Lucky to the lucky ones
Kandahar - it is a gloomy city / “Boers” rumble day and night. The words of the soldier's song aptly convey the situation that prevailed in the Kandahar Zelenka all the years of the Afghan war. It was the patrimony of the local "spirits" - fierce, evil fighters. They tightly controlled the area and constantly proved who was the boss here. The section of the caravan route chosen for the ambush passed in close proximity to it. Although the special forces regularly hit the caravans on the route, they tried not to work in direct contact with Zelenka, because the safety of the evacuation of the group and the captured trophies was in this case threatened.Senior Lieutenant Kravchenko was a commander of a third company, a very competent and energetic officer, an impudent intelligence officer. The soldiers were proud of him. He was always aiming to give a result, the risk of working near the green zone and the difficulties of going to the mountain ridge 1700 meters in height did not stop him. Scouts had to perform the climb covertly. Time-bound, they had to complete the ascent before dawn. Moreover, each carried a heavy load. Given the complexity of the upcoming combat exit, it was decided to ambush the forces of the detachment, giving it two AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers and reinforcing machine guns.
11 January 1986, 40 Special Forces, led by four officers, parachuted from armor at an abandoned village. The movement began at dusk, without waiting for complete darkness. After about an hour and a half, they approached the ridge and began to climb without swinging. Climbed up the hill all night. The presence of additional heavy weapons affected the rate of ascent. Detachment greatly stretched. The commander and the core went up.
By dawn, at the end of the climb, they were so exhausted that they forgot about caution. Moved without waiting for the team of the head patrol. All climbed almost at the same time. The detachment is located just below the top, on a small platform among the huge boulders. They set off security, had a quick snack and fell asleep. What was my surprise when, on waking from the first rays of the sun, I saw a fighter of a detachment, just getting into the place of the day. He closed the movement and urged his company translator. The one who has fallen behind is a young soldier who has just arrived at the battalion. The rise was especially hard for him, he barely stood on his feet for fatigue. Ordinary story - hard with the habit.
In the afternoon, while conducting additional exploration, Kravchenko discovered that the road on which he planned to lead a detachment had not been working for a long time. Our guide, Pashtun, pointed out to him a different route, on which small pedestrian militant groups moved. The officer and retargeted the detachment, coordinating the decision with the battalion command.
Kravchenko often acted impudently, but he figured everything out. I went out with a group under his command three times: in two ambushes I worked on vehicles, in the third I destroyed a group of six militants who provided wiring for caravans.
So this time, Kravchenko dared to start moving to the ambush site before dark. In the afternoon, as soon as the shadow fell on a mountain gorge, the detachment began to descend. I have never been to such places before or after. The winding trail narrowed to a meter. Cliffs climbed up to two hundred meters. Huge boulders blocked the way. Having decided on such a descent in the dark, you cannot avoid falls and injuries. Raising my eyes upward, we cautiously examine the tops of the steep cliffs and catch myself thinking: “A pair of“ spirits ”at the top with a box of grenades will lay everyone”.
The head patrol, the commander, radio operators and miners descended to the exit. Suddenly a single shot sounded. The shooter was yesterday's "dying." The poor fellow, unable to withstand the difficulties of the march, made a crossbow. Now part of the squad had to stay to transport it.Getting dark. A kilometer appeared ridge, one end of which adjoined to Zelenka. Along it passed the road we need. The pinnacle of this long ridge was a narrow, up to ten meters wide, skalnik. The commander decided to use it as a stronghold, putting the calculation of the AGS and the main part of the group there. It was impossible to beat the caravan from the mountain - the removal was more than a kilometer. They had to ensure the mining group wasted. It consisted of seven people: two officers, two miners, one machine-gunner, a squad leader with a grenade launcher and a conductor.
I want to tell about the conductor in more detail. The captain of the Afghan army was the blood feud to local dushmans. Personal weapons had no output. But this did not stop him from wanting revenge.
The group was commanded by Senior Lieutenant Leonid Rozhkov, a legendary person in the squadron. Very calm, cold-blooded, laconic officer. He gave the command once: he who failed to do so risked trying his fist. The only one of the group commanders who wore the night device NSPU on his AKS. In it, he spent a long time looking at the horizon, before setting the direction of movement to the head patrol.
