The largest Sino-Soviet armed conflict: the island Damanskiy

• The largest Sino-Soviet armed conflict: the island Damanskiy

46 years ago, in March 1969, two of the most powerful at the time of the socialist state - the USSR and China - perhaps there was no full-scale war because of the piece of land called the island Damanskiy. Here is a chronology of the events

Damanskiy island on the Ussuri River was part of the Pozharsky District of Primorsky Krai and had an area of ​​0, 74 square kilometers. It was located a little closer to the Chinese bank than to ours. However, the border was not the middle of the river, and, in accordance with the Convention of Peking in 1860, according to the Chinese bank.

Photo: Sino-Soviet - a view from the Chinese coast.

The conflict in the Sino-Soviet occurred 20 years after the founding of the People's Republic. Until the 1950s, China has presented himself as a weak country with a poor population. With the help of the USSR Celestial not only been able to come together, but began to grow rapidly, strengthening the army and creating the conditions necessary for the modernization of the economy. However, after Stalin's death began the period of cooling in Sino-Soviet relations. Mao Zedong claimed is now almost on the role of leading world communist movement, with which he could not agree to Nikita Khrushchev. At the same time, the policy pursued Zedong Cultural Revolution constantly required to keep the society in tension, generate new images of the enemy inside the country and outside it, and the process of "de-Stalinization" in the Soviet Union at all jeopardize the cult of the "great Mao", which gradually It was formed in China. As a result, in 1960, the CCP officially announced the "wrong" of the CPSU know, relations between the countries strained to the limit and at the border for more than 7, 5 thousand kilometers often become the case of conflict.

about 300 Chinese soldiers crossed to Damanskiy B on March 2, 1969 night. A few hours later they go unnoticed, Soviet border guards have received a signal of an armed group of people up to 30 people only 10:32 am.

At the scene left 32 border guards under the command of the chief of the outpost "Lower St. Michael's" first lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov. Approaching the Chinese military, Strelnikov demanded from them to leave Soviet territory, but in return opened fire with small arms. Senior lieutenant Strelnikov and guards followed him killed, managed to survive only one soldier.

Thus began the famous Sino-Soviet conflict, which for a long time, never wrote, but which everyone knew.

Shooting was heard in the next outpost "Kulebyakiny hill." Senior Lieutenant Vitaly Bubenin went to the aid of 20 border guards and one armored personnel carrier. The Chinese are actively attacked, but retreated after a few hours. To help the wounded came to the inhabitants of a neighboring village Nizhnemihaylovka.

On that day killed 31 of Soviet border guards, another 14 soldiers were wounded. According to the KGB Commission, China's loss amounted to 248 people.

March 3 in Beijing held a demonstration near the Soviet Embassy on March 7, has the Chinese Embassy in Moscow was subjected to picketing.

The captured weapons from the Chinese.

On the morning of March 15 the Chinese are once again went on the offensive. They brought the number of its forces to the Infantry Division, reinforced by reservists. Attacks by the "human wave" lasted for an hour. After a fierce battle the Chinese managed to oust the Soviet soldiers.

Then to support the defenders in counterattack moved a tank platoon headed by the chief border guard Iman, which just entered the gates "Lower St. Michael" and "Kulebyakiny hill", Colonel Leonov.

But, as it turned out, the Chinese have been prepared for such an eventuality and has enough anti-tank weapons. Because of their dense fire our counterattack failed.

The failure of the counterattack and the loss of recent fighting machine T-62 with a secret hardware finally persuaded the Soviet command that entered into combat forces is not enough to win over the Chinese side, which has been prepared very seriously.

Then, in the case entered the forces deployed along the river of the 135th Motorized Rifle Division, Command ordered his artillery, including a separate division BM-21 "Grad", to open fire on the positions of the Chinese people on the island. This was the first use in combat rocket launchers "Grad", the impact of which decided the outcome of the battle.

Soviet forces withdrew to the shore, and the Chinese side has not taken more than hostile action.

Total in clashes Soviet troops lost in killed and died of wounds 58 soldiers and 4 officers and wounded 94 soldiers and 9 officers. China's losses are still classified information and constitute, by various estimates, from 100-150 to 800 or even 3,000.

In the four soldiers heroism were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel D. Leonov and senior lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant V. Bubenin and Sergeant J. Babanskii.

The photo in the foreground: Colonel D. Leonov, V. Bubenin lieutenants, Ivan Strelnikov, VV Shorohov; in the background: the staff of the first frontier. 1968