Naval reconnaissance points of the gru. Legendary naval special forces "Kholuai": myths and truth about the most secret part of the Pacific Fleet

Preface
“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that, ten of us, the Japanese took us to the headquarters of a colonel, the commander of an aviation unit, who wanted to make us hostages. I joined the conversation when I felt that the With us, a representative of the Soviet command, Captain 3rd Rank Kulebyakin, was, as they say, “pinned to the wall.” Looking into the eyes of the Japanese, I said that we fought the entire war in the west and have enough experience to assess the situation, that we will not be hostages , or better yet, we will die, but we will die together with everyone who is at headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to escape from here. Hero Soviet Union Mitya Sokolov immediately stood behind the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door with a key, put the key in his pocket and sat down on a chair, and Volodya Olyashev (after the war - Honored Master of Sports) lifted Andrei along with the chair and placed him directly in front of the Japanese commander. Ivan Guzenkov went to the window and reported that we were not high, and Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, standing at the door, began tossing in his hand anti-tank grenade.
The Japanese, however, did not know that there was no fuse in it. The colonel, forgetting about the handkerchief, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after some time signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison."- this is how naval reconnaissance Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, described just one military operation in which a handful of daring and brave naval reconnaissance officers of the Pacific Fleet literally forced a large Japanese garrison to lay down their arms without a fight. Three and a half thousand shamefully surrendered Japanese samurai.
This was the apotheosis of the combat power of the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Detachment, the harbinger of modern naval special forces, which today everyone knows under the incomprehensible and mysterious name “Holuai”.

Origins
And it all started back in the years of the Great Patriotic War. At that time, the 181st reconnaissance detachment was successfully operating in the Northern Fleet, performing various special operations behind enemy lines. The crowning achievement of this detachment’s activity was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily destroy an amphibious convoy) in preparation for the landing of troops in the port of Liinakhamari ( Murmansk region).
This, in turn, ensured the success of the Petsamo-Kirkenes landing operation, which became the key to success in the liberation of the entire Soviet Arctic. It is difficult to even imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured just a few guns of German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this purpose the reconnaissance detachment was created to sting the enemy in small forces the most vulnerable place...
The commander of the 181st reconnaissance detachment, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Leonov, and two more of his subordinates (Semyon Agafonov and Andrei Pshenichnykh) became Heroes of the Soviet Union for this short but important battle.

In April 1945, part of the personnel of the 181st detachment, led by the commander, was transferred to the Pacific Fleet to form the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet, which was supposed to be used in the upcoming war with Japan. By May, the detachment was formed on Russky Island in the amount of 139 people and began combat training. In August 1945, the 140th Reconnaissance Squadron took part in the capture of the ports of Yuki and Racine, as well as the naval bases of Seishin and Genzan. As a result of these operations, chief petty officer Makar Babikov and midshipman Alexander Nikandrov of the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and their commander Viktor Leonov received the second Hero star.
However, at the end of the war, all such reconnaissance formations in the USSR Navy were disbanded due to imaginary uselessness.

But soon history turned around...

From the history of the creation of parts special purpose: In 1950, in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, in each army and military district, separate companies special purpose. In the Primorsky Territory, in particular, three such companies were formed: the 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th Combined Arms Army with a deployment in Ussuriysk, the 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th combined arms army stationed at the Boets Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. The special forces companies were tasked with searching for and destroying the most important military and civilian targets deep behind enemy lines, including enemy nuclear attack weapons. The personnel of these companies were trained to conduct military intelligence, mine-explosive business, made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit to serve in the airborne forces.

The experience of the Great Patriotic War showed the indispensability of such units for decisive action on enemy communications, and in connection with the unleashing of the Americans " cold war", the need for such units became very clear. The new units showed their high efficiency already at the first exercises, and the Navy became interested in units of this kind.

The head of Navy intelligence, Rear Admiral Leonid Konstantinovich Bekrenev, wrote in his address to the Minister of the Navy: "...considering the role of reconnaissance and sabotage units in common system fleet reconnaissance, I consider it necessary to carry out the following measures: ... create ... reconnaissance and sabotage units of military intelligence, giving them the name of separate naval reconnaissance divisions ..."
At the same time, captain of the first rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically justified such a decision, arguing that “...the difficulties and duration of training for reconnaissance light divers necessitates their advance preparation and systematic training, for which special units must be created...”.

And so, by the Directive of the Main Naval Staff of June 24, 1953, similar special intelligence formations are formed in all fleets. In total, five “special purpose reconnaissance points” were formed - in all fleets and the Caspian flotilla.

The Pacific Fleet is creating its own reconnaissance point on the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the Navy No. OMU/1/53060ss of March 18, 1955. However, “Unit Day” is considered June 5, 1955 - the day when the unit completed its formation and became part of the fleet as a combat unit.

Kholuai Bay
The word “Kholuai” itself (as well as its variations “Khaluai” and “Khalulai”), according to one version, means “lost place”, and although disputes on this subject are still ongoing and sinologists do not confirm such a translation, the version is considered quite plausible - especially among those who served in this bay.

In the thirties, on Russky Island (at that time, by the way, its second name was widely practiced - Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographical maps only in the forties of the twentieth century) construction of anti-landing defense facilities for Vladivostok began. Defense facilities included long-term coastal firing points - bunkers.
Some especially fortified bunkers even had their own names, for example, “Stream”, “Rock”, “Wave”, “Bonfire” and others. All this defensive splendor was served by separate machine-gun battalions, each of which occupied its own defense sector.
In particular, the 69th separate machine gun battalion The Vladivostok coastal defense sector of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of Cape Krasny in Kholuai Bay (New Dzhigit), served firing points located on Russky Island. For this battalion in 1935, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built. The battalion was stationed here until the forties, after which it was disbanded. The barracks were not used for a long time and began to collapse.

And in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks, the secrecy of whose existence was brought to the highest limit.

First Deputy Chief of the GRU, Colonel General I. Ya. Sidorov, accepts the report of the commander of the special forces group.

In open use among the “initiates,” the unit bore the name “Recreation Base “Irtek” of the Main Naval Base “Vladivostok.” The unit also received the code name military unit No. 59190 and the open name “42nd Special Purpose Naval Reconnaissance Point.” The people had a “folk” name for the part - “Kholuai” - after the name of the bay.

So what was this part? Why are so many different legends hovering around her, both then and today, sometimes bordering on fantasy?

Birth of a legend
The formation of the 42nd special-purpose maritime reconnaissance point of the Pacific Fleet began in March and ended in June 1955. During formation, the duties of commander were temporarily performed by captain of the second rank Nikolai Braginsky, but the first approved commander of the new unit was... no, not a reconnaissance officer, but the former commander of the destroyer, captain of the second rank Pyotr Kovalenko.

For several months, the unit was based on Ulysses, and the personnel lived on board the old ship, and before leaving for the permanent deployment point on Russky Island, the reconnaissance sailors at the submarine training base underwent an accelerated diving training course.

Arriving at the unit's location in Kholuai Bay, the reconnaissance sailors first of all set about... construction work, because they had to somehow equip their housing, and no one was going to help them in this matter.