The confidence that emanated from him was passed on to fighters who treated him like a father — respected and feared.
... In the shallow, up to a meter, the mandae left backpacks.
Having walked fifty meters ahead, the officer leaned down to the ground and showed a faint trace with his finger. The soil around was so compressed that the cars did not leave a rut. Before that, I had to beat the caravan twice in the group, but from the mountain. Wandering along the side of the enemy road fell for the first time. After making sure that I was in the subject line, the officer indicated the direction from which the movement of the car was expected, and ordered: “Install!”
I hurried back to the mainstream. Quickly gutted from the backpack too much. Having laid only mines and explosives, he moved to the road. Demolitions started to work. Together with me was my friend Sanya Budnik. He entered the squad after an accelerated three-month training in Chirchik. The level of knowledge of the mine-explosive business had a weak, but to be honest, the war was not his hobby at all. But for all his life he will remain for me an example of an uncompromising, courageous overcoming of difficulties, loyalty to his duty. I knew that if he had to, he would die, but he would not. In my opinion, reliability is a valuable quality for a man. Quickly installed two bushes from PWS-50, three each. The terrain was flat, without a single tubercle. Cutting off several thorn bushes, we covered mines with them.
He screwed the electric detonator, twisting the wires, checked how his partner was doing. After making sure that he was coping, I unwound the coil with a wire and began to return to the position of the group in the half-seat. Sanya followed me. Descending into the mainstream, I reported to the commander about readiness. Budniki did not crawl to the shelter about ten meters. Suddenly, the tractor went - a watchman checking the route. Arriving at the place where the mines were laid, he stopped. Without stopping the engine, without turning off the headlights, the “dushara” got out from behind the wheel, went down to the ground and, turning on the electric light, began to inspect the side. Slowly swiping a beam over the surface of the earth, reached the branches covering the mines, stopped. After a short pause, the beam moved further to Sanya. The tension was increasing. Everything was decided simply: the tractor driver turned off the flashlight, routinely climbed onto the seat of his unit and drove off.
Not in time having started a romp with food, distracted, I lost control of the situation. When I once again poked my head over the parapet, I found that the cars had entered the affected area. Hurriedly setting aside the still unused can, I grabbed the blasting machine with both hands. Rozhkov gave the command to raise.
And at the same time at the same time we beat on the stockpile of blasting machines: a dazzling flash, the roar of an explosion. I throw the PM-4 on the ground, grab the machine gun and begin to plant solo in transport. The whole group works on it. We observe that two cars have got up. The lights are on. Engines continue to thresh. There is no resistance. AGS supported us from the mountain, processing the long approaches to the machines.
Hiding in the shadows, we approached the car. Rozhkov threw back the awning: the body was packed with rockets. It seemed to me that he was disappointed. We inspected the cabin, but there was nothing but junk.
- Everything. We leave.
Rozhkov pulled rag tent to the ground under the car. Shoot the gas tank in several places.
The officer took out a red light ground signal cartridge. Tearing the check, he put it into action. Threw a flaming torch into a flowing fuel. We drove back into the mainstream. Popped into the shelter, grabbed the bags, rushed to the mountain. Suddenly behind our backs with roar from the body began to launch missiles. Seeing aside the dried course, going uphill, to at least somehow protect ourselves, we dived into it. In the same breath flew to the top.
At dawn, we discovered a third Toyota abandoned by the "spirits", completely loaded with ammunition.The main part of the detachment was evacuated by air. They decided to take the trophies by car, which was run by an officer, and the guard was provided by the intelligence department. On top of the waste covered a pair of Mi-24.
The squad had no casualties. Deal with the self-propelled gun, so as not to darken the rainbow picture, hushed up. I had to reward him along with everyone, because the wound was rewarded for injury as if it had been shed blood.
A month later, wanting to repeat the success, we decided to try again. The template actions performed in the same scenario did not bring the desired result. Rebel outposts discovered the scouts. The squad took the fight. Rescued from a critical situation air support. As far as I know, more to this section of the caravan route did not go.
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