JPRS ID: 9222 USSR REPORT MILITARY AFFAIRS

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• Collection: JPRS
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00850R000300010005-2
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• Document Page Count: 104
• Document Creation Date: November 1, 2016
• Sequence Number: 5
• Content Type: REPORTS

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JPRS L/9222
~5 July 1980
U SS R R~ ort
p
MILITARY AFFAIR5
CFOUO 14/80)
~ FB~$ FOREIGN ESROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
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~
JPRS L/9222
25 July 1980
~ USSR REPORT
MILITARY AFFAIRS �
(FOUO 14/80)
CO~~ fENTS
General Grigorentco Comments on Soviet Intentiona
(Piotr G. Grigo:enko Interview; L'EUROPEO, 13 May 80) 1
Soviet Airborne Troop's Development Described _
_ (V. I. Ivonin; KRYLATAYA GVARDIYA, 1978) 9
ERRATUM: The pages in JPRS L/9055, 24 April 1980, (FOUO 11/80)
of this series were inadvertently misnumbered. Please
make the following corrections: page 23 should read 21;
page 21 should read 22; page 22 should read 23.
- a - [III - USSR - 4 FOUO]
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t
GENERAL GRIGORENKO COP'l~iENTS ON SOVIET INTENTIONS
Milan L'EUROPEO in Italian 13 May 80 pp 120-132
[Interview with former Soviet General i?iotr G. Grigorenko by Jacques Lebeau:
"There Will Be War Before the End of 1980"]
(Tex*] In this exclusive interview, Piotr G. Grigorenko, former general of
the Red Army, warns Europe. The USSR is ready to attack: Afghanistan was
also a fv11-:,cale exercise for the use of bacteriological weapons. .
Piotr G. Grigorenko was a menber of the Soviet Communist Party for 32 }=ears,
a general of the Red Army, assistant chief of staff during World War II, '
73 years old, Ukrainian. His criticism of the Soviet regime began in 1964.
He was often ar~ested and interned in mental hospitals. It was 1977 before
he succeeded in being exiled. He was stripped of his Soviet citizenship by
order of Brezhnev who said of him: "They released him from the mental -
hospital too soon." From New York where he lives with his wife and one of
his five children, he loses no opportunity to grant interviews supporting
dissidenc~.
[Question] Aid your position in favor of the rights of man and your protests -
against the genocide of the Tartar people begin when you were still a general
in the Red Army?
[Answer] Yes, I still held a position as a superior officer when I began to
_ be aware of the reality of the regime and decided to protest. At that time,
I talked in the Frunze Military Academy where despite consid.erable opposition
I succeeded in creating a chair of military cybernetics. One day I~aid
what I thought about the cult of personality. Immediately, I was cashiered
from the army and sent t~ the eastern r.egion where I struggled along as a
truck driver under the permanent surveillance of two men and one woman of
- the KGB. However, I was able to continue my activities against the regime
by drafting and distributing leaflets whenever I had the chance. I created
an organization that I called "Union of the Struggle for the Rebirth of
Leninism," and I was arrested. Yet, at that time, my activity was more
anti-Stalinist than anticommunist.
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[QuestionJ And today do you still have procommunist convictions?
~ -
- [AnswerJ No, because the phenomena in Russia have not happened at aZl by _
chance. In reality, cor~munism has no shadings whatever. In the future
there will be only one type of communism whose model of reference will be
that which reigns today as the enl~ghtened despot at Moscow. My wife and
� I have belonged to the co~unist party for more thari 30 years yet gradually _
the idPa grew that unknowingly we were under the sp ell of a certain number
of slogans. The greatest danger for the West does no t come from the threat
of nt~clear war but from the real domination of the i.deological weapon, a
rea.l cancer for the free world, which spreads its di seases throughout culture,
the political ^lass, the media, educational institut ions, at times even through
the police and the army. The greatest fraud of communism is to promote
everything without having anything to pay off.
[Question] Do you know other cases of Red Army sup~erior officers who might
have tried challenges like yours?
[Answer] I can cite the case of Colonel Davidovic who taught at the Kharkov
Military Academy and who was sentenced to 3 years at hard labor because he
publicly criticized the regime. There is also the case of Lieutenant Colonel ~
Yliev who, in 1967 tried to assassinate Leonid Brezhnev and who was imprisoned
in Kazan Psychiatric Hospital where he was driven insane by repeated
interrogations. More recently, in 1976, tnere was a mutiny aboard a missile-
launching destroyer on patrol in the Baltic Sea. The mutineers tried to
- reach a port in Western Europe, but things ended badly: The officers and
seamen were captured and executed by firing squad.
[Questionj Do you consider the Afghanistan invasion a pure and simple
military incident for the West or the beginning of a new serious crisis?
~
[AnswerJ It can be the detonator of a war with incalcuable consequences for -
the free world. My theory is that the Soviets interv~ned directly in
Afghanistan to test the capacity for reaction of th~ various We~tern nations
in response to a military intervention conducted so 1 ely by Red Army troops.
It was a successful operation: Disunity and weakiiess in the Western camp,
ineffective "loud cries" from the more courageous. We know the results:
The Soviet troops ~re 500 kilometers from the Persian Gulf.
[QuestionJ WhaC kind of war do you foresee?
[AnswerJ Obvious~y, it seems to me, the third worl d war. It is not always
a good idea to make historical comparisons, but I find that the invasion of
Afghanistan recalls the invasion of Cz`choslovakia by Hitler. The West
waited to react on1.y after the invasicn of Poland, but. it was toa late.
[Question] What do you think is the mest credibl~ hypothesis in case Soviet
- traops deci~e te ir.tervene militarily against Western Europe?
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[Answer] It is vQry difficult to foresee the attacks P:id how they will
take place. They will attack where they feel there j.s divisiveneas and
weakness. In Africa they have already occupied a ce,rrain number of key
countries with the immediate effE~ct of practically separating Europe from
the United States. In order to gain total control of the sea routes, there
are only three or four nations left to eubdue: Zaire, Rhodesia, South Africa.
The first objective will be Rhodesia. Parallel to this African action, they
will try by every means to strengthen their positions in the Persian Gulf.
I think that if the Soviets have been able to take so many risks with _
Afghanistan, this is due to the scorn with which they view Western public
opinion and that of Europe particularly. This aggressive attitude cannot -
be changed by boycotting the Olympi.c Games in M~oscow. I believe, however,
that there will be a Soviet intervention in Europe in a very short time,
before the end of 1980. Then there could be a verification of the theory
r_hat Soviet troops can cross Germany in 3 hours; Berlin could tempt the
Soviets. Supporting my hypothesis; it seems that for several weeks very
hE3vy troop move~~nts have been observ~d ir. Czechoslovakia, the equivalent
of si_{ divisions, in addition to two divisicns of artillery. AI1 this was~
- done by order of Army General Mikhailovich Df~3iorov. But the most signi~icant
fact in recent weeks was the visit of Admiral. Gorchkov to the German Democratic
- Republic. Ke is the head of the Soviet rleet and he went to oversee the ~oint
maneuvers of the two military allies. The most important part of the exercise _
was the a~phibious operation which could be the full-scale rehearsal for an
attempt to reach the North Sea by forcing the Wes~ern belt defenses. For
some weeks there also have been increasingly more specifi.c threats by Soviet
media directed toward Norway. Everywhere, in Poland, in Hungry, "scmething"
is being grepared. I am crushed by Western public opinion which is indifferent,
. anesthetize~.
[Quesricn] Could you tell us what the army of a superpower like the USSR
consists of and how it campares specifically with other armies of the world?
[Answer] I define the Soviet Stata as a mystical, bureaucratic-military
feudalism." It is not a question of dualism between the party which is
its incarnation and the army which is its instrument. The Soviet Army is
the work, the living strength of the party which is also that which differ- .
entiates it from the Nazi army which existed before the party. Created to
defend soci.alist "conquests," that is to say the party's conquests, it then
assumed the def~nse of the "socia?,ist bastion" anne~ng to it, among other
things, a certain number of populations whose armies were united under the
~ Warsaw Pact.
The real commander in chi^f of thP army is not just any marshal, the
minister of defense, but the party leader, whether he be a dictator like _
Stalin or the spokesman for a group leadership likE Brezhnev. The three
supports af feudalism, the party apparatus, th~ army and the police complement
one another.
[Question] Could you describe the organization of the Soviet Army from the
highest position down to simple soldier?
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- [Answer] Obvio~~sly, as in the past, it is the pa.rty's Central Co~i.ttee
- i'residium which in effect is the head of the entire defen3e organization.
- Regarding thia there ia a real deception since if this task officially is
entruated to th2 Presidium of the Council of Ministers chaired by Brezhnev,
. the fictitious authority is conferred on the Presidium of the Supreme S~viet
which i~ purely decarative. The presen~ defense minister is not a member of
the Presidium of thE Council of Ministers and he is consulted only rarely
and always for technical reasons. The same can be said for the ministries
' of industry and interior. Having said this, the true head of the Soviet
Armed Forces is the defense minister. The m3.nister is surrounded by an
~ executive group consisting of the military council, whose subordinates are -
the general staff of the Soviet Army and Navy, the commanders in chief of `
the various forces; the generai command staffs and individual commanders.
In addition, the council controls the technical co~and of the Warsaw Pact
- forces, the political executive and counterespionage. The general staff af
the Soviet Army and Navy is articulated in eight commands: The first two are ~
~ named the principal commands. In order, their titles are as follows:
~ 1. Glavnoye op~rativnoye upravlenie (GOU), which is an inte~rarmy command
- respons{ble for handling all operational matters of the armed forces and
to verify the work of the general staffs of the.various forces. All this is
in close liaison with the rear guard general staff and the civil air fleet. .
2. Gla~*naye razve dyvatelnoye upravlenie (GRU), which is t'~e main command
for information and which is also an interarmy coffinand which is concerned -
with directly controlling all matters of research and adminiatration of -
iniormation.
3. The transmission co~andy which is at the head of monitoring services.
~ 4. Mobilization and organization command and a general research office,
which involves all the armed forces.
5. Communications comma~d.
6. The code comm~nd, which is concerned with security for military secrets,
encoding and decodin~;.
7. Topographical command.
8. Historical couimand, which has the task of synth~esizing and organizing
research and utilization of military history and which thus constitutes ~
a center for interarmy documez~tation of prime importance.~ It also publishes
a magazine: VIONNAIA MYSL [Military Thought~.
The supre~e commands of the land, air, naval and antiaircraft forces each
has a ch:?ef of staff and eight divisions as well as a weapons and services
command. The main ones are:
~
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1. The rear guard coummand, which is concemed with logistics and security -
of rear areas as well as a part of the national security on the domestic
level, in liaison with counterespionage.
2. The general affnirs comaaand of the ministry which is concerned with
administrati.~e questions to which recently was added the central office for
- scientific research for military applications.
Personnel co~and, which technically coraes under the party personnel
~ o`fzce.
~i. :4ilitary construction command, which uses special troops. ~
Military education command, which at the Voroshilov Academry oversees
interarmy higher education.
o. Mili~ary justice command, which technically comes under the USSR Supreme
t;'o�rt and uhich has all the armed forces under its ~urisdiction.
7. The special dPVices command executive. -
~Question) What power does the Red Army Military Police have? -
it'~nswer] The police and counterespionage are other aspects of party influence =
- ~~~er the army. In the battalion, for example, there is a lieutenant who is _
- n~t on the roster because he is assigned to the commander Ly his superiors.
- "ihis liPUtenant wears the same un~.farm as other officer.s even thought he is
a military man. He is a member both of the KGB [State Security Committee)
cadxes as well as of the GUKR [Counterespionage General Command). By habi~
- they continue to call him Double 0(abbreviation of Ossobyi Otdiel, Special
Section) or al~o Ossobniak which in ~argon means...private building. I3ouble 0 _
is the most feared person in the battalion because he is the most poaerful.
His relations, which are seeret, can bring about the worst piinishmenz for
soldiers and officers. The division's counterespionage section, of which
i;ouble 0 is an antenna, can at any moment carry out an incursion, facing the
command with an accomplished fact. Actions of th~s kind, carried out witn
total impunity, often have caused death or deportation ~ot many youths who
- opposed the regime. A network of secret informers, of SPksots, constantly
reports even the smallest events in the battalion. The fate of ~very Soviet
~ soldier is to ask himself constantly if his words will be reported to the
Special Section by his best friend, to fear a report by a malevolent subordin-
ate, to no longer trust anyone. Yet this system is losing effectiveness ~
~eczuse by living for years in a permanent night~eare, the average Soviet
soldier has become used to it.
~Question] Don't you have the impressian tha~ the problem facing the Soviets _
- today is no longer tc decide whether Co make war, but rather where to make it?
_ ~
(Answer] Believe me, the Soviets know wYiere to make war. The entire universe ~
:;.s t}~eir battiefield. You Westerners a.re ingenuous if you believe that
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Soviet expansionism will stop. Take for example wha,t is happening right
now in Gaire. Do you believe that ~t is by chance that tt~e Soviets have
sent an "arnada" to the ex-PortuguESe [sic] colongy composed of 25,800
Cubane, 9,000 East Germans, Hungariana and Czeche, and more than 6,000
Soviet soldiers? To this impreasive figure nust be added 475 KGB agenta
and 720 officers, of whom 11 are Soviet generals. If Europe depends to a
large degree on Africa for its raw materials, the USSR takes from the
African continent almost all of its uranium, its cobalt and manganese,
its oleaginous products, and coffee. Zaire, is therefore, the basic African
outpost fo r thz USSR. Perhaps the entire future of the West is bei~.~g gambled
down there. And you do not seem to be aware of it.
' [Question] Can you cite other cases of attempts at destabilization tried by
the USSR?
[Answer] For example, the USSR recently began negotiations to install a
fleet of fishing boats on the Cook Islands. I have learned that about SO
Cubans recruited by the Soviets are training a popular revolutionary army on
the, island of Grenada; deliveries are being ~ade of weapons to be installed
_ near Saint Georges, the capital. It is not by chance that the Soviets have ~
_ just completed a 440-kilometer-long railway between southern Yacoutia and
_ the Pmbarkation ports of the Pacific Coast. And again what is to be said of
the Soviet i~uclear submarines that patrol the waters around the Azores in
large nL:mb~rs? This is precisely where the Americans possess a military
' airbase for rhe defense of Europe. Furthermore, it is known that the ttussians
have every interest in Finlandizing Western Europe in order to gain the
r.ecessary time to reinforce their s~uthern flank. The present 43 divisions
that contro 1 the Amur, Mongclia and the Ussuri are insufficient in case of
a classical war considering the 200 Chinese divisions concentrated along
Siberia and in the Far East. Everything serves to check this temporary lack
of military power. An example: Along the entire fr.ontier with China, the
USSR is erecting a true wall of iron and cement. The Red Army, not knowing
what to do with the immense stock cf old T34 and T10 tanks, has poured them
intn re~.nforced cement with only the turret emerging and they have t3ed this
in+:~� -s radar system to control the tra~ectory of w~apons. This line of tanks,
which is 3 kilometers inside 5oviet territory, makes it possible to establish
an actual barrier of fire in case of a Chinese attack.
, In order to be ready in 1982, or 1983, the Soviets must be able to partially
dismantle the western front, to build communication roads and to create new
bases. However, the conventional Soviet Army is always three times more
powerful than that of the West with its 40,000 assault tanks against the 10,000
of the United States. The deployment of new SS-24 missiles in the German
Democratic Republic, which are added to the SS-21s and to the backfire
bombers which have a flight range of 9,000 kilometers and the 2,500 inter-
continental strategic weapons, permit the USSR to have 12,000 nuclear warheads.
To this must be added the 60 atomic submarines, potential launchers of 740
MSBS atomic ballastic missiles. I will not even speak of the innumerable
squadrons equipped with very recent MIG 25s or o f the T-72 heavy armored
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units. From this can be deduced the incontestable numerical and qualitative
superiority of the Sov-iet Army in case of a conflict. ~
[QuestionJ The USSR also is faced by ~r_ atomic threat. In case of a nuclear
war do they fear the conseq~iences of what this would inw lve?
[~nswer] I believ~ the Sovier_s fear these possible consequences increasingly
less, both because of their power and because of the internal contradictiar.s
of the West. Their aim is only that of making the atomic advent a psychopoliti- -
cal weapon. In order for this weapon to be useful, they need not only to have
available an impressive stock of devices, but also armed forces who believe
and are morally ready. From this point of view the Soviet Army is perfect.
[QuestionJ What kind of research is not~ being done in the USSR that could
constitute military variations on a classic or atomj.c war?
[Answer] 1`�~ey are numerous, amazing and impressive. :he Soviet Army is _
perfectly tra{.ned for this kind of conflict and the Western a*_~mies are beginning
only now to become aware of it. In case of chemical warfare there is Sarin.
T'he lethat dcse is 0.01 milligrams per kilo of body weight. The adult dose
can be absorbed in a few minutes if the concentration of Sarin is from 0.1 to
0.3 milligrams per liter of air. On this basis it is easy to realiZe that
in order to achieve a lethal concentration in the atmosphere of a city like
Rome, it would be necessary to disperse 200 tons of Sarin, which is possible -
if it is considered that this weight can be easily transported by about 20
bombers or by the equivalent in missiles. According to latest information
available to me, it seems that the Soviet troops have available strategic
weapons that can carry chemical or bacteriulogical warheads. The USSR is
not concerned ahout international agreements banning this kind of weapon.
Today, in Afghanistan, the Soviet troops do not hesitate to bombard the rebels -
and civilians with a vaporized chemical gas, Soman, which causes paralysis
of the nervous system, insanity or death. Actually the USSP. has available
350,000 tons of various chemical weapons compared with 40,000 tons possessed
b~ t2-ie Americ.ans...! Another field of research for Soviet laboratories '
involves psychomimetic drugs, for example derivatives of atropine or of
tropane, as well as ethers composed of piperidyl such as Ditran. In short,
these substa_ncas act like LSD25, that is, they cause a momentary state of
- schiaophrenia. It is, therefore, possible to poison an entire country and -
to create a psychotic state, vaporizing psychomimetic ccmpounds, and to put
an army or a crowd into a momentary state of immobility or tem~orary or
permament mental tncapacity. The money spent by the Soviets for thi~
demential resParch is on the order of 3Q billion [currency not givenJ per
year.
In regard to biological research, the Soviets accentuate studies for the
de~tr:~ction of crops shortly before the harvest by explosion of hydrogen
bombs at high altitude. But another "clean" possibility is gai:iing ground. -
Th~a scientists are trying to create a"hole" in the ozone stratum of the
atmosphere above enemy territory because this ozone stratum is necessary for
the existence of life on earth.
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[Question] Does the appearance of China on the world military scene and
preferential agreements that Chinese leaders seem to extend to Western nations
= depend on an opportunist strategy or are they a part of a long-term plan
_ that could rebound against the West?
[Answer] Personally, I have become totally anticammunist and I have no
_ faith of any kind in one communism rather than another. I find Chinese
co~unism particularly dangerous. I consider that China, like the USSR, will
in the future not respect the agreements that it signs today with the West.
I am much more categorical in my judgments since I have the deep conviction
tt-aat if the USSR fears the Chinese like a plague, there is the fact, however,
that Chinese expansionism is directed to the south or to the west, but
certainly not to the north.
[Question] If as a man and a military person, you had to give the West,
or inore specifically Europe, advice concerning Soviet expansionism, what would
- it be?
[Answer] Some years ago, thousands of rarsons screamed in the camps and
mental institutions of the East. They asked for help a~d you remained silent.
- Even children were arrested. Yo u knew it. We ran all kinds of risks to
- infozm you of it. And yau shamefully continued to remain silent. Today you
continue not to react. As a~military man, I consider it fundamental to
prevent this war w?~ich is coming closer with great strides and which will
be terrible for everyone. You must not content yourself with emitting
simple criticism, or making threats that you will never carry out. Look at
how the people are treated who live under co~unism. It is necessary that
the nations of the free world demand of the USSR a general amnes~y, the
application of the Helsinki accords, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from
Afghanistan, the revisir~n of the agreem~.:nts b~tween Hitler and Stalin which,
after 30 years from the end of World War II are still in effect and which
make Moldavia, the Ukraine, and Ryelorussia the alaves of the Suviet Union.
If a united front is presented to the USSR and if, on the level of the
highest international representation, th~ USSR is presented with a demand to
respect the agreements that the USSR signs, then war can still be avoidad.
In the opposite case, the least retreat, the least concession will become
the detonator of a third world war that the USSR hopes for, since it will
be the only means to mask *.he failure of communism in the nations that it
grips in its talons.
COPYRIGHTe 1980 Rizzoli Editore
~ 6034
- CSO: 31J4
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, SOVTET AIRBORNE TROOP'S DEVELOPMENT DESCRIBED -
Moscow KRYLATAYA GVARDIYA (`I'he Winged Guard) in Russian 1978 signed to
_ press 10 July 78 pp 2, 134, 3-16; 76-83, 91-94, 102-~.33
" [Annotation, Table of Contents, Preface, and selected articles from book
compiled by V. I. Ivonin, Izdatel'stvo DOSAAF SSSR, 100,000 copies,
136 pages (plus illustrations)]
[Text] This volume is a collection of documentary sketches and stories -
about the glorious fighting history of the Soviet Airborne Troops, their
establishment and development, about the fearless fighting men, their daily
life and combat training today.
The authors of this volume are prominent Soviet military commanders, of-
- ficers and general officers, veterans of the Airborne Troops, writers and
- , journalists. -
This book is intended for the mass reader, especially young people prepar- -
ing for military service.
Contents page
V. F. Margelov. A Word About the Winged Guard 3
At the Beginning nf the Journey ~
A. G. Minov. First, Parachute... 7
M. V. Boytsav.. Difficult Roads 12
Ye. Bazykin. Parachute Expert 16
Vladimir Fedorov. First Ju~p 21 _
Into Deadly Combat
, A. Polyakov. Behind Enemy Lines 22
I. Kh. Bagramyan. Banners to Heroes! 24
A. Lukashenko. Front Beyond the Front 27
A. I. Rodimtsev. Flask of Volga Water 32
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s'. Z. Ch~s}�~:c*~~. ~t.~3;,:3rad, 14 C~ct~~t,~r.... ~
~s _
Aleksandr Koa,anov. Fiery Assault 45
F. A. Mazhayev. Br idgehead of Courage 47
F. Tsarev. Staunchness 50
- B.. Galin an~ N. Deni s ov. Qn the Right Bank of the Dnieper 55 -
V. Ivonin. Son of Ossetia 61
A. Korol'chenko. On the Svir', in Karelia 67 -
N. S. Demin. Heart's Memory 70
- On Guard
Aleksandr Kuleshov. Heroism His Profession 76
F. Khalturin. The 1 6 th 83
A. Sgibnev. Neighbors 8,5 -
V. Chupryna. Days o f Peace Combat Affairs 88 _
A. Petrichenko. Jump in the Pamirs 91
~ V. Urazhtsev. Officer's Roads 94 _
- B. Pendyur. At the " Dvina" Maneuvers 98
Konstantin Vanshenkin. Jump Into the Night 100
P. Studenikin. Trai~ing Days 102
A. Danilov. Assault Character 108
- I. I. Bliznyuk. Lads from DOSAAF 112
; A. Salutskiy. Makers of Whit~ Can.:~pies 119
= G. N. Pakilev. Airb orne Assault Wings 122
I. I. Lisov. Brothers in Class Brothers in Arms 127
V. Ivonin. Museum Di splays.... 131
A Word About the Wing ed Guard
This book is about p aratroopers, airborne assault troops, about the Air-
borne Troops, who are indeed the winged guard of the Soviet Armed Farces. '
- I-t is difficult for me to write about them without emotion, without deep ~
f eelings of delight, respect, and affection.
