The (Taliban) invincibility rumor

The first operation by US ground forces in Afghanistan that was recognized by Washington is still largely hidden from the public eye. She was lightning fast, and her goals and (failures) are still unknown. It is only known that it was carried out in the vicinity of Jalalabad by members of the Rangers and other special forces with the support of combat helicopters. The little information that was leaked was carefully analyzed in Moscow by veterans of the Soviet operation in Afghanistan. Especially those who participated in similar actions.

Major General Aleksandar Calko retired from military service in the early 1981s and now heads a non-governmental organization to help war veterans who have physical or psychological trauma. He stayed in Afghanistan from 1983 to XNUMX as the commander of a helicopter regiment stationed in Kandahar, and then spent another six years training pilots for combat. It was a tough war, especially for helicopter pilots and aircrew. According to General Calk, they account for about ten percent of total Soviet losses in Afghanistan, far exceeding the average in "normal" wars. The reason for this is not so much the anti-aircraft fire of the Mujahideen, but the extremely difficult conditions for flying.

TORTURE PO HELICOPTER: "Approximately a third of the helicopters lost were not killed by enemy fire at all but by fatigue, either the aircraft or the pilot. The helicopter loses its characteristics with the increase in altitude. If in the plains he is able to lift a load of three tons here in Moscow, in Kandahar he can only lift two tons. And another thousand meters higher, in the hills, the useful load falls to only one ton. On the plateau, the ability of the helicopter to take off vertically decreases, and the maximum and minimum flight speeds are drastically reduced. All this makes the helicopter a real beast to control, and flying in mountainous areas extremely dangerous."

The problem is, of course, the maintenance and servicing of aircraft, as well as fuel. In order for the helicopter to be able to operate at high altitudes and deliver the combat unit to the desired location, it could not carry a full load of weapons or even fuel. The radius of movement is small and therefore, says General Calko, fuel stations scattered throughout the hills are necessary. And they again need to be supplied, defended...

"Let's face it, a helicopter is a relatively easy target." To do his job effectively, he must fly low and slow. In other words, it is possible to hit him even with an ordinary military rifle. If you're lucky, even one bullet can be enough. And there are completely insane cases. One of my helicopters was damaged by – a mortar!!! He was transporting a special forces unit and a Mujahideen truck flew over with a mortar in the back. One of them fired a shot and hit the helicopter, killing everyone in it. I think it is a unique case in the history of aviation."

But this is already an exception. The danger is usually elsewhere... Nikolay is still an active colonel in the Russian army and begs not to mention his last name. In the bistro "Afrika" where the Chinese are served, he politely declines the offered rum with the usual cup of tea. In Afghanistan, he fought twice for two years and "earned" a gunshot wound in the shoulder from a sniper's bullet. "It all depends on how high you fly. At (for helicopters) higher altitudes, hand-held anti-aircraft missiles such as the Russian arrow, the American stinger or the English bluepipe are the most dangerous. They all have more or less similar features and are killer. But if you are flying low, say bringing in or withdrawing infantry from the field or if you are machine-gunning their positions, the most dangerous is usually infantry small arms. Sniper, Kalashnikov... Of course, anti-aircraft machine guns and cannons."

BETTER OD AVIONA: In case you are being chased by a motorist, a helicopter is safer than an airplane. Even when its engine fails, it is usually able to land relatively intact. But if it's over enemy territory, says General Calko, it's worse than death. "Many kept the last bullet or the last hand grenade for themselves." The Mujahideen had no mercy for anyone, especially the helicopter pilots. They feared us the most, they called the helicopter 'shaitan' (devil), and torture was quite common before they killed the pilot."

"They are not exactly the kind of warriors that people think," adds Nikolai. "But they learned a good school from us." But we, the helicopter, and how they were afraid. Especially when we flew into lightning actions with the special forces. The Americans have good helicopters. Apaches, which are trained for night operations, and blackhawks are especially good. I believe they will use similar tactics that we have developed, after all (laughs), they trained them themselves and therefore know a lot about their tactics and way of warfare."

Apart from the fact that it is difficult to fly in the mountainous area because of the height, Nikolaj says, the winds are also dangerous, there is a lot of turbulence. But the most difficult thing, he says, is to find an enemy. "There are thousands and thousands of caves there that only they know." Special forces and helicopters are useless if you can't find them. Alexander the Macedonian, who was probably the first conqueror of Afghanistan, said - 'it is possible to defeat them in the mountains, but it is not possible to subdue them'."

"But," says General Calko, "despite all the difficulties, the Taliban and the Afghans are not invincible." Let's not lose sight of one thing, the enormous financial support that the Mujahideen had from the Americans and the Arab countries. Well, I personally destroyed hundreds of vehicles that were transferring weapons, equipment and volunteers from Pakistan... All of that will not be there now. They enter this battle quite isolated."

RAT I TOPOGRAPHY: Lt. Col. Mikhail Lebedev dealt with the Mujahideen for two years. He was the commander of a special artillery unit that spent most of its time in the hills carrying out special operations. Today, he is a pensioner, but he is still military-minded and upright. "The type of warfare in Afghanistan is determined by the topography." Most of the country consists of desert and mountains. This means that, especially in the mountains, the army cannot use its strongest assets - tanks, artillery and even combat aviation. In other words, airborne units are the most effective. Only when they step on the field with their boots, the individual training of the soldiers comes to the fore. Afghans have the advantage of perfect knowledge of the terrain and the fact that it is THEIR country after all. And, on our side, they were better trained, better armed..."

In the warm room of the private company Alfa Kvant, which deals with the security of persons and facilities in Moscow, former lieutenant Igor Pankin recalls his days in Afghanistan. Like most of his compatriots, he served there for two years in airborne units. He was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Medal for Courage.

"The only effective tool for fighting on that terrain is special forces." They are highly mobile, well trained and can be deployed as soon as intelligence is gathered on enemy activity. They are lightly armed with small arms, machine guns and light mortars. Of course, it is necessary to first go through the school of mountain warfare. Believe me, those who haven't fought in the mountains don't know what I'm talking about. But believe me, if you are not well prepared, you have no chance."

Apart from the danger of frostbite or heatstroke, there are also snakes, insects and a whole series of infectious diseases that take the lives of soldiers as well as enemy bullets. There is either no water or very little, and if there is, there are high chances that the Mujahideen poisoned it, says Lt. Col. Lebedev. "Therefore, physical preparation is extremely important. Strength and endurance. Our training standards were much stricter than ordinary soldiers. Let's say, they would run six kilometers a day, while our fitness training was twice as much. In addition, to get into the special units, you had to have at least a high school diploma. Then a special psychological preparation would follow, because most of our operations were behind enemy lines. And there, either you succeed and complete the task or you're gone..."

"But," Pankin adds, "they are not invincible." All the time we spent there, they never once managed to unite against us. That saved us! They are divided along ethnic, religious and tribal lines and are constantly at loggerheads with each other. It diminishes their combat power.” Lt. Col. Lebedev also believes that the Taliban have no chance against the superior American military machinery. Provided, he adds, that their political masters allow them to do the job properly and to the end. It remains unsaid, but in the air, that the Kremlin did not allow its soldiers to do so.