Grad MLRS combat debut - fifty years

19
15 March 1969, the sky above Damanski Island was cut by fiery arrows, they crossed the Ussuri River and hit the Chinese coast, covering the territory where the Chinese units were located, with a sea of ​​fire. So in the frontier armed conflict around the island of Damansky the fat point was put. Salts of the MLRS "Grad" from the 135 Motorized Rifle Division transferred this conflict to a fading stage. After 15 March, Chinese border guards and the PLA troops no longer took any active hostile actions on this section of the state border with the Soviet Union.

It is now everyone has an idea of ​​what the MLRS Grad is, and in March 1969, this weapon was secret. Until the “Grad” widely spread throughout the world, there were still many years. After the completion of serial production, by the 1995, more than two thousand BM-50 combat vehicles will be in service with the armies of the 21 states. And all in all, during the mass production, 6536 BM-21 “Grad” combat vehicles were delivered only to the Soviet Army. Also, during the mass production, more than three million missiles of various purposes for this MLRS were fired. Volumes of production and distribution throughout the world make it possible to compare the Grad system with the famous Kalashnikov assault rifle.



The BM-21, which received the GRAU index 9K51, has been actively developed since the end of the 1950-s. Preliminary tests of the new installations, which became the heirs of the legendary Katyushas, ​​were held at the end of 1961, and were recognized as successful. Full-scale tests of the new weapons were carried out in the spring of 1962, at test sites located in the Leningrad Region, during these tests the systems transferred to the military were to carry out about 650 volleys and pass 10 thousands of kilometers. According to the results of tests carried out at the end of March 1963, the new 122 mm caliber self-propelled rocket launcher was officially adopted by the Soviet Army, and in the following year the first production models began to flow into the operating units.



RZSO "Grad", which were first used in real combat conditions 15 March 1969, were part of the 13-th separate rocket artillery division 135-th motorized rifle division and were part of its regular artillery. It was 15 in March that culminated in the armed conflict around the border island of Damansky, and the first really serious fight on the island occurred in March 2 of 1969. After the first serious aggravation of the situation on the border, the deployment of the 135 motorized rifle division with artillery attached to it, including the BM-21 combat vehicles Grad, began in the rear of the reinforced border patrols. The division was incomplete, it did not have an 3 battery, therefore there were 12 combat vehicles BM-21 “Grad” instead of standard 18 units. In addition, the division had a 378 artillery regiment, which included 152-mm howitzer D-1 in the number of 12 units and 122-mm howitzer M-30 in the number of 24 units.

Around 15: 00 - 15: 30 15 in March, two artillery battalions of the 378 artillery regiment, armed with 122-mm howitzers M-30, were already in equipped firing positions located east of Damansky island, at about XNXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX of the XNUM of 4 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX of 5 X-NUMX X-NUMX X X-NUMX X-NUMX X-NUMX X-Num. The third division of the artillery regiment arrived at the place with a delay due to the change of deployment site and difficult terrain. By the time his gunners reached new positions, the other two divisions were already firing at the Chinese troops, with each of the batteries participating in the battle already having time to launch missiles at the enemy in about 300. According to eyewitnesses, the artillery calculations were so heated by the battle that some of the fighters worked with guns, stripped to the waist underwear, while the weather was frosty outside, about -10 degrees Celsius.

According to the memoirs of the commander of the 13-th separate rocket artillery division, Major Mikhail Tashonovich Vaschenko, to 16: 20 as a result of the impact of cannon artillery fire on fire assets and positions of the Chinese, the Chinese forces were able to advance into the island of Damansky. The Chinese military went on the defensive in positions located in the western part of the island. At the same time, the Chinese continued to pull up their reserves to the island, hoping to knock out Soviet border units from the eastern part of the island with a massive attack and seize it entirely. By this time, the firing positions of the MLRS Grad were approximately 9 kilometers east of Damanskiy, and the command and observation post of the division was equipped on Kafila mountain, on its south-western slopes.

Grad MLRS combat debut - fifty years


The Soviet secret weapon entered the 17 watch when it became clear that the Chinese would be able to knock the border guards off their positions on the island due to their numerical superiority. It is believed that Lieutenant-General Oleg Losik, commander of the troops of the Far Eastern Military District, personally ordered the use of the secret at that time MLRS Grad. In a short time, 12 combat vehicles BM-21 could launch 480 rocket projectiles (40 guides on the machine) of 122-mm caliber to enemy troops.