~ I have shared all the postwar years with the officers and men of the
winged guard, their daily Zives and routine, the j oys and difficulties of
field exercises, long marches, all that which is simply and sternly
- designated in military regulations as military service.
And each and every time the paratroopers have proven by deed that they
are experts at their military profession, r~en of high military valor,
courage and heroism.. Marching shoulder to shoulder with the men of the
other combat arms, t!a.e airborne stand vigilant guard over our homelan.d and
the peaceful product ive and constructive labor of the Soviet people. They
' are carrying uu~ with honor and dignity their lofty miiitary duty, which
~ is profoundly and vivi uly expressed in the new Constitution of the Soviet
. State: "Defense of the svciali.st homeland is the sacr~d duty of each and
every citizen of the USSR."
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We note with pride that the Soviet Union is the birthplace of the Airborne
Troops. As early as the beginning of the 1930's the first steps were taken _
Ln our country to establish special-role parachute units, ta improve and
further develop these units. And from the very birth of the Airborne
. Troops, the Communist Party and Soviet Government d~voted unremitting
- ~ attention to them.
I,enin Komsomol also niade a truly inestinable contribution to the de~velop-
ment of the Airborne Troops. During those years, when the Soviet Air
Force was just being formed, Komsomol as~umed a patron role over aviation -
= ar.d the aviation sports. The airborne subunits wh:ich were being estab-
lished at that time were components of aviation un~ts, and therefore
Komsomol's patron status extended to them as well..
I~:omsomol members both boys and girls enthusiastically learned to
fly airplanes and gliders and to parachute jump. As a result our army
received many excellently-trained paratroopers. In order more siiccessful-
ly to publicize parachute jumping, which involves boldness, risk and
daring, Komsomol Central Co~nittee secretaries and other high Komsou?ol _
= off.icials A. Kosarev, P. Gorshenin, V. Prakhov, N. Pronin and others
jt:mped themselves. Many Komsomol leaders served as political workers in _
the airborne brigades and corps established on the eve of the Great
Patr.iotic War.
The outstanding traditions of Lenin Komsomol patronage over the Airborne `
Troops are continuing to develop and grow stronger today as well.
I must also mention at this point the enormous role played during the pre-
war y~~.rs by the public-membership Osoaviakhim Society in the extensive
popularization of sport parachute jumping among Soviet y~ung people.
Fearless para~roopers joined our troops precisely from the flying clubs of
the Def ense Society.
Today many paratroopers, prior to military service, also take their first
jumps at the sports schools and clubs of the twice-decorated USSR DOSAAF
Saciety.
Things were tough on Soviet airborne troops in those early years. They -
were treading unexplored paths, for they were pioneers. It is also for
ttiis reason that we pay them the tribute of profound respect to all ttle
commanders and enlisted men of the first airborne brigades, which es-
- tablisheci th~ fighting traditions of our troops.
, And these traditions are truly outstanding! Boldness and fearlessness,
- mass heroism and total dedication to the homeland and the great caus~ of
the Communist Party, excellent military skill and strong soldier friend-
ship all these qualities are characteristic of paratroopers.
In flur army, since the Great Patriotic War, one has heard the following
~ quite correct statement: "The Guard is the prid~e and joy of the Soviet
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~ i~'l)1~ UI~ 1~ 1(:lAL USt~: UN1..Y
Armed Forces." This is recognition~of the outstanding services by the
Soviet Guard to the homeland. This evokes in all airborne troops a
legitimate feeling of pride in belonging to the troops of the winged _
bu3rd, as well as the endeavor to preserve and build upon the combat glory
of their subunits and units.
Anci whoever now wears or. ever. wore the light-blue shoulder boards with the
airhorne emblems wi11 his entire life state with pride the following words:
"1 um a paratrooper!"
h.n~l ~ I~ i.;c pr ( ~I~~ t~; qui~r iinder5t:anclabl.e, for it is a hig11 honor. tc; serve _
_ I n t lic� AI rl~uru~~ 'I'r. uup:,.
_ This book is dedicated to the Winged Guard of the Soviet Armed Forces.
1n it the reader c:i11 find materials relating the birth and development of
the Airborne Troops, the first steps taken by commanders and men along a
difficult, unhlazed trail, as well as the baptism of fire they rec~ived in
their First batt].es with enemies of the homeland.
" A l~+rf~,c~ scc�r i~~n dc~als with the heroic events of the Great Patri.ot:ic War
fn wl~lcl~ ~~.irut rr~c~~~era ~e~ok r.ict:lve part. They boldly ,jumped by parachute
f~el,ln,J enemy lines and fought there. bravely, disdaining deat-h. Wh~n the
ai~ua~iut~ ~J~~i:~:.~.i~clucJ, ai~l,orne iinits were converted ~:lto rifle ut�ts, whict~
- `~~~~~,f~~ a,^ ~~-ri;~i_;,,- v~~nr-l~mcn on man5 tronts. 1~ ~
, U~er rhe r,our~~e ~t Ehe war
dozens of brigades, divisions and corps were formed on the basis of the
- Aii-borne Troops, and approximately half a million paratroopers fought bold-
ly and courageously. More than 200 of them subs~quently became Heroes of
thc ~oviet Union. But it is impossible to relate in a single book all the
event::; in wliich paratroopers participated, and ther.efore only a few of them -
r?rc [nc�ludc~ii her.e.
l~amecl military comraanders Mars SU I. Kh. Bagramyan and V. I. Chuykov, Army
G~n S. M. Shtemenko, Col Gen A. I. Rodimtsev, and others movingly relate
the combat deeds of our paratroopers.
To~ay's activities uf our Airborne Troogs are related by writers and
journalists A. Kulestiov, F. Khalturin, P. Studenikin, A. Sgibnev, and
ott?er:~. Ttiey have taken only certain episodes from the diversified
paratrooper combat training, but they are typical for today's army and con-
stitute persuasi_ve evidence of their military skill.
The boolc "Winged Guard" will be interesting and useful for readers of dif-
ferent ages. Reading it will recall past days to veterans, while pre-
inductees will become acquainted with the character and function of the
Airborne Troops and the daily life of units and combined units. Those who
already wear the l.ight-blue shoulder boards with the airborne emblem will
_ find needed information for study of the fighting history of the Airborne
Troops. Tfiis book can help commanders and political workers in instilling =
in enlisted personnel, noncommissioned officers, warrant office.rs, and
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officers love of the Airborne Troops, pride in belonging to them, and the
- aspiration to make their own personal contribu~ion to their development
and improvement, toward increasing the combat might of our Armed Forces.
It is with great pleasure that I preeent this hook to our readers, es-
pecially young people, thoae ;aho caill be etanding under the glary-
covered fighting banners of our Soviet Ard~. -
Hero of the Soviet Union Army Gen
V. F. Margelov, Commanding General
- c~ the Airborne Troops
At the Beginning of the Journey
First, Parachute....
By Col (Ret) L. G. Minov, Master of Sport, Honored Cultural Worker RSFSR
~ Our army's winged infantry was born on 2 August 1930. On that day the
~ world's first parachutp assault landing took place at an experimental-
demonstration exercise at Voronezh by the air forces of the Moscow Mili-
- tary District. I, at that time a military pilot, had the honor of leading
this assault landing. It was a small group only 12 men but they
were the first to demonstrate in a practical manner the possibility of
mounting a parachute assault behind enemy lines. -
How was this experiment, accomplishm~nt of which signaled the beginning of
a totally new area of art of warfare, prepared for and executed?
...This country's first parachute exercise, includin~ jumping from an
aircraft, began on ?.6 July 1930 in Voronezh, at the airfield of the llth -
Air Brigade. This city became the training site because at that time
aviation units designated for participation in the Moscow Military Dis-
trict air forces experimental-demonstration exercise were assembled in
Voronezh.
On the first day of the trair.in~ exercises, which subsequently signaled
the beginning of Soviet mass parachute activity, six jumps took place.
~ao days later our group totaled 30 paratroopers.
Receiving by phone my brief report on progress in the training activities,
Petr Ionovich Baranov, Commander of Air Forces of the Workers' and
Peasants` Red Army, asked: "Tell me, can you get ready in two or three -
days, let us say 10 or 15 men for a stick jump?"
Receiving an affirmative reply, Petr Ionovich explained what he had in
mind: "It would be a very good thing if it were possible during the
Voronezh exercise to demonstrate a drop of a groug of armed parachutists
for sabotage activities behind 'aggressox' lines."
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Suffice it to say that we accepted with great enthusiasm performance of
- this unique and interesting task. A drop of an armed paratrooper force
behind 'aggressor' lines was incorporated into the exercise scenario. _
It was decided to make the drop from the Farman-Goliati~ two-motor biplane
from which the Voronezh practice jumps had been made. At the time it was
the only aircraft we h~d which was set up for jumping. Its advantage over
:.he TB-1 two-engine monoplane bombers in the llth Air Brigade lay in the -
fact that jumps from this aircraft were made directly from the cabin
through a side door, while jimmps from the TB-1 could be made from *_he short
ladder mounted on the side of the fuselage or from the wing. An important
role was also played by the fact that on the Farman-Goliath aircraft all
paratroopers were situated in a single cabin. This gave them a feeling of
f211owship and made it easier for the instructor to observ~ the paratroopers
and control them in the ready position.
There were on:i_y 12 sets of practice parachutas in Voronezh. This deter-
mined the size of the assault force. But in addition to dropping 12 mili-
tary parachutists armed with Nagant revolvers, the airborne assault opera- -
tions plan called for droppi.ng from three R-1 aircraft six parachute- ~
_ carried cargo containers with light machineguns, carbines, hand grenades,
and cartridges.
- We selected for participation in the operation 10 volunteers who had
already made their first jump with a performance rating of good. These
were all parachute enthusiasts: Mukhin, Filippov, Freyman, Yegorov,
Cherkashin, Zakharov, Kukharenko, Kovalenkov, Peydus, and Povalyayev. They
were all aircrew personnel of the llth Aviation Brigade.
The paratroopers were divided into two groups. As co~ander of the assault
detachment, I was placed in charge of one, while my assistant, aviation
brigade aircraft commander Yakov Davidovich t~oshkovskiy, led the other.
Breaking up the detachment into groups of six men each was dictated by ~
accommodation capacity of the aircraft cabin, which could hold at one time -
from six to seven men with practice parachutes. In additi4n, the fact
that we had onlq one Farman-Goliafih aircraft forced us to plan the drop in
two separate groups, separated by the time inte~-va1 required for the air- "
craft to return to the base airfield, take on board the second group and
deliver it to the drop zone. The "dead" time between personnel drops was
to be used for dropping weapons from R-1 aircraft.
The principal mission of the first expCriment consisted not in demonstrating
combat actions by airborne assault troops behind 'enemy' lines, but rather
in demonstrating to the participants in the air exercise the technique of
dropping a paratrooper assault force and requisite arms. Of course we
intended to obtain as a result of the experiment a number of experimental
data for utilization in planning, preparing and executing subsequent sir-
borne assault operations. In ~articular, it was necessary to establish the
amount of dispersion of a group of paratroopers leaving an aircraft at a
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~ given speed at minimum intervals; to determinp tl-~e degree of detection of
= a drop from a given altitude with observation from various distances; to
= determine the time required for paratroopers to assemble after landing,
= for collection ~f the airdropped weapons and distribution to the para-
= troopers, that is, to bring the assault force into full readiness for com-
= bat action.
= In order to expand the experiment, it was decided to drop the first group
= from a height of 500 me~ers, the arms from 150 meters, and the second
= group from 300 meters. If one considers the fact that in those years
~ parachutes were opened manually and that the paratroopers had made only
one jump apiece, one can understand the risk involved in a group jump from -
an altitude of 300 meters. A parachutist dropping from this altitude had
only nine seconds at his disposal, and at 10 seconds he would hit the
ground. Would he be able, in such a short period of time, in case his
main chute failed, to assess the situation and actuate his reserve para-
chute, with at least 2 seconds of the total of 9 available required for
the parachute to open and ta decelerate from free-fall velocity? We were
particularly concerned about this question. _
A jump rehearsal was held at the airfield on 31 July, attended by par- -
- ticipants in the Voronezh air exercise. In connection with the rehearsal,
- ex:.~rcise sc:enario flight operations were temporarily suspended. After the
continuous r4ar of engines, the ensuing silence seemed strangE� and solemn.
The awkward, cumbersome Farman-Goliaih stood on the flight line, its huge
wings spread. Alongside it stood three R-1 aircraft with cargo containers
secured to underwing bomb racks. The paratroogers with their practice
parachutes were assembled ii a single rank in front of the aircraft. The
aircrews stood on the right flank of the formation.
After giving final instructions on the rehearsal procedure, the commander
of the paratr~oper detachment turned to his assistant: "Do you have any-
thing to add to my instructions?"
Moshkovskiy, an extremely cheerful and witty individual, an indefatigable
- joker and constantly on the move, could not resist the temptation to say
a"couple of words" to cheer up the parachutists, whom he affectionately
and jokingly dubbed "hoppers."
"Of course I do, with your permission," replied Moshkovskiy, and, turning
to the paratroopers, stated with accentuated seriousness: "The main thing,
comrades, is when you have jumped out of the airplane, don't forget to
pu11 the rip cord! Bear in mind that we can remind you about that only
- after you reach the ground."
The lads got a big kick out of this ingenuous jest. It not only amused
them, which of itself was an excellent means of overcoming nervousness and
agitation, but also revived in their memory a recent incident which
practically ended in the death of one absentminded "hopper." Tumbling in a
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free fall three fourths of the way to the ground, he finally got his wi}s
aboiit him and yanked the rip cord in a panic. The paratrooper got off
with a good scare, a good solid shock in the air, and a dressing down on
_ the ground....
The cheerful animat:ion evoked by Moshkovskiy was interrupted by a, co~nand:
"Aircrews, t~ your aircraft! First assault group, prepare to board!" _
A few minutes later the rarman-Goliath to~k off with the first group of the
parachute assault detachment. The flight of R-1 ~ircraft took off with a
10-minute inrerval.
We had absolutely no experience in stick jumping. Therefore as a -
precautionary measure we decided that the first time out the paratrooper
group leaders should jtmmp last. This would make it possible to watch the
other men take the ready position and jump at equal and safe intervals.
The rehearsal was a total success, without any problems or foulups. But
we were dissatisfied with the men's grouping on landing: distances between
individuals were as much as 60 met~~rs.
"Let's push the fat ones out first, and the skinny ones last," suggested
Moshkovs~ciy at the rehearsal critique, causing general laughter.
His suggestion was correct, since a paracliutist's rate of descent and con-
sequently distance which the wind will carry him are directly dependent on
~ the paratrooper's weight.
Of course the most effective meana of ensuring a maximally dense paratroop~ ~
- landing pattern was to redtice the time interval on leaving the aircraft.
We were waiting too long between men, out of fear that the men might come
together in the air. The jump interval averaged 2 seconds. But one must
bear in mind that the men in the first parachute assault landing un-
fortunately lacked the skill of controlling their parachute, even a simple
slip which could help the paratroopers avoid collision.
The landing pattern density could be increased somewhat by reducing the
aircraft's ground speed to tt?e slowest possible just prior to the jump.
We decided to utilize all these elements, including sequencing the jumping
of "fat" and "skinny" paratroopers (foilowing Moshkovskiy's advice) during
the next airborne assault operation, for which preparations were being
made.
On the eve of the important day the members of the assault team packed their
parachutes and rigged the cargo containers. They were super~ised by one of
our country's first parachute ziggers Valentin Baranov, a Red Armyman
from the Air Foxce Scientific Research Institure, who was taking part, just
as Moshkovskiy, in conduct of the Voronezh parachute training acti.vities.
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.
~ They packed Lewis light machineguns with spare drum magazines in two con-
tainers, padded enveiope-type sacks, while carb~.nes, hand grenades and -
cartr~�d ge clips were placed in four rigid boxes designed by pilot Nikolay
Blagin. -
, It was s unny on the morning of 2 August. Just as during ty~e rehearsal,
exercis e-acenario flight operations were cancelled. Quiet reigned at the
airfield. The paratroopers' elate~ spirits were somewhat dampened when
they le arned that the wind was gradually picking up and that gusts were
already reaching velocities of 6-7 meters per second. ThPq would have to
I hurry the departure.
Finally everything was ready. The command raas issued: "Board your aircraft!"
The silence was broken by the roar of engines. The Farman-Goliath aircraft
moved p onderously into its takeoff roll and lazily lifted off. It was
carrying the first group of paratroopers, led by the detachment commander.
Ya. D. Moshkovskiy was also on board, to refine calculations for the second
group approach run and drop.
After circling the field, the aircraft headed out toward the drop zone,
climbing en route to the designated altitude. It was quite a rough flight,
caused by the strong, gusty winds. And j udging by the dust bein~; raised
on the dirt roads, wind velocity was also considerable at ground level. -
Moshkovskiy communicated this fact to me from the cockpit, comically .
puffing out hie cheeks and pointing downward.
A s~al 1 farmstead ~urrounded by luxuriant greenery appeared ahead on the
port side. Adjacent to the farmstead was an empty field measuring 600 by
800 met ers. This was the drop zone we had selected. One of the outbuild-
ings at the edge of the farmstead was the location where the paratroopers
were to assemble and would be the starting point for their actions behind
"aggressor" lines.
The air craft banked left and began its run into the drop zone. It was now
flying directly into the wind at an altitude of 500 meters, crossing the
drop z one in the direction of the farmstead. The cabin door was open. The
detachment ~ommander was standing by the door. The paratroopers lined up
by him, reany to jump. Moshkovskiy took up position in the gunner's
turret, observing the timing of this stick ~ump in a situation which was
totally new for us.
_ Under the packs of the paratroopers's backpack parachutes were pouches into
which their parachutes were to be packed after landing. These parachute- -
containing pouches wou'ld remain at the landing point, to be guarded by
special ly-assigned pers~nnel. This was due to the necessity of preserving
practice parachutes, since there were only 20 sets in the entire Soviet
- Union.
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~
...The aircraft was approaching the farmstead. The paratroopers were
becoming increasingly nervous. They we;e impatiently waiting the signal
to jump.
When the last farmstead huts passed below the aircraft, I raised my arm
and gave the command: "Prepare to jump!"
A few seconds later, shouting: "Geroni.mo!" I stepped through the door.
- The other paratroopers poured out after me.
- Opening up with sharp smacking sounds, six snow-white parachutes deployed
and hung suspended in the air (according to observers, it took slightly
_ more than 5 seconds for the six paratroopers to leave the aircraft). Thi~
. was approximately the timing we were seeking. -
The group landed in a fairly close pattern, practically at the center of
the drop zone. In spite of gusting winds, with velacities up to 8 meters
per secand, the jumpers suffered no mishaps.
By the time the paratroopers had gathered up their parachutes ~nd assembled
around the detachment commander, the flight of R-1 aircraft appeared on the
horizon.
T'~e cargo parachutes, dropped from a height of 150 meters, were drifting
down close to the farmstead. The paratroopers ran over toward them.
Quickly open3.ng the containers and taking out the weapons and ammunit~on,
they headed toward the farmstead.
In the meantime the Farman-Goliath aircraft had returned to the base air-
field, had loaded the second airborne detachment group and taken off again.
It approached the drop zone at a height of 300 meters.
Seeing that the first group was already at the assembly point, Moshkovskiy
decided to drop his paratroopers as close to the farmstead as possible. ~
Thanks to the low altitude, he was able precisely to calculate the moment
to jump. His group landed without mishap right alongside the assault force
assembly point.
The airborne assault detachment, 12 paratroopers armed with two light
machineguns, carbines, revolvers and hand grenades, fell in at the start
point, fully ready for combat actions behind "aggressor" lines....
This completed the scenario of this first experiment. The paratroopers,
collecting up their parachutes and cargo containers, headed by truck back
to their airfield.
En route we counted up our "losses." It seems that the first group had lost
a rip cord, while the second group had lost a r~.p cord and parachute
pouch, which had probably fallen out from under somebody's backpack in the
air during the jerk which occurred as the parachute opened. _
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When tney reach~d ~he airfield the~indefatigable iKoshkovskiy, obviously
~ c ari caturing the Gal.lant Soldier Sve~k, dashingly reporte3 to para~~!�*_e ~
rigger Baranov: "I should like to report that the assaalt detachr,~ent sus-
~ tained 'heavy l~sses' behtnd 'enemy' lines. A pa;.acr~ute ~ouch ~nd t*~to
rip cords have failed to return to base!" _
Our supply officer's anger soon changad to kindness. That afternoon two -
boys on bicycles turned in a~ the airfield front gate a parachute pouch and
one rip cord. The loss of the second rip cord was no great tragedy.
...The Voronezh experiment attracted the attention of senior commanders.
Having read the report on the results of the experimental-demonstration
exercise, A. I. Kork, troop commander of the Moscow Military District,
requested that P. I. Baranuv, commander of Air Forces of the Workers'
and Peasants' Red Army, organize the drop of an armed paratrooper assa~ilt
' force during the fall maneuvers of the Moscow Military District troogs,
scheduled for September 1930.
The air-force co~ander ordered to Moscow the veterans of the first jump
tagether with Moshkovskiy, who was placed in command of the paratrooper _
detachment at the maneuvers. An interesting and memorable incident oc-
curred.
On the day of departure from Voronezh Yakov Davidovich, i.n addition to the
official notification, dispatched a telegram with the following message:
"Thirteen 'hoppers' have departed." Evidently assuming that every telegram
should bear a signature, the telegraph operator corrected the text. The
telegram arrived in the fo1loF~ing form: "Thirteen have departed" followed
by the signature "Poprygunchikov." For a long t�me afterwards
Moshkovskiy was nicknamed Yasha Poprygunchikov by h:is friends. '
This time the paratrooper detachment was assigned a quite definite combat
mission. It was to jump und~tected behind 'aggressor' lines and, destroying
the enemy's rifle division headquarters, to capture operational doc~ents
and deliver them to the friendly for.ces command. Obviously destruction of
headquarters and capture of documents should be interpreted as simulated
actions, to be executed by the appearance of the paratroopers at the head-
quarters location and their return to friendly lines. T.he paratrooper
detachment, as Moshkovskiy later put it, accomplished this difficult mission
"better than required."
...At dawn,practically in total darkness, 11 paratroopers, armed with ca;:-
bines and smoke pots ~.n place of hand grenades, secured to the parachute
rigging, jumped from the cabin of an ANT-9 tri.motor passenger aircraft
fr~m a height of 250 meters. They landed without mishap at the edge of 3
forest behind "B lue Force" lines, where they were met by two scouts, who
had been dispatched to the area in advance by the "Red Force" command.
