Damansky Island: conflict with China. Damansky. An island that will remain only in our memory

Damansky is an island with an area of 0.74 km on the Ussuri River, along which the state border of Russia with the People's Republic of China passes. In Chinese the island is called Zhenbao - “precious island”.

It received its Russian name in 1888 during research for the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Traveling engineer Stanislav Damansky died in these places during a storm while crossing by boat. His body was found near an “unnamed” island, which was given the name of the deceased.

In the early 60s, Soviet-Chinese contradictions of a political and ideological nature intensified.

In 1964, at a meeting with the Japanese delegation, Mao Zedong said: “There are too many places occupied by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union covers an area of 22 million km2, and its population is only 200 million people.” Almost immediately, the Chinese leadership laid claim to 1.5 million km2 (22 disputed areas, 16 of them in the western and 6 in the eastern part of the Soviet-Chinese border). The Chinese government stated that a number of territories in the regions of Primorye, Tuva, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, republics Central Asia went to Russia as a result of unequal treaties imposed on China.

On February 25, 1964, consultations began in Beijing on clarifying the Soviet-Chinese border. The Soviet delegation was headed by a plenipotentiary representative with the rank of Deputy Minister P.I. Zyryanov (head of the Main Directorate of Border Troops of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR), Chinese - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Tseng Yong-quan.

During the six-month work, the border was clarified. It was decided to take the questions that arose regarding the ownership of a number of islands on the Argun River “out of brackets” in order to consider this issue separately. However, N.S. opposed this. Khrushchev, saying: “Either everything or nothing.”

Meanwhile, the situation on the Soviet-Chinese border was deteriorating. Violations began to be demonstrative in nature. If from October 1964 to April 1965 there were 36 cases of 150 Chinese citizens and military personnel entering Soviet territory, then in just 15 days of April 1965 the border was violated 12 times with the participation of more than 500 people, including military personnel.

In mid-April 1965, about 200 Chinese, under the cover of military personnel, crossed into Soviet territory and plowed 80 hectares of land, citing the fact that they were occupying their territory. In 1967, 40 anti-Soviet provocations were organized. In the same year, the Chinese side tried to unilaterally change the border line in a number of areas.

One of the first provocations.

At the same time, fierce battles took place between border guards and provocateurs in the area of Kirkinsky and Bolshoi islands.

This is how V. Bubenin, who was the head of the 1st border outpost of the Iman (Dalnerechensky) border detachment, recalled this time.

« Provocations followed one after another, three or four a week. People were exhausted and tired. They served on the border for 8-10 hours, and participated in eliminating provocations for 4-5 hours. But everyone understood that this was necessary, because this was real combat work. The greatest punishment was considered to be if someone was removed from participating in the elimination of provocations...

To protect personnel and reduce the risk of injury during forceful contact, we began to use spears and clubs. The soldiers carried out my command with great pleasure and zeal to prepare a new and at the same time the most ancient weapon primitive man. Each soldier had his own, made of oak or black birch, lovingly planed and sanded. And there is a lanyard tied to the handle so that it doesn’t fly out of your hands. They were kept in a pyramid along with weapons. So, when alarmed, the soldier took the machine gun and grabbed a club. And as a group weapon they used slingshots...

They helped us out a lot at first. When the Chinese attacked us with a wall, we simply put the spears forward... without allowing contact, we threw them back. The soldiers really liked it. Well, if some daredevil did break through, then, excuse me, he voluntarily ran into a club.

...In this simple way we excluded direct contact with provocateurs. Moreover, it was noted more than once that some of them wore knives on their belts under their outer clothing and it was very easy to run into them.”

Rohatyns are the “secret” weapon of border guards.

In the winter of 1968-1969. The first battles with provocateurs began on Damansky Island, located 12 km from the 1st outpost “Kulebyakiny Sopki” and 6 km from the 2nd outpost “Nizhne-Mikhailovka” of the Iman (Dalnerechensky) border detachment.

It was here that Soviet border guards first encountered PLA soldiers. Initially, the Chinese soldiers did not remove their weapons from their shoulders and were quickly forced out of the island. However, in December the Chinese used weapons for the first time, this time as clubs. V. Bubenin recalled: “ They took carbines and machine guns from their shoulders and, waving them, rushed at us. Several of our soldiers immediately received a strong blow... Strelnikov and I gave orders to our soldiers to use their rifle butts... A new battle on the ice began».

On March 1, the weather did not go well at night. A blizzard arose, and by evening the snowfall intensified. On the night of March 2, on their shore, opposite Damansky Island, taking advantage of unfavorable weather, the Chinese concentrated up to an infantry battalion, two mortar batteries and one artillery battery.