On July 1, 1955, single combat began in the unit. combat training future reconnaissance divers under the training program for special forces units. A little later, combat coordination between the groups began.

In September 1955, the newly formed naval special forces took part in their first exercises - having landed on boats in the Shkotovsky region, naval reconnaissance officers carried out reconnaissance of the Abrek naval base and elements of its anti-sabotage defense, as well as highways in the rear of the conditional “enemy”.

Already at that time, the command of the unit came to the understanding that selection for naval special forces should be as tough as possible, if not cruel.
Candidates for service who were called up from military registration and enlistment offices or transferred from training units of the fleet faced severe tests - during the week they were subjected to extreme loads, which were reinforced by severe psychological pressure. Not everyone survived, and those who couldn’t stand it were immediately transferred to other parts of the fleet.

But those who survived were immediately enrolled in elite part and began combat training. This test week began to be called “hell”. Later, when the US created its units" fur seals"(SEAL), they adopted our practice of selecting future fighters as the most optimal, allowing us to quickly understand what a particular candidate is capable of and whether he is ready to serve in naval special forces units.
The meaning of this “personnel” rigidity came down to the fact that commanders initially had to clearly understand the abilities and capabilities of their fighters - after all, special forces operate in isolation from their troops, and a small group can rely only on itself, and, accordingly, the importance of any team member increases many times over. The commander must initially be confident in his subordinates, and subordinates must be confident in their commander. And that is the only reason why “entrance to service” in this part is so strict. It shouldn't be any other way.

Looking ahead, I will say that today nothing is lost: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious tests, inaccessible for the most part even to physically well-prepared people.

In particular, the candidate must first of all run ten kilometers in a heavy body armor, meeting the running standard provided for jogging in sneakers and sportswear. If you fail, no one will talk to you anymore. If you ran on time, then you immediately need to do 70 push-ups while lying down and 15 pull-ups on the horizontal bar. Moreover, it is advisable to perform these exercises in their “pure form”. Most of people, already at the stage of jogging in a bulletproof vest, suffocating from physical overload, begin to wonder, “Do I need this happiness if this happens every day?” - it is at this moment that true motivation manifests itself.
If a person strives to serve in the naval special forces, if he firmly knows what he wants, he passes this test, but if he has doubts, then it is better not to continue this torment.

At the end of the test, the candidate is placed in the ring, where three hand-to-hand combat instructors fight with him, checking the person’s readiness for the fight - both physical and moral. Usually, if a candidate reaches the ring, he is already an “ideological” candidate, and the ring does not break him. Well, and then the commander, or the person replacing him, talks with the candidate. After this, the harsh service begins...

There are no discounts for officers either - everyone passes the test. Basically, the supplier of command personnel for Kholuy are three military schools - the Pacific Naval School (TOVVMU), the Far Eastern Combined Arms School (DVOKU) and the Ryazan Airborne School (RVVDKU), although if a person wants, then nothing prevents an officer from other schools I would like to join the naval special forces.
As a former special forces officer told me, having shown a desire to serve in this unit to the head of naval intelligence, he immediately had to do 100 push-ups right in the admiral’s office - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet in 1982-1991), despite the fact that the officer went through Afghanistan and was awarded two military orders. This is how the Pacific Fleet intelligence chief decided to cut off the candidate if he did not complete such a basic exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

IN different time part was commanded by:
Captain 1st Rank Kovalenko Petr Prokopyevich (1955–1959);
Captain 1st Rank Guryanov Viktor Nikolaevich (1959–1961);
Captain 1st Rank Petr Ivanovich Konnov (1961–1966);
Captain 1st Rank Klimenko Vasily Nikiforovich (1966–1972);
Captain 1st Rank Minkin Yuri Alekseevich (1972–1976);
Captain 1st Rank Zharkov Anatoly Vasilievich (1976–1981);
Captain 1st Rank Yakovlev Yuri Mikhailovich (1981–1983);
Lieutenant Colonel Evsyukov Viktor Ivanovich (1983–1988);
Captain 1st Rank Omsharuk Vladimir Vladimirovich (1988–1995) – died in February 2016;
Lieutenant Colonel Gritsai Vladimir Georgievich (1995–1997);
Captain 1st rank Kurochkin Sergey Veniaminovich (1997–2000);
Colonel Gubarev Oleg Mikhailovich (2000-2010);
Lieutenant Colonel Belyavsky Zaur Valerievich (2010-2013).

Exercises and service
In 1956, naval reconnaissance officers began to master parachute jumps. Usually the training took place at naval aviation airfields - according to subordination. During the first training camp, all personnel performed two jumps from a height of 900 meters from Li-2 and An-2 aircraft, and also learned to land “assault-style” from Mi-4 helicopters - both on land and on water.

Another year later, naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered landing on the shore through the torpedo tubes of submarines lying on the ground, as well as returning to them after completing a mission at the coastal facilities of a mock enemy. Based on the results of combat training in 1958, the 42nd naval reconnaissance point became the best special part Pacific Fleet and was awarded the challenge pennant of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

In many exercises, intelligence officers developed the necessary skills, acquired special knowledge and expressed their wishes regarding the composition of the equipment. In particular, back in the late fifties, naval intelligence officers formulated requirements for weapons - they should be light and silent (as a result, samples of special weapons appeared - small-sized silent pistols SMEs, silent grenade launchers "Silence", underwater pistols SPP-1 and underwater assault rifles APS, as well as many other special weapons). The scouts also wanted to have waterproof outerwear and shoes, and their eyes needed to be protected from mechanical damage with special safety glasses (for example, today the equipment set includes four types of safety glasses).

In 1960, the unit's staff was increased to 146 people.

By this time, we had already decided on our specialization, which was divided into three areas:
- part of the personnel was represented by reconnaissance divers, who were supposed to conduct reconnaissance of enemy naval bases from the sea, as well as mine ships and port facilities;
- some of the sailors were engaged in conducting military reconnaissance - in other words, having landed from the sea, they acted on the shore as ordinary land reconnaissance officers;
- the third direction was represented by radio and electronic intelligence specialists - these people were engaged in instrumental reconnaissance, which made it possible to quickly detect the most important objects behind enemy lines, such as field radio stations, radar stations, technical observation posts - in general, everything that emitted in broadcast any signals and had to be destroyed first.

Marine special forces began to receive special underwater carriers - in other words, small underwater vehicles that could deliver saboteurs over long distances. Such a carrier was the two-seat "Triton", later - also the two-seat "Triton-1M", and even later the six-seat "Triton-2" appeared. These devices allowed saboteurs to quietly penetrate directly into enemy bases, mine ships and piers, and perform other reconnaissance tasks.
These were very secret devices, and the more “terrible” was the story when a naval special forces officer, secretly escorting containers with these devices (in civilian clothes under the guise of a regular cargo forwarder), suddenly heard with a trembling knees how a slinger was in charge of reloading a container from a railway platform onto the truck, shouted loudly to the crane operator: “Petrovich, lift it carefully, there are NEWTs here”... and only when the officer pulled himself together, calmed down his trembling and calmed down a little, he realized that no leak of top-secret information had occurred, and the unlucky slinger only had meaning THREE TONS of container weight (that’s how much the Triton-1M weighed), and not the most secret Tritons that were inside...