Swiftly packing their parachutes into the pouches and leaving them in an
improvised shelter in the forest prepared by the scouts, the paratroopers
proceeded through the forest to a road and set up an ambush.
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A truck soon appeared. The paratroopers, brandishing carbines, jumped out
onto the road. The vehicle screeched to a halt. It was running empty. As
luck would have it, there was a tarpaulin in the back of the truck. Order-
, ing the driver to lie 3own on the truck bed, tht paratroopers lay down
- alongside him and covered themselves with the tarpaulin. ~
~ Moshkovskiy took the wheel. Following a route suggested by the scouts, he
drove his detachment without challenge to a village on the outskirts of
wh:Cch was lo~ated "Blue Force" division headquarters, in a new, flag-
adorned house. They had no ~ifficulty taking the sentry who was guarding
the headquartErs.
The paratroopers caught the headquarters staff personnel literally in their
beds. The only one up was the duty officer. Ordering the totally-uncom- `
prehen~ing staff personnel to stay where they were, Moshkovskiy introduced
himself: "I am commander of the 'Red Force' paratrooper detachment. I want
you to give me the keys to the safe, now."
The '~risoners " recovered from their shock.
"So that's it," replied one of them. "Well, I congratulate you. But there
is nothing in the safe."
_ Guessing that the audacious "prisnner" was the chief of staff, Moshkovskiy,
ignoring his protests, extracted keys from the pocket of trousers hanging
on the head of his bed and opened the safe. Removing from the safe two
file folders containing oxders and directives of the commanding general of -
the "Blue Force," he stuffed them under his shirt.
Having cut the telephone and telegraph wires and marking "destruction" ot
the headquarters with ignited smoke pots, the bold paratroopers crawled
back under the tarpaulin and drove the truck by dirt roads to a tract of
forest which extended right up to the "battle" lin.e. They abandoned the
truck, having left the driver back at headquarters, on the road, and plunged
into the forest.
Moshkovskiy and his paratroopers succeeded in crossing over to "Red Force"
lines before onset of darkness. Within 24 hours after departure, his detach-
ment returned to its home airfield, in full strength and good health.
To Moshkovskiy's real disappointment, the captur~d documents fai~.ed to evoke
any particular enthusiasm on the part of the senior commanders. Maneuver
supervision headquarters ordered that the file folders and operational
documents be sent back ~.mmediately to their owners, in spite of the late-
ness of the hour. The absence of these documents could paralyze the opera-
tions of the "B~ue Force" division for a certain time. But they had done
their job....
On the following morning A. I. Kork, coum~anding general of the military -
_ district, arrived at the airfield and conducted a detailed critique of the
- airborne assault operation.
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Receiving Moshkovskiy's report, which was interspersed with jokes and
amusing comparisons, the commanding general kept shaking his head, alter-
nating between approval and reproach. Then, presenting his evaluation of
the ~peration, he thanked all membera of the assault force fcr their bold
and resolute actions behind "aggressor" lines. Particularly noting the
ingenuity and keenness of wit of the detachment commander, he then
proceeded to chew him out for removing documents from the safe, for cut-
ting communications, for the smoke "effect" at headquarters, and for
_ other violations of the "games" rules adopted at the maneuvers. =
This dressing down somewhat grieved Moshkovskiy, but in his heart he did -
not change his opinion about the "games" rules. Soon after the critique
he walked over to his "hoppers" and, making an extremely funny face, shook -
his finger at them: "Don't you ever forget it: no good deed goes un- `
punished!"
The second experiment in employing parachutes in a military operation
clearly demonstrated that airborne assaults cou'ld occupy an important
place in contemporary warfare as a means of disorganizing enemy troop con-
trol and encircling enemy forward units with the element of surprise.
The USSR Revolutionary Military Council, attaching enormous significance
to the development of airborne activities in the RKKA [Workers' and
Peasants' Red Army], noted the first steps taken in this area at the ex~
perimental-demonstration exercise in Voronezh and at the Moscow Military
District troop maneuvers near Moscow. In its decree on RKKA combat train-
ing results in the 1929/30 training year and tasks for 1931, it noted
that these steps constituted important achievements of the Air Force. And -
the section entitled "Tasks for 1931" contained instructions that"airborne
operations should be thoroughly studied from a technical and tactical ~
standpoint by RKKA Headquarters, and the latter shall iasue appropriate
instructions to local headquarters."*
This historic document constitutes juridical evidence of the birth of the
Soviet Army Airborne Troops, which, under the guidance of the Communist
Party of the Soviet Union, soon became a mighty and potent force of our
- homeland. -
Difficult Roads (From the Diary of a Veteran Paratrooper)
Col (Ret) M. V. Boytsov, Former Commander of the lst Airborne Brigade
In the summer of 1930, at the initiative of the commanding general of the ~
Leningrad Military District, M. N. Tukhacheskiy, an airborne service
design office was established at Moscow's Central Airfield, under the
direction of experienced pilot and gifted experimenter P. I. Grokhovskiy.
* Central State Archives of the Soviet Army, Fund~29, List 50, File 109,
Sheet 19.
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I became well acquainted with Pavel Ignat'yevich. Thin, light-haired, of
medium stature and with piercing blue eyes, of an impetuous nature, he com-
bined boldness with profoimd thinking. Everybody lc~ved and respected
Grokhovskiy for his a~azing initiative and persistence in attaining a goal.
His field of creative activity was immense, while his practical resources
~ were extremely limited. It was n?cessary to pinpoint the principal and
� essential in order, with the support of his work team, successfully to
accomplish the assigned tasks.
...This time the design office was assigned the following task: to come up _
with a method of executing mass parachute ~umps from the TB-ltwin-engine
bomber. Following thorough discussion of all pros and cons, and after
_ nimmerous calculations, Grokhovskiy and his colJ_eagues finally reached an
original conclusion. Since it was impossible to acco~odate a large num-
ber of paratroopers in the cal;in of this aircraft, it was decided to place
them in underwing cradles which could be inverted when desired by the
pilot. The parachute would be automatically opened. -
In order to demonstrate the safety of this method of dropping paratroopers,
- Grokhovskiy gave permission for design office dr3ftsman. Lida Kuleshova to
make a jump on 9 July 1931 together with other paratroopers, with k~is own
wife, Lida Grokhovskaya, to j~p f.ive days later. Kuleshova and
Grokhovskaya became the Soviet Union's first female parachutists.
On 27 September of that same year, at a meeting of higher command person-
nel of the Leningrad Military District, attended by People's Commissar
for Military and Naval Affairs K. Ye. Voroshilov, Air Force Commander
Ya. I. Alksnis, and the new Commander of the Leningrad Military District,
I. P. Belov, a drop employing this technique was made at Gatchina Airfield,
the jt~p team consisting of 24 Red Army volunteers from Ye. D. Lukin's
mechanized detachment.
The mechanized detachment, established earlier in the Leningrad Military
District, was redesignated sp ecial airborne mechanized detachment, as a
laboratory for training and indoctrination of a new combat arm winged
infantry, to be based at Detskoye Selo.
I was named commander-commissar of this detachment, V. A. Tel'kunov was
named deputy commander for political affairs, and I. P. Chernov was
designated chief of staff. The airborne mechanized detachment consisted
of a parachute ba.ttalion with independent reconnaissance and combat en-
gineer platoons, a mechanized battalion, an artillery battalion, and two
squadrons of TB-1 aircraft, one R-5 squadron, and several U-2s for liaison.
The majority of command personnel ot this detachment were young people
lacking special training. But all of us were enthusiastic about this new
_ and unconventional combat arm, and we worked hard to justify the trust
which had been placed in us.
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~ An affiliate of Grokhovsk~y's design office, under the direction of his
assistant, I. V. Titov, was established in Leningrad on orders by I. P.
Belov, for the purpoae of conducting scientific research activ~.ties in the
air detachment. '
During the year of its exiatence the special-role sir detachment, regularly
performing practice jumps from a jump tower designed by Grokhovskiy and
from aircraft, mastered utilization of a Grokhovskiy-designed parachute
- made of cutton fabric rather than silk. ThE paratroopers boldly and con-
f idently j umped with this parachute in airborne assault operations day or
- night, year-round.
All personnel displayed considerable innovative initiative in developing
new airborne assault techniques, new gear and equipment. At the sug-
gestioz of the air detachment's co~anders and men, P. I. Grokhovskiy's
design off ice designed and fabricated soft airborne sacks to be slung
under the R-5 aircraft and designed to carry various arms. Each sack ac-
commodated 3,000 rounds of a~unition, 25 hand grenades, a Maxim machine-
gun, and other armament, as well as rations. The procedure of employment
_ of the soft airborne assault sacks was specified in special provisional
regulations.
In the summer of 1932 detachment headquarters drew up and conducted a num- -
ber of experimental exercises, including on the topics: "Breaking Out of
Encirclement" and "Captuiing ~nemy Military Installations and Holding Them ,
. Until the Arrival of Friendly Ground Troops." These actually formed the
beginning of elaboration of airborne operation ta.r_tics.
The results of combat training of the special-role airborne mechanized
- detachment earned high marks from K. Ye. Voroshilov, People's Commissar
_ for Military and Naval Affairs and Chairman of the USSR Revolutionary Mili-
_ tary Council.
~
The order contained thanks to all enlisted men, commanders and political
workers of the airborne detachment for the work they had accomplished and _
the success they had achieved in mastering the new combat resources, which
strengthen the might of the Red Army. Thanks were also expressed to the
_ detachment's co~nander-co~issar and his deputy for political affairs,
V. A. Tel'kunov, and to design office chief P. I. Grokhovskiy for or-
_ ganizational and technical assistance to the detac~:ment in setting up
training facilities, in parachute training methods and employment of air-
borne assault delivery and support equipment.
We shouZd particularly like to mention that important role played in es-
tablishment of our Airborne Troops by outstanding Soviet military com-
mander Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevskiy. -
In June 1931 he was named De?uty Chairman of the Republic Revolutionary
Military Council for Armament Affairs. An innovator in developing and
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utiliz ing new equipment for the army and navy, Tukhachevskiy was dis-
t_inguished b~ a resoluteness and farsightedness. These qualities were
manifeste:.'.. in full measure in his work on development of the parachute
t roops at that time, to which he devoted constant attention.
This was a new and unconventional activity. Airborne equipment was in the
incipient development stages, and it was nece~~=ary to seek out the best
and safest forms and methods of its utilization. In addition, practical
t esting of bold innovative thought involved risk and responsibility for
human lives and for the safety of airdropped ne~; equipment.
Tukhachevskiy appreciated the inventive and the bold, and he always gave _
them concrete assistance. In p~rticular, he strongly supported
Grokhovskiy's initiative which involved dropping personnel and cargo from
a TB-1 aircraft employing a totally new method without parachutes, on
a specially designed airbus built in his design office, and he later was `
- p ersonnally present at the testing of this new equipment an airbus
- with which Grokhovskiy himself and his assistant Titov made a successful
j ump .
- Running ahead, let us note that the principle of dropping cargc from an
~ aircraf t without a parachute from low altitude was extensively employed in
the Great Patriotic War, especially in assisting partisans.
Tukhachevskiy attached exceptional importance to paratrooper training in
the RKKA a.nd endeavored to make it a mass activity. At his suggestion
Grokhflvskiy's design office built a device to open a parachute suto-
matically. This device was tested by Pilot A. D. Shirinkin at the
Srednyaya Rogatka Airfield near Pulkovo, ~umping from an U-2 aircraft from
heights of 1,~00 and 600 meters. The device performed perfectly.
Thus was born technical equipment for the winged infantry.
With establishment of the special-role airborne brigade (based on an air- _
b orne mechanized detachment), it was necessary to resolve a basic problem
how to accomplish mass jumps. Because of its design and interior layout,
the TB-1 aircraft accommodated only a two-man cockpit and a gunner's
t urret. Once again Grokhovskiy's design office came to the rescue. They
d esigned and built a plywood cabin which was attached under the fuselage
of the TB-1. The cabin was of weight and dimensions which did not dis- _
turb the aircraft's aerodynamic properties. It easily accommodated 13 men
wearing two practice parachutes each. The paratroopers were positioned in
t~ao lines of six men each. The instructor was positioned in the forward
_ part of the cabin.
At the designated altitude and at the designated location, the instructor
would open the hatch and give the prelima_nary co~and: ''Prepare to ~ump!"
that is, place the right hand on the rip c.ord ring. Having checked that
his men were in the ready position, the instructor would command: "Go!"
One af ter the other, the men would drop through the hatch and pull the
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rip ,cord after a three count. The men easily memoriz~ed and �~r~cisely
executed a11 these requirements and commands at the moment of the jump.
People's Commissar of Heavy IndusCry S. Ordzhonikidze, who displayed con-
stant concern for atrengthening our army's combat might, took an interest
in this innovative airborne equipment. In the summer of 1932 he was
present at a test of this cabin. Eleven paratroopers, led by Grokhovskiy,
made a jump from this cabin at the Central Airfield. Sergo Ordzhonikidze
warmly congratulated the paratroopera on their successful ,jump and, after
inspecting the cabin, stated: "This is fine for a atart!"
At the end of October 1932 I w~~s sent to Moscow for the purpose of
settling a number of matters at Grokhovskiy's design off ice. Pavel
Ignat' yevich greeted me with a=; r,yous cry: "Speak of the devil! I was
just thinking about you. You ~~ave come just at the right time. We'll
show you how we have carried out Comrade Voroshilov's assignment."
The task was as follows. In the pa~t heavy loads dropped from an aircraft
would tear the supnly dropping parachutea as they deployed. Kliment
Yefremovich requested that'Grokhovskiy's design office make i.mprovements
in the design of the supply dropping parachutes they were then employing.
"Look," Grokhovskiy continued, "two airplanes are waiting for us on the
f ield. "
I guessed what it :aas all about, but nevertheleas asked him to explain.
,
"We have solved the problem of dropping heavy loada by parachute without
damaging the equipment," replied Grokhovskiy. "It is a very aimple
technique: in the past we have fir~t released the load, which would drag
out the parachute, ripping it with the dynamic impact effect. Now you will
see exactly the reverse first we drop out the parachute which, opening,
pulls out the load and smoothly carries it to the ground without impact.
The main thing is that with this techniq~ue we can drop supplies from a
height of 200 meters, and this is extremely valuable, since it increases
the chances of a drop not being detect~:d. We shall go with the R-5, which
will f ly a parallel course with the TB-1, from which the drop will be made
on October Field by the banks of the Muscow River, and we shall see what -
- happens."
Grokhovskiy's confidence was infectious, but nevertheless I asked him -
whether the parachute woul.d not become entangled in the aircraft's
- stabilizer while opening?
.
"It can't," he replied, smiling. "As you see, the parachute is secured not
in the forward part of thefuselage but in the middle. When it is dropped
out of the aircraft the parachute plunges downward under its own weight,
freeing the suspension lines, and parachute fu~.l deployment should take
place aft of and below the stabilizer, when the aircraft is already outside
~ its sphere of influence." _
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"Do you have permission for this test from Alksnis?" I asked.
j "No, but he advised us to talk to an aerodynamicist and check everything
~ out carefully, but time is marching on. Particularly since Tukhachevskiy
- gave his approval of the supply dxop method and gave his permission. We
~s must test this method in action." And, taking me by the arm, he added:
' "It's time to get gaing!"
_ Swayed by his arg~ents, I followed him on board the aircraft.
At 1530 hours the aircraft raere in the air. The autumn sun illuminated
Serebryanyy Bor and the vast expanses around it. Beyond the woods, by
the Moscow River, the aircraft circled and, at a height of ?.00 meters,
_ headed out over the harvesfied fields. My heart palpitating, my gaze fol-
lowed the TB-1.
A dark spot separated from it, swiftly, almost instantaneously transfo~rming
into the fluttering cloth of an opening parachute. In a semi-horizontal
attitude to the rear of the aircraft, the parachute jerke~ out a sand-
filled steel drum weighing 1,000 kilograms and, softly catching it,
proceeded gradually swinging into a vertical position and smoothly
- descending groundward. ~
A vehicle carrying a team to inspect the load and parachute was hurrying
out toward the poi.nt of landing.
- Grokhovskiy, giving me a thumbs-up gesture, his face beaming, dove the ,
gircraft, buzzed the field, pulled up eharply into a steep climb over the
gilt cross on a church, and turned the aircraft back toward his home
field.
- The inspection team gave a favorable report on the new method of dropping -
heavy loads. Tukhachevskiy congratulated Pavel Ignat'yevich and his team
on their triumph of innovation, while Alksnis had every intention of
reprimanding the impatient inventor for his failure to follow orders, but
Tukhachevskiy reminded him that "nobody judges the victor."
We utilized the new`drop method in the special-role brigade when parachute-
dropping equipment at our exercises and became convinced that the low drop -
height anst~.res concealment of the drop.
On 24 September 1933 M. N. Tukhachevskiy conducted an experimental-demon- _
stration airborne assault on the Strugi Krasnyye artillery range near
Luga, on the training topic "Attack Behind a Moving Barrage."
...In order to delay the withdrawal of a defending "aggressor" force from
the first and second lines and to prevent the approach of reserves from
the rear for a counterattack, a 30-man armed airborne assault force (two
platoons) was dropped between the second and third defensive lines. -
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Three TB-1 aircraft caxrying three platoons of paratroopers armed with
Tokarev light machineguns and one R-5 aircraft carrying PD-MM (airdrop
flexible bags) carrying ammunition and hand grenades were redeployed to
Karamyshenskiy Airfield from the special-role brigade to mount this opera-
tion.
The operation involved the participation of two TB-1 aircraft with two
platoons of paratroopers, and the R-5 aircraft. The first, 14-man,
platoon was led by V. A. Andreyev, chief of the headquarters operations
section, while the second platoon, 16 men, was led by his assistant, M. F.
Borisov. The third TB-1 aircraft was kept in reserve at Karamyahenskiy
Airfield.
Andreyev and Borieov were b~iefed on the mission one hour before ~epar-
ture. During this time they thoroughly studied the situation by map and
briefed the paratroopers on the mission. Both aircraft took off on
schedule.
There was a low overcast, with strong, gusting winds. The paratroopers
- were to be dropped from a height of 700 meters into a very limited section
of the "aggressor's" third defensive line. In addition, the area contained
many tree stumps, making landing difficult for the paratroopers.
But even under these difficult conditions the paratroopez�s were helped by
their proficiency, combined with calculated risk and boldness. Skillfully
controlling their parachutes in the air, maneuvering with jeweler's
precision between trees and stumps, they landed without injury. Swiftly
taking up an attack position, the paratroopers opezied volley f ire from
the rear on the "aggressor" second defensive line. Stunned by the un-
expected appearance of the assault force and its devastating attack, the
"aggressor" was forced to surrender....
- The well-organized airborne assault landing and the force's smoothly-co-
ordinated combat actions delighted all command personnel present at the
operation.
Tukhachevskiy questioned the paratrQOpers in detail on how they felt and
gave a detailed critique of the operation. He gave it a high mark and
expressed thanks to the members of the assault team and the brigade com-
mand.
But the more we mastered airborne activities, the clearer it became that
there was much we did not know.
" The main difficulty lay in the fact that we had to work without any
manuals or textbooks for working out airborne operation tactics. But the
skills and experience we acquired suggested to us that the character of
airborne assault force ac~ions would depend in large measure on activeness,
resoluteness, initiative and independence on the part of small subunit
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commanders and paratroopers. Toward this end we put out a paratrooper's
guide, which was of interest to all personnel of the airborne brigade and
which served as an important help in further paratrooper training. ~
~ Our daily activities, directed toward increasing the brigade's operational
efficiency, influenced the attitude of the men and aroused in them _
creative initiative, courage, affection for their difficult calling,
and resolve to crush any enemy who would encroach upon the freedom and
independence of our homeland.
The experience of the first airborne units was extensively utilized during
the Great Patriotic War against the fascist invaders and helped achieve
our great victory. Paratrooper veterans are sincerely pleased that their
difficult labors were not in vain. But life does not stand sti11 it _
requires more and more new.knowledge and new heights of expertise. The
experience of the first airborne units and combined units, enriched by
the experience of the last war and the postwar period, will promote
further improvement of the combat proficiency of the fighting men of our
glorious Airborne Troops an inseparable component part of the heroic
Soviet Army.
On Guard
Heroism His Profession
Aleksandr Kuleshov, writer
I have met many heroes in the past, while looking for the most ordinary
people (I later realized that there is no such thing as "the most .
ordinary people," that everybody is remarkable in some way). I have
met a lad sick with pneumonia, a lad who, without thinking, ran outside
barefoot and in freezing weather, and jumped into an icy stream to save
somebody's life. I have met a man who fearlessly entered a blazing
building to rescue others. I have met still another who, beaten and
knife - slashed, ran his aircraft into the ground in order to kill himself
_ and destroy the criminals who were attempting to skyjack his airplane....
All these people were heroes. They were all different persons, persons of
different occupations. They were united by one thing a special flame,
a flame of high sense of duty, was burning in the heart of each. Their
lives could have gone on quietly and without incidents, without that flame
_ flaring up brightly. But finding themselves face to face with a danger .
threatening other people's lives and society, they could not act other-
wise, and they performed heroic deeds.
Honor and praise to these people, a deep bow to the~! -
But there are also other people. They are even mor~e rare, very few in
number. Heroism is their profession.
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They perform heroic deeds many timea in thair livQa~ rver,y day. and if not
every day every week, every month. Each and every month of their lite.
Such is their profession. They knew from the very outset where they were
going, and they proceeded to do so with complete awareness.
- There are surely few such profesaions. In this artic3a we shall he dis-
cussing parachute testers. It is an amazing pmf:e~ssion primarJly because of its
humanity, for the overwhelming majority of tests, perhaps all of them,
pursue a single task saving human lives.
In the air a person be he pilot, cosmonauti, paratrooper, firefighter,
or athlete will encounter conditions where he must ~ump with a para-
chute. This jump must be as safe as possible, regardless of the condi-
tions under which it begins and er,ds. The finest engineering-design
minds are working on improvi:~g the parachute, this rescue device which
keeps a person from smashing into the ground.
All new parachutes, safety, parachute deployment, fastening and control
systems are tested, for the purpose of saving people's lives. And when a
new parachute leaves the drawing board, workshop, and plant shop, the
tester comes and gives his determining word. His principal task is to
discover a shortcoming, a design error, which could cause failure, for in
this business, failuxe means a person's death. And the tester discovers
and establishes such a def ect or error on himself, through his own ex-
perience, during his own jumps. Essentially his success, performance of
his mission is discovery of mistakes. If he fails to discover a mistake
in time, that is at the moment of testing, people will die. By discover-
ing a mistake, he averts this danger.
But at what price? After a11, he himself may become the first victim of
a mistake. This is why the tester examines and studies a new device for '
a long time and painstakingly, beginning practically with the blueprints,
and the device itself is tested himdreds if not thousands of times before
the tester tries it hi.mself.
The tester is like a scientist who inoculates hi.mself with a deadly disease
in order to test a newly-discovered serum. No matter how many tests were -
performed prior to this, the scientist deliberately takes a risk for the
sake of the benefit of manki.nd.
But a plague vaccine is born once in a century, while parachutes are
tested hundreds of times....
