How did the Russian special forces
Almost immediately after the end of the Great Patriotic War in the USSR, military experts appeared, insisting on the creation of a special kind of troops - for special purposes. Their specialization was to perform a variety of tasks - from solving local conflicts to strategic ones. For a long time, this idea was rejected, as it was believed that only large, multimillion-dollar armies could solve serious problems. However, as the creation of nuclear weapons, one unit of which could completely destroy the whole city, there appeared more and more supporters of the fact that such units should appear.Over inventing names for these units did not suffer too much. They were called simply special forces or special forces. One of those who especially vehemently advocated the creation was Viktor Kharchenko. In the pre-war years, he was a great athlete, versed in electrical engineering. During the war years he became closely acquainted with the mine-explosive affair. Then he had to lead the reconnaissance and sabotage department in the intelligence directorate on the Western Front. After the war, in 1948, Viktor Kharchenko graduated from the Academy of General Staff. Headed the Engineering Research Institute in 1965 year. Alas, he died in 1975 during the testing of a new weapon. However, it was he who managed to create elite, rightly considered the best in the world (yes, famous Chinese special forces can by no means all of what these simple Russian guys can do) special forces troops. And it is Viktor Kharchenko who is considered the father of Russian special forces.
In the war years and later he studied in depth the working methods of the elite troops of the European powers - the German Brandenburg, commandos from Great Britain. Carefully collecting any information, classifying actions, evaluating the value and irreplaceability and trying on these actions for the post-war years, he decided that the Soviet Union needed similar troops, only capable of performing an even wider range of tasks that a regular army could not perform. For several years, he simply could not make way for his ideas.
Only in 1951, his ideas were heeded. In each of the forty-one army a special reconnaissance company was created. However, this was not at all what Viktor Kharchenko wanted. After all, these units were supposed to carry out reconnaissance behind enemy lines 50-70 kilometers from the front line. Kharchenko, on the other hand, dreamed of seeing detachments capable of working completely autonomously on the enemy’s territory thousands of kilometers from the Motherland. First of all, the task of these detachments was to destroy ballistic missiles and means of transportation — for example, the B-47 heavy bombers, which were stationed at the airfields of Turkey, Great Britain, West Germany, and Japan.
Alas, the command could not assess such foresight. Therefore, Kharchenko decided to act at his own peril and risk. He personally assembled a group of military professionals, whom he began to train, transferring existing experience and skills. As a result, a group was created that was able to demonstrate the results of the tests, which forced the command to look at the ideas of military genius quite differently. Thus, by the year 1957, special reconnaissance and sabotage companies were formed in the divisions. Each consisted of three platoons. In addition, in the districts with the most important operational direction, special purpose battalions were created - three companies each, which were complemented by a sniper platoon. In sum, such a battalion included 360 fighters. And by 1962, eight special forces brigades were created, each of which had a number of 1800 people. Both brigades and battalions submitted only to the GRU General Staff. In the event of the start of combat operations, these brigades were to strike at the most important objects located behind the front line — tunnels, large bridges, fuel and ammunition depots, communications centers, and also nuclear weapons. The minimum distance of objects from the front line was considered a hundred kilometers. The maximum was generally unlimited - they could operate equally effectively anywhere in the world, in any country and on any continent.
And very soon these masters of war were able to prove their usefulness. As you know, in 1968, it took the troops of the countries of the Warsaw Pact to Czechoslovakia. As practice has shown, such an introduction is almost always accompanied by considerable blood. For example, the suppression of rebellion in Hungary cost twenty-five thousand dead Hungarians and seven thousand Russian soldiers and officers. In Czechoslovakia, the same actions were led by a different scenario.
In 23: 00 20 August 1968, the airfield managers in Prague received a request from a Soviet transport aircraft that reported engine malfunctions. Of course, landing permission was obtained. Even before the plane finally stopped, the special forces fighters left the plane, running to the control tower. The Czechs were so confused that the special forces did not have to suppress any resistance. After the airfield was captured, our troops were able to transfer the Vitebsk Airborne Division on the Antonov aircraft.
At the same time, on the territory of the capital of Czechoslovakia, other special forces detachments that had arrived in the country also became active. In a matter of hours, they managed to occupy television and radio centers, as well as the editorial offices of major newspapers. At four o'clock in the morning they captured the building of the Central Committee, where the office of Alexander Dubchek is located. There was no resistance here either - the blow was too sudden. For five hours, the special forces kept their defense, capturing the ministers of Czechoslovakia, who decided to give up their obligations to the USSR. After that, they were all sent to Moscow. By the end of the day Czechoslovakia was back in the Soviet camp.
That is, for the entire operation, it took not tens of thousands of fighters and days of fierce fighting, but only a few dozen professionals and less than a day to launch their activities.
Interestingly, Otto Skorzeny himself - a famous German saboteur who lived in Spain at that time, appreciated the conduct of this operation, having managed to pick only one word to describe - “Brilliant!”
Later, special forces had to participate in nineteen countries around the world - Africa, Asia, South America. And this is only the information that is currently not classified. In how many countries have these guys in the blood berets ever been to visit and prove the power of the Russian arms and spirit?
Sometimes the fighters simply had to work as instructors and advisers in the training camps for the soldiers. But often they took weapons to measure their strength with the legendary American commandos. It was in Vietnam and Angola.
Often it happened that our fighters came into confrontation with the American military elite, but only after many years did they know who they lost in the short-term battle that turned into dozens of dead and the destruction of advanced equipment.
One of these cases occurred in May 1968. Then a special forces group of only nine people had the hardest task of attacking a superbly guarded American airport destined for the deployment of helicopters. It was located in Cambodia, at a distance of 30 kilometers from the Vietnamese border. It was from this airport that American troops were transferred to Vietnam for reconnaissance and sabotage operations. There were about ten heavy transport helicopters and two light. However, the most interesting here were four helicopters, whose task was to provide fire support - the newest Super Cobra. Today, these helicopters are the main striking force of the US Marine Corps. However, then they were the objects of interest of all the special services of the world. They were equipped with the latest navigation systems, as well as guided missiles. It is clear that the Soviet experts would not have refused to receive a similar sample for study.
And the appropriate order was given to the guys, whose motto is the phrase “Only stars are above us”. Nine people went on the attack on the superbly fortified airfield.
The whole operation took twenty-five minutes. During this time, three of the newest helicopter "Super Cobra" were destroyed. Fourth - lifted into the air and hijacked into the territory of Vietnam. During the battle, fifteen elite soldiers and officers who carried the guard of strategic helicopters were destroyed. Among the attackers killed three people. Only a few years later, the American intelligence services found out that the operation was completely carried out by Russian special forces.
And before that, and after there were many operations that were no less effective and spectacular than this. And not all of them know the general public.
Therefore, these guys, whom no one knows in person, but about whom the whole world knows, really deserved the right to be considered legends.
And it is even more insulting to realize that today these military units, which have no analogues all over the world, are completely destroyed by their own government. So, in March 2009 of the year one of the best brigades was disbanded - the GRD Berd Special Forces Brigade. Well, politicians know better. Apparently, they believe that Russia does not need professionals who are ready and able to fight for the honor and freedom of their country. What will bring us tomorrow? We'll see…
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