For reference:
"Triton" is the first carrier for open-type divers. Immersion depth is up to 12 meters. Speed – 4 knots (7.5 km/h). Range – 30 miles (55 km).
"Triton-1M" is the first closed-type carrier for divers. Weight – 3 tons. Immersion depth is 32 meters. Speed – 4 knots. Range – 60 miles (110 km).
"Triton-2" is the first closed-type group carrier for divers. Weight – 15 tons. Immersion depth is 40 meters. Speed – 5 knots. Range – 60 miles.
Currently, these types of equipment are already outdated and removed from use. combat personnel. All three samples are installed as monuments on the territory of the unit, and the decommissioned Triton-2 apparatus is also presented at the street exhibition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.

Currently, such underwater carriers are not used for a number of reasons, the main one of which is the impossibility of using them covertly. Today, naval special forces are armed with more modern underwater carriers "Sirena" and "Proteus" of various modifications. Both of these carriers allow for the secret landing of a reconnaissance group through a submarine's torpedo tube. "Siren" "carries" two saboteurs, and "Proteus" is an individual carrier.

Insolence and sport
Some of the legends about “Kholuai” are associated with the steady desire of the military personnel of this unit to improve their reconnaissance and sabotage skills at the expense of their own comrades. At all times, the “Kholuai” caused many problems to daily duty personnel serving on ships and in coastal units of the Pacific Fleet.
There were frequent cases of “training” abductions of orderlies, duty documentation, and theft of vehicles from careless military drivers. It cannot be said that the command of the unit specifically assigned such tasks to the scouts... but for successful actions of this kind, the reconnaissance sailors could even receive short-term leave.

There are many fairy tales about how special forces "with one knife he is thrown out in the middle of Siberia, and he must survive and return to his unit".
No, of course, no one is thrown out anywhere with just a knife, but during special tactical exercises, reconnaissance groups can be sent to other regions of the country, where they are given various training reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, after which they need to return to their unit - preferably undetected . At this time, the police, internal troops and state security agencies are intensively looking for them, and citizens are told that they are looking for conditional terrorists.

In the unit itself, sports have been cultivated at all times - and therefore one should not be surprised that even today, at almost all naval competitions in strength sports, martial arts, swimming and shooting, prize-winning places are usually taken by representatives of “Kholuy”. It should be noted that preference in sports is given not to strength, but to endurance - it is this physical skill that allows a naval scout to feel confident both on foot or ski trips, and in long-distance swimming.
Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without excesses even gave rise to a peculiar saying on “Kholuay”: “Some things are not necessary, but some things you can limit yourself to.”
It contains a deep meaning, which in many ways reflects the essence of the naval reconnaissance officer of the Russian Navy - who, being content with little, is capable of accomplishing a lot.

Healthy special forces chauvinism also gave rise to the special audacity of the intelligence officers, which became a source of pride for the naval special forces fighters. This quality was especially evident during exercises, which were and are being carried out almost constantly.

One of the admirals of the Pacific Fleet once said: “The naval special forces guys were brought up in the spirit of love for the Motherland, hatred of enemies and the awareness that they are the elite of the fleet. Not for the feeling of their own superiority over others, but in the sense that huge amounts of money are spent on them folk remedies, and their duty, if anything happens, to justify these costs...”

I remember in my early childhood, in the mid-eighties, on the embankment near the S-56 I saw a lonely wandering sailor with a parachutist badge shining on his chest. At this time, a ferry was loading at the pier, heading to Russky Island (there were no bridges at that time). The sailor was stopped by a patrol, and he presented his documents, gesticulating desperately, pointing at the ferry, which was already raising the ramp. But the patrol, apparently, decided to detain the sailor for some offense.
And then I saw a whole performance: the sailor sharply pulled the cap of the senior patrolman right over his eyes, snatched his documents from his hands, slapped one of the patrolmen in the face, and rushed headlong to the departing ferry!

And the ferry, I must say, had already moved one and a half to two meters away from the pier, and the sailor-paratrooper overcame this distance in a graceful jump, grabbed the ferry's railing, and there he was already pulled on board by the passengers. For some reason, I have no doubts in which unit that sailor served...

Return of a Legend
In 1965, twenty years after the end of World War II, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain First Rank Viktor Leonov, came to the unit. Several photographs have been preserved in which the “legend of naval special forces” is captured with military personnel of the unit, both officers and sailors. Subsequently, Viktor Leonov would visit the 42nd reconnaissance point several more times, which he himself considered a worthy brainchild of his 140th reconnaissance detachment...

Combat use
In 1982, the moment came when the Motherland demanded the professional skills of naval special forces. From February 24 to April 27, a regular special forces group performed combat service tasks for the first time, being on one of the Pacific Fleet ships.

In 1988–1989, a reconnaissance group equipped with Siren underwater carriers and all the necessary combat equipment was in combat service for 130 days. A small reconnaissance ship from the 38th brigade of reconnaissance ships of the Pacific Fleet delivered the Kholuaevites to the place of their combat mission. It is too early to say what these tasks were, because they are still hidden under a veil of secrecy. One thing is clear - some enemy has become very ill these days...
In 1995, a group of military personnel from the 42nd Special Purpose Naval Reconnaissance Point took part in a combat operation to establish a constitutional regime in the Chechen Republic.

The group was attached to the 165th regiment operating there Marine Corps Pacific Fleet and, according to the senior commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps group in Chechnya, Colonel Sergei Konstantinovich Kondratenko, acted brilliantly. The scouts remained calm and courageous in any critical situation. Five “Kholuaevites” laid down their lives in this war. In 1996, a monument to the military personnel of the unit who died in the line of military duty was erected on the territory of the unit.

Those who served in the Mediterranean squadron of the Navy sometimes saw inflatable boats with camouflage paint easily gliding in the area where ships were moored, either hiding or appearing among the waves. This combat swimmers The navy, on combat duty, practiced its actions...

Marine special forces

Various names that hid their true purpose still cause confusion on the pages of newspapers and magazines. They are confused with the Marine Corps, they are included in the lists of either “Vympel” or “Alpha”, they are called “Navy Seals” in the American manner, and they confidently report that these are PDSS (anti-sabotage forces and means, which, by the way, have a completely opposite task).

Few were able to meet and talk with those who served in these truly secret units. I was fortunate enough to be a Naval Special Forces team leader for six years, so I hope to bring some clarity to this issue.

The secrecy of this topic, which even now is classified as “owl.” secret,” is clear from the tasks facing combat swimmers. This is conducting reconnaissance in coastal areas in the interests of the fleet, destroying mobile launchers, command posts, air defense systems, hydraulic structures, ships, vessels - and much more, where accurate calculations, excellent physical and technical training, dedication to your work and faith in those who walk next to you. Many tasks performed by Navy special forces often seem impossible, but it is precisely the fact that the enemy excludes even the very possibility of their implementation that allows combat swimmers to achieve success.