Take Yevgeniy Nikolayevich Andreyev, for example, whom I was visiting in _
his apartment, in a picturesque area outside of Moscow, where the air is
heavy with the aroma of evergreens in the summer, while in the winter ski
trails, glistening in the sun, track through the snowy whiteness. Andreyev _
has tested approximately 200 parachute models, has jumped from more than `
50 different types of aircxaft, and has made almost 3,000 jumps.
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Three thousand times! I cluck my tongue in admiration but, noting a fleet-
ing smile on Andreyev's face, I realize that in the final analysis it is
not a question of quantity. There is a difference between jumps. It is
one thing to jump as a novice out c,f a fat AN-2 from a height of 800
meters, and it is another thing altogether to ~ump from the stratosphere.
And yet "one ,jump" is atill recorded in the log.
We talked about the job of parachute tester. We engaged in a heated
debare. I argued that it is more dangerous than the profession of (this is
becoming a profession in our time) cosmonaut after all, a cosmonaut
performs his deed periodically, only one or two times, while ~he parachut~e
tester jumps hundreds of times. Andreyev disagreed. I asserted that his
profession was more dangerous than that of a test pilot, because when it
becomes obvious that the plane being tested is going down, the pilot will
eject, and for him a j~p with a reliable parachute which has been tested
a hundred times is a guaxantee of safety. But it was precisely Andreyev
who tested that reliable, hundred-time tested parachute. He tested it
when it was pretnature to talk of reliability! But Andreyev again objected.
An old story! No matter how much you talk with a person who has performed
a deed, he will always argue and, it seems, fails to comprehend the
significance of what he has done. I must admit that I once suspected that
this was more for show, the magnanimous winner appraising his victory. I
later realized that I had been in error. And I decided that it was modesty,
- the plain modesty of a person who has been generously endowed with talents
and good qualities. That is a fact.
...Andreyev views his job as quite commonplace. It contains, just as any
other job, remarkable, atzractive aspects, and of course it also contains
deficiencies. Everything does.
Several times Andreyev began talking about how wonderful it is to be in
the outdoors: fishing, the smell of the forest and warm rain, birds at
dawn.... He changed entirely at such a moment beamin.g, gesticulating,
enthusiastic. This is really interesting! 'This is great!
I had difficulty returning him to talk about his profession. Well, of
course it is an interesting ~ob, but every job is interesting; take his
wife, Valentina Vladimirovna, for example. She is an accountant. I
cautiously explained that at the moment I was interested in the job of
tester, which did not mean that accountants are less useful to society.
By no means.
With a sigh, Andreyev returned to his profession. He compared it with
medicine. The tasks are the same to save lives. I agreed, while
adding to myself the thought that those doctors and nurses in the medical
profession usually do not risk their lives.
As is fitting, although I had different ob~ectives, I asked the "inter-
viewee" for "brief biographical highlights." On the whole I was well
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acquainted with them much has been written about Andreyev. But no
matter how much yau read, a person wi11 always re7.ate something that he
had forgotten to relate to others or about which for souae reaeon they have
not written.
He is in his fifties. An age at which even the most durable athletes and -
ballet saloists have long been in retirement. But he is still working.
He is just as strong, powerful, magnif~cently built as he was when he was
playing soccer, hockey, and skating. Even today he wi11 spend huurs play-
ing volleyball or table tennis.
Years.... And yet he must withstand physical, force loads which would be
beyond the comprehension of a left wing for Pakhtakor. And he withstands
them, although he has had experiences follo~rl.ng which many would end up in
a wheelchair. But he keeps jtmmping.
How about his reflexes, his reaction speed? Andreyev grins. His reflexes
have not let him down yet. And later, when they begin to weaken, they will
be compensated by amassed experience and constant merciless practice....
According to official records he was born in Novosibirsk. But his mother
claimed that he was born in Berdsk. Berdsk? Where is that? "On the
bottom of a reservoir," he laughed. Indeed, there was a town called
Berdsk not far from Novosibirsk. Today it is covered by the Ob' Reservoir
a town under water. It is true that a new Berdsk has sprung up on the
shore, but he was born in the old one.
He spent time in a children's home, attended a trade school, and worked as
a lathe operator at a Urals defense plant. The war came. He tried to get
to the... front. En route he was removed from the train and sent back.
- But then he was conscripted into the ariay in 1944. Initially the future
parachutist served in the infantry, and later went to flight school.
Andreyev did not become a pilot, but it was there where he first became
acqiiainted with a parachute (in his youth he had built model gliders and
airplanes). Together w~.th the other first-~ear men, he serviced
"ducklet"-airplanes, as they called the UTK-4. Once a lieutenant came to
the ai�~-plane and d~aerfully asked the new men who wanted to fly. Andreyev
volunteered, while the others were sure that the lieutenant was joking.
_ Andreyev himself up to the last minute did not believe his good fortune. _
But it was true. They put a parachute on him and ordered him to climb in-
- to the cockpit it wa~ a little two-seater, open-cockpit. They strapped
him in. And off they went! _
The lieutenant had a job to do he was testing out the "ducklet." He
f lew all kinds of fancy maneuvers! When they returned to the field, the
lieutenant clapped Andreyev on the shoulder "Nice going, lad." Andreyev,
a bit pale, after all, it was his first time up broke into a wide smile.
He then removed his parachute, on which he had sat during the entire flight.
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This was their first meeting the neatly--folded silk canopy and the lad
f rom maintenance, who wasto become in the future one of the world's out- r
standing parachute testers.
Later their second acquaintance took place. Andreyev was ~umping from a
small Po-2, from 800 metere. Spellbound, he atared at the earth as it -
sped toward him, an unusual sight from this perspective. Entranced, he
f orgot to turn into the wind, and plopped down into a plowed field.
Andreyev became a parachute rigger, and did more jumping than the others.
He especially liked to delay opening his parachute, although in those days
the free fall did not last long. But even today, he confessed to me,
skydiving is his favorite exercise. He used the word "exercise," as if
he were talking about doing knee bends or pullups during physical training.
It would be appropriate at this point to state just what a parachute
rigger is. To be quite honest, I thought that it was a conscientious, -
reliable soldier or gr~py reenlistee pedantic, careful who will
not let you down, knows what to secure where and how to fold what, for
packing a parachute is a most important ~ob, on which the life of one's
comrade depends.
As it turns out, he is not quite what I had imagined. The parachute
rigger is an energetic young fellow, who is thoroughly knowledgeable not
only about the parachute, its design and construction, packing procedures,
etc, knows not only how to handle it on the ground but also what to do in
the air. As it turns out, riggers are frequently asniring tester can-
didates. They do a lot of jumping, ask a lot of questions, and love their
j ob. Working at their jobs, it would seem that they are going through a
tester probation period. When the time comes, they become testers, taking
the place of the retiring veterans. Such was the case with Andreyev. At
flying school he made 29 jumps, for those times and conditions a:Eair num-
ber. He had no desire for a pilot's career, for he had been bitten by the
incurable "parachute bug," and already had experienced the rapture of free
flight, about which man had dreamed for centuries and which we mere morta]s
experience mostly in our dreams....
And later, when times changed and Andreyev was once again summoned to
school and given the opportunity to g�raduate, he turned them down. At
that time he was already employed at the establishment with which he had
linked his fu*_ure ca~eer. A colonel, surrounded by honor and respect....
This was now. But at the time he was 22 years old, in 1948, when he made
his first real teat jump and his hundredth overall ~ump. We shall con-
sider this the third acquaintance, because Andreyev was encountering
for the first time a real test jump. All subsequent ~umps, no matter how
complex, were a continuation of the acquaintance.
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There is no reason for or possibility of relating all the test jumps which
Yevgeniy Nikolayevich has made. Particularly since many are widely known
and have been described. And not only as scientific experiments but also
as examples of boundless courage, heroism, amazing composure and iron
tenacity. _
I 5ha11 mention only a few of them, those which will help me illustrate C
what I have in mind, to prove the statement contained in the title of this
sketch.
The first test jump.... Today many pilots could not tell you what the Tu-4
aircraft looked like, but at the time it was a new model, and it was neces-
sary to determine how the aircrew should abandon the aircraft in case of
emergency.
It was time to jump. Emerging from a side hatch was also unusual. And at
an airspeed of 300 kilometers per hour, fairly fast for a jump in those
days. The signal was given, and Andreyev proceeded with the experiment.
It turned out that it was i:~possible to get through ~he narrow hatch with
both parachutes thP main and reseave. It was necessary to put the
reserve chute it was on the chest out first, and then tinnble out
with the main chute on his back. Andreyev proceeded to do this, and... got
stuck. The airstream was bending the tester's body, pressing his trunk
against the fuselage, while his legs and the main chute remained inside
the aircraft. Not a pleasant predicament. And the outside air temperature
was minus 30 degrees Celsius, violent wind, that is, the airstream, and no
longer an open field below, but forest....
- Andreyev extricated himself fram his predicament with honor, or rather
_ scrambled out. It was difficult, requiring not only strength, agility,
and body flexibility, but also firmness, mental confidence, required com-
posure and quickness of wit, and the ability instantly to make decisions
and instantly to execute them.
~ Anyway, it was impossible to j~p in this manner. Something had to be
changed, like widening t~he hatch, for example. The designers down on the
ground must be given the data, the information which will ena~l~ them to
refine the design, making it po~sible for a wounded pilot, for example,
to abandon ship, and reacl~ the ground alive. Therefore all these minutes
of struggle with the icy wind above the yawning abyss, when muscles were
straining to the breaking point and veins popping, when one's ears were ~
filled with ringing and infernal noise, with stars before one's eyes, a
single thought beat in his brain: how to avoid the fatal danger, how to
overcome the difficulties which had arisen during testing, for the sake of
the lives of others, on behalf of ~ahom he was performing the test. And
therefore at the ~~st critical moment the tester's brain, ju~t like a
finely-tuned instrument, works particularly intensively, swiftly and in-
novatively, records problems and miscalculations, mapping out ~*ays to
correct them.
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At this point I should like to speak about what in my opinion is the main
thing which makes the profession of tester such a highly humanitarian
proi~ssion, a profession so infinitely permeated by love of inan and a
profe~:sion so easential for mankind.
No matter how brave, skillful or able a parachutist a parachute tester
may be (and .f course any tester in his field), he is first and foremost
a scientist. t~a skill can take the place of an analytical mind, keenness
of obs~rvaticn, and logical thou~rt process. No matter how remarkably a
test :nay be c~~nducted, it is useless if it ha:~ given nothing to others,
does not help improve, confirm or, on the contrary, even eliminate a
design ;ahich was previously produced at the cost of such labor and effort.
The tester is a scientist.... But he does not sit at a microscope in a
white smock; he does not bend over a drawing board, nor does he put his
ear to the trembling body of a machine. He does not sit in his laboratory
until the first light of dawn, wreathed in tobacco smoke, analyzing for
the thousandth time the results of an experi.ment, without concern for his
own lif e and health if the experiment proves negative.
The parachute tester has seconds, and sometimes only fractions of a
second for evaluation and analysis of his experiment. Of course there are
instruments, photographs, records, visual observation, and subsequent
tests. Of course a large part of his experiments does not involve sub-
stantial risk (although any new development, when we are dealing with
flight, be it an aircraft or parachute, always contains a certain degree
of risk). Of course long and thorough preparations are made. But never-
theless the tester has the deciding word.
"Yes, it is a complex profession," stated Andreyev. "But you become ac-
customed to everything."
Accustomed? To what? To anxious days and nights? To constant risk? To
the silent anxiety of loved ones? �
I shall mention the following incident. A mishap occurred during a
routine test: Andreyev broke his leg. The accident occurred in the air.
In spite of the excruciating pain, he was able to complete the test and
to land. At this point he lost consciousness. From the medical stand-
point the wisest course of action in this situation was amputation. But
it seems that there are people for whom the medical point of view is
powerless. A great deal of work was done on the leg. An operation which
lasted 20 hours, 40 shattered bone fragments removed from the leg, long
months of immobility with the leg in traction, and more months of immobility
in a cast, followed by crutches, learning to move, learning to walk, and
the first, most elementary athletic exercises.... A great deal of work
was done. ,
i
But when the amazed doctors of the medical determination board saw
before them the "patient" performing exercises on gymnastic apparatus
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which are within the capability only of masters of sport, performing
somersaults and flips... there was nothing they could do but shrug their
shoulders and sign the ~ump approval document.
They saw with their own eyes that the "Story About a Real Man" was written -
not about just one individual....
And Andreyev continued jumping and performing wonders, became a hero,
although that which we have described above was also a miracle, and to be
able to take all this it was necessary to be not only courageous but also to
possess endless love of his 3ob.
"You become accustom~d to everything," Andreyev says. Perhaps one can be-
come accustomed to everything to danger, and to risk. But one must
really love one's ~rofession!
"For me," said Andreyev, "there is no greater happiness than to see a per-
son accomplish a mission, make a safe jump, save his life with the aid of
devices which I have tested. It is for the sake of this that you are
working and living!"
- And now briefly on a few tests, simply for the sake of illustration.
...Andreyev (he was the first, incidentally) was testing ejection from an
aircraft flying at supersonic speed. He pulled on the lever, and the com-
plex system actuated. During the ej ection procedure everything was cal-
culated with incredible precision. Each and every action, each and every
_ motion. Everything took place within an instant. The canopy was e~ ected,
followed by the pilot's seat, to which the pilot was firmly and flexibly
secured. The seat was nvw in the sir, continuing by inertia to fly at
an enormous speed; the stabilizer actuated, and the seat asstmmed an
attitude which protected the pilot against an excessive Crload. Then the
pilot pressed a control, releasing the bindings. The seat separated,
he ~erked the rip cord, his parachute opened, and the pilot descended
to the ground unharmed.
No problems. But this is when everything operates flawlessl}r, when no
equipment failures can occur, and all unexpected surprises Y~ave been ~aavided frx. ~
In order for this to come to pass, it is necessary not only to design and
- build a device t~ut also to test it. anly when it has been thoroughly
tested time.and again can one be sure that everything will work. The
pilot knows this, has total confidence in the device and, in case of ~
emergency, has no hesitation about pushing the e~ection lever. He un-
hesitatingly places his life in the hands cf the inventors, designers, and
testers.
...The heavy seat, weighing 200 kilograms, to which Andreyev is secured,
ruts through the air with a shrill whistle. This part of the test has
been successful; the next part is to descend to an altitude of 5,000 meters
and press the handle, after which he will open his parachute.
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Andreyev is seized in a swirling rotation. Everything around him is
transformed into a whistling, flashing merry-go-round. His body becomes
_ leadan, and his head is about to burst.... He could push the release
handle and separate from the e~ ection seat, and all this would instantly
come to an end. But the altitude was 12,000 meters, and the e~ection aeat
muet be releaeed 7,000 meters lower. That ~s the point of the experiment.
And if he now fails to conduct the experiment to the end, how are they to
find out where the problem lies, whether it is random and correctable?
And if he does not run the test to the end now, what will happen to some-
body later, perhaps in total trust, who pushes the lever? The test must
- be conducted to completion, and if necessary, repeated time and time
again. Herein lies an astounding, ever-amazing feature of the tester's
job! Whistling, noise, thundering din around him, or dead silence, an
extremely high rate of rotation, fall, a body which weighs a ton, and arms
and legs ready to tear off. And only the mind of the scientist-experi-
menter is operating with precision. It aloue is calm, flawless, and clear.
It records and analyzes zverything.
Andreyev reaches the predetermined altitude, releases the ejection seat,
opens his parachute, and lands. He reports his observations and c4nclu-
sions. The designers immediately set to work, correcting and adjusting....
Here is another test. It took place long ago, to be sure. The question
to de~termine was whether, with greater aircraft speeds, they should employ
the same ejection system described above. They jumped at airspeeds oz
500 and 550 km/h. It worked, although the airstream tended to press the
pilot against the fuse~age. They jumped at a speed of 600-650 km/h. It
was like jumping into an onrushing wave coming at an immense velocity.
iJe ground people cannot really picture air which becomes dense, solid
matter. But it does indeed. The aircraft was flying at a speed of
670 kzn/h! Andreyev jumped. Successf~slly. And how can one say how many
lives he has saved with this testing? Seemingly a small experiment, but
- so important!
One more experiment, which will go down in the history of flying as unique
. and into the history of mankind as a great feat.
It was an unusual test, but the people conducting it were also unusual.
It was to be performed by Andreyev and his friend and colleague, famous
tester Petr Andreyevich Dolgov.
Everything on this flight was unusual. Each and every phase. If only
because it was takirb place not on an airplane, not on board a balloon,
but on a stratosphere balloon. The fact that they were to ascend to
an incon~eivablc~ altitude, where a person would not last a second without
a special suit, an experience which lay in stiore for the testers. The
fact that they were wearing such special suits: Andreyev one model, and _
Dolgov another. The fact that Andreyev would be free-falling a full
25 kilometers at a velocity of 900 kilometers per hour! And he would
not open his parachute until reaching a height of 80a meters from the
ground. Dolgov would descend these 25 kilometers by parachute in his
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isolating suit. A temperature of -61 degrees and a pressure of
18 mm Hg.
They ascended on board the stratosphere balloon "Volga." And they were
given a sendoff by the golden light of dawn, the distant morning mists,
and the silvery expanse of the great Russian r.iver for whi~ch their
stratosphere balloon was named.
Also present were businesslike sports commissars, engineers, designers,
as well as Colonel Romanyuk, himself a living legend of Soviet parachute
spor~.
The ascent took 2 hours and 20 minutes. And during all this time the -
peop],e on the ground knew what was taking place. The testers reported
all observations, all details which were important for those on the
ground to know, and these reports were entered as impassive 'lines on -
white sheets of paper.
= What is a VI~? It is a pressure suit. You have seen such a suit on
television, worn by high-altitude pilots. At extremely rarefied-
atmosphere altitude, when oxygen is fed from a device under considerable =
pressure into the lungs, the suit's function is to apply firm pressure
to the body, for otherwise the '~ody's internal pressure, which is im-
- measurably greater than external pressure, would si.mply burst the pilot's
lungs. In such an environment everything is backwards we exert an ef-
fort to breathe in, while we breathe out without effort, while in a
pressure suit an effort is required to expel air from the lungs. Qne must
spend a long time training and learning to do this. And add to that the
long, thorough preparations by Andreyev and Dolgov for this jum~. Andreyev
was ~ uanping in a VKIC. He ej ected, in order to create a G-load, in extreme- -
ly rarefied air.
Thus began this amazing parachute ~ump, which nobody has since repeated.
It was the 1500th jump for Andreyev. Except he was in free fall almost 3
minutes in the environment where the suit "was operating." Three minutes -
bear in mind that this is an entire round in a boxing match! Is that a
long or short time? Ask a boxer. Three minutes is longer than a record -
will take to play your favorite song. It is as long as it takes a subway
train to travel between two stations. During this time one can read three
or f our pages of a baok. Boxers "work," a song flows, and pages rustle....
While Andreyev is still dropping, still dropping practically from the
threshold of space. And finally, as he himself put it, he arrives "home,"
that is, to an altitude of I1 kilometers (the maximum altitude which you
and I would reach if we were to fly an IL-62 on vacation or a business
trip). At this altitude the VKK suit "releases" him, pressure is normal,
and he continues falling swiftly, but now under accustomed conditions, of
co~irse accustomed for him.
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- And then, less than 1,000 meters from the ground, his parachute deploys,
and he float: to earth, admiring tl:e landscape. There is a freshness, a
smell of earth in the air. It smells like Earth. It has its own
charscteristic smell, just as the sky does.
He lay on his back and gazed up into that same sky, out of which Dolgov _
was slowly descending on his parachuze. Swaying back and ferth under the
white canopy, he was ending his endless celestial journey.
�
The last one he was ever to take....
He died up there in the stratosphere, On Che outside of a balloon
gondola from which he had ~ust exited. It was a trivial happenstance,
a hole in his pressure suit the size of a pinhead, through which all his
- oxygen rushed instantaneously, as if sucked out by a giant leech....
I saw the ukase of the Presidium of the Supreme So-~iet awarding the title ~
Hero of the Soviet Union to Andreyev and Dolgov. An ukase specifying
award af this lofty title to Andreyev "with award of the Order of Lenin
and the G~ld Star medal," with merely announcement of the title for
Dolgov. There was nobody to whom it couldbe physically awarded, for the
- hero was no longer among the living.
But the cause of his death is known; it has been studied and has made it
possible to ensure that the tragedy is not repeated. And others are con- ~
tinuing his work. And his memory has notfaded and never will be erased.
It also continues to live on in that large portrait which always occupies
a place of honor on Andreyev's desk. In his personal gear a stopwatch,
an altimeter, and Dolgov's pressure suit, which wi11 be preserved forever
at the Airborne Troops Museum. In th~ Armed Forces Championship challenge
~up named after hi.m. ~n the memory of pilots, who are better aware than _
' anybody else what Dolgov had given his life fc.r, Dolgov who had been
awarded the Order of Lenin even prior to his last ju~p.
And finally, in his son Igor' , who finished Airborne ScY~oo1 after his =
' f ather' s death and who is now serving in the same unit in which his father
had served....
What about Andreyev'~ son? He has a son, Vladimir, who attended Ryazan' -
- Airborne Command School. And I was not surprised to see him there. I
would have been surprised if he were not.
_ He and I were sitting in my hotel room and talking. Volodya was attempting
to give his biagraphy. But he had none. Where would he get it from? He
_ was so young, and it was peacetime! But I am not worried. He will have a
biography, and what a biography. It could be no other way with the son of
such a father. But this will come later. Of course it is no simple _
matter *_o become a great parachute tester, seven-time world record holder, '
an honored master of sports, a colonel, and Hero of the Soviet Union, !
such as Yevgeniy Andreyev. But for Vladimir Andreyev, his father is a _
lodestar. He has someone to emulate, to live up to.
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HoF~ does his biography beg~.n? Perhaps with his booka. Volodya has read
a great many books. About the war, about the Soviet Army, about airborne
troops, paratroopera~ ~.nclud~.ng his f ather. Or perhapa it ahould begin
with what he saw around him every day. They lived on an air base, where
the roar of engines and a white canop~ in the aky were ~uat as f~miliar as
the roar of the sea and the rustling of a t?-olley`+us is for others. Or
perhaps from his first job? Volodya worked as an +~lectxician in a hangar, -
~ rubbing elbows with airplanes.... _
In short, Volodya Andreyev became accustomed to the sky at a time when the
fifth floor of his apartment building was the highest point he had ever
been. His father's example was another thing altogether. Therefore why
should one be surprised that Vladimir Yevgen'yevich Andreyev decided to
become a paratrooper?
Volodya is still young. And looking at him, talking with him, in his
words, in his glance, and in the subtle feat~xres I recognize his father.
" And of course the examp]e cf the father influenced the son's choice. -
, It is impossible to live alongs3.de such men as Andreyev without feeling his
influence, t~e str.iengxh cf his character, without becoming infected by the
exampZe of his remarkable life.
I became acquainted with the Andreyev famil;~'s rich collection of photu-
graphs it contains many highly interesting pictures. Here are some of
them.
The Kremiin. Leonid I1'ich Brezhnev, Chairman of the Presidium of the
USSR Supreme Soviet, awards parachute tester Maj Ye. N. Andreyev the
Hero of Soviet Union Gold Star. Every person has in lif e a summit toward
which he strives for many long years. Tt is good when this occasion can
be recorded for posterity in~a photograph. But the main thing is that it
is good when a person, having rea~hed the summit, does not begin descending
the back slope.
