The division commander ordered my airborne regimental commander to air land a battalion at the northern mouth of the canyon and air land another battalion at the southern mouth of the canyon.15 They were to block the enemy inside the canyon and then participate in his destruction when the other regiments of the division arrived to capture and destroy the base. My battalion, the 1st Battalion, was to initially load an airborne company plus the reconnaissance platoon on eight Mi-8 helicopters and, escorted by four Mi-24 helicopter gunships, conduct an air assault to seize LZ #1. By the end of 18 November, they were to seize the dominant heights (hill 2300 and 2100) and the pass. On 19 November, they were to support the insertion of the rest of the battalion and the regiment. We would then block the canyon in the north and prevent the enemy from withdrawing in that direction.
During our preparations for this combat, the subunit commanders paid particular attention to studying the objective area with aerial photographs, coordinating their actions, and directing radio communications training. The troops were put through a seven-day training program which finished with a company exercise emphasizing issues closely related to the upcoming operation: seizing and holding high ground, sealing off an area and supporting a helicopter landing. By 18 November, the mission of the first lift and the battalion main force had been worked out in detail. The battalion commander would command the first lift.
Map 25: An airborne battalion in Islam-Dara Canyon.
At 1500 hours on 18 November, our first lift (forward group) was airborne. During our approach to the LZ, the enemy shot down four of our helicopters. Seven of our troopers were wounded as a result.
The surviving helicopters were unable to set down and returned to base. The first lift’s mission had to be fulfilled by a much smaller group of survivors on the ground. The air assault survivors came under enemy fire. Senior Lieutenant V. V. Serdyukov commanded the reconnaissance platoon, which was in a better situation. He led his men up the heights to seize hill 2300 and cover the withdrawal of the survivors. He hit the enemy on the flank, destroyed two firing points and captured hills 2300 and 2100. The recon platoon provided covering fire which enabled the survivors to withdraw into the pass and dig in on high ground.
On the morning of 19 November, air strikes and artillery fire rained down on the enemy firing points which reconnaissance had identified. Then, the rest of the battalion, followed by the regiment, landed at LZ #2. The first lift covered this insertion successfully. By 0800 on the 19th, the 2nd Airborne Company seized the heights which blocked the northern approach into the canyon. By 0400 on 20 November, the 3rd Airborne Company seized the dominant terrain along the west wall of the canyon. Two platoons of the 1st Airborne Company drove off the surviving enemy on hill 2400 and by 0630 hours on 19 November, they had occupied it. In this way, by 0400 hours on 20 November, the northern exit to the canyon was completely sealed. Consequently, the enemy had to try to withdraw to the southwest. By this time, other subunits of the division had captured the heights and sealed the canyon. They completed the destruction of the enemy.
Our battalion had no irrevocable losses. We had seven wounded – all from the first lift on the first day. We had three men badly bruised and shaken up from an accident with a BTR on the second day. Four Mi-8 helicopters were shot down. The enemy lost approximately 35 men KIA.
Frunze Commentary: The enemy concentrated the bulk of his combat power in the southern section of the canyon. We deceived him as to the location of the main strength of the Soviet force which led to his defeat. Attention must be paid to the well-organized air defenses which the enemy fielded. His air defense firing points were interconnected and well-protected. They proved to be safe from artillery fire and airstrikes. Because we did not have any intelligence data on the location of the enemy air defense weapons, our supporting helicopter gunships indiscriminately shot up the mountain tops, but the machine guns which downed the lift ships were located at the base of the mountains.
After examining the mistakes, we can draw the following positive experience from this operation: The success of the entire operation depended, to a great deal, on the courageous and decisive actions of the first lift. Every group, landing on a single or several LZs, must be ready for independent action, since follow-on lifts into the same LZ may not be possible. How helicopters are used will vary with the height of the mountains. An Mi-8MT helicopter can carry six to eight troopers with all their kit at 2000 meters altitude, but only four or five at 3000 to 4000 meters altitude.
Editor’s Commentary: Guerrilla warfare is a platoon leader’s and company commander’s war. Lower level initiative is essential for survival and success. This vignette shows a good example of how the Soviets were developing junior leader initiative in the airborne and air assault forces. Motorized rifle forces seemed to continue to suffer from top-driven lack of initiative.
Success in guerrilla war is hard to define and body count is certainly a poor criteria. However, example after example shows blocks, sweeps and raids into areas supposedly containing hundreds of guerrillas. At the end of a battle or operation, the mujahideen casualties are in the dozens and the action is termed a success because the guerrilla force has been smashed. From Vietnam experience, a guerrilla force is very difficult to destroy. After very rough handling, the majority of them seem to bounce back. It seems that what the Soviets were normally engaging were the rear guards and the slow or uninformed guerrillas. The Soviet block seemed very porous (especially at night) and the sweep seemed to miss a lot.
The lack of a professional NCO corps really hurt the Soviets during these block and sweep actions. According to interviews I have conducted, a conscript NCO was normally in charge of a blocking post. Time and time again, the Soviet troops would either go to sleep on post or fail to engage the enemy for fear of getting killed in the firefight. The NCO should have corrected this, but was often the instigator.
26. Conducting a tactical air assault in the “Melava” fortified region
by Major N. G. Ten’kov16
In the spring of 1987, intelligence reports stated that the mujahideen had constructed a fortified region near Jalalabad in Nangarhar Province. The so-called “Melava” fortified region contained huge stores of weapons, ammunition, medicine and foodstuffs which had been brought over from Pakistan. The dominant heights in this area were well-fortified with dense minefields and with deep trenches and dugouts dug into the rocky strata. Each mountain had been turned into a self-sufficient strong point, prepared for defense in all directions. Each mountain fortress had an anti-aircraft weapon, an 82mm mortar and a heavy machine gun. According to intelligence reports, about 500 men, armed with automatic weapons and sniper rifles defended the region. The enemy correctly manned his defenses around the clock.
The Separate Air Assault Brigade17 was commanded by LTC V. A. Raevskiy. He received orders to conduct a 120 kilometer road march with two reinforced airborne battalions, an artillery battalion and some of the specialized subunits of the brigade to Kabul. Once there, he refueled his equipment and rested his men before he conducted a 170 kilometer road march from Kabul to Jalalabad. At Jalalabad, he moved his brigade into an assembly area and prepared for action.