Battle for Hill 3234

Battle for Hill 3234
Part of the Soviet war in Afghanistan

View from the hill 3234, a photo from personal files of S.V.Rozhkov.
Date January 7, 1988 – January 8, 1988
Location Kabul, Afghanistan
Result Soviet Victory
Belligerents
345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment (VDV) Mujahideen rebels/ Black Storks
Commanders and leaders
Senior Lieutenent Sergey Borisovich Tkachyov Jalaluddin Haqqani
Strength
39[1] 200[2]-250[3]
Casualties and losses
6 killed, 28 wounded[1] 100-150 killed

The Battle for Hill 3234 was a defensive battle and successful military campaign fought by 345th Soviet paratroopers in Afghanistan against a force of 200 to 250 Mujahideen rebels

Two of the soldiers killed, Vyacheslav Alexandrovich Alexandrov and Andrey Alexandrovich Melnikov, were posthumously awarded the golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. All of the paratroopers in this battle were given the Order of the Red Banner and Order of the Red Star.[1]

The battle was dramatized in the 2005 movie The 9th Company.

Contents

Background

In November 1987, the Soviet 40th Army under General Boris Gromov began Operation Magistral to open the road from Gardez to Khost near the Pakistani border. Khost had been cut off for months by mujahideen led by Jalaluddin Haqqani and had to be resupplied by air. Negotiations were undertaken with the local Jadran tribe as well as with Haqqani. These talks did not succeed, mostly due to the unshakable resolution of Haqqani who wanted to control the city as the core of his independent Afghan state and as a base for future incursions deeper into the country. Before the operation, there was also a widespread propaganda campaign, with a special radio station set up, calling on the Jadran people to cease supporting the mujahideen and leave the combat areas.

Even during the negotiations, a detailed operation plan was formed and the required forces put on alert. After talks finally collapsed, the offensive was set in motion. The operation involved the 108th and 201st motorized division and the following paratroopers: 103rd Guards Airborne Division (345th regiment) and 56th Brigade. They were supported by five infantry divisions and a tank division of the Afghan government. Prior intelligence and aerial reconnaissance had identified a number of important fortified rebel held sites on the road between Kabul and Khost. Fortifications included a minefield with mines about 3 km deep, 10 BM-21 rocket launchers, numerous anti-aircraft guns and DShK heavy machine gun positions, recoilless guns, mortars and RPGs. The rebels were well prepared for defense and made the main pass and the surrounding hills impenetrable. The Soviet command was aware that a direct attack would be suicidal and therefore decided to trick the rebels into revealing their positions. On October 28, 1987, a fake landing was made in the areas controlled by the mujahideen, throwing dressed up mannequins from the air. Thanks to this, a reconnaissance aircraft was able to transmit the coordinates of rebel positions to the air force and after several air strikes and a four hour long artillery barrage, Operation Magistral began.[4]

The battle

As the operation went on, Soviet commanders wanted to secure the entire section of the road from Gardez to Khost. One of the most important points was the nameless hill designated by its height of 3234m, which was assigned to the 9th company of the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment led by Colonel Valery Vostrotin. The 39 man company was landed on the hilltop on January 7, 1988, tasked with creating and holding a hilltop strong point from which to observe and control a long section of the road beneath and thus secure it for the safe passage of convoys.

Shortly after landing, the airborne troopers, who were well trained and experienced in the Afghan campaign, started to take up positions which covered both the road and the uphill passages. Just as they had dug in, the mujahideen began their attack at 1530 hrs. First they fired with all possible weapons including recoilless guns and RPG. After a few salvos, Soviet artillery began replying, with the commander of the first platoon, Lt. Viktor Gagarin, directing fire via a radio. When rebel fire slackened, it was clear that this was the beginning of an infantry assault.

The airborne troopers were attacked by a coordinated and well-armed force of between 200 and 250 mujahideen. Attacks were made from two directions, indicating that the assailants may have been assisted by rebels trained in Pakistan. During the ensuing battle, the Soviet unit was in constant communication with headquarters and received everything the leadership of 40th Army had to offer in terms of artillery support, ammunition, reinforcements, and helicopter evacuation of the wounded.[5]

The first attack at 1530 on January 7 was followed by one more attack until just before dawn on January 8, when the mujahideen withdrew leaving Hill 3234 still in the hands of the Soviet paratroopers. The exhausted and mostly wounded Soviets were nearly out of ammunition and would not be able to withstand a further assault

Casualties

Soviet Union

The Soviet forces sustained 34 casualties, including 6 men killed and 28 injured. Two of the soldiers killed, Vyacheslav Alexandrovich Alexandrov and Andrey Alexandrovich Melnikov, were posthumously awarded the golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. All of the paratroopers in this battle were given the Order of the Red Banner and Order of the Red Star.[1]