Here is another photograph. An amusing recollection is connected with it.
When Yevgeniy Nikolayevich came t~ the Kremlin to receive this high honor,
and Andreyev was summoned t~ the pass office, he walked up to the window.
But it seems that a different Andreyev, a Boris Andreyev, was being
summoned, who was to be presented a certificate c~rtifying bestowal of the
title People's Actor of the USSR. The two of them went together and en- _
gaged in conversation, and later they had a photograph taken together.
Now Yevgeniy Andreyev, proudly displaying this photqgraph, says: "Look wt-~.at
_ kind of a person I had my picture taken with." And I am absolutely sure
that Boris Andreyev, show:ing the same snapshot, says exactly the same thing:
' "k~hat kind of person I had my picture taken with!" And there is profound
~ meaning in this flutstanding individuals, known throughout the country,
- beloved of the people, surrounded by honor and respect, forget about them-
selves and admire a comrade, taking sincere pride in friendship with "such
a person"....
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There are more photographa. Ye. N. Andreyev in a group of DOSAAF members.
"One cannot overemphasi.ze the rc+~e of DOSAAF in our business," Andreyev
told me. "DOSAAF is doing a truly immense ~ob. Just think, today it is
rare for conscripts to enter the airborne troopa without previous ~umping
experience. They all receive tr~.ining at achools and f lying clubs. And
athletes? You bet! Many testers took the first steps of their career in
DOSAAF: Valentin Danilovich was a very famous tester, but he began in a
, Moscow DOSAAF flying club. Or take Nikolay Danil'chenko, who made 700
- jumps while still in DOSAAF...."
We sat in silence for quite some time, looking at the photographs of Yuriy _
Gagarin. I had not seen these photograFhs in the newspapers an.d magazines,
although I had seen thousands. And precisely because these photographs
were unique, because they linked the master of this house with the first
cosmonaut, you feel special emotions. Andreyev's work is closely linked
with the work of test pilots; he could tell us a lot abo~~t them, but that
- is the subj ect of another conversation.
I was about to take my leave when the doorbell rang neighbors were _
dropping in. There were two of them one was 7 years old, and the other
was somewhat younger. On business? No, they had ~ust come to visit. They
were offered pastry, but they tactfully declined. They stayed and chatted
for ahout five minutes, for the sake of propriety, and then politely
- departed. What was going on? Valentina Vladimirovna, hiding a smile,
_ explained that it was the elevator. They were embarrassed to come over and
just ride the elevator, without s solid reason. And here they could pay f
a courtesy visit, which required taking the elevator to the fifth floor....
Well, Andreyev Senior climbs to an altitude of many kilometers and then
~umps. Andreyev Junior measurea his altitude in thousands of inetera. And
these little boys.... For the time being their ceiling is the fifth floor....
That is alright. In time the boundless blue skies will also open up before
them, sparkling canopies will flash overhead, and the distant green ex-
panses will await them below. T:^.y will experience danger, risk, and dif-
ficulties, and they will experience the unspoken joy of accomplishment, of
achieving something new.
It will be a great happiness to serve one's fellow man, to advance science,
to blaze a new, broad tra�L1 for it.
_ Jump in the Pamirs
Lt Col A. Petrichenko, Honored Maater of Sport USSR
In August 1967 a six-man team of sport parachutists, led by
Honored Master of Sport USSR A. Petrichenko, made a~ump in
the Pamirs. This bold and unusually difficult experiment
was being performed for the f irst time in the history of
world sport parachute jumping.
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_ In the summer of 1968 an expedition of parachutists and moun-
tain climbers mounted a second assault on the Pamirs. The
climbers reache:3 a 6,700 meter peak which had never before
been conquered.
At the highest point on Comnunism Peak (elevation 7,495
meters), mountain climbera placed a titanium capaule con-
taining a message to 21st-century youth. Qne of the dif-
f icult ob~ectives of the expedition was to conquer the
Pamirs from the air. Thirty-six sport parachutists landed
on a slope of Lenin Peak. Ten of them attacked from the ~
air a 7,100 meter elevation, choosing for their landing
- site an area ciose to the very peak. This group of para-
chutists, just as the first time, was led by A. Petricheko.
The names ef the 10 heroes, as well as that of mounta~,n
climber V. Suloyev, are recorded on the Komsomol Central Com-
mittee Honor Roll.
It was not mere happenstance that I became acquainted with mountain
" climbers. They are brought to us parachutists by a practical need: to
acquire the suspen~ion lines from o1d parachutes which have been retired
from service. You could not think of better rope for rigging packs!
But this time both Valentins Bozhukov and Suloyev also requested an
entire parachute with suspension linea and canopy. They were going to
be climbing two peaks Lenin and Cammunism; as usual, the base camps _
would be located at an elevation of approximately 4,000 meters, and it was
difficult to haul equipment and food supplies to the base camp site. Our
well-worn parachute could perform this task much more simply and with
little risk if it and the canned goods it was carrying happened to
drift off the drop site, it would merely be necessary for the mountain
climbers t~ take a little stroll into some crevasse. .
But while we were discussing this new act of philanthropy, a rather crazy -
idea came to me: how about parachutists jumping into the base camp?
t shall tell you why this idea seemed more amusing than practical. A
pzrachutist who ~umps in the mountains, must upon landing instantly become
a mountain climber. And if you consider that our acquaintance with. the
mountains was from songs and movies, and we had never actually seen the
"roof of the world,'' it will become quite clear.
They embraced the idea with enthusiasm, however. That would be great! To
j�tmmp into the Pamirs by parachute! In a single breath: no halts or over-
_ nightsy no fatigue, simply ~ump in.... ,
I should like to make a digression at this point and say that t?:Q idea of
assaulting mountains from the air was extremely new at that time doubts
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and questions arose, the most important of which was the following: i~
it after all necessary to jump onto mountains with a parachute? Is there
an essential need of such a risky experiment? The reply to this question
could be any mountain climbing miahap. A helicopter cairnt always land at the
altitude at which an accident has occurred. Reacue teams of mountain
climbers are not always able to reach the site in time to give help the
trek is long and diff icult.
For example, shortly before our jump in the Pamirs a group of mountain _
climbers was hit by an avalanche. Prompt help could not reach them the
elevation was too great. By the time rescuers reached the site it was too
late.... Mountain climber-parachutists, however, would have only taken an
h.our or so to reach them!
...Not only mountain cl:imbers but also geologists are climbing higher and
higher into the mountains: the riches hidden in the mountains are of in-
terest to all. Glaciologists and meteorologists 2re working at high
altitudes, at remote locations among the ice-covered summits. Our ex-
periment would also be of interest to them....
And one more thing.... Once mountain climber Valya Bozhukov stated: "Man _
is traveling into space, to the ice-covered poles of the earth, and it is
certainly not worthy of man that there are places on the Earth where na
htmman has yet set foot."
A striving toward the unknown is part of man's very nature.... Yes, the
first mountain jump was a reconnaissance in force.
Communism Peak rises above the entire Pamirs like the blade of a knife.
Its northwest face, with a unique firn plateau, covered with snow which
had lain until it had acquired the hardness of rock, definitely drew our
attention. It is true that we could not demand of the plateau a11 the
_ facilities and conveniences of a Vnukovo Airport: it was surrounded on all
sides by 2,000-~eter sheer dropoff or sheer cliffs. And it is one thing
to know that if you do not land precisely on the "dime," you wi11 at least
land on a quite acceptable spot, while it is quite a different thing
altogether to jump with the realization that you simply cannot be off your
mark. ~
Even the air of the Pamirs contained danger. Its density is only two
thirds that of sea level, and speed at touchdown with a guided parachute
is 50 percent greater: 6 meters per second would become 9. A parachutist's
legs obviously could not withstand a collision with firn....
And what if the main chute fails? Then the velocity of the reserve chute
will increase at mountain elevations to 10-12 meters per second. It is
like jumping without a reserve parachute....
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However, the jump had also attracted the interest of parachute designers.
The PA-1 controllable parachute (mountain climber's parachute first
version) and the ZPA-1 (mouia;tain climber's reserve parachute) were
designed and built on a prioxity basis. But both still had to be air-
tested.
...I pulled the rip cord and immediately realized that something had not
happened, namely that which Yaas supposed to happen. The green field of _
Tushino, turning and careening jerkily, was swooping upward toward me.
The canopy was not filling with air, and instead of the customary rounded
shape, resilient even in appearance, I saw tw'o stretched bubbles. It was
fouled by the suspension li:~s!
I was being twisted like a~.r.o~. If I opened my reserve chute, it could get _
tangled w~th the main chute. I pulled out my knife two severed sus-
pension lines shot upward.
No! The canopy was still failing to fill. The two bubbles were swinging
about above and to the side....
"Get free of it!"
I did not need Sevost'yanov, who had jumped right behind me, to shout in-
structions it was perfectly clear. I had to get rid of the canopy of
the main chute, and then the reserve chute could take over. -
...I came down at the edge of the airfield, where the smooth ground sudden-
- ly became a clutter of various-size holes and logs a perfect simulation
- of a high-elevation plateau. But one good thing had come out of this ex-
perience: a def ect of this pazachute had been revealed, which in the moun-
tains would have been too 1ate.
We took several more jumps everything went right. We landed precisely
in a circle 25 meters i:: diameter. If we could only have equal precision
in the mountains!
Ala-Archa camp. A gorge at an elevation of 2,100 meters.
It was here we began our transformation into m.ountain climbers. This
~ process was guided by two instructors, both a master of sports. Neither
became disheartened, but worked with almost heroic zeal. We o~fered no
resistance and did not grumble, although even morning calisthenics at
such an altitude at first makes you tired rather than putting you in good
spirits. After calisthenics, if guided by one's wlshes rather than neces-
sity, one would lie down and take a rest. But we rather en~rgetically ran
over to Ak-Su Creek and plunged into its icy w~ter. -
l The day's further agenda was filled with items which initially evoke
bewilderment, then confusion, followed by surprise, and finally joy. Some
fun! We even discovered that there are many things in co~on between our
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sport and mountain climb~ng: just as in parachute jumping, there were
no trivial items. Everything was important from shoelace to parachute
canopy. There is a long list of possible calamities in the mountains:
avalanches, storms, rockfalls, bau teamwork! This was the only point in
the list of potenrial disasters which did not involve the elements. But
it should perhaps lead the 1ist.
At times we would forget that we had once been parachutists.
Practice on the ice.... Rock-cli.mbing practice.... Practice on snow....
We climbed to an elevation of 4,000 meters for the first time, to work on
climbing and descent techniques. The last descent method was particularly
fine the "bobsled." It was a good thing that we were wearing foul-
weather trousers of very tough cloth, for nothing else could have survived
this "bobsled"....
Just before training ended we climbed a few peaks, for "dessert " It must
have been to have us gain a better understanding of why mountain c].imbers
are drawn to the mountains and expend so much time and energy with one
single ;~bjective: to gaze at the world from the top of a sheer-wall rock.
And also so that on the ~Oth day the instructors could solemnly announce .
to us: "Yoai are ready to assault the Pamirs.... From above." -
We took off early in the ;~orning and, climbing to an altitude of 9,000
meters, headed toward the Pamirs. The Altai Ridge, the Altai Valley,
Lenin Peak. Snow-covered mountaina apread out to the south as far as the _
- eye could see.
After circling Lenin Peak several times, we headed southwestward, where
we could see Co~unism Peak. We immediately spotted the dr~p zone. It
extended from west to east in a narrow ribbon. We circled once, again.
Even from our altitude we could see huge crevasses, which the mouratain _
_ climbers had strongly recommended we avoid....
The best approach for the j~p was along the platesu it extended almost
12 kilometers,but Communism Peak jutted skyward where the plateau began.
We decided to make the approach crosswise: from south to north, with ~
Communism Peak on the right and Kirov Peak on the left. It was as if the
aircraft were flying up a gorge: the width of the plateau ranged from ;
300 to 500 meters.
This was "our" plateau. We ran several approaches with the door open, with
all of us standing at the edge looking down....
- ...We would be jumping later, on 12 August.
- In the meantime we busied ourselves readying gear, boots, packing para- ,
chutes and individual containers. We also prepared.supplies to drop onto
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the plateau: provisions, tents, a gasol,ine dzu~, oxygen tar.ks a total
of about 1,000 kilograms. In additi,on to a~l these supplies, the para-
chut~.sts wpuld be carxyi,ng supplies, for there was a~.ways the possibiiity
that someone would 1and not on the platesu but somewhere at the bottom of
a sheer cliff or on a peak. The unfortunate individual would be compelled
to sit it out on his own for several days, w*ithout the assistance of the
mountain c13.mbers, who were awaiting us on the plateau.
~ We examined and probed each and every item as if we were not about to
pack it away in a container but wo~uld be utilizing it i.mmediately to save
someone's life: sleeping bag, ice ax, tent, 40 meters of nylon rope,
crampons, ice and rock pitons, signal flares and two days emergency
ratians everything we could need!
_ The f light to the drop zon~ would be at an altitude of 8,000 meters, while
the jump proper would b~ from 7,200 meters. Therefore the parachutists
would need to use oxygen practically from takeoff. During the jwnp this
problem would be resolved in a simple manner while on board the air-
_ craft, the jumpers would take oxygen directly fram the aircraft oxygen
system, while upon leaving the aircraft they would automatically switch to
their individual oxygen supply which would hold them until they landed.
But the jumpers *night also need oxygen on the "grnund" our "ground"
was at an elevation of 6,100 meters.
Mountain climbers undergo special acclimation in order to function normally
at such an aZtitude: they gradually increase the altitude, and the system
becomes accustome3 to an oxygen deficiency.
We had to take along with us an oxygen tank and mask in a container. Never- _
~ theless we had only a 30-minute breathing supply. Therefore it was decided
to drap by supply parachute four large oxygen tanks of 6,000 liters each.
We had a special device to charge our individual oxygen tanks from the
larger tanks. Thus we settled the "breathing" problem.
- It was 11 Augu~t. Preparations were completed! We waited impatiently.
Tomorrow we would be jumping!
~ At 0800 hours on 12 August we were at the airfield, ready to jump. We most
likely loaded the aircraft faster than anyone ever had before.
The temperature was 30 degrees Celsius. It was stifling in the airplane. -
And we had put on down-lined moimtain-climbing gear. We were soaking wet.
We donned our parachutes.... Takeoff!
_ We quickly climbed to 8,000 meters. Shortly we were able to see the drop
zone. But... there were no markers down there!
J What could this mean? Where were the mountain climbexs?
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They radioed from the ground: "Available landing area 600 by 600.
Crevasses beyond. Up to several doz?n meters deep."
The aircraft had already crossed the drop zone. It had taken 4 seconds!
I again requested that the mountain climbers be contacted by radio. It
tixrned out that the climb to the plateau had been very difficult. They had
not yet had time properly to check the descent route and could not receive
us. What a blow!
All six of us stood by the open doorway, ready to ~ump. It was doubly
_ annoying because the weather was excellent! Not a cloud in the sky, wind
calm at the landing site, and this was a rather rare occurrence. It seemed
a shame to waste both the day and the flight. We decided at least to drop
the supplies.
We took another approach run. All the supplies landed in the drop zone,
except for one container, which landed on t1;2 face of the mountain and
rolled downward. But it also ultimately ended up on the plateau. The
_ only casualties were a bag of biscuits which rip~ed open.
We circled the plateau one last time. There would be no jump that day.
It was the following day, 13 August. We discussed the previous day's
flight. We would consider it a dress rehearsal. It was so nice to think
that it had not been a total loss. In addition, we had learned something:
for example, we decided that the next time we would put on our warm
clothing after we were in the air; we would not have to auffer ao long in
the heat.
That evening we were all taken to the movies, to see "Vertical." The
mounfiain climbers felt that the film would boost our morale. It did not.
There was a nice little song :sn the film: "These are our mountains they
will help us."
_ Would they?
We rose early on 14 August and ate a big breakfast, for there was no way of
knowing where and when we would eat the day's main meal.
At 0900 hours the pilot asset,bled the crew. We ~:ood and listened to the
ready reports: "Aircrafr power supply checked!" "Radio communications
checked!"
And finally the navigator reported: "Here is the mission. Drop six
parachutist~ onto the plateau where the supplies~were dropped earlier.
Execute the drop upon confirmation from tihe mountain climbers that the
site is ready."
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Now I gave my report, as the parachute team leader: "Parachutists ready
to perform the jump." What could I add? I added the routine formula:
"Everybody is in excellent spiritsl"
Juet ae we were about to take off the eolicitous Viktor Galkin, our in-
structor, brought from the market an entire parachute pack filled with
melons, apples and pears the mountain climbers would appr~~ciate it, as
they nad been living on dry rations for an entire week now. We stuff the
already full containers with fruit. We can hardly ahut them. But more -
than half still remains after all, each melon weighs 10 kilograms. It
is a pity to leave the rest of the fruit behind. Somebody suggested sub-
stituting a sack of fruit for the weight on one of the dri~ iast parachutes.
This we did.
We entered the aircraft, and the cabin door was shut. We presented a
rather unusual sight: the huge fuselage of an AN-12, containing six
parachutists wearing nothing but bathing trunks....
We began to dress at an altitude of 5,000 meters. Everything was quite
normal, except that in place of jump boots we were wearing hobnailed
mountain climbing boots. The ground-crew mechanic had scowled when he
saw them they would ruin the ~loar of the aircraft. But what coul~. we
do?
Half an hour later, ~us~ as the first time, we were ov�r the Pamirs. They
were flooded with sunlight! A thrilling sight! Lenin peak.... Communism
Peak.... The plateau! And in the middle of it a circle with a bright-red
croas in the middle, a symbol familiar to every parachutist. We made our
first approach run and, as we were over the center of the plateau, dropped
the first test parachute.
'~he test chute has fallen beyond the precipice to the south of the drop
zone!" the climbers radioed from the ground. -
Another approach. We dropped a second test parachute with a release cor- _
rection.
_ "Landed 300 meters from the center of the circle...."
A third test chute carrying the fruit.
Good jo~, naviga~or! Even a parachutist could envy such accuracy. The
melons fe11 right into tt~e circle!
"Prepare to jump!" the yellow light flashed on above the upen doorway
one minute to jimmp....
Al1 of us ria~ lo~g~d many jumps.... For some this was the 1,300th, and
for some the 2,~QO~ch. But this... this wou~d be a first.
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We could not see the plateau; it was far ahead 9 kilometers. Deep
chasms far down below floated past the open doorway.
"Go!"
Bessomv... Prokopov... Sevost'yanov... Chizhik... Tom~rovich... me....
An impact. Followed by total silence. Somewhere off in the distance the
drone of aircraft engines was becoming fainter, and I could hear the hiss-
ing of oxygen in my mask. And around me I saw five opened paracr~utes.
And the peak. I could see every little stone and pebble on it the air
was incredibly pure and cool!
A ninute of flight.... It was silly, but I wanted to shout: "How do you
feel, fellows? We've won!" Too bad I was wearing an oxygen mask.
But it was time to think about the ground, as it was looming closer.
I dropped my reserve chute it was no longer needed. 1 detached the con- -
- tainer....
I touched down:
We had jumped into the Pamirs!
Training Days
Amidst Cliffs and Ice ~
P. Studenikin, Journalist
A sea of rock, frozen forever in a stormy froth, spread out below the air-
craft. Faceted mountain peaks rose up in silent grandeur, like the tombs
of pharaohs. Mighty glaciers ?ay in slimmber. The crenellated edges of
rocky cirques were already stained by the blood-red dawn at this early
hour, while the gloom of night had not yet dissipated in the deep gorges, -
as we could clearly see from the altitude of 5,000 meters at which the
AN-12 was approaching the drop zone. We, a company of paratroopers, would _
be dropped somewhere in this area onto a small mountain plateau at an -
elevation of more than 3,000 meters. I, a journalist, would be making
_ this unusual jtunp together with the paratroopers, although it was no simple
matter to receive permission.
...A jump into mountains. It is not easy to abandon what has suddenly be-
come such a nice, cozy airplane cabin when you cannot forget for a single
instant that it is not a smooth, flat athletic field which awaits you
_ below.
"Your chute will open, look around, choose a place to land and 'roll out'....
We will have enr~ugh available altitude even for complicated maneuvering.
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The parachute is easy to control, obedient just don't forget to r2lease
the straps...." I was being given final instructions by the company com-
mander, Guards Senior Lieutenant Mikhaylovskiy.
We were thoroughly familiar with all this: we had assimilated it at
practice drills the company had managed to log 14 additionaZ jumps in
preparation for this exercise. And we had been able properly to evaluate
the D-5 parachute, Series 4-- really lightweight and extremely steerable.
But the company coIInnander was repeating all these irems we knew thoroughly
only because he had noted that I and some of the younger men were nervous
he was trying to boost our spirits a bit.
Mikhaylovskiy himself was quite calm: he had made more ti~~190 jtmps. He was
tied to the sky by firm bonds. Having studied for 2 years at MADI (Moscow
Highway Institute), he left school and, contrary to the advice of hi~
= professor, who had seen in him the brilliant inclinations of an engineer,
enrolled at the Ryazan~ Higher Airborne School. While a cadet he made a
daring jimmp from a height of 100 meters together with a group of sport -
parachutists, for which he received a personally-inscribed watch from the
cammanding general of the Airborne Troops. The lieutenant had ~umped
during the day and at night, from high and low altitudes. He had jumped
in the mountains, into woods and swamps, and into the searing desert....
Just prior to the exercise, the deputy company commander for political af-
f airs, Guards Lieutenant Gurinov, acqua.inted me with the glorious deeds
book which is maintained in this Rubunit. I copied some excerpts from it.
' 1968: "...The men of the company were dropped onto a high-elevation
area in the Pamirs in winter. In the spring a mass ~ump was made in
oxygen masks from an altitude of 8,000 meters, with a 150-second free fall.
The men dedicated to the 23rd CPSU Congress the national record they set _
on this occasion. At a demonstration exercise the company made a 3immp from
a height of 3,000 meters with 50 second stabilization and firing from the
air at ground targets. Personnel took part in testing a new parachute...."
1970: "...~ao men of the company were awarded the 'For Combat Merit' meda7.,
while five were awarded the 'For Rescue of Drowning Persons" medal for
courage and bravery displayed in rescuing lives and valuable property
during a flood. All personnel earned the title 'USSR Mountaineer.' An
assault j~p was successfully accomplished onto a high-mountain plateau in ;
the Pamirs. A mass jump in oxygen masks was successfully made from an
altitude of 7,000 meters, with a 130-second free fall. The company earned
a rating of excellent on the basis of performance marks. Personnel took
part in testing a new parachute...." _
1972: Lt A. Kachanov, Sgt G. D'yakanov, Pfc M. Kornev, and Pvt G. Glukhov
placed high at the Airborne Troops Spartakiada. Personnel successfully
- accomplished a climb with the highest diff iculty rating. Approximately
800 jumps were made from low altitudes without a reserve parachute. An
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airborne assault jump from low altitude directly onto an airfield and its
capture were accomp liahed. Seventy percent of company personnel received
combat and political training marke of excellent. Peraonnel part{cipated
in testing a new parachute...." _
And so it goes, year after year....