With three infantry companies, up to three hundred people, they reached the island, the two remaining companies took up defense on the shore. The battalion command post was located on the island, and a wired connection was established with the shore. All personnel were dressed in camouflage suits. On the island, the Chinese dug cells and disguised themselves. The positions of mortar and artillery batteries, heavy machine guns were located so that direct fire could be fired at armored personnel carriers and Soviet border guards.

At 10.40 (local time) on March 2, about 30 servicemen from the Chinese border post “Gunsy” began moving towards Damansky.

The battle was brutal. The Chinese finished off the wounded. The head of the medical service of the detachment, Major of the Medical Service V. Kvitko, said: “ The medical commission, which, in addition to me, included military doctors, senior lieutenants of the medical service B. Fotavenko and N. Kostyuchenko, carefully examined all the dead border guards on Damansky Island and found that 19 wounded would have remained alive, because during the battle they received non-fatal injuries injuries. But then they were finished off in Hitler’s style with knives, bayonets and rifle butts. This is irrefutably evidenced by cut, stabbed bayonet and gunshot wounds. They shot point blank from 1-2 meters. Strelnikov and Buinevi were finished off at this distance h"

The head of the outpost is senior lieutenant I. Strelnikov.

Tormented Ivan Strelnikov after the battle.

According to official data, up to 248 Chinese soldiers and officers were killed in this battle, 32 soldiers and officers were killed on the part of the border guards, and one border guard was captured.

Dead Soviet soldiers.

As it turned out, the Chinese are prepared for such a turn of events and have a sufficient number of anti-tank weapons. Due to their heavy fire, the counterattack failed. Moreover, Leonov exactly repeated Bubenin’s bypass maneuver, which did not come as a surprise to the Chinese. In this direction they had already dug trenches where grenade launchers were located. The lead tank in which Leonov was located was hit, and the colonel himself, who was trying to get out through the lower hatch, died.

Head of the Imansky (Dalnerechensky border detachment) D. Leonov.

Two other tanks still managed to break through to the island and take up defense there. This allowed the Soviet soldiers to hold out on Damansky for another 2 hours. Finally, having shot all the ammunition and not receiving reinforcements, they left Damansky.

Captured T-62 tank in the PLA museum. Beijing.

Then the forces of the 135th Motorized Rifle Division deployed along the river came into play, whose command ordered its artillery (including a separate BM-21 Grad rocket division) to open fire on the Chinese positions on the island. This was the first time that Grad rocket launchers were used in battle, the impact of which decided the outcome of the battle. A significant part of the Chinese soldiers on Damansky (more than 700 people) were destroyed by a barrage of fire.

At this point, active hostilities virtually ceased. But from May to September 1969, Soviet border guards opened fire on intruders in the Damansky area more than 300 times.

In the battles for Damansky from March 2 to March 16, 1969, 58 Soviet soldiers were killed and 94 were seriously injured. For their heroism, four servicemen received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Colonel D. Leonov and Senior Lieutenant I. Strelnikov (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant V. Bubenin and Junior Sergeant Yu. Babansky.

For their heroism, five servicemen received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Colonel D. Leonov (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant I. Strelnikov (posthumously), Junior Sergeant V. Orekhov (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant V. Bubenin, Junior Sergeant Yu. Babansky. In the fall of 1969, the USSR actually agreed to transfer the island to the PRC.

In 1991, a corresponding agreement was signed. The new owners filled up the channel, and the peninsula became part of the Chinese coast (Zhalanashkol).

Photo chronicle of events.

Lydia Strelnikova at her husband's grave.

ONCE ONE TIME, I READ MAO’S QUOTES...

Vladimir Vysotsky.

Once, after reading Mao’s quotes,
They came to us with a large portrait of him,
We slightly violated the charter then...

I remembered a song, I remembered a verse,
It was as if they were whispering in my ear:
“Stalin and Mao listen to them,” -
That's why it's a mess.

Supported by mortar fire,
Silently, slowly, as if on a hunt,
The Chinese army ran towards me, -
Later it turned out that the number was equal to a company.

Previously, at least bite your elbows, but don’t shoot,
It’s better to drink condensed cocoa at home, -
But today they ordered: not to let in, -
Now shish, but pasaran, Comrade Mao!

I used to shoot from my knees - while running -
I'm just not used to slow decisions,
I used to shoot at an imaginary enemy,
And now we’ll have to hit live targets.

The mines are falling, and the company is rushing -
Whoever can - on the water, without knowing the ford...
What a shame - this very mortar
We gave it to the Chinese people.