The raid, which was carried out simultaneously with the use of deployed cannon artillery and lasted 10 minutes, had disastrous consequences for the Chinese side. Under the distribution were artillery guns, mortars and Chinese reserves, which were advanced to the island. In a short time, fire raids destroyed most of the material and technical resources available to the Chinese military group, including openly located shells. The attack of Soviet frontier guards and soldiers from the 2 th motorized rifle battalion of the 199 th motorized rifle regiment that followed the fire attack allowed the Chinese forces to be knocked out of Damansky Island.

Losses of the Chinese side in manpower are still classified information. According to various estimates, they can be from a few hundred to a few thousand people just killed. At the same time, the assessment of Chinese irretrievable losses at the level of approximately 300 military personnel, who were victims of not only the Grad missile attack, but also the fire of the Soviet artillery, seems to be the most adequate. In general, it can be stated that the impact of multiple launch rocket systems impressed the Chinese military. In addition to the fact that some kind of secret weapon was used, hypotheses were expressed on the use of special incendiary (thermite) projectiles and even fantastic versions about the use of a laser.



In fact, on that day no special ammunition was used, a volley at the enemy was fired using standard 122-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells 9M22 with a warhead weighing 18,4 kg. These shells made it possible to confidently hit infantry, artillery batteries and enemy equipment located in an open area at a distance of up to 20,4 km. At the same time, the psychological effect of the use of such weapons was also noted during the years of World War II, the fire of multiple launch rocket systems had a demoralizing effect on the enemy. Such weapons were not liked not only by the Germans, but also by Soviet soldiers. For example, in the battle for the Island in early July 1941, the Germans massively used their six-barreled mortars. Soviet commanders noted the emergence of new weapons and appreciated their effectiveness, but could not understand what it was. In Island Battle Report 3 tank the division mentioned the simultaneous covering of large areas with incendiary shells, the Germans also mentioned the use of aircraft with incendiary bombs and some kind of combustible mixture. In March 1969, the Chinese military found themselves in approximately the same situation as the Soviet troops attacking the Island in 1941. Up to this point, the PLA has never encountered such weapons.

It is worth noting that their own "Grads" appeared at the disposal of the Chinese military only in 1982, when the 81 Type volley-fire rocket launcher entered service with the PLA. She was a practically complete copy of the Soviet BM-21 combat vehicle. It is believed that the Chinese were able to copy this installation after several machines were seized by them during the Sino-Vietnamese war of the 1979 year. At the same time, the organizational structure of the PLA also repeated the Soviet one - for 18 combat vehicles per division. In addition to the MLRS "Tip-81", which was located, also on off-road vehicles with the wheel formula 6х6, in China in 1983, the lightweight version of the pirate "Grad" was adopted - the installation "Type-83", which received 24 - trunk package guides.



Damansky Island itself, which became the scene of the largest armed conflict between China and the USSR, was transferred to the Chinese side of 19 in May of 1991 of the year and is now called Zhenbao dao (literally translated as “Precious Island”).

Information sources:
Ryabushkin D.S. Myths of Damansky. Moscow, AST, 2004.
https://vpk-news.ru.
https://vladnews.ru.
rbase.new-factoria.ru.
Materials from open sources.
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19 comments
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  1. +15
    15 March 2019 06: 03
    Up to this point, the PLA has never encountered such weapons.
    A strange saying. "Katyushas" were supplied to Korea during the war, and the Chinese fought there, not only that, the UN forces had their own MLRS



    1. +10
      15 March 2019 06: 37
      I agree with you, especially after the Second World War, when Katyusha was beaten in hundreds with artillery for at least 44 and 45 years. There was nothing supernatural in a hail strike. Rather, the factor of massive fire played 12 installations on a small patch on which the Chinese did not have time to dig in, the guns open with shell boxes. Crowds of hunweibins with sks. It is entirely conceivable that specifically the soldiers or the militia simply did not see this in life, and the Chinese commanders were fools and did not disperse the infantry after capturing part of the island. Soviet troops gained great experience in the domestic war and know that after a successful attack, an enemy artillery strike and counterattack, sometimes with tanks, should follow. That’s why they got it, don’t mess around. But the main decisive use of already serious weapons and the subsequent counterattack made it clear that the bad councils were not going to silently wipe themselves away and give up the territory, and if they were ready to pull up the division too. And the losses did not care. They wanted to take the lands in a snap if possible, if not then at least reconnaissance in battle.
      1. +5
        15 March 2019 09: 07
        In March 1969, the Chinese military found themselves in approximately the same situation as the Soviet troops attacking the Island in 1941. Up to this point, the PLA has never encountered such weapons.