The horn sounded, warning one minute to jump. I grasped my rip cord more
tightly. The door clanged open, and through the open doorway I could see
snow-covered granit e cliffs and masses of ice, quite close by. The air was
cold, and yet as we were waiting on the airfield to climb on board, we were
_ wilting in a 35-degree heat. At the jimnpmaster's command, we stepped
through the doorway at half-second intervals the frosty air cut into
our face like a knif e blade. The few seconds of free fa11 seemed an
- eternity. When the parachute finally opened, a painful sense of alarm
was replaced by a gripping feeling of joy and triumph. The cliffs parted:
the snow-covered peaks receded upward. In the blueish haze of the ad-
vancing morning the paratroopers ~eemed angels descending from the clouds
which wreathed the peaks of the mountain giants.
Be particularly a 1 ert just before touchdown. Weather in the mountains
is extremely changeable: conditions are calm and still one minute, and then
suddenly wind gusts burst out of the mouth of a gorge.... Durin~ the last
practice j~p, for example, when I was not more than 15 meters from touch-
down, the wind suddenly shifted direction 180 degrees many of us ex-
perienced all the discomfort of landing "on the back of our heads." Today,
however, the weather was absolutely perfect: both warm and wind-still....
A few minutes later the slopes of the plateau were covered with giant white
flowers the parat roopers, releasing their parachutes, made hastily for
the rocks....
The sun was blindingly bright. Trudging up narrow granite canyons, between
high, sheer precipices (like at the bottom oF a deep well), we were climb- ,
ing higher and deep er into the mountains into the lifeless kingdom of
granite, ice and eteinal snows. Every step was taken with difficulty. The
blood pounded in one's temples a sympton of oxygen deficiency. I had it
' easier than the others I was carrying only a camera, whiJ.e the para-
troopers were carry ing 20-25 kilograms of supplies on their backs and their
weapon slung across their chest.
...The heat was oppr essive, and the altitude was causing a splitting head-
ache. Icy gusts of wind, thirst, swift marcties, brief halts. Dizzying
climbs up and down steep slopes, deep chasms, and treacherous scree slopes....
Each and every one of us would without question long remember every ex-
perience during this 1ong, exhausting hike along a mountain trail.
It was not until lat e that evening, whPn unusually large silver-glistening
stars had ignited against the black, velvet backdrop of the sky, that we,
totaZly exhausted, reachedour destination, where the exercise director,
officer Igor' Grigor'yevich Pantyushenko, was waiting for us.
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'The main engagement will begin tomorrow at dawn," he stated, giving me a
situation briefing. "The subunits will be dropped several dozen kilometers
from here, with the mj.ssion of seizing and holding a mountain pass until
the advancing forces reach them. The success of this mission will deper~d
in large measure on the actions of the men of Senior Lieutenant
- Mikhaylovskiy, who has been ordered to cut the only road through the moun-
tains and to delay a potential breakout by the 'aggressor' force to the
airborne main forces.
"I shall not deny," Igor' Grigor'yevich shared his doubts, "that it is a
very difficult mission. Such a mission can be accomplished only by one
who is daring and bold, who possesses a total mastery of mountaineering
skills, who is a demolition expert and who also knows many other things
which a paratrooper operating in mountain terrain must know."
At dawn Guards Lieutenant Shubin returned with a scouting party, bringing
valuable information. This was followed by events which are best related
by those who directly participated in them.
Gds Lt 0. Kornev: "We were ordered to guard this rugged mouutain gorge,
through which the only road runs. The place was made to order for defense:
stretching dozens of kilometers to the right and left are mountain ridges
with sheer rock walls, bottomless abysses, and glaciers which are im-
passible even in summer. A rushing mountain torrent, pinned between cliffs,
rages do~n the floor of the gorge. The approaches to the gorge entrance
and exit are exposed to fire to a range of 500-700 meters. Here we set up
machineguns and rocket launcher positions. We sent out listening posts
~ and prowling armored personn~l carriers to the far approaches.
"'Aggressor' transport aircraft flew over in the morning at high altitude,
and soon we were informed that an assault force had been droppe~ in our
area, with orders to hold the gorge at all costs in case of an attack. We
reinforced the guard: two platoons took up a defensive position at the
gorge entrance and exit. Quite honestly, I do not envy anybody who is
ordered to assault our 'fortress': it is doubtful whether the attacking
force would have much success."
Gds Sr Lt Yu. Mikhaylovskiy: "The scouts confirmed that this gorge was the
best point where we could stop the advance of even substantially superior
'aggressor' forces, thus ensuring the requisite conditions for accomplish-
ing the principal mission. But we also realized that it would be very
difficult to dlslodge from the gorge dug-in 'aggressor` troops. We put
everything on the line we were counting on the excellent physical con-
dition of the paratroopers and the ability of personnel to operate ef-
ficiently in the mountains. The timetable was also rather tight.
- "I decided that I would engage with part of my forces at the exit from the
gorge, seeking with vigorous actions to convince the 'aggressor' to concen-
trate his main forces there. ~ao other groups, led by Senior Lieutenant
Ka~chanov and Lieutenant Shubin, crossing the almost impassible ridge, would
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have the mission of capturing prowling 'aggressor' armored personnel
carriers. Then, posing as friendly troops, Senior Lieutenant Kachanov's
team would penetrate the gorge from the rear, while Lieutenant Shubin and
his men would proceed to carry out a special mission...." -
Gds Sr Lt A. Kac;lanov: "I snall not enumerate thor,;e dangers quite real
ones which iay in wait for us as we were crossing the ridge by wild goat
- trails. That ~~as perhaps the most difficult part of the entire difficult
exercise. But i~ was also the most pleasing: it was as if each of us saw _
one another anew and once again satiefied ourselves as to the total dedica-
tion of our comrades. And we also became aware that we can fearlessly
entrust ~ur lives to one another naturally one does not forget such a
thing.
"At noon we finally came in sight of the paved road and the 'aggressor'
armored personnel carriers, the crews of which were peacefuily eating
breakfast on the side of the road under the shade of some nut trees. It
was a very convenient moment: we approached to a distance of about 300
meters without being spotted. Patrol members Privates Asadov and
Timoshenko quickly disguised themselves as local inhabitants and, looking
for all the world like old men, carrying shepherdTS staffs but with assault -
_ rifles and grenades under their clothing, walked out onto the dirt road.
"The 'aggressor' displayed total unconcern nobody paid any attention to
the 'old men.' As soon as the scouts reached the vehicles, however, they
tore off the antennas, threw their grenades and opened fire with their
assault rifles. That was our signal to attack: it was all over in a
minute or two. Lieutenant Shubin's team headed out on board the armored
p ers~;nnei carriers toward the 'aggressor' subunits wh ich were advancing
to e�:~gage the assault force, with the mission of halting the advancing sub-
unitf~ and ~nabling the company commander to capture the gorge and set up
a delense there."
Guards Senior Lieutenant Mikhaylovskiy: "At noon we approached the gorge
without being spotted. Demolition experts from the platoon led by
Lieutenant Zemlyanukhin were able to rigexplosivES to trioger a landslide.
~ Senior Sergeant Postolat~y, Junior Sergeant Khristoforov and Private
Logvinov scaled shear cliffs onto one of the :~unmits and set up a machinegun
there. Everything was ready for the attack, but no signal came from the
paratroopers. I wondered why. Had the group been unable to get through,
or had the radio failed? Such moments of uncertainty and tedious waiting
are very unpleasant for a commander! Doubts creep in: have I considered
every factor, or have I overlooked so~e tri~ial item which at the decisive
moment will determine the outcome of battle? Have I placed my men ccrrect-
ly? I know Anatoliy well: he is a graduate oi the Suvorov School, an ex-
cellent multiple-competition athlete, bold an~. inn~vative. The other com-
,aander is j ust as good the platoon he leads is in first place in the
company, But neverCheless....
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"Finally the signal came. Lieutenant Khabarov~s platoon opened fj::.
Senior Sergeant Postola~iy supported it with machinegun fire. I,ieutenant -
Zemlyanukhin's paratroopers set c~ff a landslide. Smoke, dust, and a ter-
rible racket. T commanded: 'Forward by bounds go!"' ~
Gds Lt 0. Kornev: "The situation had become clear: we had to hold out for
an hour and a half to two hours, until the approach of the subunits sent
to engage the airborne assault force. IInder our conditions this would not
be so difficult to accomplish. It ia true that the 'enemy' succeeded in
utilizing the confusio.n caused by the landalide to press us back. To
restore the situation it was necessary to remove part c~ the platoon
- def ending the entrance to the gorge. The battle became intensified
the paratroopers retreated.
"Socn, however, the unforeseen occurred: by some miracle the paratroopers
succeeded in capturing our prowling armored personnel carrie~s. Giving the
appearance of friendly forces, they entered the gorge, pitchen ~*-P:ades
at the troops defending the entrance and hit us with machineguns from the
rear. They also succeeded in capturing the mined section which was
prepared in case of an advance by the 'enemy' troops.
_ "...We were surrounded. If we could only hold out another 40 minutes!"
The outcome of the battle was already predetermined, however. Lieutenant
Kornev waited in ~~ain for help: by this time the other paratrooper team
had successfully engaged the advancing "enemy" subunits.
It would seem that a small group of scouts could not accomplish much. But
~
the 12 paratroopers were able not only to delay the "enemy" advance by the
required amount of time but als~ to inflict considerable casualties.
The guards lieutenant relates how this happened: "Of course there were no
miracles; we paratropers are taught to fight not by numbers but by skill.
And there are especially f avorable conditions for this in the mountains.
"We were able to move out on two armored personnel carriers toward the
'enemy' and to take az~ unguarded pass. Here we set up a first surprise:
Private lst Class Kochevanskiy and Private Morozov, who are demolition
experts, planted two landmines 30 meters from one another on a switchback ~
section of road. When everything was ready, part of the platoon took up
an ambush position, while a team led by Junior Sergeant Geryliv headed down
the mountain to prepare another surprise.
"We did not have to wait long: soon we spotted an 'aggressor' column with
tanks and artillery approaching the pass at a fair speed. We let the
scout vehicles pass they would be blown up by privates Marakhov and
Yupus f rom Junior Sergeant Geryliv's team, but when the main forces
approached, we detonated the charges. The explosion was real, although
what we actually blew was a s~r~tchback stretch on an old road which had
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fallen izto disuse (the umpires later calculated that it took the 'aggres-
sor' S hours co repair the road). We then proceeded to deliver heavy fire
from the cliffs the vehicles were forced to back up beyond the pass.
Without losing a single man, we rode out of the deep gorge on the armored
perso:mel carrier. -
"Junior Sergeant Geryliv's team also accomplished its mission well: it
_ captured the scout vehicles and blew up a bridge.
"So we fell back toward the gorge: we planted mines in the most unexpected
places, 'biew up' bridges, and set up road blocks... in short, we were gain-
ir~g time:'
When the 'aggressor' finally approached the mountain gorge, he was met
with heavy artillery fire the airborne force's principal firepower.
Thus the mission was accomplished. The performance of the men ~n the com- _
pany under the command of Guards Senior Lieutenant Mikhaylovskiy was
_ given a mark of excellent.
This difficult and unusual exercise had com.e to an end. We spent the final -
night in the mountains in some comfort in cozy insulated tents. In
spite of the relative comfort and extreme fatigue, for some reason nobody
was able t~ sleep.
It was long after midnight when, startled by a noise, S~nior LieL:.enan` -
= Mikhaylouskiy and I rushed out of the tent. All around us was frozen _
silence in the primeval beauty of sparkling moonlight, the looming black- -
ness of cliffs and gorges, with pyramid-shaped peaks soaring into the
bottomless sky. Silent paratroopers stood about on the rock fragments,
stunned by the marvellous beauty.
"Look!" the company commander suddenly uttered.
I turned around: an enormous moon hung between sharp peaks, and in the
gorge, stretching from one slope Lo the other in a fantastic arch... was
a night rainbow. It was not like the rainbow which occur.s iz~ summer
during heavy rain, but its colors sti11 could be distinguished.
The mountain people say that flnly very brave people are ever fortunate
_ enough to see this most rare phenomenon of natu~e.
Across the Dunes
"A merry-go - round!" the sergeant cursed, and j~~uinted his lips were
parched, and his palate and throat were covere;i with a dry crust.
"We are playing cat and mouse," somebody muttered under his breath. -
For several hours we had been walking around these strange sand hills,
which looked like Egyptian pyramids. The desert, as if veiled by a
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yashmak, was stifling hot: 51 degrees Celsius in the shade of a soldi.er's
ground sheet, while one could fry an egg on the sand. We were moving in
a circle, as if turning a windlass: we were puehing one eide, and the
"aggressor" the other. Therefore nobody was overtaking anybody.
A scouting party had been dropped by aircraft into this inferno. They had
marched dozens of exhausting kilometers. Sand. Thirst. Inta~se heat.
Attacks. Withdrswals. Raids, rapid marchea. Halts among ateaming dunes,
once again raids, and withdrawals. Yesterday finally all training tasks -
had been accomplished and things relaxed. Suddenly a radio message:
"...Proceed to grid square, establish contact with 'Mercury' and 'Falcon.' Ob-�
jective - joint raid on 'aggressor' rear area base headquarters...."
After a night march they settled down to rest in "tombs" as it turned
out, practically cheek to jowl with their long-time rivals, who were
presently playing the role of "aggras.sor." We could not accept battle
we were extremely short of ammunition. Nar could we get away from the
"tombs," for a f eatureless, clear annular strip separated us from the
safety of the dunes. We had to withdraw in a circle, with the "aggressor"
following behind us this is how the "merry-go-round" began.
A blindingly-white sun stood high in the sky, and a hot "Afghan wind"
ruffled the dune ridges, throwing up handfu]s of stinging sand particles.
The commander Gds Lt Leonid Khabarov eyes red, moustache dishaveled,
holding a stopwatch (why a stopwatch?), would stop from time to time and
- order: "Do not fall behind!"
And although all the men were now proceeding in silence, he would warn:
"Don't make a sound!"
As I trudged along the trail, I recalled how I had first met Khabarov.
Now he was a commander of volition, efficient, leading his men with calm-
ness and composure. At that time he had ~ust completed service school and
been placed in command of a subunit.
= Capt S. Gusarov, who stiil remembered well those paratrooper-athletes who
had assaulted Lenin Peak from the sky, by parachute, noticed the lieutenan~
"This new fellow should get somewhere...." And he added for the benefit
of those who did not take a great fancy to this young officer at first
glance: "We shall give him a practical test...." _
"I was extremely lucky to be assigned to this unit," stated Khabarov.
"Every man is a living legend...."
'i'here are indeed many bright pages in the history of the subunit.
- "At first," Khabarov later confessed, "I was simply lost. It seems the
reconnaissance paratrooper must possess such knowledge as the fact that -
of the 2,500 known species of snakes in the world, 400 are dangerous ~o
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man; that the venom of the mature fetnale karakuxt spider is 15 times more
powerful than snake venom; that in sum~ner a crow will call before rain and
in winter before a blizzard; that an edible porridge can be made from
spruce cones, soup can be prepared from water lilies, etc.
"In addition, you are a~ack-of-all-trades a truck driver and unarmed
combat specialist, radio operator and meteorologist, doctor and demolition
expert, machinegunner and tanker.... For the reconnaissance paratrooper
the unexpected is the rule, surprise is the normal occurrence, and an un-
expected situation change is a customary state of affairs."
...Our second encounter occurred une~cpectedly: we happened to be in the
same group which. was prepaxing for a jump o~to a high-mountain plateau.
By this time Khabarov had earned about a dozen first and second category
ratings: he had become a mountaineer, truck'driver, tanker, radio operator,
and had mastered topography and demolition; he had learned to read nature's
book from the tracks of animals and birds and from the behavior of -
flowers and insects, and he had become an expert marksman with all organic
weapons.... He could parachute-jump into forest and water, desert and
- mountains winter and s~mer, day and night. And at a field exercise,
where Khabarov led a group several hiuidred kilometers across the desert
under very difficult conditions, he Fras finally "acknowledged" by both
his subordinates and superiors.
~ "It seems you have accomplished a lot. And it has been less than a year
since you became a scout?"
~
"No," Khabarov warded off the jest. "I have a long way to go to become a
scout...." ~
~
Khabarov's subunit received the highest mark for that mountain exercise,
. at which the special training of the reconnaissance paratroopers was
rigorously tested. ,
i
"Khabarov's men," stated exercise director officer I. Pantyushenko, "suc- I
ceeded in delaying for quite some time the advance of a large 'aggressor'
detachment and in inf licting heavy casualties."
...Step for step, with flank guard, with patrols out front and to the rear, ,
we kept circling around the "pyramid." We dragged ourselves along, helping
those who were becoming exhausted. The soles of our feet were buzning and ~
our bodies craved water even a mouthful, even a drop. It ~tas easier ~
for me, as I was not carrying a load, while the reconnaissancc paratroopers
were loaded down with 25-30 kilogram packs. Khabarov continued m.onitoring
the pace of movement with his stopwatch, frequently relieving patrols in
order to maintain alert for an ambush. But we completed circle after
circle, and therP was no ambush for some reason the "aggressor" was also ~
_ avoiding contact and keeping up this cru~l "game."
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"We must hold up until dark," Khabarov glanced at the sun with increasing
frequency, "for that is our only chance of accomplishing the mission."
And we continued trudging along the well-trodden road across the red sands.
It was really difficult, marching hour after hour, b+~rning up from the heat
and thirst, along a road which seemed to lead nowhere!
"Greetings, Leonid Vasil'yevich! This note is being written by Guards
Senior Sergeant (Res) Naletka. You may remember me. This is why I a~
writing. It took me a long time to recover from that 'merry-go-round.' -
Even now I sometimes wake up in a cold sweat again I had been dreaming
about the 'tombs' and our raid in the desert heat. Quite frankly, at the
time it all seemed quite senseless and unnecessary to me. I did not
believe, nor did others, that following that night march we would be able
to hold up an entire day in that infernal circle, followed by another
march and acc~mplishment of our mission. But it turned that you knew us
better than we knew ourselves.
"Now I would like to express my sincerest thanks to you! I finally was
made aware in a most emphatic manner that a person should never give up,
even when everything seems absolutely hopeless.
"Please come and visit us on your annual leave. We have plenty of every-
thing sea, sun, vitamins. You can stay with us my family will be
pleased to have you. Please come!"
...I read letters. Khabarov he has naw been promoted wae having a
meeting with his noncoms. They were people I did not know very well
of later draft calls. Nikolay Abarin, Sasha Samoylov.... They submitted
status reports on their squads, briefly and in good spirits it is
pleasant to report to one's superior when everything is going,well. But _
Khabarov frowned and chewed the end of his moustache he had not had this
habit and then said: "I am pleased with your success, but I should like
to draw at_ention...."
And ended with emphasis: "There is no limit to perfection!"
Assault Character
Col A. Danilov (Journalist's report on interview with Army
Gen V. F. Margelov, Commander of the Airborne Troops)
Encounters on military roads of life are sometimes surprising. Having been
assigned to an airborne unit upon completing service school, I learned that
~our cambined unit was under the command of Herc~ of the Soviet Union Lt Gen
Vasiliy Filippovich Margelov, about.whom we cadets had hesrd a great deal
and knew to be a man with an amazing history and a hero of the Great
Patriotic War.
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Subsequently ~he young officers became even more strongly attached to him.
He was respected for his commander qualities and for his attentive and
respectful attitude toward subordinates. He infected the men with per-
sonal example together urith his men he climbed on board aircraft,
jumped by parachute, executed marches, skied, showed proficient marksman-
ahip with the assault rifle, and taught the paratroopers akill and �
fearlessness.
Almost two decades have passed since then. Recently I happened to meet him
once more. Today V. F. Margelov is an army general, Commander of Airborne
Troops, and a candidate of military sciences. Vasiliy Filippovich is
- happy to relate the life and combat training of paratroopers, their dif-
ficult but honorable and uniquely romantic service.
"I cannot complain about the boys who serve in the airborne troops," he
stated~ leisurely strolling about his office. "They are outstanding lads
politically sophisticated, broadly knowledgeable, physically well-developed,
and composed. They quickly adjust to the rhythm of our busy life and
earn the right to wear the light-blue beret and striped shirt symbols of
f earlessness and military skill."
Suddenly stopping, the commanding general then continued with particular
warmth in his voice: "At exercises of any level, when preparedness is being
tested, paratroopers always display an exceptionally aggressive attitude.
They love their military calling very much. Especially the ~umps. They
- go up with great enthusiasm and ~ump boldly and confidently. They jump in
daylight and darkness, in foul weather, into fields and into forests if
necessary. In our combat arm it is frequently said that the only thing
ahead of the paratroopers is missiles, but as we know, missiles are in-
animate things, while a paratrooper is a fighting man of volition and
- professional expertise."
The general gave high praise to the combat equipment with which the Airborne
Troops are armed. Today, he emphasized, fast military transport aircraft
carry men and equipment swiftly and great distances. Not only lightly-
armed troops but also guns, mortars, and tanks can be delivered deep behind -
enemy lines. It is not enough for a paratrooper to master his parachute
and to jinnp fearlessly. The parachute is only the paratrooper's wings.
The main thing is combat behind enemy lines against a numerically-superior
adversary, against tanks and armored personnel carriers.
"Quite frankly," continued Vasiliy Filippovich, "paratroopers are boys of
passionate enthusiasm. They particularly like unarmed combat. A para-
trooper cannot manage without unarmed combat: he must have the ability to
engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, to take him even with bare hands. ~
In addition, every officer and enlisted man in the Airborne Troops is a
- tank destroyer."
He was willing to talk for hours on end about paratroopers and their tough
service. It was interesting to listen. The general was not so anxious to
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talk about himself, and had little to say, anc yet his biography is both
rich and interesting. Vasiliy Filippovich and his generation had the dif-
ficult lot of defending the achievements of the October Revolution on the
field of battle.
V. F. Margelov was born in Kostyukovichi, Mogilevskaya Oblast, in a worker
fami~y. He was sent by Komsomol to enroll at the Military School imeni
Centra3. Executive Committee of the Belorussian SSR. His career has been !
army since that time. He has served in the military almost half a cen- _
tury. He became a paratrooper in 1948, after he had already earaed general
officer rank.
Margelov had been well acquaintpd with the spirit and specific features of .
_ the winged troops, however, even befora he began commanding paratroo~ers.
During the Great Patrioti~ War Vasiliy Filippovich twice led his regiment
behind fascist lines. At that time he was in'com~an~ of the lst Regiment
of Baltic Marine Infantry, who instilled fear anc? terror in Hitler's in-
vaders. ~
In the course ~f the war he crossed the front lines on 17 occasions. The
general still keeps as a most precious memento his bullet-pierced striped
� sailor's shirt.
Vasiliy Filippovich was awarded the lofty title Hero of the Soviet Union
for the crossing of the Dnieper in 1943. He recalla thoae memorable days
and nights as follows: "We were hsving a tough time taking the fortified
Kherson bridgehead. The division I was commanding occupied a line 50 kilo-
meters long on the left bank of the Dnieper. I received orders to cross
the river at the first opportunity.