He, the great helmsman, has been climbing out for a long time,
And now, without resting on this,
Our brothers lay down and fired a volley...
You know the rest from the newspapers.
1969

Damansky - Soviet-Chinese border conflict in 1969 over an island on the Ussuri River (about 1,700 m long and 500 m wide), in the area of which fighting between Soviet and Chinese troops took place on March 2 and 15, 1969. On the night of March 2, 1969, 300 Chinese troops secretly occupied Damansky and set up camouflaged firing points there. In their rear, on the left bank of the Ussuri, reserves and artillery support (mortars and recoilless rifles) were concentrated. This act was undertaken as part of Operation Retaliation, which was led by the deputy commander of the Shenyang Military Region, Xiao Cuanfu.

In the morning, Chinese soldiers opened fire on 55 Soviet border guards heading to the island, led by the head of the Nizhne-Mikhailovka border post, Senior Lieutenant I. Strelnikov.

Supported by mortar fire from their shore, the Chinese secured a position behind the embankment on the island and again forced the Soviet soldiers to lie down. But Bubenin did not retreat. He regrouped his forces and organized a new attack using armored personnel carriers. Having bypassed the island, he led his maneuver group to flank the Chinese and forced them to abandon their positions on the island. During this attack, Bubenin was wounded, but did not leave the battle and brought it to victory. In the battle on March 2, 31 Soviet border guards were killed and 14 were wounded.

On the morning of March 15, the Chinese again went on the offensive. They increased the size of their forces to an infantry division, reinforced by reservists. The “human wave” attacks continued for an hour. After a fierce battle, the Chinese managed to push back the Soviet soldiers. Then, to support the defenders, a tank platoon headed by the head of the Iman border detachment (it included the Nizhne-Mikhailovka and Kulebyakiny Sopki outposts), Colonel D. Leonov, launched a counterattack.

But it turned out that the Chinese are prepared for such a turn of events and have a sufficient number of anti-tank weapons. Due to their heavy fire, the counterattack failed. Moreover, Leonov exactly repeated Bubenin’s bypass maneuver, which did not come as a surprise to the Chinese. In this direction they had already dug trenches where grenade launchers were located. The lead tank in which Leonov was located was hit, and the colonel himself, who was trying to get out through the lower hatch, died. Two other tanks still managed to break through to the island and take up defense there. This allowed the Soviet soldiers to hold out on Damansky for another 2 hours. Finally, having shot all the ammunition and not receiving reinforcements, they left Damansky.

The failure of the counterattack and the loss of the newest T-62 combat vehicle with secret equipment finally convinced the Soviet command that the forces brought into the battle were not enough to defeat the Chinese side, which was very seriously prepared. Then the forces of the 135th Motorized Rifle Division deployed along the river came into play, whose command ordered its artillery (including a separate BM-21 Grad rocket division) to open fire on the Chinese positions on the island. This was the first time that Grad rocket launchers were used in battle, the impact of which decided the outcome of the battle.

At this point, active hostilities virtually ceased. But from May to September 1969, Soviet border guards opened fire on intruders in the Damansky area more than 300 times. In the battles for Damansky from March 2 to 16, 1969, 58 Soviet soldiers were killed and 94 were seriously injured. For their heroism, four servicemen received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Colonel D. Leonov and Senior Lieutenant I. Strelnikov (posthumously), Senior Lieutenant V. Bubenin and Junior Sergeant Yu. Babansky.

The Battle of Damansky was the first serious clash between the USSR Armed Forces and regular units of another major power since World War II. After Soviet-Chinese negotiations in September 1969, it was decided to give Damansky Island to the People's Republic of China. The new owners of the island filled up the channel, and since then it has become part of the Chinese coast (Zhalanashkol).

Book materials used: Nikolay Shefov. Battles of Russia. Military-historical library. M., 2002.

I was looking for new information around Fuyuan and Bolshoi Ussuriysky Island and came across the blog of a Chinese traveler who was recently in Fuyuan County, but, more interestingly, he recently visited the area of Zhenbao Island (珍宝岛, Damansky Island, which went to China). There are rumors here and there on the Internet that supposedly there is a museum on Damansky dedicated to the events of 1969, about the clashes between Soviet and Chinese troops and border guards, and that Russians are not allowed there. I don’t know, there’s definitely a memorial there, but people are allowed in there in a strictly metered manner - there, on the island, there is a barracks for the PLA border guards. There are several more stones with inscriptions about the “precious island”. In general, I propose to see what Damansky Island looks like now.

59 kilometers (36 in a straight line) south of Damansky Island there is a village of the same name. The traveler first came there.

