Little Russian-Chinese war: Why the USSR was slow and how it was possible to defeat the Chinese

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In 1969, a major war with the People's Republic of China loomed on the horizon of Soviet prosperity. From the day of its formation - October 1, 1949 - the Chinese independent state enjoyed the support of the Soviet authorities, promising relations developed rapidly, but after the death of Joseph Stalin, everything changed. On March 2, 1969, the PRC military secretly infiltrated the Damansky Island belonging to the Land of the Soviets and opened fire. Analysts predicted the darkest outcomes, including a nuclear strike.

Russian and Chinese - brothers forever?

The PRC and the USSR clashed over a small island of Damansky, named after a Russian engineer who died in the local waters of the treacherous Ussuri River. By and large, this place did not represent either strategic or economic value. The struggle for control of this territory was rather a matter of principle. The border between the countries was secured by the Beijing Treaty of 1860, which was extremely beneficial for the Russian side. Because according to the agreement, economic activities on the river and on the island were allowed to the Russians.

But some representatives of the PRC considered this document predatory, advocating a fair change. And the Paris Conference of 1919 introduced a new provision, which provided for the passage of the river state borders in the middle of the main fairways. But in the first half of the 20th century, both the Soviet Union and China were busy with more important things, leaving the question of the border open. Relations in the border areas remained good-neighborly, as the promoted formula about the brotherhood of the Russian with the Chinese forever said.

Disorder of relations between countries

The situation changed dramatically immediately after Stalin's death. Comrade Mao, who respected the leadership of the Soviet leader in world communism, considered the transfer of this role to Khrushchev unjust. And Mao Zedong did not like the planned "debunking of the personality cult." And then came the turn of the exacerbation of the border issue, and at the bilateral negotiations there was no mutual compromise.

In the 1960s, the Soviet-Chinese border became the scene of many incidents, usually associated with Chinese forays into disputed territories. Moreover, the actions of the Chinese became more and more aggressive and the traditional "persuasion" of the Soviet border guards did not help. At the beginning of 1969, the border troops anxiously reported to the Kremlin about China's preparations for a major action at the borders. Among the potentially dangerous areas, Damansky was also indicated. However, the directive of the Soviet command ordered not to open fire and not to succumb to provocations.

The last photo of Private Petrov and dozens of those killed

On the night of March 2, 1969, a disguised group of several hundred well-armed Chinese troops made their way to the island. After one of the groups was spotted by Soviet border guards, the head of the outpost, Ivan Strelnikov, demanded that the Chinese explain their presence on Russian territory. The only response was gunfire, which claimed 18 lives of his charges in the first 15 minutes of the battle. It became clear that Beijing had carefully prepared for the operation: visibility complicated by a blizzard, the absence of a Soviet reserve due to military exercises, the impossibility of urgent reinforcements.

It so happened that on that day, the war correspondent Petrov arrived at the outpost to photograph the military on Komsomol cards. He managed to capture the beginning of this massacre a few seconds before his death. In the last photo of the photographer, the Chinese commander gives a symbolic signal to take up positions to open fire on Soviet soldiers. Petrov managed to hide the camera under a sheepskin coat, where he was found with his lifeless body.

Strelnikov's group died in full force. The Chinese also opened heavy fire on the next border group, destroying the majority. The command of the surviving border guards was taken over by Junior Sergeant Babansky, who boldly entered into an unequal battle. The quantitative advantage was entirely on the side of the Chinese. After 20 minutes of clashes, Babansky's group consisted of eight people, after 35 - five. A group of 23 border guards who came to the rescue was commanded by Senior Lieutenant Bubenin. He made a decisive contribution to the bloody battle on March 2. He went to the Chinese rear in an APC and shot the infantry. Bubenin's car was hit, after which he carried out a second attack on the armored personnel carrier of the deceased Strelnikov.

After the destruction of the Chinese command post, the fearless commander began to evacuate the wounded, but was again knocked out of the battle. With their fierce confrontation, the Soviet border guards were able to gain time. With the likely approach of large forces, the Chinese had to look for escape routes, and in the afternoon they left the island. More than 30 Soviet soldiers were killed that day. The number of Chinese casualties is not known for certain.

Further skirmishes and evasion of the USSR from the war

After this clash, the directive of the Central Committee of the CPSU ordered the army units not to get involved in the conflict, provocations were to be repelled by the forces of border guards alone. At the same time, a motorized rifle division with artillery and Grad rocket launchers was deployed in the rear. They soon played a decisive role in the outcome of the Russian-Chinese conflict.

Sappers in case of a Chinese attack mined the territory. The USSR understood that the continuation would follow. New battles broke out after 2 weeks. With the support of mortars and artillery, the Chinese managed to occupy Damansky. The border guards who did not have heavy weapons found themselves in a difficult situation. Making ineffective counterattacks, they heroically confronted the enemy superior in all respects. In a telephone conversation with the chief of staff of the border troops, Matrosov, Brezhnev clarified: is this already a war or is it just a border conflict so far? And the border guards continued their desperate resistance.

And only late in the evening, after a day of incessant fighting, did the command give the go-ahead to connect the Grad missile launchers. The effect was amazing. The volley squall destroyed the Chinese fortifications, firing points and equipment. The death toll of the Chinese is still unknown, but the radio interception data showed hundreds. The Chinese were knocked out of Damansky in a matter of hours, easily repelling the counterattack that had been undertaken. Soviet units were ordered to retreat to their shore, and the blood-soaked island was empty. The governments of the USSR and the PRC reached conciliatory agreements, and already in 1991 Damansky became Zhenbao, officially passing to the Chinese.

But in China there is a Russian minority, the descendants of Russian settlers who over the years of adversity, they still remained themselves.