"It was night, raining, with thunder and lightning~ I went over to
inspect my flank. The regimental co~ander reported: "For some reason the
Krauts are silent. Permission to probe them a bit? 'No', I replied. _
'I want to do it myself.' I took a machinegun company 67 men with nine
Maxims. We took a lot of a~nunitio:z, but somehow forgot about food. We
set off across the river. It was pitch dark a11 around us. Suddenly we
- heard explosionz~. One of the boats had struck a mine. But the shore was -
quite close now.
"The fascists were not expecting us. We drove into their trenches and -
cleaned them out. We held the bridgehead for 72 hours. Fourteen men of
the original 67 were still alive. On the third night another Soviet bat-
talion crossed. We widened the bridgehead, and then the entire division
proceeded to cross the Dnieper...."
This was only one combat episode fram the war years. And how many there
were! For Margelov went through the entire war, from thc: first to the last
day. He was wounded several times but did not tarry long in the hospital,
quickly returning to the line.
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Ma,jor Margelov began the war as commander of a rifle regiment, which en-
gaged on the fourth day after the fascist invasion. T'he enlisted men, non-
commissioned officers and officers, headed by Margelov, fought heroically
at the gates of Stalingrad, liberated Rootov-na-Donu and Krasnodon..., and
crossed the Dnestr, Prut, and Danube, as well as many other rivers, large
and small. Vasiliy Filippovich ended the war in Vienna, the Austrian
capital.
- After the war Major General Margelov graduaLed from the General Staff
Academy and was given command of an airborne division. It was at this
time that the division commander made his first jump. _
- From that time forward the parachute became for him, as for all para- .
troopers, a loyal friend and assistant. To date the commander of the Air- ~
borne Troops has made more than 80 3umps. ;
"Of course that is not so many for a paratrooper," stated Vasiliy Filip-
povich regretfully, "but as long as health permits, I shall not give up ,
jumping for anything. Believe me, soon doctors will be reco~ending
parachute jumping to many people as therapy, for after a~iump a person '
feels reborn. ~
"If you have noted, our officers have made hundreda, and some even ~
thousands of 3umps," Vasiliy Filippovich proudly stated, but immediately
added with a note of sadness, "but I began jumping a bit late, at the
age of 40. Obviously I'll never be able to catch up with the younger ~
ones...."
But I looked at the commanding general and thought to myself: "Some young
people would have to catch up with him." ;
r
In spite of his age and wounds, General Margelov looks much younger than
others his age. He is trim, just a slight graying at the temples, is
cheerful, tireless, and continue~ to possess the ability to infect others
with his aggressive energy.
I asked Vasiliy Filippovich to recall his first jump.
"All kinds of things happened," he smiled slyly. "I remember we took off
- early one morning, I was sitting at one end of the cabin, on a special
bench, while the i.nstructor was at the other end, in front of a large ~
hatchway in the floor of the cabin. He raised his arms: 'Go!' I grabbed '
the side of the cabin firmly and pushed with my chest against the seated
paratroopers they spilled out through the hatch like peas. Before I
knew it, I was at the hatch myself...."
� "I know that even now people have the idea that sometimes a timid novice
is pushed out."
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"Zt's happened," the general laughed, "but for good motives, and very rare-
ly. It sometimes happens indeed that the cousmander of a paratrooper detach-
ment is forced to hurry up one of his men. You see, sometimes it is
difficult even for the bravest man not to vacillate before a~tunp. The
vacillation laste only a few aeconda as a rule, but for the entire group
even instants are precious.
"A m4dern aircraft flies at speeds of hundred.s of kilometers per hour. Tf
one paratrooper hesitates, those behind him will land far fram those who
went out earlier. Such a scattering is extremely dangerous in combat. I
know this from myself. Therefore I wou'ld ask the ~umpmaster to give me
a push each time, until I became accustomed to j umping. But in most cases,
the boys jump on their own. Gaining confidence in the reliability of the
parachutes, they quickly overcome their feeling of fear."
"But do you have any 'otkazchiki' [paratroopers who refuse to ~ump]?"
"The term 'otkazchik' has long been an archaism in the Airborne Troops.
Commanders help the men hold in check their instinct of self-preservation.
They possess a fine mastery of an arsenal of ineans of moral-psychological '
conditioning, and most frequently influence by personal example.
"Paratroopers are people," General Margelov proudly continued, "who, no
matter how many times they jump, keep coming back for more. They really
love to jump. I know from my own experience: you vist a unit the day
before a rest day, gather the men together and ask them: 'Who wants te
~immp tomorrow?' And 99 percent will shout: 'I do!' It would seem that
they have had their fill of ~umping, and yet they still com~,lain abo~it not
jumping enough."
Listening to Vasiliy Filippovich, I recalled how he once also convinced an
"otkazchik" by personal example.
As the aircraft. entere3 the drop zone, one after another tiny figures
separated from the aircraft: "Ask if all have j umped!" the officer in
charge of the jump exercise ordered the radio operator. "One man did not
jwnp," reported the radio operator. "What is his name?"
. The radio operator was about to inquire, but the battalion commander
stopped him, waving his arm: "I know who it is. Samokhin. This is not the
first time he has let down the entire battalion."
And as luck would have it, the commanding general had flown in this day to
watch the jumping. The battalian commander became even more upset.
"Have you talked with Samokhin?" the general asked. "Several times. So
- have hxs platoon leader and company commanciera The Komsomol members have
also 'worked him over."'
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"'Worked him over?"' the commanding general frowned. "That won't do any
good. Comrade Samokhin, come over here," he summoned the soldier, without
raising his voice.
The general had a nice, friendly talk with the soldier.
"You see, comr.ade general," S3nokhin frankly admitted. "When I am on the
ground I am sure that I will jump, but as soon ae the airplane takes off,
I can't. My legs refuse to walk over to the door...."
"That sometimes happens. You will get over it. Where are you from?"
"From the Urals, from Magnitogorsk," replied Samokhin.
"Men fram the Urals served with me in the war, fought in the Vyaz'ma Opera-
tion in 1942 and in the Dnieper Operation in in 1943. Intrepid men!"
"And then look at me," the soldier waved his arms in despair.
"You mean you are afraid to ~ump?" the commanding general suddenly asked
him. "How about the two of us jumping together?"
"Yes, sir, comrade general."
...The airborne transport took to the air.
"You jump first!" Margelov shouted to Samokhin.
"With your permission, I'll ~ump after you, comrade general!"
"Alright. But don't delay. Wait a second or two and then go."
- Vasiliy Filippovich did not turn around, but he could sense the soldier's
breathing behind him. What if he did not ~ump?
"Geronimo!" The general jumped out of the aircraft. Private Samokhin
resolutely jumped after hiTn.
The men on the ground were amazed....
"Samokhin actually jumped!" -
"Thanks for everything, comrade general!" the soldier exclaimed joyously
_ with an emotion-filled voice after they had landed. "May I take another -
~~P~~~
"Good boy. But that is enough for today. Now I am convinced that you will _
become a real paratrooper. You have a11 th~ attributes."
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Vasiliy Filippov~ch helped very many individuals become a skilled soldier,
a bold paratrooper, to achieve victory over themselves and over their _
temporary cowardice.
Naturally a paratrooper's job is difficult. It demands of a person not
only strong nerves, great strength of will and physical stamina. Every
- parachute j~p is a jump into the unknown, a test of tenacity, self-con-
trol, and a certain risk.
"But ask any soldier," the commanding general auddenly became animated.
"Does he regret having become a p aratrooper? You will for sure hear the
answer: No, and he wi11 unquestionably state emphatically in addition that _
he is lucky to be serving in the Airboa-ne Troops, that he is especially
proud of this military profession."
It seems that paratroopers are unusual individuals, and yet to look at them
they are ordinary, normal lads. Just as all army and navy personnel, they
- periorm their military service with honor. And this is the most imp~rtant
thing in their lives. They fearlessly parachute-~ump, skillfully operate
combat vehicles, engage "aggressor" tanks, and boldly fight behind "ag-
gressor" lines. In short, the following song lyrics apply to the para-
trooper:
He flies down fr~m the sky like an angel,
But he fights like a devil! -
I asked Vasiliy Filippovich to discuss in grea~er detail the mobility of
today's Airborne Troops, their place and role in our Armed Forcea.
"Have you heard the expression 'a bolt from the blue'?" the general paused.
"This express~.on perhaps applies mare to paratroopers than to any other com-
bat arm. It is they who appear deep behind 'aggressor' lines, stunning the
adversary with a surprise attack. ~Jithin an instant the sky is filled with
thousands of parachute canopies. Men, vehicles, and contai.ners descend
swiftly toward the ground... with;n a few mi.nutes this entire armada of
equipment swings into action. Armored personnel carriers and self-
propelled guns advance on 'aggressor' positions, sowing terror and panic
in enemy ranks. �
"Whoever was in the area where the Dnieper and Dvina exercises and
maneuvers were held saw the scope and scale of airborne operations, the
high degree of profic~ency and courage which distinguish the winged -
~ guardsmen. It took the Guards Chernigov Red-Banner Airborne Division only
22 minutes to land in the designat ed area and to engage during the Dvina
maneuvers. Artillexy, mortars, trucks, and self-pxopelled guns were
dropped by parachutes tagether with the lightly-armed paratroopers....
This graphically shows what a truly gigantic stride forward the Soviet
Aj.rborne Traops have taken in their development and what an important
position they occupy in our ~irmed Forces. Their role has become especially
enhanced under conditions of nucle ar missile warfare. And consequently
their combat might and mobility have increased."
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"Vasiliy Filippovich, many people, especially young persons, are interested
in the following question: from what altitudes do paratroopers jump, and
how f ar can an airborne assault force be transported?" =
"Parat roopere can j~mmp from the stratosphere and from extremely low heights.
Aa for range, an airborne assault force can be transported to the entire
operating radius of modern aircraft. And there is one more specific
feature. A paratrooper frequently does not know the precise spot where he
may ~ump. Therefore in peacetime we teach the men what is essential in
modern combat, and we teach them to fight behind 'aggreasor' lines in
various conditions and circumstances. ~
"Possessing a good mastery of all techniques of modern combat, paratroopers
are b old and intrepid. They are equally at home in the sky and on the
ground. Paratroopers fight boldly and act resolutely, in order to stun and
crush the enemy, while displaying their paratrooper character. But when
off duty they write poetry, compose music, take part in amateur talent ac-
tiviti~s, and engage in sports."
_ "You used the expression 'paratrooper character.' Is this term current in
the military?"
"It certainly is, for in case of military operations paratroopers will be
jumping into the very jaws of the enemy and tearing these jaws asunder.
It is precisely these qualities boldness, ingenuity, and daring which
form the foundation of the 'paratrooper character.r"
"The sp ecific features of military service evidently also require special
interpersonal relationa: friendship, solidarity?"
"Soviet Army life is distinguished by firm combat friendship and unity on
the p art of all personnel for the sake of a great goal defense of the
achievements of socialism in our country. The slogan 'one for a11 and all
for one' is characteristic of all Soviet fighting men. But the role of
friendship and mutual assistance is particularly important with paratroopers.
One can scarcely count on reinforcements after being dropged behind enemy
lines. If a truck driver is wounded, nobody will send a new driver. His
place must be taken by a comrade. If a gunner has become disabled, the
loade r must take over; there is no other way out. And it particularly
applies to parachute j umps, the moment of the assault, when you rely on
your f riend as much as you do on yourself, and even more....
"These specific features of paratrooper combat operations create a special
atmosphere of collectivism. It is also manifested in the fact that nobody
wants to lag behind one's comrades; nobody seeks to make things easier for
himself.
"I recall an incident which took place in a unit which was preparing for a
field exercise. On the day when the paratroopers were transported to the
airfield to board the aircraft, seven men from this unit were in the
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hospital. And naturally they were not taken along on the maneuvers. When
the seven men learned that their comrades were about to leave, the patients
simply g~~t up from their beds. Using various excuses and devices, they all
turned up at the airfield - so irrepressible was their desire to take part
in the exercise and not ta lag behind their comrades.
"And I would also add another trait to the paratrooper character. In the
army there are hundreds of quite civilian occupational specialties, and
every paratrooper has a mastery of a good dozen of these. He can become
a first-class radio operator, driver, electrician, damolition expsrt,
- swimming, firearms, and parachute instructor, as well as an instructor in
unarmed combat...."
' A young man who has served two years in the Airborne Troops reenters
civilian life with a great many skills and abilities!
"Comrade General, are there other military people in your family besides -
you?"
"Our family is almost entire military. My wife, Nina Aleksandrovna, is a '
captain in the reserve, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and has
received medals and decorations. She and I raised five sons. The oldest,
Gen,zadiy, is a general; our second.oldest, Vitali}, is a lieutenant
colonel; our third, Aleksandr, is a major; our fourth, Vasiliy, is a
captain; the youngest, Anatoliy, is an engineer. All of them except the
- youngest parachute-jump."
Ae I was t~king leave, I a~ked Vasiliy Filippovich to say a few parting
worda from an exp erienced veteran paratrooper and older comrade to young
soldiers and those who would like to serve in the Airborne Troops.
"What can I say to the yotmg lads?" the general repeated my question, and
then emphatically replied: "First of all I would like to emphasize that
the army is a school of indoctrination, a school of courage, skill and `
civic maturity. Regardless of the difficulty of our service, I do not
regret and never sha~.l regret that I have devoted by entire life to the -
military, that I have linked my destiny to it. Because there is no honor
or duty greater than to servc the homeland, to defend the peaceful labor -
of one's people. And it is not simply a duty but also a great ~oy.
_ "So, my 17-year-o ld friend, if you are planning on wearing the light-blue -
shoulder boards with the paratrooper emb 1ems, work hard and prepare. Study
- hard. Regularly engage in athletics. Develop a firm will, agility, and
ingenuity. Then a highroad to the sky will open up be~ore you. To those
who have already become paratroopers I wish happy landings and success in
battle!"
:.Envelopes and postcards 1ay on Army General Margelov's desk. They were
- requests to visit, sgeak, share his reminiscences of past battles and
campaigns. A large map w~.th fresh marks also was spread out on the desk
of the Commandin~ General of the A~.rborne Troops.
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Tomorrow the ~aratroopers would be jumping aga~ra. ~
Lads From DOSAAF
~t Cen I. I. Bliznyuk, Political Section Chief , Airborne Troops
People and army. These two terms have merged into one in our country.
- This unity contains an inexhaustibla source of the strength and invincibil-
ity of the Soviet Armed Forces.
The men of our army and navy have always felt and continue to feel massive
help and support by their people. This assistance by all the people was
manifested partic~ularly strongly during the years of the Great Patriotic _
War against the fascist invaders. During that time of severe military
trials, our army received everything it needed to gain ~ictory over the
er~em}r; it was being continuously replenished with new reserves, while those
who remained on the home front gave totally o~ their energies and resources
to assist the front.
Today as well, in the postwar period, taking account of the aggressive nature
of imperialism, !:he S~viet people and their tested leader the Leninist
Party display tireless concern for strengthening national defense and
always keep matters of military organizational development at the center
- of their attention. Addressing the 25th CPSU Congress, CPSU Central Co~-
mittee General Secretary Comrade L. I. Brezhnev stated: "Nobody should
entertain any doubts that our party will do everything to ensure that the
glorious Armed Forces of :.he Soviet Union continu~e in the future to have
at their disposal all requisite means to carry out their responsible mis- -
sion to guard the peaceful labor of the So~ iet people and to serve as a
bulwark of world peace."
An i;nportant role. in strengthening the unity of the Armed Forces with the
people is played by military-patriotic indoctrination of Soviet youth and `
their preparation in advance for carrying out their sacred duty to defend
the achievements of socialism iii this country. Truly enormous credit in
this noble cause must go to the All-i3nion Voluntary Society for Assistance
to the Army, Air Farce azd I3~vy (DOSAAF USSR) , which recently celebrated its
SOth anniversary, _
Our azmy's Airborne Troops have had a very close link with DOSAAF for many
yea~~s. The history of the establishment and development of the Airborne
Troops and their fighting career are filled with vivid pages written by
the deeds and feats of DOSAAF-trained guardsmen. Tens of thousands of
glorious paraLroopers s~~lflessly and courageously defended their homeland
in combat against fascisL Germany and militarist Japan. Their ranks con-
tained many alumni of DOSAAF who were awarded coveted government 3ecora- ~
tions for valor and heroism in combat against the enemy.
Today's daily life in the Airborne Troops is also full of examples of
exemplary performance of military duty by alimmn.i of DOSAAF, who received
their first toughening and conditioning in DOSAAF schools and flying clubs.
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...The following incident recently happened to young paratrooper Gds Pvt
Petr Timoshin. Tt wae a fairly rare occurrence, but it wae only this ~
former DOSAAF membar~ excellent akill, compoeur~e and volition whic~
enabled him to emerge victorious in an extremely critical aituation. _
Young personnel were taking normal practice ~umps on that unusually-warm
winter. day. Everything was proceeding normally. The nimble AN-2 had ~ust
taken on board another 10 paratroopers and, swiftly clim~ing to the
prescribed altitude, headed for the jump area. After about 10 minutes en route,
the cum.*nand would come: "Prepara to jump." Guards Private Ti.moshin
~urned his gaze earthward, where he saw square kolkhoz f ields, the ribbon
- of a road, and multistory buildings.... Just like those in his home town
of Lipetsk, where he had spent his childhood and youth. He had spent his
_ scli~o! years there, and after graduation took a job at the Luchremtekhnika
Assocz~cio-~, He had worked i,ard and always overfulfilled work-shift
targets. He had made his first parachute jump in the spring of 1975 in the
DOSAAF Aviation Sports Club. It was followed by a second, and third jump....
He was subsequently drafted into the Soviet Army. He was extremely
- pleased when the military medical commission assigned him to the Airborne
Troops....
Time passed quickly, and soon Petr heard the navigator's command: "Prepare
t o ~j ump ! "
A stream of cold air burst into the cabin. A buzzer sounded the jump
signa7.. Timoshin confidently strode forward behind his comrades. As he
step~ed out of the aircraft, the paratrooper beban. counting: one thousand
_ and one, one thousand and two.... As soon a~ he had counted "one thousand
and three," he vigorously pulled the rip cord. Another second passed,
- but the familiar aerodynamic impact did not occur. -
~
What had happened?
� Paratrooper emergency procedures, which he and his comrades had perfected -
rc an automatic response employing special parachute ground-training _
facility equipment, rushed ~hrough Petr's head at a feverish pace~ The
ground was approaching rapidly. The peoplE on the ground also noted that
something was wrong. But nobody could come to his assistance.
In such a situation everything depended on the paratrooper himself, on his
expertise and slcill. And composure, cou4age, excelle-~.t knowledge of the
para~hutes, and skilled actions by this young paratrooper in a difficult
predicam.ent emerged victorious in this sitLation.
In the lOth second, when he was approximately 400 meters from the ground, -
when a11 actempts to open the main ~arachute had been made, Petr Timoshin
jerked the rip cord of his reserve parachute. The rest was routine: a -
smooth descent under a snow-white dandelion, and a soft landing. -
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F~tr Ti~oshin has now made about 10 jumps, several of which were from high-
speed aircraf~, is successfully mastering difficult paratrooper skills and
knowledge, and is solidly among the performance competitt~n leaders.
'Itaice each year we receive new conscripta future fi6hCing men of the
- winged guard. We successfully utilize for training and indoctrinating the
newcomer paratroopers young recruits who have gone through ~he training -
program at DOSAAF aviation schcols and clubs. The fact is that young
people, captured by the romance of service in the airborne troops, display
- at the tim~ of induction into the Armed Forces a strong desire to serve in
the Airborne Troops. Some of the conscripts make their first acquaintance
with parachute jumping after they have joined the military. Today para-
chu*e jump~ng is not a difficult activity per,se, but it requires certain
psychological conditioning. We do not have any men who refuse to jump,
althou~h some soldiers at first must overcome a certain psychological
barrier. It is during this period that we are given inestimable help by
those men who already possess experience obtained in DOSAAF. As they are
coTistantly together with the novice paratroopers in the classroom, in the
paratrooper training facility ground simulators, and at the airfields, they
help the novices by word and personal example to master an activity which
is new to them, to take their first step into the expanses of the fifth
_ ocean.
In the practical activities of our commanders, political workers, party and
Komsomol organizations one can encounter many examples of a skilled ap-
proach to utili.zation of the experience of veteran paratroopers to train .
young recruits, to instill in them a love of paratroopPr activities, and
" pride in serving in the Airborne Troops. The following is one such example.
...Young paratroopers were standing with their parachutes and observing
the ground crews and pilots preflighting the aircraft. And although nobody
said anything aloud about their concsrns, one could see from their faces
that many had a fear of heights.
Suddenly the drnne of a motor could be heard somewhere u~ in the boundless
blue sky. A small monoplane was approaching the airfield.
_ "Attention! A demonstration jump will be made by Sgt Se;rgey Slepov, out-
standing pe~former in combat and political training," announced the jump
supervising officer.
A tiny dot separated from the aircraft and was becoming rapidly larger.
They soon saw that it was a parachutist. His arms spread wide, the para-
chutist was soaring like a bird. The ground was looming closer and closer.
_ The rustling sound o~ a canopy filling with air drowned out the sigh of
relief the novice jumpers had been quite concerned about the paratro~per.
A few minutes later a smiling, calm Sergey was gathering up his parachute
several meters fra~ the group of young paratroopers. He was in no way dif-
~ ferent ircm them. His calmness and confidence was transmitted over to the
= young soldiers. ,
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Sergeant Slepov's demonstratiori ~ump was his 400th overall. At some time
in the past he had taken his firat, and his lOth..., which he had made
with the DOSAAF Flying Club in Rostov. At that time Sergey already
realized that he could not live without the sky. When in the army he be-
came enthuaiastic about sport parachuting. He trained and practiced
himself, and he taught others.
Sergey dreams of becoming an airborne officer and of ineeting the per-
fo~ance standards for master of sport parachuting. His dream will most
ass+,redly come true. -
In any of our units one can encounter dozens of examples where yesterday's
DOSAAF members readily and very successfully arouse in their comrades a
real interest in parachute jumping. I once visited the young soldiers of
the Guards Chernigov Red-Banner Airborne Division, which boasts of 50
Heroes of the Soviet Union. The future paratroopers were preparing to
~~P-
The sun had not yet come up when the roar of engines startled the airfield.
As if doing setting-up exercises after an early wake-up, the aircraft
propellers i.mpatiently turned the cold air as the flaps were cranked down.
Ground crews swarmed around the aircraft. There was every indication that
the hard-working AN-2 had a big job scheduled. The ranks of paratroopers
- standing at some distance from the aircraft were another indication.
Parachute jump.... It had been quite the sub~ect of discussion latelyl
Those who had ~umped before were anxiously looking forward to it. The
first-timers were not. And it was understandable: the unknown always en-
genders nervousness and doubts. "Won't you make a mistake?" This
question is no idle one for those who are about to make their first ~ump. -
But it is apparent that each and every man is confident. The young
soldiers' skills had become strengthened on the equipment at the parachute
ground training facility. The comnander's instructions no longer con-
fused them, and they had learned to make decisions quickly. Talks by ex-
perienced parachute jumpers who had previously trained in DOSAAF flying
clubs also had an effect.