Village and village. Looks like Russian. By the way, it is called differently on the map. Located here.

From the village the Chinese went to Damansky Island itself. On the way we met a car of Chinese border guards.

I often come across a phrase on the Internet that supposedly the Chinese filled up the channel of the Ussuri River, which separated Damansky Island and the main coast of the People's Republic of China. But, as you can see from the photo, yes google maps show that there is nothing of the kind - the duct exists. Its width is two hundred meters.

Before the entrance to the ice crossing, on the left, there is such a monument. There is some nonsense written on this cobblestone, I couldn’t figure it out: 百年首捷，一岛独胜: the main victory for centuries. For what centuries, if the events took place in 1969?

The author also writes that the Soviet tank fell through the ice, and the Chinese took it out of Ussuri a couple of months later (this is true), then they dragged it to Harbin and then dragged it to Beijing and put it in a military museum. Here he is.

The author does not write any malicious comments about Russia and the USSR, but simply discusses why this could happen. He further writes that the USSR was so angry with the PRC that it was ready to use it against China nuclear weapon and the Chinese got scared. And he also connects the construction of the Beijing metro precisely with the nuclear threat - the metro was supposed to serve as a shelter and that, supposedly, part of the metro is still not in use, that is, that it is an ordinary mothballed bomb shelter.

Here are the Chinese border guards coming from Damansky Island to the main shore.

According to publicly available information, our (Chinese in the sense) border guards killed and wounded more than 230 people (according to the Soviet version - 152, of which 58 were killed), damaged tanks and armored vehicles - 19; Chinese border guards died - 92 victims. There are different opinions and assumptions about the reasons for the outbreak of the conflict; perhaps the conflict is closely related to the upcoming party congress.

Soviet-Chinese border conflict on Damansky Island- armed clashes between the USSR and the PRC on March 15, 1969 in the area of Damansky Island (Chinese: 珍宝, Zhenbao- “Precious”) on the Ussuri River, 230 km south of Khabarovsk and 35 km west of the regional center of Luchegorsk ( 46°29′08″ n. w. 133°50′40″ E. d. HGIOL).

The largest Soviet-Chinese armed conflict V modern history Russia and China.

Background and causes of the conflict[ | ]

Map showing conflict locations in 1969

As a consequence of the deterioration of relations with China, Soviet border guards began to zealously follow the exact location of the border. According to the Chinese side, Soviet border boats intimidated Chinese fishermen by passing next to their boats at high speed and threatening to drown them.

Since the early 1960s, the situation in the island area has been heating up. According to statements from the Soviet side, groups of civilians and military personnel began to systematically violate the border regime and enter Soviet territory, from where they were expelled each time by border guards without the use of weapons. At first, peasants entered the territory of the USSR at the direction of the Chinese authorities and demonstratively worked there. economic activity: mowing and grazing livestock, declaring that they are on Chinese territory. The number of such provocations increased sharply: in 1960 there were 100, in 1962 - more than 5,000. Then Red Guards began to carry out attacks on border patrols. Such events numbered in the thousands, with up to several hundred people involved in each of them. On January 4, 1969, a Chinese provocation was carried out on the island () with the participation of 500 people [ ] .

According to the Chinese version of events, Soviet border guards themselves “arranged” provocations and beat up Chinese citizens engaged in economic activities where they always did. During the Kirkinsky incident, Soviet border guards used armored personnel carriers to displace civilians, and on February 7, 1969, they fired several single machine gun shots in the direction of the Chinese border detachment.

It was repeatedly noted that none of these clashes, no matter whose fault it occurred, could result in a serious armed conflict without the approval of the authorities. The assertion that the events around Damansky Island on March 2 and 15 were the result of an action carefully planned by the Chinese side is now the most widespread; including directly or indirectly recognized by many Chinese historians. For example, he writes that in 1968-1969 the response to “Soviet provocations” was limited by the directives of the Central Committee of the CPC, only on January 25, 1969 it was allowed to plan “response military actions” near Damansky Island with the forces of three companies. On February 19, the General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China agreed to this. There is a version according to which the leadership of the USSR was aware in advance through Marshal Lin Biao of the upcoming Chinese action, which resulted in a conflict.

In a US State Department intelligence bulletin, dated July 13, 1969: “Chinese propaganda emphasized the need for internal unity and encouraged the population to prepare for war. It can be considered that the incidents were staged solely to strengthen domestic politics."

Chronology of events[ | ]

Events of March 1-2 and the following week[ | ]

The command of the surviving border guards was taken over by junior sergeant Yuri Babansky, whose squad managed to covertly disperse around the island due to a delay in moving from the outpost and, together with the crew of the armored personnel carrier, took up fire.