Swimming in a storm

Combat swimmers were entrusted with conducting reconnaissance in coastal areas, destroying mobile launchers, command posts, air defense systems, hydraulic structures, ships, vessels - and much more, where accurate calculations, excellent physical and technical training were required

July 9, 1986. One of the southern cities of the then USSR, a group of combat swimmers consisting of three people was given the task: between 15.00 and 16.00 to carry out a conditional breakthrough of the sea border of the USSR, sailing to the outer roadstead (a distance of 6 nautical miles - approximately 11 km), where the “foreign ship” was stationed. (intermediary ship). The task was set for us by the command of the border district in order to check the combat readiness of their units, which explains the absurd time for such operations - in broad daylight. In other words, the task implied our failure in advance.

But we decided not to allow failure. They carried out additional reconnaissance, and since the breakthrough area was identified in the city, the group, dressed in civilian clothes, under the guise of vacationers, identified patrol routes and the patrol regime. The biggest challenge was changing into diving gear and getting into the water. The preliminary calculation was that there would be a lot of swimmers on the shore, but that day, as luck would have it, there was light rain and a strong wind was blowing from the sea. Therefore, we had to put on diving equipment (wet type!) under our clothes, then one by one infiltrate the concentration area near the seashore, using “holes” in the passage of patrols and bypassing “secrets”.

After taking off their clothes, camouflaging them and grabbing the rest of their equipment, the group slipped unnoticed into the water. The group swam the first 70 meters underwater, and then for about 20 minutes the combat swimmers swam using special equipment, appearing above the surface of the water only to inhale. Strong wind raised high waves, which we used as cover.

The patrol boats passed so close that the faces of the people on deck were visible, but the group went unnoticed. The swimmers swam, guided by a compass, they were in the water for about five hours, swimming more than 10 kilometers in a stormy sea, but they successfully completed the task (not for the border guards) ...

Fierce Selection

The Navy special forces consisted of only a few units (by the way, after the collapse of the USSR, the most combat-ready part of the naval special forces went to Ukraine). The selection for these units was very strict. Many conscripts did not even know exactly where they had been selected before arriving at the unit. Before being drafted into the army, young men with sports ranks passed light diving and parachute training in DOSAAF, from which candidates were selected at recruiting stations by special officers, from whom a training detachment was formed for additional training.

For six months they were trained under a special program, where physical and psychological stress was close to the limit. The candidates were constantly monitored by senior officers from combat units, who selected people into groups in advance. Physical and professional training were assessed according to standards, and psychological stability was tested based on the results of various tests. For example, such a test could be a forced march at night without indicating the distance and time of running. In the morning, when complete physical exhaustion sets in, it is psychological stability that begins to manifest itself. Only a few are able to run, not paying attention to their bloody legs and the overwhelming fatigue. Those who passed this and numerous other tests were enrolled in combat units.

The service life was three years. The combat training program was very diverse and included diving, airborne, navigation and topographical, mountain special, naval, physical training, mine demolition, hand-to-hand combat, survival in different conditions, foreign armies and the theater of military operations, radio business and much more, which cannot be avoided in modern warfare.

Equipment – up to the task

To perform a wide range of tasks, combat swimmers had to be armed with an equally wide arsenal of weapons and technical equipment.

Individual tugs, group carriers and ultra-small submarines were used to move underwater. These technically complex devices made tasks much easier

Because the fighting had to occur not only on land, then in addition to all types of ordinary small arms swimmers had an SPP underwater pistol and an APS underwater assault rifle, which made it possible to hit targets both underwater and on land. The special one was used for silent and flameless shooting and included various pistols and machine guns and a scout shooting knife (SRS). To enhance firepower, the group could be armed with grenade launchers, flamethrowers, MANPADS, and ATGMs.

The units paid great attention to shooting training. Thanks to the care of the fleet command, we were not subject to restrictions on the distribution of ammunition. For example, during one shooting, a group of ten people fired from different types weapons in the exercises were 1.5–2 thousand rounds of ammunition and 8–16 grenades from a grenade launcher, and part of the whole year spent 5–7 times more ammunition than normal.

The main emphasis in training was on quickly hitting the target in different situations from the first shot. The fire mode during exercises was single, with a high rate of fire, with a constant change of positions, although the shooting instructions of those years required only automatic fire. The effectiveness of our shooting option has been proven by time.

Engineering weapons were also quite diverse and included conventional explosives, standard army charges, both high-explosive and cumulative, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, as well as special anti-ship sea mines.

We could do everything

Combat swimmers were trained in mining objects on land and in water, clearing minefields, making booby traps from improvised means, calculating charges and much more. Excellent mastery of engineering tools was achieved through constant practical training. The explosives were also released for training without delays or restrictions.

Jumps from ultra-low altitudes were made without a reserve parachute, since the time under the canopy was still measured in seconds. Our high level of preparedness allowed us to jump without injury at a wind speed of 14 m/s, and during one exercise I had the opportunity to parachute in a wind of 17 m/s.

To confidently work with warheads and mines, you need a respectful attitude towards explosives and solid theoretical knowledge. Respect was practiced through specific examples, which, perhaps, were not always in the spirit of the “guiding documents”, but very effectively achieved the goal. You can talk a hundred times about safety measures when handling explosives, but it’s much more convincing when Ka-Deshka (a detonator cap weighing less than 3 g) smashes a box of cartridges into pieces - and there are no more people willing to put it in their pocket or pick at it with a stick.

The main task of the groups is to operate behind enemy lines. The delivery of combat swimmers to objects could occur in several ways: land, air, sea. For landing from airplanes and helicopters they were used landing parachutes D5, D6, PV-3. The latter made it possible to land a swimmer in diving equipment on the water. The reliability of the PV-3 is evidenced by the fact that it was used in the experiment on landing from ultra-low altitudes, which was carried out in a unit of the Black Sea Fleet in June 1986. Then we practiced jumps from 120, 100, 80 and 60 meters. And Colonel V. Pozdnyakov made a record jump from 50 m. Jumps from ultra-low altitudes were made without a reserve parachute, since the time under the canopy was still measured in seconds. Our high level of preparedness allowed us to jump without injury at a wind speed of 14 m/s, and during one exercise I had the opportunity to parachute in a wind of 17 m/s. In addition to conventional parachutes, various cargo parachute systems were used.

Underwater

Our UGK-3 overalls were far from ideal in terms of comfort. But the IDA-71 device, when used correctly, made it possible to squeeze out of it 1.5 times more than the standard time under water

Diving training is what defined our name. Our main equipment was the IDA-71 apparatus and the AVM-5 scuba gear used to provide diving descents. IDA-71 devices are reliable, but require a high level of training from the diver. Confident mastery of it was achieved only through long training.

Even after a short stay under water, all romance seekers lost their illusions, and when walking in the apparatus in full autonomy, even close friends did not always recognize the swimmers after leaving the water. What to do: our UGK-3 overalls were far from ideal in terms of comfort. But the IDA-71 device, when used correctly, made it possible to squeeze out of it 1.5 times more than the standard time under water.

