The division commander, General-Major Yarygin, received some more detailed information on the enemy and decided to salvage the operation by preceding to the next stage and capturing the weapons and ammunition caches and also destroying guerrilla forces in the villages of Tizini-Khas and Zandekhkalai.
The remaining tactical air assault force consisted of an airborne regiment commanded by LTC Solov’ev and a reconnaissance group which I commanded. The reconnaissance group was the separate recon company and the Afghan “Sarandoy” regiment which was not inserted the previous night.
The division commander’s plan was that at 1445 hours on 14 August, the force would lift out of the area near Malikheyl’ on Mi-8 helicopters. The force would air assault into the area around Tizini-Khash using three lifts and four LZs. The first lift would establish blocking positions by 1830 and by 1900 would have an integrated fire plan organized and implemented. The main body would follow and be used to destroy the enemy in the region and prevent the enemy main body from withdrawing. After the blockade was established, every company would send a platoon forward to search. The first lift included the 2nd battalion (180 men on 18 Mi-8s) and the first battalion (120 men on 12 Mi-8s) of the 350th Airborne Regiment. The second lift included the division CP, the regimental CP, the regimental recon company, a company of the 1st battalion (180 men on 18 Mi-8s) and the reconnaissance group (120 men on 12 Mi-8s). The third lift consisted of the transferred recon group (180 men on 18 Mi-8s). The landings were distributed so that the 2nd battalion landed at LZ #1, the first battalion (minus a company) landed at LZ #2, the recon group on LZ #4 and the rest at LZ #3. Artillery would prep the LZs from 1412 until 1428. Then airstrikes would pound the LZs from 1430 until 1500. Aviation support would be on station from the completion of the landing until 1800.
The commander of the air assault group made a mistake and set all my groups down six kilometers west of the planned LZ. We had to cross the mountains to get to our correct LZ. The factor of surprise was lost. We did not find any arms and ammunition caches in the village of Tizini-Khas. However, an Afghan guide’s explanation cleared this up. What map names are printed for tiny villages are not necessarily what the villages are actually called or how the locals refer to them. Thus it was with the so-called village of Tizini-Khas. On the map, it is actually named the village of Zandekhkalai. I pushed on to Zandekhkalai, seized it and concentrated my force there. We dislodged the enemy security forces on the approaches to the village and on the dominating heights which sealed off the approaches to the canyon. Then the recon group searched for caches while an airborne company and the Afghan “Sarandoy” regiment covered us.
As a result of this fluke, our recon group killed approximately 150 mujahideen and captured seven weapons caches. The skilled actions of the recon group contributed to the completion of the division’s mission.
Frunze Commentary: The first and second stages of the operation were filled with mistakes: During the first stage, they landed at the end of daylight so that their aviation could not support them. Further, there was no artillery within range to provide fire support. Intelligence did not tie their information to an actual map location. Finally, the flight route and LZs were poorly planned for the second phase of the operation.
Editor’s Commentary: Soviet artillery theory occasionally allows Division Artillery Groups (DAG) to be split to provide wider coverage. In reality, in the European theater, this never happened. In Afghanistan, it became necessary to spread the coverage and this vignette shows a split-DAG doing fire support.
The Soviets had no difficulty in taking the reconnaissance elements from one force and putting it in support of another. Most western commanders would not willingly surrender their reconnaissance element. This vignette shows a typical example of the redistribution of TO&E reconnaissance forces to another unit.
Map reading and terrain navigation from an aircraft is tough in a region without hard-top roads, power-lines, major rivers and permanent bridges. It is not any easier on the ground. Map reading is particularly difficult in the mountains. The Soviet performance in this area seems about average.
24. Seizing and holding a mujahideen training center with a tactical air assault
by LTC V. G. Istratiy11
In October 1985, we received intelligence reports that an enemy training center, which was built to train gunners for shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile systems, was located southwest of Kandahar.
On the basis of this intelligence report, my battalion commander gave me his concept of battle.12 My 12th Air Assault Company would conduct an air assault landing and secure an LZ near the training center on 13 October. Then, when the rest of the battalion arrived, we would join it and help capture and destroy the training center.
We prepared our force for combat at our training grounds. We emphasized the organization for the air assault to include a detailed analysis of past combat actions which we went over in detail with our personnel and then assessed the missions of the platoon and company commanders. We used aerial photographs to work out the details of the plan. From these photos, we identified “dead space” in the approach to the objective, likely enemy firing positions and areas of fire concentration, and targets that we wanted to destroy with air and artillery fire.
We had 48 hours to prepare prior to the beginning of the operation. The battalion commander carefully planned each platoon’s mission on the map and “wargamed” various contingencies. He devoted special attention to balancing the subunit’s firepower and that of the supporting aviation. At the same time, the battalion commander personally designated the firing positions of the mortars and the AGS-17 as well as the site for the company CP/OP. While wargaming each of the contingencies, he paid particular attention to the actions of my forward group as we seized and secured the LZ.
Map 24: Seizing and holding a training center with an air assault company.
My 12th Air Assault Company air landed onto the LZ on the morning of 13 October. Despite the careful planning, we were cut off from the main force of the battalion. After a full day of combat, the situation became critical as our ammunition began to run out and attempts to resupply us by helicopter failed. My men had to fire single shots on semiautomatic instead of bursts of automatic weapons fire. I continually called in air and artillery fire on the enemy.
The battalion’s main force tried to break through to me, but it became apparent that they would not make it before the morning of 14 October. We could not hold out that long. So, after reviewing the situation, I decided to attack at nightfall. The 3rd platoon would take the southeast slope of hill 2825 and, together with the covering force, distract the enemy. The 1st and 2nd platoon would envelop the enemy from the west and the east and at 0230 hours 14 October, they would simultaneously attack from two directions to seize the base, capture ammunition and then hold the base until the arrival of the battalion.
My plan worked and by 0400 we took the base without casualties. We captured three DShK heavy machine guns, two recoilless rifles, 17 individual small arms and ammunition. At 0600, the enemy tried to retake the base, but we drove him off. In the course of combat, my troopers used the weapons and ammunition that they had captured from the enemy. When the main body of the battalion arrived, they punished the enemy badly and forced him to withdraw, denying him the opportunity to retake the base.