Babansky recalled: “After 20 minutes of battle, out of 12 guys, eight remained alive, and after another 15, five. Of course, it was still possible to retreat, return to the outpost, and wait for reinforcements from the detachment. But we were seized with such fierce anger at these bastards that in those moments we wanted only one thing - to kill them as much as possible. For the guys, for ourselves, for this inch that no one needs, but still our land.”

Around 13:00 the Chinese began to retreat.

In the battle on March 2, 31 Soviet border guards were killed and 14 were wounded. The losses of the Chinese side (according to the assessment of the USSR KGB commission chaired by Colonel General N.S. Zakharov) amounted to 39 people killed.

At about 13:20, a helicopter arrived at Damansky with the command of the Iman border detachment and its chief, Colonel Democrat Leonov, and reinforcements from neighboring outposts, the reserves of the Pacific and Far Eastern border districts were involved. Reinforced squads of border guards were deployed to Damansky, and the Soviet army was deployed in the rear with artillery and installations of the BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system. On the Chinese side, 5 thousand people were preparing for hostilities.

Settlement and aftermath[ | ]

In total, during the clashes, Soviet troops lost 58 people killed or died from wounds (including four officers), and 94 people were wounded (including nine officers). Information about the irretrievable losses of the Chinese side is still closed; according to various estimates, they range from 100 to 300 people. In Baoqing County there is a memorial cemetery where the remains of 68 Chinese soldiers who died on March 2 and 15, 1969 are located. Information received from a Chinese defector suggests that other burials exist.

For their heroism, five servicemen received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union: Colonel Democrat Leonov Ivan Strelnikov (posthumously), junior sergeant Vladimir Orekhov (posthumously), senior lieutenant Vitaly Bubenin, junior sergeant Yuri Babansky. Many border guards and military personnel Soviet army awarded state awards: three - Orders of Lenin, ten - Orders of the Red Banner, 31 - Orders of the Red Star, ten - Orders of Glory III degree, 63 - medals "For Courage", 31 - medals "For Military Merit".

On September 11 in Beijing, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Kosygin, who was returning from the funeral of Ho Chi Minh, and Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhou Enlai agreed to stop hostile actions and that the troops would remain in occupied positions without going to Damansky.

On October 20, 1969, new negotiations between the heads of government of the USSR and the PRC were held, and an agreement was reached on the need to revise the Soviet-Chinese border. Then a series of negotiations were held in Beijing and Moscow, and in 1991 Damansky Island went to the PRC.

In 2001, photographs of the discovered bodies of Soviet soldiers from the archives of the KGB of the USSR, indicating facts of abuse by the Chinese side, were declassified, the materials were transferred to the museum of the city of Dalnerechensk.

In 2010, the French newspaper Le Figaro published a series of articles with reference to a supplement to the People's Daily newspaper, claiming that the USSR was preparing a nuclear strike on the PRC in August - October 1969. A similar article was published in the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post. According to these articles, the United States refused to remain neutral in the event of a nuclear strike on the PRC and on October 15 threatened to attack 130 Soviet cities. “Five days later, Moscow canceled all plans for a nuclear strike, and negotiations began in Beijing: the crisis was over,” the newspaper writes. Researcher Liu Chenshan, who describes this episode with Nixon, does not specify what archival sources he is based on. He admits that other experts disagree with his statements.

Mass grave of Heroes of Damansky in Dalnerechensk[ | ]

Mass grave (square on Geroev Damansky Street and Lenin Street)

Art. Lieutenant Buinevich

Head of the border post Grigoriev

Colonel Leonov

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Historical reference

The passage of the Russian-Chinese border was established by numerous legal acts - the Nerchinsk Treaty of 1689, the Burinsky and Kyakhtinsky Treaties of 1727, the Aigun Treaty of 1858, the Beijing Treaty of 1860, the Treaty Act of 1911.

In accordance with generally accepted practice, boundaries on rivers are drawn along the main fairway. However, taking advantage of the weakness of pre-revolutionary China, the tsarist government of Russia was able to draw the border on the Ussuri River along the water's edge along the Chinese coast. Thus, the entire river and the islands on it turned out to be Russian.

This obvious injustice continued after the October Revolution of 1917 and the formation of the Chinese People's Republic in 1949, but did not in any way affect Soviet-Chinese relations. And only at the end of the 50s, when disagreements arose between the leadership of the CPSU and the CPC, the situation on the border began to constantly escalate.

