within range of the landing. Army and frontal aviation must support the landing. It is better to fly in one air corridor where the enemy air defense posture is weaker and where the terrain facilitates an undetected approach. Helicopter gunships must precede and flank the landing force to soften up the LZ and then circle the LZ and use its on-board weapons if necessary. Air assault troops must be trained to fire small arms from the lift helicopter doors while in flight.

Editor’s Commentary: The above commentary appears to be a “cookie-cutter” solution to an air assault’s fire support problems. Instead of specifying the number of required BM-21s, mortars and AGS-17s, perhaps the realistic solution is to remind planning officers that an air assault needs accompanying and supporting indirect-fire support. Despite all the photos showing D-30 artillery pieces being carried by helicopters to an action, the air assault forces and airborne forces seem to have gone on operations without accompanying artillery on numerous occasions. Perhaps this was the result of the limited availability of lift ships.

22. Air assaulting and blocking the enemy in the Lar-Mandikul’ Valley

by Major V. G. Chabanenko⁶

On 16 March 1985, our intelligence organs received reports of a concentration of guerrilla forces in the Lar-Mandikul’ Valley, some 30 kilometers northeast of Kabul. The division commander ordered my regimental commander to destroy them.⁷ My commander decided to air land the regiment some six kilometers away from the guerrillas and then sneak up to the valley, block off its exits and then conduct a hunt with part of the regiment, while the rest would cover their movements. Aviation would provide fire support as would some MRLS located some 15 kilometers from the valley with our bronegruppa. Illumination support would be planned and on call and be furnished by illumination flares, artillery illumination rounds and air-delivered flares. After accomplishing our mission, the regiment would walk to our bronegruppa.

Map 22: Air assaulting and blocking the enemy in the Lar-Mandikul’ Valley.

On 19 March, we hit the LZ and were immediately spotted by the enemy. The enemy opened up with a heavy volume of fire and began rapidly pulling his units out from under our air and artillery strikes. Only the forward subunits of our 1st and 2nd battalions managed to reach their blocking positions and they did not have sufficient combat power to stop the enemy main body. During the next 48 hours, our search groups found and destroyed weapons and ammunition caches. Our covering subunits managed to occupy the dominant terrain, support the search groups, and repulse enemy attempts to clear away the blocking forces.

Over in an adjacent valley, a similar situation had developed. The enemy managed to extricate his subunits away from the strike of the regiment and conduct a march through the valley. This was because we landed at the tail end of the enemy column and we could not get to the blocking positions designated by the regiment. In addition, once again our landing had been discovered and we had been put down in the wrong place. This was because rather than landing at the designated sites, we landed in places safe from enemy fire and large enough (2x2 kilometers) for easy landing. It took two hours to assemble my battalion’s subunits and, consequently, I was unable to move to the correct positions in an organized fashion in time. The enemy escaped.

Frunze Commentary: This operation underscores the necessity of conducting continuous reconnaissance of the enemy and, depending on the existing situation, fine-tuning your plans and if necessary changing your LZ. A company should have one LZ, a battalion should have two or three LZs which are no further than a kilometer or a kilometer and a half apart. LZs need to be shielded from enemy fire. It goes without saying that there must be a reserve LZ as well.

Combat action in Afghanistan, and, in particular this operation, demonstrate that evacuating the assault force after mission accomplishment requires particular attention, since it is during this stage of the operation that the subunits receive their most significant casualties. During the return to the assembly areas on helicopters, pay particular attention to ensuring that the enemy has not placed weapons around them. In order to keep the enemy away from evacuation points, use air-delivered or MRLS-delivered RDM on enemy approach routes. When covering a region from dominant terrain, evacuate the force by establishing a series of perimeter posts around the LZ. After evacuating the main force, evacuate the posts simultaneously. When moving the assault force to seize an evacuation zone, cover the movement with overwatching forces and aviation, move in precombat formation and lead with reconnaissance.

Start helicopter load plans immediately upon receipt of the evacuation order and refine them when at the pick-up point. Pull mortar crews and mortars out first and riflemen last. The air assault commander directs the evacuation and is on the last helicopter out along with the last part of the perimeter security posts. Supporting helicopter gunships are held in full readiness or fire on the enemy along their climbing paths. Air assault troopers, once on board the helicopters, must be ready to conduct small arms fire through aircraft openings.

Experience shows that helicopters should spend the minimum possible time at the air evacuation point as personnel and equipment are already concentrated there as a tempting target. Helicopters can spend a maximum of one and one-half minutes on the ground.

Airborne and air assault forces can return to their initial assembly area, after mission accomplishment, on board helicopters or on board their armored vehicles. In this operation in the Lar-Mandikul’ Valley, the regiment withdrew mounted in their bronegruppa after fulfilling their mission. They pulled out at night. In order to navigate at night, commanders used compasses and parachute flares. During the day, they could have used route reconnaissance. The regiment’s various bronegruppa moved by bounds as subunits provided overwatch for the main body. Once the main body had passed through a covered segment of the route, the overwatching forces would rejoin the main force and other subunits would move forward to the next overwatch positions. In this manner, the regiment maintained a high tempo of movement and suffered minimal casualties during encounters with the enemy.

Editor’s Commentary: Pulling out the mortars prior to the infantry is a commander’s call and depends on the tactical situation, but there are times when the mortars will be the final system a commander wants to evacuate.

Many commanders prefer forming an uninterrupted “collapsing ring” for evacuation zone security. This ring gets tighter with each lift-off. The collapsing ring has a better chance of preventing enemy infiltration of the perimeter and evacuating the security personnel than establishing a series of far-off posts as this vignette recommends.

The withdrawal of the force mounted in its bronegruppa appears to be a withdrawal under pressure. Night movement of a mechanized column through the Pandshir valley using parachute flares and compasses seems to be an option that a commander would adopt only under pressure.