The command "Don Parachutes" dissipated the last d~ubts. Helping each
other, the men quickly readied themselves for the flight, which for many
would be the beginning of their parachuting biography. Those who were
awaiting their first baptism by fire and with whom we talked included
Pvts Vladimir Yegorov, Nikolay Kirsanov, and Petr Kvasov.... 'I'he men
realized the seriousness of the forthcoming test, but their faces did not
show anxiety or alarm. One can only guess what is taking place deep down
inside when the moment when one must take a courageous step is so close at
- hand. But true friends st~and alongside. Nor djd Pvt Vladimir Vasilishin
see any reason for alarm. He had made 104 jumps prior to becoming a
paratrooper. Many of these jumps were of the complicated type, since they
were for accuracy and involved a free fall of up to 30 seconds.
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Vladimir greatly loved the sky and was irre~ressibly drawn by altitude.
He could talk to his new comrades for hours on end about the fascination
of parachute jumping.
Nor could you call Pvt Aleksandr Kobzar' a parachute novice. This young
~ soldier has logged 23 jumps, an impressive f~.gure. Aleksandr Yershov's
~umping experience is much more modest: he will be making his fourth jump.
And there are many others like him. There is not a single first-time
,j~per in Jr Sgt Aleksandr Puzyrenko's group. Pvts Yuriy Kas'yanov, Roman ~
Kulikovets, Pavel Frolov, Nikolay Borisyuk all of them have ~~ped
_ before. In comparison, Pvt Sergey Korshunov might be considered a genuine
ace. He was considered one of the top parachutists at the Arzamas Aviatior.
Sports Club. Sergey came to the induction center wearing a first-category
badge on his jacket and a request to be assigned to the Airborne Troops.
- One could sense that Sergey Korshunov was accustomed to the parachute`s
suspension system, that he was in his element. The fact is that 123 jumps _
is a weighty argument in favor of a person who is just beginning his career
in the airborne. Therefore not only his fellow inductees but also the
_ veterans as well listen to what he has to say. How can one not listen to
him, since ~he decisive moment is so near at hand?
Pvts Al~ksey Khlopunov and Sergey Antonov were preparing to jump. One
could not say from observing them that they were novices. They skillfully
donned rhe taut parachute packs and clicked in the leg strap and chest
strap snap links. A few seconds more... and the men straightened their
b acks: they were ready, and could assist novice Eduard Kasper. Pvts Sergey
Lysankov and Anatoliy Krivorot were doing likewise. Viktor Akhmetin, who
has already logged 29 jumps, willingly assists Vasiliy Kobelev and Sergey
Ivanov.
Conversing with the soldiers, one becomes convinced that these men will
not balk at the airplane's open doorway, that th~y will not be frightened
by height, and that they will perforn~ with honor those tasks before them in
their military career. The first successes of the young soldiers bolster
this confidence.
Former shock worker of Communist labor Sergey Tarakanov, an electric
locomotive maintenance mechanic at the Tayga yards and member of the
::emerovo DOSAAF Flying Club, has been in the army on].y a few weeks, but
~ his superiors have already noted his performance on several occasions.
Sergey received a commendation f~om his platoon leader for zeal displayed
in weapon training, and he dreams of earning the "Excellent Soviet Soldier"
badge. ~
- The flight to the jump area was iiot long. The jumpmaster swung open the
duralumin door, and the young men, as if snatched up by the stream of
- air rushing into the cabin, swiftly moved into line.
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...Engines dronned overhesd, and the sky was dotted with white parachute
canopies. A normal routine was in progress, as the men of the winged guard
worked hard on their military training. Soon we shall read the names of
today's novice paratroopers on a commendation. "Outstanding in combat
and political training...." They will honorably join the ranks of those
who already bear this proud title.
My work frequently brings me among young people; I observe their hard work
and watch the development of enlisted men, noncommissioned officers, and
officers. A feeling of just pride is evoked by the friendship, constant
endeavor and preparedness to come to the assistance of a fellow soldier,
generously to share one's experience and kno~how, to acquire the ability
to take a comrade's place in "combat," and to carry high the hon.or of one's
subunit, which have taken firm root in our units. These outstanding
traditions are most vividly mani~ested in the difficulties of service and
- the tough training regimen. The campaign to imp.~ement the resolutions of -
the 25th CPSU Congress in our subunits and units became a genuine demonstra-
tion of the unswerving wi11 and aspiration of personnel to boost their com-
bat readiness to an even higher level by means of their soldier's labor.
The extensively-practiced socialist campetition r2v~aled m~ny outstanding
- individuals, whose labor is of a truly heroic character. Many of them are
former DOSAAF members.
...During the winter training period Sgt Valeriy Moiseyev had on many oc-
casions thought about how his combat vehicle crew could earn ~ excellent
rating. He was thoroughly familiar with the BMD-1. While in the training
aubunit, he had thoroughly atudied the equipment and mastered the weapons.
And now that he had become crew captain, it was necessary not only further
to develop his acquired knowledge and skills but also to train his sub-
ordinates, to achieve high-quality mastery of the complex combaz equipment,
to learn to drop it behind "aggressor" lines.
This paratrooper had gained familiarity with the sky prior to military
service. Workiag in Orel as a mechanic and machine assembler, Valeriy com-
pleted a DOSAAF driver training cc~urse, as directed by the military com-
missariat. He really loved machinery, but he dreamed of becoming a para-
trooper, and he told the people at the military commissariat of his desire.
And after completing three familiar.ization jumps at the Central Glider
Sports Club, he was placed on the list of candidates for service in the
Airborne Troops.
He had been in the service more than a year now. This was a time of
serious testing of his soldier's maturity. By the end of the winter train-
ing period the crew had overcome all difficulties and had received a
rating of excellent. Driver Pvt Nikolay Lobov had passed the second-class
proficiency examination, while Sergeant Moiseyev hi.znself had become a
prof iciency-rated operator-gunner.
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Beginning the new training period, the crew member guardsmen worked es-
pecially hard on maetering the equipment. The excellent-rated crew
decided fixmly to consolidate ite position in the ranks of socialist com-
petition leaders. Sergeant Moiseyev pledged to learn to drive the combat
vehicle, to become a~second-class operator-gunner, and to teach the driver
to fire the vehicle's gun and antitank missiles.
Following his commander's example, Private Lobov decided to become a
specialist first class and responded enthusiastically to Sergeant Moiseyeds
suggestion that he master the ai.rborne combat vehicle.
The first firing exercises demonstrated that the crew had been fully
utilizi*~g their training time. The driver delivered fire with confidence
and scored accurate hits on targets with the machinegun. The excellent
theoretical knowledge obtained from his co~mmander were successfully applied
in practice. Sergeant Moiseyev performed tasks at this gunnery exercise
' in a somewhat more complex manner. There was no operator-gunner, and he
was compelled to perform this training exercise himself. The guardsmen
skillfully accamplished their task and received a mark of excellent.
There are many such examples of excellent service perforeiance by guardsmen
who had ~een active in DOSAAF schoo:ls and clubs. Sergeant Afanas~yev, a
first-category sport parachutist, Fvts Aleksandr Otrepov, Vasiliy Kovalenko,
Viktor Gorevskiy, and hundreds of athers enjoy deserved fame in their units.
Some people you never forget. At first you do not even realize why you are
attracted to them: is it their modesty and ability to understand the
soldier's soul, or is it other qualities, but in any case others are aome-
how involuntarily drawn to them and begin emulating them.
One such person is party member Warrant flfficer Piruz Nikolayevich
_ Ksovreli, who had also been active in DOSAAF. Externally he is un-
remarkable: lean, of inedium stature, smart in appearance and animated.
But when you became more closely acquainted with him, it immediately
becomes obvious that this is a man with a great heart, who has a boundless
love for his job. w
"I remember when the young recruits arrived," related experienced officer-
educator Captai.n Kurilov. "Amang them was a puny little fellow who had
made three parachute jumps at the Tbilisi Aviation Club. His name was
Piru~ Ksovreli. From the very first he worked so hard that soon he began -
to stand out among his fellow soldiers. Private Ksovreli completed the
separate period of training with marks of nothing but excellent."
And when the question arose of who to send to a training subunit, the com- ~
mander i~ediately ~3ecided upon Private Ksovreli, since he had confidence
in him.
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_ ~
,
The officer had not made a mistake. Piruz cc~mpleted training with dis-
tinction, and three stripes appeared on his ~houlder board. He set to
work with enthusiasm. Performance results fr~r the training period were as
follows: the aquad earned top place in the subunit and earned the designa-
tion excellent.
Sergeant Ksovreli was r.amed deputy platoon leader. Much credit must also
go to him for the fact that the platoon became excellent-rated.
When r..he platoon leader received a promotion, Senior Sergeant Ksovreli took
over his duties. He liked working with people, and therefore Piruz was
successful.
Now Piruz Nikolayevich is a warrant officer. Many soldiers have gone
through his hands during his years of service. And as a rule all of them
became fine specialists. Warrant Officpr Ksovreli has the ability to find
th~ key to each individual, to teach those who initially have a hard time
learning military affairs.
...Private Batishchev received a 2 for maxksmanship. This made not only
him unhappy but the warrant officer as well. The commander decided to
look into things himself and determine what the problem was. Ir was quite
simple: when squeezing the trigger, Batishchev failed to keep the assault
rifle aligned, and the bullets would miss the target.
Piruz Nikolayevich began drilling Batishchev. He worked with him not only
during training classes but also during free time, of which he had very
little. Batishchev began performing with greater precision and confidence.
At the next firing exercise he received a mark of good.
The job of platoon leader is a good deal of trouble and work. He has many
concerns. But they are no burden on Warrant Officer Ksovreli. He pos-
sesses a mastery of several military occupational specialties and can stand
in for any specialist at any time. The men frequently bring to him _
questions which can be answered only by a person with exgert knowledge of
the equipment. And Piruz Nikolayevich is always willing to help.
For five years now the platoon led by party member Ksovreli has been the
leading platoon in the subunit in socialist competition and has maintained _
an excellent rating.
We should also proUably say a few words about the sport parachutists of the
Airborne Troops, whose succes~es are well known throughout the country.
The ma~ority began their athletic career in DOSAAF aviation clubs where, in
addition to a love uf the sky, they learned skill, courage, persistence,
and a will to win. Much can be said about this category of paratroopers.
But I shall cite just one example.
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A team from tha Airborne Troops took part in international parachute sport
competitions held in Czechoslovakia. The competition among master para-
chutists was sharp and without quarter, for conteatanta included the top
parachutists of the GDR, USSR, and Czechoslovakia.
Warrant Officer Vladimtr Pen'kov, a master of sport international clasa,
demonstrated a high de~ree of athlatic skill, courage and ability. He es-
_ sentially had no equal Either in performance of the acrobatic sequence or
in ~~ping for accuracy. In the firat exercise Pen'kov surpassed such well-
known athletes as Skotosek from Czechoslovakia and (Seyd) from the GDR, and
took first place in this phase of the compeCition.
In the jumping for accuracy competition, Vladimir had to make four jumps,
since the first three were performed with an identical result by Czecho-
slovak parachutist Slambor and Soviet athletes Pen'kov, A].eksandrov, and
Luchshev. They landed a11 three times precisely in the center of the circle.
It took an additional, fourth jump to determine the first and second place
finishers. The winners were Pen'kov and his teammate Luchshev.
We should add that all sport parachutists in our Airborne Troops are ex-
cellent rated in combat and political training. -
The profession of ~aratrooper is of a highly diversified character. The
uniqueness of the winged guardsmen lies in the fact that they must not only
possess a competent mastery of tt~e parachute but must also be able to shoot,
driye, operate communications gear, etc. Therefore we are always grateful
to those DOSAAF organizations which train not only parachutists but also
signalmen, drivers, and marksmen. I am particularly pleased to say that
- today thousands of our troops' vehicles are aerviced, operated and main-
tained in a continuous state of combat readiness by drivers who received
DOSAAF training.
There are many military units which, in performing tasks of indoctrinating
loyal defenders of the homeland, successfully maintain close contact with
local DOSAAF organizations. For a long tasne now personnel of the Guards
c;hernigov Red-Banner Combined Unit have been on very friendly terms with
the DOSAAF group at the Kuybyshev Plant imeni Maslennikov. This friend-
ship and meaningful collabaration were born in the harsh year 1942, in
Stalingrad, where the combined unit was fighting and to which the plant's
first delegation came, bearing gifts for the combat soldiers. And for more
than 35 years now representatives of this DOSAAF organization have been
regularly visiting the paratroopers, relating to them ~the accomplishments
and labor successes of their twice-decorated p1ant, and have been inquiring
about the combat training of the Chernigov guardsmen and their former
workers. This interest is far from mere happenstance: at the present time
approximately 450 DOSAAF' members from the city of Kuybyshev, including many
from the plant organization, are serving in the units of this combined unit.
The former plant workers are becon:~ng bold, courageous guardsmen and are
holding high the honor of the DOSAAF alumni. Among them, deserved prestige
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in the subunit is enjo}�ed by paratroopers V. Osipov and L. Minlov, A.
Chitov, A. Markin, N. Kulagin, V. Kurbatov and many others for whom service
in the Airborne Troops is a high honor.
Pvt Aleksandr Klishchenko wrote the following to his garents in Kuybyshev:
"I send a soldier's or more precisely a paratrooper's greetings. I already
wrote you that my accupational apec3alty is combat engineer. I frequently
_ recall the plant where I worked, my DOSAAF mentora, and everything binding
us together. Right now I have no regrets that I became a paratrooper.
Although we must work hard, you realize that ya,. ~re a part of that potent
force which is capable of cooling the ardor of any aggressor. Soon it will
be a year and a half since I became a soldier. In this time I have learned
a great deal and have begun looking at things more seriously. I believe
that the training T received in the aviation club and wi11 be receiving
here will help me in my later life.... I recently was awarded the "Ex-
cellent Parachutist" badge, and my name was ent~red on the Board of Honor.
~ All of us soldiers feel at all times a sense of responsibility to the home-
land, which has given us the order to defend it. I cannot conceive of my-
self without love for my hameland."
Plant activists took a motorcycle tour along a route running from Kuybyshev
to the unit's location via battle sites where the combined unit fought 3.n
the last war. The tour was led by plant party commi ee secretary V.
Myasnikov. The gueats visited the military subunits, informed the m~n on
how things were going at the plant and on the diversified DOSAAF activities.
- The guardamen informed the plant workera on their success in military labor -
and assured them that they would continue in the future improving their
combat skills.
The paratroopers in turn also visit the plant. Soon after the motorcycle
tour by the Kuybyshev Plant workers, delegation of paratroopers, headed _
by Col A. Burkov, deputy commander of the combined unit, visited the
patron enterprise and presented to leading shop No 27 the Challenge Red -
Banner established by the combined unit.
At this point we must mention the following remarkable fact this long
and fruitful friendship was interestingly and vividly portrayed in a book
entitled "Nas porodnil Stalingrad" [Stalingrad Brought Us Together] by 0.
Ogora~inikova, who was a member of the first plant delegation at the front.
This book is extremely popular both with the plant work force and with
paratroopers.
A fine friendship binds the men of the unit in which Lt Col V. Astapenko
is the political section chief to the DOSAAF city organization. More than
one generation of inembers of this voluntary Society has served in the
paratrooper~ and as a rule these people have completed service as ex-
cellent rated in combat training.
Every day the paratroopers improve their combat skills, toughen their
volition, and work persistently to increase their political knowledge.
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They are well aware of their place in the ranks of the defenders of the
achievements of socialism, in the ranks of the fighting men of the brother
socialist nations, and draw correct conclusions from the contemporary in-
ternational aituation. "Our primary missions," streased USSR Minister of
Defense Mar SU D. F. Ustinov, member of the CPSU Central Committee Polit-
buro, in his address to service academy graduates, "continue to b e
further atrengthening of this natio~n's defenae capability, strengthening of
the fighting alliance of the Warsaw Pact member natione, and an all-out in-
crease in the vigilance and combat readiness of the army and navy."
Soviet fighting men are ever ready to carry out their sacred duty in the
naiae of these lofty goals.
- Makers of White Canopies
A. Salutskiy, Journalist
Today the parachute has taken a firm place amo:~g the prominent inventions
of mankind. Parachute jumping from the sky opened up new spheres of ac-
tivity for man in art of warfare, in science, and in sports. Not only
people began descending to the earth with the ~d of parachute canopies,
- but also diversified equipment and scientific instruments. Finally,
parachute systems began smoothly dropping cargo not only to the earth but
also onto other planets. The potential applications of the parachute are
endless!
But how are these complex devicea for smooth descent created? Who deaigned
them, an~d whhc~ tests t~em? Finally, ~aho sews the canopies~ which are so
diversif ied in shape and size?
- It is a well-known fact that the honor o~ inventing the world's f i rst
- parachute which could be compactly packed into a backpack and taken
aloft belongs to Russian designer G. Ye. Kotel'nikov. Unfortunately
Czarist ltussia's War Ministry was not interested in this invention. During
World War I Russian aviation was equirped with only 70 parachutes for
the crews of the I1'ya Muromets heavy bombers.
Such indifference toward the pa~achute by the Czar's bureaucrats was sub-
sequently quite costly. _
When our aviation began developing rapidly during the years of the First
Five-Year Plan, when pilots needed thousands of parachutes, the parachute
plant was initially forced to manufacture parachutes on the basis of
foreign licenses.
But the first director of this plant, Mikhail Aleksey~vich Savitskiy, did
not want to accept r_his situation. He set up a sma11 design office at
the plant, and he invited young engineers to work th~tre. fle assigned them
a task: to design Soviet parachute syatems. Thie task was succesfsfully
accomplished at the beginning of the 1930's.
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In February 1934 a technical conference was held at the plant, at which
representatives of military organizations, Osoaviakhim, and institutes
which were developing fabrics for paracl-.utes gathered. About 80 persons
jammed into the plant clubhouse, which was actually a temporary wooden
barracks. Experts presented reports, and production people exchanged ex-
perience and know~how. In short a working meet ing was held. Suddenly
Savitskiy requested that the meeting be temporarily ad~ourned so that the
conferees could go outside for a little frash air. He then announced a
"surprise" for the conferees.
Everybody poured out into the yard. They had scarcely lit~ a cigarette when
a single U-2 aircraft appeared above the vacant area by th.e clubhouse. The
guests looked skyward and saw that a parachutist had jumped from the air-
craft. After a several-second free fall, suddenly a canopy of surprising,
unconventional shape deployed above the parachutist not a round but a
square canopy, with slightly-cut-back corners, like a flying carpet.
The parachutist descended smoothly and without swinging, in spite of the
fairly stro~g winds. Everybody noticed, to be true, that at the moment the
j~per left the aircraft a fur boot came off and, descending faster than
its owner, rapidly fell to earth and smacked into the snow, but the
parachute itself worked perfectly.
Some young boys who were running around in the vacant area immediately
retrieved the fur boot and, when the jumper landed near the clubhouse, ran
headlong over to the parachutist. The latter quickly pulled on the boot
and, running over to the director, reported mission accomplished. He then
sought out in the group of onlookers a tall, th in lad, ran over to him,
embraced and kissed him: "Congratulations, Kolya! An excellent parachute!"
Mikhail Alekseyevich Savitskiy introduced parachutist Nikolay Ostryakov to
the assembled conferees and asked him to say a few words to the guests. _
The tester walked up to the speaker's stand and began in quite simple
fashion: "I am happy that I was able to be the first to test this new-
design Soviet parachute. The results exceeded my expectations. I am con-
vinced that Air Force pilots will soon receive this new parachute of Soviet
- design. I warmly congratulate the young parachute industry on its success."
And he gave particular congratulations to his friend Nikolay Lobanov, who
had designed the new-system parachute.
The parachute indeed proved to be very promisin~. A series-produced
emergency parachute was manufactured on the basis of this new design, a
parachute which was subsequently utilized by al 1 pilots in the Soviet Air
, Force. The square-shape canopy, proposed by Lobanov and tested by
Ostryakov, fully proved itself at the first stage of development of our
parachute industry.
Much time has passed since then. The area of application of the parachute
has increased im~easurably, and in conf~rmity with this the most diversified
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types of parachutes have been developed. Today Soviet designers possess a
wealth of exp~:rience, for many af thoae who began at the first design o~-
fice are still working today on developing new parachute systems. They in-
clude Lenin Prize recipient Doctor of Technical Sciences Nikolay
- Alekeandrovich Lobanov.
Together with his colleagues, he designs highly complex parachutes capable
of reliably serving man. But the process of developing new parachutes, `
just as any creative process, requires tireless search, full mutual under-
standing among all members of the designer team, and bold, innovative
solutions. Then begins the painstaking work of embodying the idea in
working drawings and experimental models. Then....
At this point, however, we must make a slight digression.
_ As it happens; the people who design personnel-carrying parachutes very
often became the testers of these parachutes. Not because their ~ob
requires it on the contrary, sometimes despite prohibitions they seek
to take to the sky, for they are unable to remain calmly seated at their
drawing boaxd. It is not surprising that even the position "engineer-
parachutist-tester" now exists.
Ivan Stepanovich Stapanenko joined the Airborne Troops and went into combat _
in 1941, as a 17-year-old youth. He made three ~umps behind enemy lines,
and after the Great Patriotic War he became a parachute tester. Essential- ~
ly all personnel parachutes went through his hands; he possesses 15 cer-
tificates of invention.
But just what is a tester? For example, he can ~ump from an aircraft fly-
ing at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. If you open up your fist at
such a speed, your fingers will be bent back behind your palm. The extreme-
ly powerful airstream imposes maximum loads on a person. But a person is
not strapped to the seat of a centrifuge or pilot's seat; he does not
select a pose which corresponds to the most uniform load distribution; dur-
ing the f irst, most difficult instant of the jump he is twisted and turned
in all directions. But even In this instant the tester is able precisely
- to record in his mind everythtng which is happening to his parachute.
Perhaps a tester, who is capable of all this, could be compared to a
cosmonaut without stretching a point he requires equal endurance. In-
cidentally,it is a well-known fact that cosmonauts have a great deal of ~
respect for expert parachutists. "Who in their abilities stand closer
~ than all others to the cosmonauts?" asked German Titov. And he replied to
his own question: "Paratroopers!" Many people know that before Yuriy
Gagarin donned his spacesuit, this gear was tested time and again by
parachutist Petr polgov.
~iit let us not forget that the testers we have mentioned, as well as many
of their comrades, also design parachutes. What versatile qualities a per-
son must possess who combines in himself the experience of a designer and
the skill of a parachute tester!
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But perhaps it is precisely the fact that many parachute designers are
also parachute ~esters promotes exactly that high degree of creative
tension which reigns in designer work forces? For sometimes technical
documentation cannot keep up with the new proposals and ideas which are
"churned out" by these people, who have made thousands of parachute ~umps.
But they, these people, not only design new types of parachutes, not only
~ test them, but alsu take active part in setting up series production of
parachutes wiiich hav.~ passed c~m.prehemsive testing. They are frequent
visj.tors at the parac:hute plant, where designers' ideas are incorporatpd
into clot~~.
...This parachute pJ.ant is located in a comparatively small old Russi~.z
town. Somewhat more than 100 years ago some enterprising merch