Fight on Damanskii (13 photos) Bashny.Net

45 years ago on the Ussuri River almost started a war between China and the USSR

This half-forgotten border war is remembered less than it deserves. But on the island of Sino-Soviet border guards have the first time since June 1941 took the fight to the regular army neighboring country - is in the first =. Such a clash with China, Russia is not known since the days of the siege Albazinskogo prison - is second. On the ice, the Ussuri River in March 1969, faced two Communist nuclear powers, with both sides firing from the "Kalashnikov" - is in third. Finally, it is here that we have passed the baptism of fire and BTR-60 "Grad". In these days of fighting on the Sino-Soviet 45 years.



north of Primorye Territory, Pozharsky District, the Ussuri River. This is now the wilderness, even by the standards of the Far East, and a half-century ago - even more so. Wilderness and on the Chinese side: populated areas to the south begin, but here - fields, hills, taiga as far as the eye. Heilongjiang - is a Chinese Far East, where the lack of their backwoods.

Islet Damanskii - less than a square kilometer. More during the reign of the border on the Ussuri spent, frankly, unfair: on the water's edge from the Chinese coast, although it is usually in the middle of the river delimit the channel. So the island, staying at the Chinese coast, became ours. A hundred years, however, about him no one remembered.



2. March 2, 1969, the penultimate shot of the border guard Nikolai Petrov. A few minutes later a group of Strelnikova (right) shot

In the 60s, relations between China and the USSR deteriorated. "Maoist clique" branded "the Soviet revisionists," and vice versa. In place of the program "Russian and Chinese - brothers forever" came mocking, but quite loyal song young Vysotsky that "Mao Zedong - big rascal" and so on. D. (In 1969 Vysotsky writes about Damanskii: "... What shame! this is the mortar, we presented to the Chinese people ... "). In the north of Primorye recreate Iman border guard and equipped border that until and unless controlled, very little - at least in this area.



3. Before the Sino-Soviet. Frontier guards with spears

The reasons for the conflict are not clear so far. That is, it is clear that the disputed island, but the territorial claims were revived only when collapsed friendship between China and the times of the Cultural Revolution of the USSR Khrushchev. Damanskii (anyone, quite frankly, is not necessary) was used as an excuse, but for what?

For several years, on the border were provocations. Our pograntsam forbidden to shoot: only "peaceful removal". Soon after melee. Fight wall to wall, used clubs and medieval spears. Automatic silence hung over his shoulders.

Bloody Sunday March 2nd was a shock to the Soviet side. Details of the fighting on the Sino-Soviet known to the minutes, so focus only on a few key points. Let it will outline the contours of the Sino-Soviet film, so that no one withdrew.



4. wrecked tanks Colonel Leonov

Scene one. Morning of March 2 Head Gate "NizhneMihaylovka" senior lieutenant Strelnikov and his men in three groups go to the island - prevent another provocation. Declare violators protest, and then ambush distributed queue. Two groups are killed immediately, the Chinese ruthlessly finish off the wounded. A third group, led by junior sergeant Babanskii lies and opens fire back ("Everyone has only two stores, but fear was not there at all. I was shooting in short bursts. For me beat Sniper: just raise your head - shot ...," recalls a former shooter Abzaldin Bikuzin outposts, are in a group Babanskii).



5.

Scene Two. To help arrives Chief neighboring outposts "Kulebyakiny Sopka" Bubenin first lieutenant with the soldiers. On their APC he toured the island and enters the Chinese in the rear. It destroys the enemies of heavy machine gun, pushing the wheels of loopholes conducted gun fire. The machine is damaged, wounded Bubenin jumping in Strelnikova APCs and then rushes to the Sino-Soviet. Fight with the vastly superior forces of the regular army won China border. Only the island remained two and a half hundreds of dead Chinese.