Diving equipment was supplemented with hydroacoustic stations, navigation instruments and much more. Individual tugs, group carriers and ultra-small submarines were used to move underwater. These technically complex devices greatly facilitated the execution of tasks, but most importantly actor the combat swimmer, his preparedness and physical endurance still remained. People in rubber overalls opposed themselves to the metal of the ships.

Jack of all trades

During one of the combat training missions, the group carrier unexpectedly sank. Since the depth allowed, the crew did not abandon it and continued to fight to save the product. The emergency purge system did not work (the engineer preparing the product forgot to open the tap on the emergency purge cylinder). After some time, the sergeant major, who was sitting in the second cabin, ran out of oxygen, and he had to surface on the orders of the commander. The officer remained under water and continued to try to “revive” the equipment. He, too, began to run out of oxygen – and at that moment he managed to turn on the surge tank pump and float to the surface. On the surface, the crew returned to base.

The multilateral preparedness of combat swimmers was required when guarding our ships during the youth festival in Cuba, during the meetings of M.S. Gorbachev in Reykjavik and Malta, where underwater protection was carried out by combat swimmers of the Navy (and not the KGB, which at that time did not had combat swimmers of sufficient preparedness - not to mention underwater means of propulsion). In the initial period of the division of the Black Sea Fleet, swimmers were the guard of the fleet commander Kasatonov during his trips to Georgia. Combat swimmers had to solve many other tasks: this included searching for those who had fallen into the sea and lying at shallow depths aircraft, and the disposal of unexploded ordnance, the search for dangerous criminals in mountainous and wooded areas in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the elimination of the consequences of technical disasters (for example, in the summer of 1995 in Kharkov).

They also had a chance to take part in the tragic passenger fleet - to raise the bodies of the dead from the sunken motor ship "Nakhimov" in August-September 1986. The combat swimmers examined the hull of the ship, looking for clusters of dead through the porthole, using sea mines they punched holes in the side, through which the bodies were removed by heavy divers - “three-boltmen”. Since the ship lay at the maximum depth for this type of equipment, as a result of a tragic accident, our midshipman Yu. Polishchuk died there.

Checks for lice

In the process of practicing combat training tasks, combat swimmers were brought in several times a year to test the combat readiness of units and subunits of naval bases and their ability to repel an attack by enemy saboteurs. During these exercises, we, in turn, practiced landing methods, covert penetration tactics, capturing valuable prisoners, documents, and much more.

The experience of the exercises of these years shows the high efficiency of the actions of groups of combat swimmers, who, despite the number of only 6-10 people, achieved very high results. We blocked naval bases with mines, mined ships and air defense facilities. Almost always, the swimmers emerged victorious from an unequal duel: some dozen people, on the one hand, and a naval base (dozens of ships and thousands of people), on the other. Even then, the commanders of our groups, in reports on the results of the exercises, pointed out the weak anti-sabotage protection of many objects, which is confirmed now.

Assault on the Comet in seven seconds

Another task practiced by combat swimmers was the fight against the seizure of sea vessels by terrorists. At that time this was a purely theoretical question, but aircraft hijackings were already happening quite often. Therefore, in October 1988, together with the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we conducted an exercise to free the captured hydrofoil ship “Kometa”. According to the scenario, the Comet was stopped by border patrol boats, and negotiations were held with the terrorists. Two options were tested: underwater and surface. The four subgroups each had their own task. Using the dead zones of the Comet's wings, they concentrated for a simultaneous assault on the ship. The weapon is a special, silent one, which during the assault was secured to the body of each swimmer for insurance. To quickly climb onto the Comet's wings, light ladders (ladders) with zero buoyancy were used.

After the signal was given, the first two subgroups captured the first bow saloon and the captain's cabin. The second two are the central and aft salons. The main targets of suppression were people with weapons or those who resisted. The entire operation to capture and destroy three “terrorists” took seven seconds.

Currently, Navy combat swimmers, like our entire army, are going through difficult times, although the level of preparedness is still very high. But people leave, invaluable experience is lost, for which they paid with blood and sweat. It is time, taking into account the experience of recent local wars, to approach the creation of unified special operations forces, when the entire operation of reconnaissance, capture or destruction of an object would be carried out by unified special forces (special forces, aviation, firepower) without the involvement of outside forces and means.

I would like to hope that combat swimmers of the Navy special forces will continue to occupy a worthy place in the Russian armed forces.

The secret unit "Kholuai" of the Pacific Fleet, also known as 42 MRP Special Forces (military unit 59190), was created in 1955 in Maly Ulysses Bay near Vladivostok, and was later relocated to Russky Island, where to this day reconnaissance saboteurs undergo combat training. There are many legends about these guys, their physical fitness is admired, they are called the best of the best, the cream of the special forces. Each of them could become the protagonist of an action movie. Today RIA PrimaMedia publishes material military historian and journalist Alexei Sukonkin about the legendary part "Kholuai". In 1993-94 he served in a special forces unit ground forces, but from time to time some of them were also in the naval special forces.

Preface

“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that, ten of us, the Japanese took us to the headquarters of a colonel, the commander of an aviation unit, who wanted to make us hostages. I joined the conversation when I felt that the With us, a representative of the Soviet command, Captain 3rd Rank Kulebyakin, was, as they say, “pinned to the wall.” Looking into the eyes of the Japanese, I said that we fought the entire war in the west and have enough experience to assess the situation, that we will not be hostages , or better yet, we will die, but we will die together with everyone who is at headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to escape from here. Hero of the Soviet Union Mitya Sokolov immediately stood behind the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door with a key, put the key in his pocket and sat down on a chair, and Volodya Olyashev (after the war - Honored Master of Sports) lifted Andrei along with the chair and placed him directly in front of the Japanese commander. Ivan Guzenkov went to the window and reported that we were not high, and Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, standing at the door, began tossing an anti-tank grenade in his hand. The Japanese, however, did not know that there was no fuse in it. The colonel, forgetting about the handkerchief, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after some time signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison."

This is how naval reconnaissance Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, described just one military operation in which a handful of daring and brave naval reconnaissance officers of the Pacific Fleet literally forced a large Japanese garrison to lay down their arms without a fight. Three and a half thousand Japanese samurai shamefully surrendered.

Viktor Leonov and comrades after the battle for Seisin. Photo: from the Red Star archive

This was the apotheosis of the combat power of the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Detachment, the harbinger of modern naval special forces, which today everyone knows under the incomprehensible and mysterious name “Holuai”.

Origins

And it all started during the Great Patriotic War. At that time, the 181st reconnaissance detachment successfully operated in the Northern Fleet, carrying out various special operations behind enemy lines. The crowning achievement of this detachment’s activity was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily destroy an amphibious convoy) in preparation for landing in the port of Liinakhamari (Murmansk region - editor's note). This, in turn, ensured the success of the Petsamo-Kirkenes landing operation, which became the key to success in the liberation of the entire Soviet Arctic. It is difficult to even imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured just a few guns of German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this purpose the reconnaissance detachment was created to sting the enemy in small forces the most vulnerable place...

