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 Motor Rifle Divisions, as well as the
103rd Guards Airborne Division, the
345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment, and the
56th Separate Air Assault 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 28 October 1987, a feint landing was made in the areas controlled by the mujahideen, throwing dressed up
mannequins from the air. Due 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.[6]
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 3,234 metres (10,610 ft), which was assigned to the 9th company of the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment led by Colonel Valery Vostrotin. The 39 man company landed on the hilltop on 7 January 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.[citation needed]
Shortly after landing, the airborne troopers, who were well trained and experienced in Afghan conditions, 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 15:30 local time. The first wave included the use of recoilless guns and RPGs. After which, Soviet artillery replied, directed by the commander of the first platoon, Lt. Viktor Gagarin, via a radio. When rebel fire decreased, it was reasoned that it was the beginning of an infantry assault.[citation needed]
The airborne troopers were attacked by a coordinated and well-armed force of between 200 and 250 mujahideen from two directions, indicating that the assailants may have been assisted by rebels trained in Pakistan. During the ensuing battle, the Soviet unit remained in communication with headquarters and received support from the command of the 40th Army in terms of
artillery support, ammunition, reinforcements, and the eventual helicopter evacuation of the wounded.[7]
The first attack on 7 January was followed by eleven more attacks until just before dawn on 8 January when the mujahideen retreated after suffering severe casualties, leaving Hill 3234 in the hands of the Soviet paratroopers. The exhausted and mostly wounded Soviets were nearly out of ammunition but continued to occupy the hill until the last convoy passed through the road below. These attacks continued until the following morning, at which point the Soviets were almost out of ammunition, had lost six paratroopers, and had another 28 wounded, 9 of them gravely.[8]
Commander of the
NSV machine gun squad. Posthumously awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Birthplace:
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."[10]
According to the Soviet estimates, the Mujahideen lost over 200 men. The Mujahideen wore black uniforms with rectangular black-yellow-red stripes.[1][4] It was alleged by several sources that there were some mercenaries from Pakistan who were coordinating the attack.[13][14][15][16]
See also
The 9th Company, a 2005 Russian war film based on the battle that took place at Hill 3234.