        Yes, the Chinese were stopped (as a whole by the situation) not only and not so much (without denying effectiveness) the Grad attack, but a partial mobilization in the USSR and the transfer of troops to the Soviet-Chinese border. My father in Sverdlovsk was taken right away from work on a white day, not allowing him to go home, and changed clothes for the Chinese border. He was, coincidentally, the political officer of the Grad division, but so far the profit was all over. Conducted exercises and at home.
      2. +2
        15 March 2019 16: 46
        So in the 91st island they gave it all away
    2. +15
      15 March 2019 06: 43
      by the way about Damansky ... who has the illusion that we are friends with the Chinese, this is for you: the Chinese remember the Damansky conflict, and they say that we will not forgive, here is the recent commemoration ceremony for those who perished on the Island-
      1. +26
        15 March 2019 07: 50
        here ... I wanted to write about this for a long time ... well, more precisely, from March 2 ...))) from the anniversary of the provocation .... plus 100 times ... Those who say that China does not seek expansion ... that this is a peaceful state and our first friend is utter fools ... China is our tactical partner. we benefit if the Americans strangle them harder and harder. The Chinese are well aware of this and will never bring their conflict from the United States to critical limits ... so ... they will be puffed up, but in the end they will do everything ... precisely because they do not perceive Russia as a strategic partner ... rather, as a strategic the enemy ... in this triangle, Russia - the USA - China ... all have one desire - to weaken the other two as much as possible.
      2. +5
        16 March 2019 02: 40
        My father's younger brother was then in Damansky. Not a border guard, air defense ... As soon as the first skirmishes began, he, as part of a low-altitude platoon of RTV air defense (P-15 radar), moved to the front position on about. Damansky and fell under the very batch (whoever thought of sending them there ... according to the staffing table during the threatened period / wartime). The station did not work for a minute, and the soldiers dug themselves around in the snow ... So they stuck there until the end of the incident. And about the famous volley Gradov told, he made an indelible impression on them too ... and even in the twilight ... Lieutenant Bondarenko was the commander of the low-altitude platoon. The funny thing is that the service already in Azerbaijan brought me together with him. He was already a lieutenant colonel, and I was a lieutenant and listening somehow to his story about those events I realized that I had heard him many times, with everyone, including funny episodes. I ask, "Who was your P-15 commander?" , he was surprised, but answered, and this was my favorite uncle Sasha from childhood ... Then he conveyed greetings from the former commander ...
        They had a funny case there - when they were moving forward in a hurry, they didn't even take food rations with them ... In general, there was nothing to eat, the bullets whistle and it's cold ... Two days later, a soldier was sent to them from the kitchen, with a backpack thermos for the whole platoon. With hot borscht. He threw on the straps and crawled. Under fire. Crawled to position, yelling like a cut "they say they hurt me - in the back." They took off the thermos, looked - his back was intact, only scalded - several bullets from the thermos struck and the soup began to ooze under the jacket. And the borscht was hot ... In general, one thick layer remained, they ate it, but the hotter immediately became more fun ... That fighter then crawled to them several times ... but refused to carry the borscht.

        And about the Grad volley ... our soldiers also didn’t know then what it was that they didn’t fantasize about - some kind of fiery balls, and about lasers ... a lot of tales went to the people. I when in 2014 - 2015 near Donetsk, Gradov observed volleys at night, always recalled the incident at Damansky ... We had such a mash of rocket-artillery ... the Chinese never dreamed of.
    3. +8
      15 March 2019 06: 56
      Quote: svp67
      A strange saying. "Katyushas" were supplied to Korea during the war, and the Chinese fought there, not only that, the UN forces had their own MLRS