The commander of the 181st reconnaissance detachment, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Leonov, and two more of his subordinates (Semyon Agafonov and Andrei Pshenichnykh) became Heroes of the Soviet Union for this short but important battle.

Twice Hero of the USSR Viktor Leonov. Photo: wikipedia.org

However, at the end of the war, all such reconnaissance formations in the USSR Navy were disbanded due to imaginary uselessness.

But soon history turned around...

From the history of the creation of special-purpose units: In 1950, in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, separate special-purpose companies were formed in each army and military district. In the Primorsky Territory, in particular, three such companies were formed: the 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th Combined Arms Army with a deployment in Ussuriysk, the 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th combined arms army stationed at the Boets Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. The special forces companies were tasked with searching for and destroying the most important military and civilian targets deep behind enemy lines, including enemy nuclear attack weapons. The personnel of these companies were trained in military reconnaissance, mine explosives, and made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit to serve in the airborne forces.

The experience of the Great Patriotic War showed the indispensability of such units for decisive actions on enemy communications, and in connection with the outbreak of the Cold War by the Americans, the need for such units became very clear. The new units showed their high efficiency already at the first exercises, and the Navy became interested in units of this kind.

The head of Navy intelligence, Rear Admiral Leonid Konstantinovich Bekrenev, wrote in his address to the Minister of the Navy:

“...taking into account the role of reconnaissance and sabotage units in the general reconnaissance system of fleets, I consider it necessary to carry out the following measures: ... create... reconnaissance and sabotage units of military intelligence, giving them the name of separate naval reconnaissance divisions...”

At the same time, captain of the first rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically justified this decision, arguing that “... the difficulties and duration of training of reconnaissance light divers necessitate their advance preparation and systematic training, for which special units should be created...”.

Descent underwater. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

The Pacific Fleet is creating its own reconnaissance point on the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the Navy No. OMU/1/53060ss of March 18, 1955.

However, “Unit Day” is considered June 5, 1955 - the day when the unit completed its formation and became part of the fleet as a combat unit.

Kholuai Bay

The word “Kholuai” itself (as well as its variations “Khaluai” and “Khalulai”), according to one version, means “lost place”, and although disputes on this subject are still ongoing and sinologists do not confirm such a translation, the version is considered quite plausible - especially among those who served in this bay.

In the thirties, on Russky Island (at that time, by the way, its second name, Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographical maps only in the forties of the twentieth century, was widely practiced) construction of anti-landing defense facilities for Vladivostok was underway. Defense facilities included long-term coastal firing points - bunkers. Some especially fortified bunkers even had their own names, for example, “Stream”, “Rock”, “Wave”, “Bonfire” and others. All this defensive splendor was served by separate machine-gun battalions, each of which occupied its own defense sector. In particular, the 69th separate machine gun battalion of the Vladivostok coastal defense sector of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of Cape Krasny in Kholuai Bay (New Dzhigit), served firing points located on Russky Island. For this battalion in 1935, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built. The battalion was stationed here until the forties, after which it was disbanded. The barracks were not used for a long time and began to collapse.

First Deputy Chief of the GRU, Colonel General I. Ya. Sidorov, accepts the report of the commander of the special forces group. Photo: from the archive of V. M. Fedorov

And so, in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks moved here, the secrecy of its existence was brought to the highest limit.

So what was this part? Why are so many different legends hovering around her, both then and today, sometimes bordering on fantasy?

Birth of a legend

The formation of the 42nd special-purpose maritime reconnaissance point of the Pacific Fleet began in March and ended in June 1955. During formation, the duties of commander were temporarily performed by captain of the second rank Nikolai Braginsky, but the first approved commander of the new unit was... no, not a reconnaissance officer, but the former commander of the destroyer, captain of the second rank Pyotr Kovalenko.

On July 1, 1955, the unit began single combat training of future reconnaissance divers under the training program for special forces units. A little later, combat coordination between the groups began.

Special purpose group. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

Already at that time, the command of the unit came to the understanding that selection for naval special forces should be as tough as possible, if not cruel.

Candidates for service who were called up from military registration and enlistment offices or transferred from training units of the fleet faced severe tests - during the week they were subjected to extreme loads, which were reinforced by severe psychological pressure. Not everyone survived, and those who couldn’t stand it were immediately transferred to other parts of the fleet.

But those who survived were immediately enlisted in the elite unit and began combat training. This test week began to be called “hell”. Later, when the United States created its SEAL units, they adopted our practice of selecting future fighters as the most optimal, allowing them to quickly understand what a particular candidate is capable of and whether he is ready to serve in naval special forces units.

The meaning of this “personnel” rigidity came down to the fact that commanders initially had to clearly understand the abilities and capabilities of their fighters - after all, special forces operate in isolation from their troops, and a small group can rely only on itself, and, accordingly, the importance of any team member increases many times over. The commander must initially be confident in his subordinates, and subordinates must be confident in their commander. And that is the only reason why “entrance to service” in this part is so strict. It shouldn't be any other way.

Looking ahead, I will say that today nothing is lost: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious tests, inaccessible for the most part even to physically well-prepared people.

Sea scouts with American weapons. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

In particular, the candidate must first of all run ten kilometers in a heavy body armor, meeting the running standard provided for jogging in sneakers and sportswear. If you fail, no one will talk to you anymore. If you ran on time, then you immediately need to do 70 push-ups while lying down and 15 pull-ups on the horizontal bar. Moreover, it is advisable to perform these exercises in their “pure form”. Most people, already at the stage of jogging in a bulletproof vest, suffocating from physical overload, begin to wonder, “Do I need this happiness if this happens every day?” - it is at this moment that true motivation manifests itself.

If a person strives to serve in the naval special forces, if he firmly knows what he wants, he passes this test, but if he has doubts, then it is better not to continue this torment.

As a former special forces officer told me, having shown a desire to serve in this unit to the head of naval intelligence, he immediately had to do 100 push-ups right in the admiral’s office - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet in 1982-1991), despite the fact that the officer went through Afghanistan and was awarded two military orders. This is how the Pacific Fleet intelligence chief decided to cut off the candidate if he did not complete such a basic exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

A special forces group performs a mission in Kamchatka, 1989. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

At different times the unit was commanded by:

Captain 1st Rank Kovalenko Petr Prokopyevich (1955–1959);

Captain 1st Rank Guryanov Viktor Nikolaevich (1959–1961);

Captain 1st Rank Petr Ivanovich Konnov (1961–1966);

Captain 1st Rank Klimenko Vasily Nikiforovich (1966–1972);

Captain 1st Rank Minkin Yuri Alekseevich (1972–1976);

Captain 1st Rank Zharkov Anatoly Vasilievich (1976–1981);

Captain 1st Rank Yakovlev Yuri Mikhailovich (1981–1983);

Lieutenant Colonel Evsyukov Viktor Ivanovich (1983–1988);

Captain 1st Rank Omsharuk Vladimir Vladimirovich (1988–1995) – died in February 2016;

Lieutenant Colonel Gritsai Vladimir Georgievich (1995–1997);

Captain 1st rank Kurochkin Sergey Veniaminovich (1997–2000);

Colonel Gubarev Oleg Mikhailovich (2000-2010);

Lieutenant Colonel Belyavsky Zaur Valerievich (2010-2013);

Let the names of today's commanders remain in the coastal fog of military secrecy...

