On March 2, 1969, a Soviet-Chinese border conflict on Damansky island broke out.
In that distant frosty spring, the island of Damansky's border guards were first to defend. At the cost of thirty-one life, they defended the Far Eastern frontiers of our Motherland.
Armed provocation from Maoszedovtsev was planned in advance. They knew that our motorized rifle division (MSA) according to the district plan comes out of a permanent deployment places for a divisional tactical teaching, temporarily leaving their sections of the cover of the state border.
When the battle was hit on the border, the divisions of the 135th MSD were located in the area of the village of Schmakovka, where according to the command of the command was preparing for the forcing of the Ussuri River on Ice.
Commander 135th MSD Major General Vadim Nesov, Head of the Division Staff Colonel Boris Simakov, Both participants in the Great Patriotic War received a fighting task - to immediately deploy part of the connection in the opposite direction and to the outcome of March 2 to arrive in their locations to the constant deployment, bring them to Full combat readiness.
At the same time, the commander of the 135th motorized rifle division put a combat challenge to the commander of the 199th motorized rifle shelf to Colonel Kolchennikov and other combat division of the division to make march on the route Panteleimonovka - Filino Lazo - Iman - Pozharskoe, focus on combat positions in the Damansky Island region, to organize interaction With border guards and be ready to reflect the re-provocation from the adjacent side.
Scouts of the 131rd separate intelligence battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Khrulyov revealed that the adjacent side prepares for a new excavation on Damansky. It became obvious that the continuation of the conflict will be followed. Parts of the division cover came to the border and began engineering equipment of firing positions.
On nine thirty-March 15, the observation posts discovered the penetration of the Chinese to the island. They attacked dense orders using the "live wave" tactics, without loss. Border guards moved to circular defense. The division command was ready to help, but it did not have permission from Moscow: it was necessary to avoid the process of the border conflict into a large-scale war.
At this time, when conducting hostilities, the head of the Imansky border project, Colonel Democrat Leonov decides to bypass the island under the four-tank T-62, from the 4th company of the 152nd separate tank battalion, cut off the power of the Chinese from suitable reserves and evaluate the established combat situation.
Tanks moved towards the Chinese coast, but were met by strong grenaderate anti-tank fire. The head tank in which there was a colonel of Leonov, was shot down. Demokrat Leonov died and charging Alyosha Kuzmin. The remaining crew members were seriously injured. Under the cover of the night from March 15 to March 16, they were evacuated to the opposite coast of Ussuri, where our troops were held under the leadership of the commander of the intelligence division of Lieutenant Mikhail Barkovsky. The rest of the tanks also had battle damage, but were able to get out of the shelling zone and return to the original positions.
At that time, T-62 tank was a completely secret combat vehicle, so there was a serious question: what way to evacuate this object to your shore, so that the Chinese side cannot take advantage. The command of the division decided to replicate a tank platoon to the fighting area (based on T-55). The choice fell on me.
Upon arrival in the fighting area on March 17, I received a combat challenge from the deputy commander of the division of the division of Colonel Echer Sea: at night, going out three tanks through the Ussuri duoka on Damansky, with a short distance, using night vision devices, destroy T-62 tank.
The Chinese woved the fire on us, but God was dear. The task was carried out without loss of personnel and military equipment: a pile of metal remained from secret armored vehicles. After its fulfillment, our tanks with reversal, slowly, safely returned to their shore. Why reverse? Because, leaving for the combat task, each tank has been engaged in cables to BTS tractors, which were buried on our side. It was done in the case to evacuate the technique from the island, if the Chinese are like tanks.
For the fulfillment of this combat mission, I and my subordinates received honorable diplomas from the commander commander of the Oleg Losikovsky district. Subsequently, he was removed from office, it must be assumed that without the permission from above, he decided to suppress the lively enemy's strength with fire of reactive artillery and together with the border guards attack the enemy.
Alexander Eropolov, Major General retired