      The author has somewhat exaggerated, but very little. The fact is that earlier MLRS systems had extremely low accuracy and range. The BM-13 shells may have caused some psychological damage (let’s leave it on the conscience of propagandists, but I didn’t see this in the memoirs of the Germans, they were terribly afraid of the Soviet barrel artillery, yes), but they flew close and often in different directions. The German MLRS due to the rotation of the projectile had better accuracy, but a shorter range, part of the energy of the solid propellant rocket went to unwind the projectile. All MLRS suffered from one disease, short range and accuracy.
      To eliminate these problems, it was logical to increase the length of the rocket, but the question arose in production technology. The projectile should be long, thin-walled and seamless, these issues were decided by the creators of the BM-21. Compared with the BM-14, they got twice the range with low dispersion and correspondingly increased accuracy, which the Chinese did not know about and this was a discovery for them.
      1. +7
        15 March 2019 07: 02
        I think if this piglet would be plowed with the same amount of BM-13, the Chinese would not notice the difference)
      2. +2
        15 March 2019 07: 32
        Experienced missiles for the first "hail" cost like a "Zhiguli", recalled the designers)))))
    4. +6
      15 March 2019 07: 25
      Quote: svp67
      A strange saying. "Katyushas" were delivered to Korea during the war, and the Chinese fought there,
      And the Chinese at that time had their own MLRS Type-63. "By the beginning of the battles for Damansky, the Type 63 system was already in service with the Chinese army for six years. Even before the deterioration of relations with the Soviet Union, the Chinese military purchased several BM-14 MLRS. Realizing the need to deploy its own production of weapons and military equipment, the Chinese leadership ordered reverse engineering of the Soviet multiple launch rocket system and make our own complex on its basis. " From an article by Kirill Ryabov: "Chinese multiple launch rocket systems. Part I
      October 26 2012
      7 https://topwar.ru/20373-kitayskie-reaktivnye-sistemy-zalpovogo-ognya-chast-i.html
  2. 0
    15 March 2019 09: 12
    Is it interesting that the decision to strike was made only for military reasons? Or was the intention to show the world a new weapon also present? There was a qualitative leap in the "city".
  3. +2
    15 March 2019 09: 53
    Well done Author! Not "succumbed to provocation"! Quite recently I read "somewhere" an article in which "Grad" and Father Damansky were also mentioned ... the author of the article "categorically asserted" that eres with thermobaric (!) Warheads were used in Damansky! I thought that here "it will be the same"! There will be a reason to "cut" the Author! But it turned out, figurines! "Got it" Author! request Well, what is there to gutter! "Grad" is "Grad"! Oh, how many "relatives" and "children" (including "illegitimate" ...) he has! Long story ! wink Is that to mention those for which there were considerable hopes, but somehow did not "grow together" ...: 1. 50- "barrel" "Prima"; 2.80- "barrel" installation based on the T-80 ... Especially worth mentioning is the "monster" version of the 240-barrel "JOBARIA" (OAE) ...
  4. -2
    15 March 2019 11: 25
    Losses of the Chinese side in manpower are still classified information. According to various estimates, they can be from several hundred to several thousand people only killed.

    Information about the Chinese losses has long been uncovered and there is a monument to those who died in this border clash with their names. There, it’s about 80-90 dead Chinese border guards and soldiers. Another thing is believing or not believing the Chinese.
    The Soviet secret weapon entered the business at 17 p.m., when it became clear that the Chinese, due to numerical superiority, would be able to bring down border guards from their positions on the island.

    The Soviet border guards on the island were no longer beaten and they never returned to it. Damansky beat is already occupied by the Chinese and they have remained there to this day. No plan to expand the shootout with the Chinese did not beat. Shooting with hail is like a demo from scratch. Then they spread rumors about some kind of "lasers" that had burned thousands of Chinese. They ate to scare the Chinese and nuclear weapons. Finally, the innate peacefulness of socialism won out in two neighbors. Kosigin met with Zhou Yonglai, and peace and quiet and God's grace came.
  5. BAI
    +2
    15 March 2019 13: 10
    , and in March 1969, this weapon was a secret. Until the moment when the Grad is widely distributed throughout the world, there were still many years left.

    Well, that’s right. Armed and is secret. And Poseidon, Armata and Su-57 were still sucked in from the project from all sides. Conclusion - they will not be in service for real hostilities. Just for show. Serious weapons are not treated like that.
    1. +3
      15 March 2019 16: 25
      Quote: BAI
      Well, that’s right. Armed and is secret.

      Uh-huh ... secret - from their own. Because already in the second half of the 60s in Czechoslovakia they began to make raketomet vzor 1970 - "Grad" on the chassis of "Tatra-813" - and launched it into series in 1970.
      1. BAI
        +2
        15 March 2019 20: 01
        in the second half of the 60s
        - This is not very far from 69. And the characteristics of the Czech City were immediately published in newspapers? How does production in socialist Czechoslovakia cancel secrecy?
  6. Bog
    0
    15 March 2019 22: 16
    and the use of Grad in that confrontation was on the verge of collapse. Personally familiar with a direct participant in the hostilities at Damanskoye (from the BM). He talked about the fact that at the time of BM-21 deployment they were under mortar fire from the Chinese DRG, they were "300".
  7. Kaw
    0
    22 March 2019 20: 18
    My father then served in the army, but in a different place. They heard a rumor that our barrel artillery during this conflict mistakenly struck some of our collective farm fields and killed a lot of cattle.

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