Exercises and service

In 1956, naval reconnaissance officers began to master parachute jumps. Usually the training took place at naval aviation airfields - according to subordination. During the first training camp, all personnel performed two jumps from a height of 900 meters from Li-2 and An-2 aircraft, and also learned to land “assault-style” from Mi-4 helicopters - both on land and on water.

Another year later, naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered landing on the shore through the torpedo tubes of submarines lying on the ground, as well as returning to them after completing a mission at the coastal facilities of a mock enemy. Based on the results of combat training in 1958, the 42nd Naval Reconnaissance Point became the best special unit of the Pacific Fleet and was awarded the challenge pennant of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

In 1960, the unit's staff was increased to 146 people.

By this time, we had already decided on our specialization, which was divided into three areas:

Some of the personnel were represented reconnaissance divers, which were supposed to conduct reconnaissance of enemy naval bases from the sea, as well as mine ships and port facilities;

Some of the sailors were engaged conducting military reconnaissance- simply put, having landed from the sea, they acted on the shore as ordinary land reconnaissance officers;

The third direction was presented radio and radio intelligence specialists- these people were engaged in instrumental reconnaissance, which made it possible to quickly detect the most important objects behind enemy lines, such as field radio stations, radar stations, technical observation posts - in general, everything that emitted any signals into the air and was subject to destruction first queue.

These were very secret devices, and the more “terrible” was the story when a naval special forces officer, secretly escorting containers with these devices (in civilian clothes under the guise of a regular cargo forwarder), suddenly heard with a trembling knees how a slinger was in charge of reloading a container from a railway platform on the truck, shouted loudly to the crane operator: " Petrovich, pick it up carefully, there are NEWTs here"... and only when the officer pulled himself together, stopped trembling and calmed down a little, he realized that no leak of top-secret information had occurred, and the unlucky slinger only meant THREE TONS of container weight (that’s how much the Triton-1M weighed), and not the most secret "Tritons" that were inside...

For reference:

"Triton" is the first carrier for open-type divers. Immersion depth is up to 12 meters. Speed – 4 knots (7.5 km/h). Range – 30 miles (55 km).

"Triton-1M" is the first closed-type carrier for divers. Weight – 3 tons. Immersion depth is 32 meters. Speed – 4 knots. Range – 60 miles (110 km).

"Triton-2" is the first closed-type group carrier for divers. Weight – 15 tons. Immersion depth is 40 meters. Speed – 5 knots. Range – 60 miles.

Currently, these types of equipment are already outdated and withdrawn from combat service. All three samples are installed as monuments on the territory of the unit, and the decommissioned Triton-2 apparatus is also presented at the street exhibition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.

Insolence and sport

Some of the legends about “Kholuai” are associated with the steady desire of the military personnel of this unit to improve their reconnaissance and sabotage skills at the expense of their own comrades. At all times, the “Kholuai” caused many problems to daily duty personnel serving on ships and in coastal units of the Pacific Fleet. There were frequent cases of “training” abductions of orderlies, duty documentation, and theft of vehicles from careless military drivers. It cannot be said that the command of the unit specifically assigned such tasks to the scouts... but for successful actions of this kind, the reconnaissance sailors could even receive short-term leave.

There are many fairy tales about how special forces soldiers “are thrown out in the middle of Siberia with one knife, and he must survive and return to his unit.”

No, of course, no one is thrown out anywhere with just a knife, but during special tactical exercises, reconnaissance groups can be sent to other regions of the country, where they are given various training reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, after which they need to return to their unit - preferably undetected . At this time, the police, internal troops and state security agencies are intensively looking for them, and citizens are told that they are looking for conditional terrorists.

Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without excesses even gave rise to a peculiar saying on “Kholuay”:

“Some things are not necessary, but some things you can limit yourself to.”

It contains a deep meaning, which in many ways reflects the essence of the naval reconnaissance officer of the Russian Navy - who, being content with little, is capable of accomplishing a lot.

One of the admirals of the Pacific Fleet once said:

“The guys of the naval special forces were brought up in the spirit of love for the Motherland, hatred of enemies and the awareness that they are the elite of the fleet. Not for the feeling of their own superiority over others, but in the sense that huge public funds are spent on them, and their duty, in if something happens, justify these costs...”

And then I saw a whole performance: the sailor sharply pulled the cap of the senior patrolman right over his eyes, snatched his documents from his hands, slapped one of the patrolmen in the face, and rushed headlong to the departing ferry!

Return of a Legend

In 1965, twenty years after the end of World War II, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain First Rank Viktor Leonov, came to the unit. Several photographs have been preserved in which the “legend of naval special forces” is captured with military personnel of the unit, both officers and sailors. Subsequently, Viktor Leonov would visit the 42nd reconnaissance point several more times, which he himself considered a worthy brainchild of his 140th reconnaissance detachment...

Leonov arrived in a naval special forces unit, 1965. Photo: from the archive of V. M. Fedorov

In 2015, Viktor Leonov returned to the unit forever. On the day of the 60th anniversary of the formation of the reconnaissance point on the territory of the military unit, a monument to the real legend of naval special forces, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov, was unveiled in a solemn ceremony.

Monument to Leonov. Photo: Sergey Lanin, RIA PrimaMedia

Combat use

In 1982, the moment came when the Motherland demanded the professional skills of naval special forces. From February 24 to April 27, a regular special forces group performed combat service tasks for the first time, being on one of the Pacific Fleet ships.

In 1995, a group of military personnel from the 42nd Special Purpose Naval Reconnaissance Point took part in a combat operation to establish a constitutional regime in the Chechen Republic.

The group was attached to the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet operating there and, according to the reviews of the senior commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps group in Chechnya, Colonel Sergei Konstantinovich Kondratenko, acted brilliantly. The scouts remained calm and courageous in any critical situation. Five “Kholuaevites” laid down their lives in this war. Ensign Andrei Dneprovsky was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

From the award list:

"…organized the training of the battalion's freelance reconnaissance group and skillfully acted as part of it. On February 19, 1995, in a battle in the city of Grozny, he personally saved the lives of two sailors and carried out the body of the deceased sailor A.I. Pleshakov. On the night of March 20-21, 1995, while carrying out a combat mission to capture the Goitein Court heights, A.V. Dneprovsky’s reconnaissance group secretly approached the height, identified and neutralized the militants’ military outpost (one was killed, two were captured). Subsequently, during a short-lived battle, he personally destroyed two militants, ensuring the company’s unhindered approach to the heights and the completion of the combat mission without losses.…".

On the same day, he died heroically while performing a subsequent task... In 1996, a monument to the military personnel of the unit who died in the line of military duty was erected on the territory of the unit.