The Soviet leadership was sympathetic to the Chinese desire to carry out new border along the rivers and was even ready to transfer a number of lands to the PRC. However, this readiness disappeared as soon as the ideological and then interstate conflict flared up. Further deterioration of relations between the two countries ultimately led to open armed confrontation on Damansky Island.

At the end of the 60s, Damansky Island territorially belonged to the Pozharsky district of Primorsky Krai, bordering the Chinese province of Heilongjiang. The distance of the island from the Soviet coast was about 500 m, from the Chinese coast - about 300 m. From south to north, Damansky stretches 1500 - 1800 m, and its width reaches 600 -700 m.

These figures are quite approximate, since the size of the island greatly depends on the time of year. For example, in spring and during summer floods the island is flooded with the waters of the Ussuri, and it is almost hidden from view, and in winter Damansky rises among the frozen river. Therefore, this island does not represent any economic or military-strategic value.

The events of March 2 and 15, 1969 on Damansky Island were preceded by numerous Chinese provocations for the unauthorized seizure of Soviet islands on the Ussuri River (starting in 1965). At the same time, Soviet border guards always strictly adhered to the established line of behavior: provocateurs were expelled from Soviet territory, and weapons were not used by the border guards.

On the night of March 1-2, 1969, about 300 Chinese troops crossed to Damansky and lay down on the higher western shore of the island among bushes and trees. They didn’t tear up the trenches, they just lay down in the snow, laying down mats.

The equipment of the border violators was quite consistent weather conditions and consisted of the following: a hat with earflaps, differing from a similar Soviet earflap by the presence of two valves on the left and right - to better capture sounds; a quilted jacket and the same quilted pants; insulated lace-up boots; cotton uniform and warm underwear, thick socks; military style mittens - thumb and index finger separately, other fingers together.

The Chinese military personnel were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, as well as SKS carbines. The commanders have TT pistols. All weapons are Chinese-made, manufactured under Soviet licenses.

The perpetrators were wearing white camouflage robes, and they wrapped their weapons in the same camouflage fabric. The cleaning rod was filled with paraffin to prevent it from rattling.

There were no documents or personal items in the Chinese's pockets.

The Chinese extended telephone communications to their shore and lay in the snow until the morning.

To support the intruders, positions of recoilless rifles, heavy machine guns and mortars were equipped on the Chinese coast. Here the infantry with a total number of 200-300 people was waiting in the wings.

On the night of March 2, two border guards were constantly at the Soviet observation post, but they did not notice or hear anything - neither lights nor any sounds. The movement of the Chinese to their positions was well organized and took place completely secretly.

At about 9.00 o'clock a border patrol consisting of three people passed through the island; the squad did not find the Chinese. The violators also did not unmask themselves.

At approximately 10.40, the Nizhne-Mikhailovka outpost received a report from the observation post that a group of armed people of up to 30 people was moving from the Chinese border post of Gunsy in the direction of Damansky.

The head of the outpost, senior lieutenant Ivan Strelnikov, called his subordinates to the gun, after which he called the operational duty officer of the border detachment.

The personnel loaded into three vehicles - GAZ-69 (7 people led by Strelnikov), BTR-60PB (about 13 people, senior - Sergeant V. Rabovich) and GAZ-63 (12 border guards in total, led by Junior Sergeant Yu. Babansky ).

The GAZ-63, in which Yu. Babansky advanced with his group, had a weak engine, so on the way to the island they were 15 minutes behind the main group.

Having arrived at the place, the commander's gas car and armored personnel carrier stopped at the southern tip of the island. Having dismounted, the border guards moved in the direction of the intruders in two groups: the first was led across the ice by the head of the outpost himself, and Rabovich’s group followed a parallel course directly along the island.

Together with Strelnikov there was a photographer from the political department of the border detachment, Private Nikolai Petrov, who filmed what was happening with a movie camera, as well as a Zorki-4 camera.

Approaching the provocateurs (at about 11.10), I. Strelnikov protested about the violation of the border and demanded that the Chinese military personnel leave the territory of the USSR. One of the Chinese answered something loudly, then two pistol shots were heard. The first line parted, and the second opened sudden machine-gun fire on Strelnikov’s group.

Strelnikov’s group and the head of the outpost himself died immediately. The Chinese ran up and snatched the movie camera from Petrov’s hands, but did not notice the camera: the soldier fell on top of it, covering it with a sheepskin coat.

The ambush on Damansky also opened fire - on Rabovich's group. Rabovich managed to shout “For battle,” but this did not solve anything: several border guards were killed and wounded, the survivors found themselves in the middle of a frozen lake in full view of the Chinese.

