“The talent of commanders and the courage of soldiers”: 40 years ago the heroic transition of Soviet troops through the Pamir began

The military campaign in Afghanistan knows a lot of feats of Soviet soldiers who performed combat missions, despite the most difficult climatic conditions. Nevertheless, for various reasons, far from all the heroic achievements of the USSR army were widely known.

The feat of the 860th separate motorized rifle Pskov Red Banner Regiment began on December 24, 1979, when fighters of the unit advanced from the permanent deployment point in Osh (Kyrgyz SSR) towards the border of the Soviet Union with the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). Before the connection, the task was set to enter the city of Fayzabad, the capital of the province of Badakhshan. The Osh group was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Kudlay.

Columns of military equipment of the 860th regiment moved along the Pamir Highway, which connects the cities of Osh and Khorog (Tajikistan). On this way, the troops crossed 10 mountain passes, including Taldyk (3615 m), Kyzyl-Art (4280 m) and Ak-Baital (4655 m). Despite the extremely difficult terrain and difficulties associated with the cold season, the military coped with the task without human loss.

• Column of Soviet troops in the DRA
• RIA News
• © Andrey Solomonov

In early January 1980, the 860th regiment crossed the Western Pamir and arrived in the village of Ishkoshim (Tajikistan) on the border with the DRA. On January 10, upon receiving the order, the troops crossed the Panj River. On January 28, Soviet troops entered Fayzabad, leaving behind a heavy 300-kilometer stretch of Afghan highlands.

In total, the 860th regiment covered 1,100 km. The path through the territory of Afghanistan was accompanied by attacks by militants who took advantage of the fact that Soviet troops constantly cleared the rubble blocking the movement of columns.

To the border with the DRA, the regiment included a tank battalion, artillery division, trucks, tracked and wheeled vehicles. Some of the cars on the march were damaged. Also, the connection did not have the opportunity to transport tanks through Panj, so the military entered Afghanistan without heavy military equipment.

There was no time for adaptation

No army in the world made such a march in the winter season, experts interviewed by RT emphasized. Even the legendary expedition of the corps of Alexander Suvorov through the snowy Alps to Switzerland was made in the fall (September - October 1799) at an altitude of about 2000 m. Then the Russian troops went along narrow mountain trails and rocks for almost 300 km and lost about a quarter of the personnel (more than 5 thousand . human).

In a conversation with RT, retired colonel Mikhail Khodarenok noted the uniqueness of the feat of the 860th separate motorized rifle regiment. In his opinion, the fact that the Soviet group entered the DRA without losses indicates the high professionalism of Viktor Kudlai.

“In no case do I detract from Suvorov’s talent and valor, but crossing the Alps has taken many soldiers' lives. 40 years ago, Kudlai dealt with a more difficult task with absolutely no loss. This is his great personal merit. He and the military personnel of the 860th regiment, of course, are heroes. With almost no training, they were able to complete an unprecedented march in world history with heavy equipment, ”said Khodarenok.

The expert stressed that the human body is experiencing serious overload at an altitude of more than 3800 m. In order to rise higher, special training is necessary. However, the soldiers of the 860th regiment did not have time to adapt to harsh mountain conditions.

In a RT commentary, Dmitry Verkhoturov, an expert at the Center for the Study of Modern Afghanistan, recalled that the Pamir Highway, along which columns of the 860-regiment moved, is one of the most difficult routes in the region. According to him, at the end of December, the air temperature at an altitude of 3000-4000 m can drop to -30-40 ° C. In addition, the Pamir is dangerous constant rockfalls and avalanches in the winter.

• Soviet troops in the winter in the mountains of Afghanistan
• RIA News
• © V. Kiselev

“The Pamir Highway is a very difficult road, on which you can more or less safely drive on special equipment (SUVs or jeeps) only in the warm season. The Soviet army had nothing of the kind. Some tanks and artillery of the 860th regiment even miraculously passed along the Pamir Highway. This is an incredible feat of the Soviet army, which I can only explain by the talent of the commanders and the courage of Soviet soldiers, ”said Verkhoturov.

The expert drew attention to the fact that as of 1979 in Central Asia there was not a single combat ready deployment deployed in wartime states. Part of the 860th regiment consisted of the so-called enlisted personnel - civilians in stock. Despite this, the troops successfully crossed the path from Osh to Fayzabad.

Overcoming difficulties

The 860th separate motorized rifle Pskov regiment moved towards Afghanistan along the most difficult route. On December 25, in the area of ​​the city of Khairaton, the 108th motorized rifle Nevel’s division crossed the Amu Darya and then marched to Kabul. Another Soviet formation - the 5th Guards Motor Rifle Division - marched from Kushka (Turkmenistan) to Shindand (Herat province).

“The organization of the process of introducing troops into Afghanistan was well organized. However, the consequences of this event in Moscow were underestimated. In particular, in 1980, in a hurry, I had to change the composition of the republics of Central Asia to conscripts from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The bet that the soldiers from the Muslim regions of the USSR get along with the locals did not materialize, ”Verkhoturov stated.

The units that entered Afghanistan formed the Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces (OKSV), which was controlled by the operational group of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces from Kabul. Officers arrived in the capital of the DRA on December 23, 1979.

Moscow was not going to get involved in a civil conflict that erupted between the local socialist government and the radical Islamist opposition. It was assumed that the mission of the OKSV was limited to the protection of strategically important facilities, training and material and technical assistance of the DRA armed forces.

However, the regular attacks of the Mujahideen and the intervention of foreign states (USA, Pakistan, China, Europe and the Persian Gulf) forced the Soviet command to begin military operations against the Islamists. At the same time, the USSR Ministry of Defense consistently increased the number of the 40th Army, which united army units on the territory of the DRA.

The situation was complicated by poor training and insufficient motivation of government forces. As the ex-commander of the 40th Army Boris Gromov recalled, loyal formations in Moscow could not keep the settlements liberated by Soviet soldiers.

Since January 1980, the tasks of the 860th separate motorized rifle Pskov regiment included security in the province of Badakhshan, which is located northeast of Kabul. The military personnel had to fight in unusual climatic conditions - most of the region is represented by the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush and the Pamirs.

• Alpine military outpost of a limited contingent of Soviet troops near Kabul
• RIA News
• © Andrey Solomonov

Due to the difficult terrain, the fighting in the DRA was associated with an acute shortage of heavy weapons, ammunition, food, fresh water and medicine. However, despite the difficulties, units of the 40th Army, including the 860th Regiment, on the whole successfully completed the tasks assigned by the command.

One of the first battles of the 860th regiment with a Mujahideen group took place on February 24 in the area of ​​the Ashe village north of Fayzabad. During the liquidation of a gang of 200 militants, regiment commander Viktor Kudlay was wounded in the right leg and was transferred to the Union for treatment. Lieutenant Colonel Artush Harutyunyan was appointed acting commander. Subsequently, the connection was mainly engaged in protecting the Fayzabad-Baharak road and conducted operations to neutralize the Mujahideen clusters.

In a conversation with RT, Mikhail Khodarenok complained that there is very little information about the heroic passage of the 860th separate motorized rifle regiment through the Pamir. According to him, in the public domain is a very limited number of documents and photographs testifying to the exploit of Soviet soldiers.

“Despite the fact that there were not enough experienced personnel in the formation, the Soviet military personnel, unaccustomed to high-altitude conditions, successfully coped with the task assigned by the command. But, unfortunately, the Russian citizen knows almost nothing about this feat, although the march of the 860th regiment is unique in the annals of our military glory, ”the expert summed up.