6. Before Damanskii. After another expulsion of offenders

Scene Three. March 15 battle on the Sino-Soviet border guard leads motomanevrennaya group. Brigade Commander Colonel Leonov Democrat demands that strapped to the border army units fire support, but the army into battle do not throw - this is a border conflict, not the war. Then Leonov himself leads four of the giving it "T62" to the Sino-Soviet and dying, getting out of wrecked tanks.



7. Lance Kachanov

Scene the fourth. Evening of March 15, commander of the Far Eastern Military District Losik finally gives the order to attack the Chinese territory, where concentrated reserve infantry, equipment, ammunition. Divisions "Grad" produces a volley. The Chinese territory is lit, killed all living things and inanimate objects. The battle is won.



8. The wounded guards at the hospital, third from left - Vitaly Bubenin

Scene Five - epilogue. Zero years Damanskii belongs to China for a long time and is called Chzhenbaodao. Friendly China asks Russia still half the disputed islands - at the very Khabarovsk, where the Ussuri River flows into the Amur - and immediately receive them. Without a fight and sacrifice.



9. Ussuri. Right Bank - Chinese

Results Damansky obvious. On the one hand, it is "a triumph of Soviet weapons." We lost 58 people, the Chinese, according to various estimates, from 500 to 3000. On the other hand, in March 1969 did not end there. According Bubenin summer opened fire on violators of about 300 more times. In August, there was a fight at the lake Zhalanashkol in the Kazakhstan sector of the border again to the victims, although on a smaller scale.



10. Abzaldin Bikuzin, a member of fight March 2, 1969

And most importantly - Damanskii gave China. In September 1969, Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin met with his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai. Resolved: to cease fire, to begin negotiations on the demarcation. De facto the disputed island since that time was controlled by China, while in the USSR it did not advertise. At 1991m shy stopped and consolidated Chinese membership Damansky officially (though the last thing I want is to raise the issue "yellow peril", which usually say those who have never been in the Far East; seychasto disputed islands generally give up without a fight, so if somewhere and there is a "yellow peril," it is not in Beijing and in Moscow).



11. Vyacheslav Kachanov, a former computer systems division 'Grad'

In all this history the Soviet Union behaved remarkably patient and when there were provocations, and when he died guards. While preparing for war, with all along the border. Sergey Kondratenko - a retired colonel, a former Marine Corps zamkomdiva PF - while living in Blagoveshchensk, being cadet. Between the city center and China - only a rather narrow in places Amur. Kondratenko recalls: "Our first course is left to cover the border. I remember: our land from the hospital to the cafe "Golden Anchor". At the signal "Hurricane 269" we had to take a position on the waterfront. It lasted for about 15 minutes to ... ».

In Primorye after Damansky a map dipped almost all suspicious non-Russian names: Iman became Dalnerechensk Tetyukhe - Dalnegorsk, Suchan - Partizansky and so on. D. Old-timers, however, still operate the old place names, and can understand many of the same names exotically beautiful.



12. On behalf of the outpost Strelnikova

Vitaly Bubenin fight March 2 predestined fate. He became the hero of a few years it Bubenin Andropov charge to create an anti-terrorism special forces of the KGB - the famous "Alpha". Bubenin become its first commander, will be held Afghan, retired general will.

Another destiny: the first reports from the correspondent did Damansky "Literary" Prokhanov, who came to the frontier between the March fighting. With this hotspot began Kipling path "nightingale of the General Staff».

... March 2014. Rain, freezing, before the eyes of the Ussuri white ice, the Chinese coast. Right behind the bend of the river hides Damanskii. Behind outpost named Strelnikov, the former "NizhneMihaylovka." Her after the fighting moved about a kilometer from the open space near the river deep into our territory.



13. March 2, 2014, meeting in Luchegorsk

The nearby Luchegorsk, dubbed the hole and just as in the last attack of the sixties, has just passed a rally in honor of the 45th anniversary of the fighting on the Sino-Soviet - solemnly, with machine-gun salute. At the very outpost rally held without shooting - to anything unnerve friends on the other side.

Interestingly, these days happens on the Sino-Soviet, that is Chzhenbaodao there, too, revere their heroes. We on this island is no longer there.