Some of the Chinese got up from their “beds” and went on an attack on a handful of Soviet border guards. They accepted an unequal battle and shot back to the last.

It was at this moment that Y. Babansky’s group arrived. Having taken a position at some distance behind their dying comrades, the border guards met the advancing Chinese with machine gun fire.

The raiders reached the positions of Rabovich’s group and here they finished off several wounded border guards with machine gun fire and cold steel (bayonets, knives).

The only one who survived, literally by miracle, was Private Gennady Serebrov. He told about the last minutes of his friends’ lives.

There were fewer and fewer fighters left in Babansky’s group, and ammunition was running out. The junior sergeant decided to retreat to the parking lot, but at that moment Chinese artillery covered both vehicles. The car drivers took refuge in an armored personnel carrier left by Strelnikov and tried to enter the island. They failed because the bank was too steep and high. After several unsuccessful attempts to overcome the rise, the armored personnel carrier retreated to shelter on the Soviet coast. At this time, the reserve of the neighboring outpost, led by Vitaly Bubenin, arrived in time.

Senior Lieutenant V. Bubenin commanded the neighboring outpost of Sopki Kulebyakina, located 17-18 km north of Damansky. Having received a telephone message on the morning of March 2 about shooting on the island, Bubenin put about twenty soldiers in an armored personnel carrier and hurried to the rescue of his neighbors.

At about 11.30 the armored personnel carrier reached Damansky and entered one of the ice-covered channels. Hearing heavy shooting, the border guards got out of the car and turned in a chain in the direction of the shots coming. Almost immediately they encountered a group of Chinese, and a battle ensued.

The violators (all the same ones, in the “beds”) noticed Bubenin and transferred the fire to his group. The senior lieutenant was wounded and shell-shocked, but did not lose control of the battle.

Leaving in place a group of soldiers led by junior sergeant V. Kanygin, Bubenin and 4 border guards loaded into an armored personnel carrier and moved around the island, going to the rear of the Chinese ambush. Bubenin himself stood at the heavy machine gun, and his subordinates fired through the loopholes on both flanks.

Despite their multiple superiority in manpower, the Chinese found themselves in an extremely unpleasant situation: they were fired upon by groups of Babansky and Kanygin from the island, and from the rear by a maneuvering armored personnel carrier. But Bubenin’s vehicle also suffered: fire from the Chinese coast on the armored personnel carrier damaged the sight, and the hydraulic system could no longer maintain the required tire pressure. The head of the outpost himself received a new wound and concussion.

Bubenin managed to get around the island and take refuge on the river bank. Having reported the situation to the detachment by phone and then transferring to Strelnikov’s armored personnel carrier, the senior lieutenant again went out to the channel. But now he drove the car directly along the island along the Chinese ambush.

The climax of the battle came at the moment when Bubenin destroyed command post Chinese. After this, the violators began to leave their positions, taking with them the dead and wounded. The Chinese threw mats, telephones, stores, and several small arms at the site of the “beds.” Used individual dressing bags were also found there in large quantities (in almost half of the beds).

Having fired the ammunition, Bubenin’s armored personnel carrier retreated to the ice between the island and the Soviet coast. They stopped to take on board two wounded, but at that moment the car was hit.

Closer to 12.00, a helicopter with the command of the Iman border detachment landed near the island. The head of the detachment, Colonel D.V. Leonov remained on the shore, and the head of the political department, Lieutenant Colonel A.D. Konstantinov, organized a search for the wounded and dead directly on Damansky.

Somewhat later, reinforcements from neighboring outposts arrived at the scene. This is how the first military clash on Damansky ended on March 2, 1969.

After the events of March 2, reinforced squads (at least 10 border guards, armed with group weapons) constantly went to Damansky.

In the rear, at a distance of several kilometers from Damansky, a motorized rifle division of the Soviet Army (artillery, Grad multiple launch rocket systems) was deployed.

The Chinese side was also accumulating forces for the next offensive. Near the island on Chinese territory, the 24th Infantry Regiment of the National Liberation Army of China (PLA), numbering about 5,000 (five thousand troops), was preparing for combat.

At about 15.00 hours on March 14, 1969, the Iman border detachment received an order from a higher authority: to remove Soviet border guards from the island (the logic of this order is not clear, just as the person who gave this order is unknown).

The border guards retreated from Damansky, and a revival immediately began on the Chinese side. Chinese military personnel in small groups of 10-15 people began to rush to the island, others began to take up combat positions opposite the island, on the Chinese shore of the Ussuri.