Names are engraved on the monument:

Hero of Russia, Ensign A. V. Dneprovsky

Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Ilyin

Midshipman V. N. Vargin

Midshipman P.V. Safonov

Chief ship's sergeant K. N. Zheleznov

Petty Officer 1st article S. N. Tarolo

Petty Officer 1st article A. S. Buzko

Foreman 2 articles V. L. Zaburdaev

Sailor V.K. Vyzhimov

Kholuy in our time

Today, “Kholuai”, already in a new look, with a slightly changed structure and strength, after a series of organizational events, continues to live its own life - according to its own special, “special forces” way of life. Many cases of this part will never be declassified, but books will be written about others. The names of the people who serve here today are not publicly available, and rightly so.

Service in the Naval Special Forces is the work of real men!. Photo: Alexey Sukonkin

Even today, naval reconnaissance officers sacredly honor their combat traditions, and combat training does not stop for a second. Every day, “Kholuaevites” engage in a variety of activities: they train dives (both real ones in the sea and in a pressure chamber), achieving the proper level of physical fitness, and practice techniques hand-to-hand combat and methods of moving secretly, learn to shoot from a variety of types small arms, they are studying new equipment, which is being supplied to the troops in abundance today (there are now even combat robots in service) - in general, they are preparing at any moment, on the orders of the Motherland, to carry out any assigned task.

All that remains is to wish our intelligence officers to realize their combat skills only at training grounds...

Our online store Voentorg Voenpro brings to your attention flags of various units of the Russian army, including from us you can order and buy the flag 420 OMRP special forces of the GRU Northern Fleet. The material used to make the flag 420 OMRP of the GRU Northern Fleet special forces is flag silk.

Characteristics

420 OMRP

Naval reconnaissance point 420 was formed in 1986. The location of 420 MCI is the city of Polyarny, Murmansk region.

To form 420 MCI, officers and reconnaissance divers from the personnel of 561 maritime reconnaissance points based in the Baltic Fleet were sent to the Northern Fleet. But during the training, problems arose with acclimatization to the harsh northern conditions and low water temperatures, so it was decided to staff the unit with residents of the northern region. The structure included two combat detachments: a detachment of reconnaissance divers and a detachment that carried out radio and electronic reconnaissance.

Initially, the staff of 420 RSPPN was 185 people, later their number was increased to three hundred.

To provide diving, a group of reconnaissance divers was assigned a diving ship VM-71, equipped with special devices, including a pressure chamber. In addition, to carry out the assigned tasks, the 420th MCI detachment was assigned a torpedo gun, the speed of which exceeded 30 knots (60 km/h).

Simultaneously with combat training, personnel began collecting intelligence information about the targets of the alleged enemy located in Iceland and Norway. There were more than forty such objects in total, four of them were hydroacoustic coastal stations. The first detachment of 420 MCI worked against the VGAS, the second was collecting information about NATO aviation based in Northern Norway, and the RRTR detachment was engaged in NATO radar warning points in Northern Norway.

To increase the combat effectiveness of groups of reconnaissance divers, separate combat posts were created, which contained the detachments’ equipment necessary to carry out combat missions, which significantly reduced the time required for the group to be brought into combat readiness.

To train personnel of the 420 MCI in conditions close to real ones, the Northern Fleet selected facilities with a location and infrastructure similar to those of NATO.

The specifics of combat training in the North are primarily related to the harsh natural and weather conditions, and the purpose of the initial stage of training was to study human capabilities, both physical and psychological, under these conditions. To do this, the group landed from a helicopter far from the base and made a march across the tundra over a distance of about two hundred kilometers.

Much attention was paid to survival during the exercises. low temperatures. For example, an igloo was built from snow, in which it was necessary to live for some time.

During the exercises we practiced various ways the exit of detachments of 420 MCI to the rear of a possible enemy, the most acceptable of which was naval.

The tasks were complicated by the terrain: almost the entire coast of Norway is indented by rocky fjords, access to which is very difficult. To solve this problem, they began to use a collapsible sapper cat, which was thrown into stones. Also, in order to climb the rocks of the fjords, the personnel of military unit 40145 underwent mountain training.

In the course of solving combat missions, reconnaissance divers from the 420th naval reconnaissance point inspected the level of defense and security of naval bases Northern Fleet. To do this, they entered the territory of protected objects and “mined” them. The sailors’ task was to detect and “clear mines” of the object.

In the online military store Voenpro, among a large assortment of flags of military special forces of Russia, you can always order and buy the flag 431 ORMP special forces of the GRU Black Sea Fleet. The material used to make the flag 431 ORMP special forces of the GRU Black Sea Fleet is flag silk.

Characteristics

431 OMRP

In 1969, 8 MPRs were formed on the Caspian Flotilla with a location in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR. In 1992, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the naval reconnaissance point was transferred to Priozersk Leningrad region, and in 1998 the unit was redeployed to Tuapse as 431 MCI and became part of the Black Sea Fleet.

During the existence of the USSR, foreign students were trained at the naval reconnaissance point (Angola, Cuba).

In 1995 - 1996, MPR personnel as part of the 879 ADSB of the Baltic Fleet took part in hostilities in the North Caucasus.

Since the formation of the 431st MCI, the division of reconnaissance divers has constantly tested the latest weapons and technical equipment. In particular, in the early 70s, the Siren and Triton diver carriers were tested.

Transporter of combat swimmers "Triton-1"

In 1974, personnel of the 431st MCI took part in mine blasting operations during the conflict between Israel and the Arab states.

In the 1970s - 1980s, reconnaissance divers from 431 naval reconnaissance stations took part in demonstration exercises for the military leadership of the Warsaw Pact states.

In 1989, reconnaissance divers of the 431st MCI ensured the security of negotiations at top level between the USSR and the USA in Malta.

In 1992, the midget submarine Piranha was tested and new landing systems designed specifically for reconnaissance divers were tested.

In 1992-1993, detachment 431 of the maritime reconnaissance point took part in the search and patrol of a civilian ship captured by pirates in the Mediterranean Sea.

In addition to daily training at the base, soldiers of military unit 51212 are regular participants in exercises conducted jointly with the FSB special forces detachment "Vympel" and the security service of the USSR government, then - the Russian government and tactical and special competitions held among the reconnaissance units of the GRU of the USSR, and then Russian Federation since 1975.

The GRU naval special forces units are recruited from volunteers who have served in military service in marine units. Candidates are tested for emotional stability, balance in emergency situations, and physical endurance. IN mandatory a test was carried out to withstand pressure drops at great depths.

Basic training of soldiers of the 431st naval reconnaissance point takes place in two stages. During the first stage, which lasts 7 weeks, the focus is on general physical training. The second stage of training involves the study of firearms and bladed weapons, underwater combat tactics, mine demolition classes, mastering various Vehicle(speed boats, underwater transporters, etc.). Also, in the process of training, military unit 51212 in Tuapse selects and coordinates small units - groups of divers - reconnaissance officers numbering from two to five people.

One of the most important goals of the 431st MCI is to monitor the testing of new weapons of NATO countries. Also, the task of GRU combat swimmers is to track the movements of warships of NATO countries carrying nuclear weapons on board.

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