Tanks above ... clouds
Probably everyone in his life experienced a sense of unreality. The commander of the tank battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Yusup Kitlaev, was more than once. And when he fought in Chechnya, and when the militants seized their native village, and when a house was blown up in Buynaksk and the family almost died ...
... His father worked all his life as a machine operator. It is not surprising that even before serving in the army, Yusup learned to skillfully handle the driving of heavy equipment. It’s nothing strange that a strong, stocky, by all “parameters”, is a born tanker, he got to serve in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, in tank the army. And then he ended up at the Kharkov Tank School ...
The subordinates of a young lieutenant, experienced soldiers who had passed through Afghanistan, did not even think that after years he would find himself in the mountains of Chechnya in the most difficult combat situation. But this was still far away. And then, immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kitlaev, who had already seen something, commanded the tank company into the newly formed Buinaksk motorized rifle brigade. The regiments were then "cut", the tank units were reduced ... But in his heart he still remained a tanker.
Alas, in the new place, the predecessor didn’t get the best economy - hungry soldiers, ten units of the collapsed equipment.
- You open the fighting compartment of the BMP, and inside everything is clogged with trash. Even the tower does not turn, - now recollects lieutenant colonel Kitlaev.
He resurrected such a technique. All day hands were elbows in the oil. And for batteries in the field collected distilled water drop by drop. And no help: his subordinates then, in 1995, just covered the road to the mountainous regions of Chechnya at the roadblock.
In August, federal troops liberated Grozny. And officer Kitlaev already on the repaired equipment with his subordinates under shelling ensured the passage of federal troops to the hospital complex. Unfortunately, then lost three.
... The idea of returning to Yusup’s native tank forces did not leave all this time. I learned that a battalion was being formed on the basis of a tank company withdrawn from Chechnya. Soon the commander of the tank battalion Kitlaev departed for Perm for a new technique. And the team itself picked up.
Their military camp in the town of Gerey-avlakh in the suburb of Buynaksk was also harvested. Lieutenant Colonel Kitlaev in the town was the eldest. He was entrusted with the task of protecting and defending him, and providing everything he needed. However, the militants did not give a quiet life. On the night from 21 to 22 December 1997, they made a daring raid. The grenade launcher fired at a tank battalion park. At this time, the staff was at the site.
When the combat officer learned about the incident and arrived at the scene, he saw a sad picture: the fuel depot completely burned down, part of the box was engulfed in fire, and firefighters fussed about.
And then in the burning tank ripped ammunition. The flames spread to nearby combat vehicles. In the box, there were more than thirty T-72 tanks.
To increase the gap between the burning machines, it was necessary to pull the already smoked tanks. The engineer of the BRAM carted them away. And, although four cars still burned, there were no casualties.
Early on the morning of August 6, 1999, a tank company moved into the Botlikh District. Commander tank number 520 became a legend there. During the liberation of Tando, it hit, the caterpillar flew off. The crew shot back. There were only six shells left. Militants seized in the village simply shot a stationary car: eight hits ... But the tank did not catch fire and did not even stall. Thanks to the skillful actions of Kitlaev, the crew survived, and the car was taken out from under the fire. (Now 520, wounded, stands in a museum of armored vehicles in Kubinka). But this was not the last test for the officer.
... In those tense days, the brigade personnel was in a barracks position. In the evening, the battalion commander went home for half an hour, put himself in order, returned to the location. Just got out of the car - there was an echo of a powerful explosion.
A few minutes later he was at the scene of the tragedy. From the blown-up five-story building almost nothing was left. 64 people died. Among them - friends, acquaintances and colleagues. Yusup Ramazanovich does not remember how he reached his. And only when his wife opened the door, he came to himself. Kicked out the window frame, things scattered into rooms. Their house was behind the boiler room, which kept the blow. The battalion commander took his wife, son and daughter to relatives nearby, while he himself went to clear the rubble.
However, the trouble alone does not come. In the morning, Kitlaev found out that militants had attacked his native village. The words "defend the motherland" acquired a more than specific meaning. Combat led the company. Ahead of the tank column, his nephew was traveling as a disguised intelligence on the Zhiguli. When Yusup, in sight, saw the militants pacing the courtyard of his ancestral home, his heart sank. Pretty "pepper" he asked them. As soon as the gangsters with the stolen goods on the cars tried to leave the village, the tankers covered them with a volley.
But the most vivid impression he has is from the second campaign, connected with the breakthrough through the Harami Pass to the rear of the Chechens, to the height of the Turtle, from where they were beating Vedeno. In winter, on the icy paths, Kitlaev then led a tank company where no one had ever driven heavy equipment. 42-ton cars slid like a ski. But, biting into the ice crumb, walked. Ahead, next to the driver, the battalion commander sat and in a calm voice instilled confidence: "Be careful, everything is fine, I'm with you, we will break through." And the cars, every single one, rose to a height of more than 2.000 meters. Below are the clouds. Above them are tanks ...
Tankers passed Kiri, Buniaul, Engenoy, Nozhay-Yurt, other settlements. Kitlaev had to load himself, unload ammunition kits, repair breakdowns, sit at the levers, hook up cables, tow, evacuate, pull out. And also - to fight. Quite recently, the last company of Kitlaev returned to the tank crews from Chechnya to the place of permanent deployment. In full force. For the battalion this is a good omen.
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