In response to these actions, Soviet border guards in 8 armored personnel carriers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel E. Yanshin deployed into battle formation and began to move towards Damansky Island. The Chinese immediately retreated from the island to their shores.

After 00.00 on March 15, a detachment of Lieutenant Colonel Yanshin, consisting of 60 border guards in 4 armored personnel carriers, entered the island.

The detachment settled down on the island in four groups, at a distance of about 100 meters from each other, and dug trenches for prone shooting. The groups were commanded by officers L. Mankovsky, N. Popov, V. Solovyov, A. Klyga. Armored personnel carriers constantly moved around the island, changing firing positions.

At about 9.00 on March 15, a loudspeaker installation started working on the Chinese side. Soviet border guards were called upon to leave “Chinese” territory, renounce “revisionism,” etc.

On the Soviet shore they also turned on a loudspeaker. The broadcast was conducted in Chinese and in rather simple words: “Remember before it’s too late, before you are the sons of those who liberated China from the Japanese invaders.”

After some time, there was silence on both sides, and closer to 10.00, Chinese artillery and mortars (from 60 to 90 barrels) began shelling the island. At the same time, 3 companies of Chinese infantry went on the attack.

A fierce battle began, which lasted about an hour. By 11.00, the defenders began to run out of ammunition, and then Yanshin delivered them from the Soviet shore in an armored personnel carrier.

Colonel Leonov reported to his superiors about the superior enemy forces and the need to use artillery, but to no avail.

At about 12.00 the first armored personnel carrier was hit, and twenty minutes later the second. Nevertheless, Yanshin’s detachment steadfastly held its position even in the face of the threat of encirclement.

Moving back, the Chinese began to group on their shore opposite the southern tip of the island. Between 400 and 500 soldiers clearly intended to attack the rear of the Soviet border guards.

The situation was aggravated by the fact that communication between Yanshin and Leonov was lost: the antennas on the armored personnel carriers were cut off by machine-gun fire.

In order to thwart the enemy's plan, the grenade launcher crew of I. Kobets opened accurate fire from its shore. This was not enough under the current conditions, and then Colonel Leonov decided to carry out a raid on three tanks. A tank company was promised to Leonov on March 13, but 9 vehicles arrived only at the height of the battle.

Leonov took his place in the lead vehicle, and three T-62s moved towards the southern tip of Damansky.

Approximately at the place where Strelnikov died, the command tank was hit by the Chinese with a shot from an RPG. Leonov and some crew members were injured. Having left the tank, we headed to our shore. Here Colonel Leonov was hit by a bullet - right in the heart.

The border guards continued to fight in scattered groups and did not allow the Chinese to reach the western coast of the island. The situation was heating up, the island could be lost. At this time, a decision was made to use artillery and introduce motorized rifles into battle.

At 17.00 hours, a division of Grad installations launched a fire strike at places where Chinese manpower and equipment were concentrated and at their firing positions. At the same time, the cannon artillery regiment opened fire on the identified targets.

The raid turned out to be extremely accurate: the shells destroyed Chinese reserves, mortars, stacks of shells, etc.

The artillery fired for 10 minutes, and at 17.10 motorized riflemen and border guards went on the attack under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Smirnov and Lieutenant Colonel Konstantinov. The armored personnel carriers entered the channel, after which the fighters dismounted and turned towards the rampart along the western bank.

The enemy began a hasty retreat from the island. Damansky was liberated, but at about 19.00 some Chinese firing points came to life. Perhaps at this moment it was necessary to launch another artillery strike, but the command considered this inappropriate.

The Chinese tried to recapture Damansky, but three of their attempts ended in failure. After this, the Soviet soldiers retreated to their shore, and the enemy took no further hostile actions.

Epilogue ( Russian version)

On October 20, 1969, negotiations between the heads of government of the USSR and the PRC were held in Beijing. The result of these negotiations: it was possible to reach an agreement on the need to carry out demarcation measures on sections of the Soviet-Chinese border. As a result: during the demarcation of the border between the USSR and China in 1991, Damansky Island was transferred to the PRC. Now he has a different name - Zhenbao-dao.

One of the common points of view in Russia is that the point is not who Damansky ultimately went to, but what the circumstances were at a particular historical moment in time. If the island had then been given to the Chinese, this would, in turn, have created a precedent and would have encouraged the then Chinese leadership to make further territorial claims to the USSR.

According to many Russian citizens, in 1969, on the Ussuri River, for the first time since the Great Patriotic War, real aggression was repelled, with the goal of seizing foreign territories and resolving specific political issues.

Ryabushkin Dmitry Sergeevich
www.damanski-zhenbao.ru
Photo - http://lifecontrary.ru/?p=35

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