Name and rank Details Awarded medal
Officers[1][6]
Tkachyov Sergey Borisovich
Senior Lieutenant
Deputy Commander of the 9th Company.
Birth place: Bryansk.
Commanded the 9th Company men.
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Gagarin Viktor Yuryevich
Senior Lieutenant
1st Platoon Commander. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Babenko Ivan Pavlovich
Senior Lieutenant
Commander of the artillery observer team. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Rozhkov Sergey Vladimirovich
Senior Lieutenant
2nd Platoon Commander. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Motruk Vitaly Vasilyevich
Senior Lieutenant
Deputy Commander of the 9th Company. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Kozlov Vasily
Praporshchik
Starshina of the 9th Company. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Sergeants and soldiers[1][6]
Alexandrov Vyacheslav Alexandrovich
Junior Sergeant
Commander of the NSV machine gun squad. Posthumously awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
Birth place: Orenburg Oblast, Izobilnoe.
Killed while covering the positional movements of the 1st platoon men during the 1st attack. In the judgement of his brothers in arms, his feat consists in the fact that "by his decisive actions he got the precious minutes to the platoon just to get over."[7]
Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously)
Bobko Sergey
Private
Medic. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Borisov Sergey
Sergeant
Rifleman.
Injured.
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Borisov Vladimir
Private
Injured. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Verigin Vladimir
Senior Sergeant
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Dyomin Andrey
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Karimov Rustam
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Kopyrin Arkadiy
Private
Rifleman of the NSV machine gun squad. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Kriptoshenko Vladimir Olegovich
Junior Sergeant
Rifleman.
Birth place: Minsk Voblast, Krupki.
Killed by grenade explosion.
Order of the Red Banner (posthumously),
Order of the Red Star (posthumously)
Kuznezov Anatoly Yuryevich
Private
Rifleman.
Killed in action.
Order of the Red Banner (posthumously),
Order of the Red Star (posthumously)
Kuznezov Andrey
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Korovin Sergey
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Lash Sergey
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Melnikov Andrey Alexandrovich
Private
Machine gunner.
Birth place: Mogilyov.
Killed in action.
Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously)
Menteshashvili Zurab
Private
Rifleman. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Muradov Nurmatdzhon Nimanovich
Private
Sniper. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Medvedev Andrey
Private
Artillery observer. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Ognev Nikolay
Private
Rifleman.
Injured.
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Ob'edkov Sergey
Private
Rifleman of the NSV machine gun squad. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Peredelsky Viktor
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Puzhaev Sergey
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Salamaha Yury
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Safronov Yury
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Suhoguzov Nikolay
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Tichonenko Igor
Private
Rifleman. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Trutnev Pavel
Private
Birth place: Kemerovo.
Injured.
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Shchigolev Vladimir
Private
Rifleman. Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Fedotov Andrey Alexandrovich
Efreitor
Radioman of the artillery observer team.
Birth date: September 29, 1967.
Birth place: Kurgan Oblast, M. Dyuryagino. [1]
Killed during the initial intensive bombardment of the hill by the RPG burst occurred on the top of a tree. His pierced radio station is kept in the Central Armed Forces Museum, Russia [8].
Order of the Red Banner (posthumously),
Order of the Red Star (posthumously)
Fedorenko Andrey
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Fadin Nikolay
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
Zvetkov Andrey Nikolaevich
Junior Sergeant
Machine gunner.
Birth place: Petrozavodsk.
Killed in action.
Order of the Red Banner (posthumously),
Order of the Red Star (posthumously)
Yazuk Evgeny
Private
Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star
???[9] Order of the Red Banner,
Order of the Red Star

Mujahideen

According to the Soviet estimates, the Mujahideen lost over 100 men. The Mujahideen wore black uniforms with rectangular black-yellow-red stripes.[1][10] It was claimed by several sources that the mujahideen were actually members of the Black Storks, an independent commando division of the Pakistani Army.[11][12]

In popular culture

The 2005 Russian/Finnish/Ukrainian movie The 9th Company was loosely based on this incident. In 2008, the Russian "documentary video game" The Truth About 9th Company was also released.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Клятва тридцати девяти". A. Oliynik. Krasnaya Zvezda, October 29, 1988. (Russian)
  2. ^ "Афганский дневник". Y.M. Lapshin. ОЛМА-ПРЕСС Образование, 2004. ISBN 5-94849-641-4. Part 2. (Russian)
  3. ^ "Из воспоминаний участников боя". on desantura.ru forum. (Russian)
  4. ^ A.N. Shishko, ‘An airborne battalion seizes the Satukandav Pass’, in Grau, Lester W. The Bear Went Over the Mountain, pp. 60-64.
  5. ^ Carey Schofield, 'The Russian Elite,' Greenhill/Stackpole, 1993, pp.120–125. ISBN 185367155X.
  6. ^ a b "9 рота 345-го отдельного парашютно-десантного полка". The Truth About 9th Company official web site. (Russian)
  7. ^ "Утес. 7 января, 16:00–16:30". The Truth About 9th Company official web site.
  8. ^ "Командир 9 роты, прототип героя песни «Батяня комбат» идет в Госдуму".. www.ura.ru. Russian Information Agency, October 3, 2007. (Russian)
  9. ^ Soviet and Russian sources claim about total 39 men and list 38 names only.
  10. ^ "Афганистан: бой у высоты 3234". D.Meshchaninov. (Russian)
  11. ^ My Jihad: One American's Journey Through the World of Usama Bin Laden--as a Covert Operative for the American Government. Aukai Collins. ISBN 0-7434-7059-1.
  12. ^ Carey Schofield, 'The Russian Elite,' Greenhill/Stackpole, 1993, p.121. ISBN 185367155X.