42nd naval reconnaissance point for special purposes. Marine special forces - elite elite

27.10.2019

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Characteristics

420 OMRP

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

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

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

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

Simultaneously with combat training, the personnel began to collect intelligence information about the objects 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 420 MRP worked against the VGAS, the second was engaged in collecting information about NATO aviation based in Northern Norway, the RTRR detachment was engaged in NATO radar warning points in Northern Norway.

To increase the combat capability of the groups of scout divers, separate combat posts were created, which contained the detachments' equipment necessary for the performance of combat missions, which significantly reduced the time required for the group to be put on alert.

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

The specificity of combat training in the North is primarily associated with the harsh natural and weather conditions, and the purpose of the initial stage of training was to study human capabilities, both physical and psychological, in these conditions. For this, the group landed from a helicopter far from the base, and made a march across the tundra at a distance of about two hundred kilometers.

The exercise focused on survival at low temperatures. For example, an igloo was built from snow, in which it was necessary to live for some time.

During the exercise, various methods were worked out for the 420 MCI units to enter the rear of a potential enemy, the most acceptable of which was the naval one.

The tasks were complicated by the terrain: almost the entire coast of Norway is cut by rocky fjords, access to which is very difficult. To solve this problem, they began to use a sapper folding 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, the scout divers of the 420th naval reconnaissance point checked the level of defense and protection of the Northern Fleet naval bases. To do this, they penetrated into the territory of protected objects and "mined" them. The task of the sailors was to detect and "demining" the object.

The secret part of the "Holuay" of the Pacific Fleet, it is also the 42 MRP of the special forces (military unit 59190), was created in 1955 in the Maly Ulysses Bay near Vladivostok, later relocated to the Russky Island, where scouts-saboteurs undergo combat training to this day. 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 main character of an action movie. Today RIA PrimaMedia publishes material military historian and journalist Alexei Sukonkin about the legendary part of "Holuay". In 1993-94 he served in a special forces unit ground forces, but from time to time some of them were in the naval special forces.

Foreword

“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that we, ten people, were taken by the Japanese to the headquarters to the colonel, the commander of the aviation unit, who wanted to make us hostages. with us the representative of the Soviet command, Captain 3rd Rank Kulebyakin, as they say, was “pinned against the wall.” Looking into the eyes of the Japanese, I said that we had fought the entire war in the west and had enough experience to assess the situation that we would not be hostages , or rather we will die, but we will die together with everyone who is in the headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to get out of here. Hero Soviet Union Mitya Sokolov immediately stood behind the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door, 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 put him right 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 scarf, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after a while signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison. "

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

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

It was the apotheosis of the combat power of the 140th naval reconnaissance detachment, the harbinger of the modern naval special forces, which everyone knows today under the incomprehensible and mysterious name "Holuay".

Origins

And it all started back in the years of the Great Patriotic War... Then the 181st reconnaissance detachment was successfully operating in the Northern Fleet, carrying out various special operations in the rear of the enemy troops. The culmination of the activity of this detachment was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily defeat the landing convoy) in preparation for the landing at the port of Liinakhamari (Murmansk region - ed.). 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 even difficult to imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured only a few guns of the German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this, the reconnaissance detachment was created in order to sting the enemy with 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

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, a detachment was formed on the Russky Island in the amount of 139 people and began combat training. In August 1945, the 140th Reconnaissance Detachment took part in the capture of the ports of Yuki and Racine, as well as the Seishin and Genzan naval bases. As a result of these operations, Chief Petty Officer Makar Babikov and Warrant Officer 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 Soviet Navy were disbanded for alleged uselessness.

But soon the story turned back ...

From the history of the creation of special-purpose units: In 1950, in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, each army and military district was formed separate companies special purpose. In the Primorsky Territory, in particular, three such companies were formed: 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th combined-arms army stationed in Ussuriysk, 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th the combined arms army stationed at the Fighter Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. Special-purpose companies were tasked with finding and destroying the most important military and civilian objects in the enemy's deep rear, including the enemy's nuclear attack weapons. The personnel of these companies were trained to conduct military intelligence, mine explosives, made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit for service in the airborne troops.

The experience of the Great Patriotic War showed the indispensability of such units for decisive actions on enemy communications, and in connection with the unleashing 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 chief of intelligence of the Navy, 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 intelligence system of the fleets, I consider it necessary to carry out the following measures: ... create ... reconnaissance and sabotage units of military intelligence, giving them the name of individual naval reconnaissance divisions ..."

At the same time, the captain of the first rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically substantiated such a decision, arguing that “... special units…".

Descent under the water. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

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

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

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

Holuay Bay

The word "Holuay" itself (as well as its variations "Haluay" and "Halulay") according to one version means "a lost place", and although disputes on this score 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 also widely practiced - Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographic maps only in the forties of the twentieth century) was the construction of objects of antiamphibious defense of Vladivostok. Defense objects included coastal long-term firing points - bunkers. Some specially fortified bunkers even had proper names, for example, "Stream", "Rock", "Wave", "Fire" 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 sector of the coastal defense of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of Cape Krasny in the Kholuay Bay (Novy Dzhigit), served the firing points located on the Russky Island. For this battalion, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built in 1935. Here the battalion was stationed 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 in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks was settled here, the secrecy of the existence of which was brought to the highest limit.

In open use among the "initiates", the unit was called the "Recreation Center" Irtek "of the Main Naval Base" Vladivostok. " the people used to have a "popular" name for the part - "Holuay" - after the name of the bay.

So what was that part? Why is there a multitude of the most diverse legends that sometimes border on science fiction, hovering around her, both then and today?

The birth of a legend

The formation of the 42nd Naval Reconnaissance Point of the Pacific Fleet began in March and ended in June 1955. During the formation, the duties of the commander were temporarily performed by the captain of the second rank Nikolai Braginsky, but the first approved commander of the new unit was ... no, not a scout, but the former commander of a 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 scouting sailors at the submarine training base underwent an accelerated diving training course.

Arriving at the location of the unit in Holuay Bay, the scouting sailors first of all set about ... construction works, because their housing had to be somehow equipped, and no one was going to help them in this matter.

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

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

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

Candidates for service who were called up from military enlistment offices or transferred from training units of the fleet were waiting for severe tests - during the week they were subjected to exorbitant loads, which were supported by severe psychological pressure. Not everyone could withstand, and those who could not resist were immediately transferred to other parts of the fleet.

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

The meaning of this "personnel" rigidity boiled down to the fact that the 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 only rely on itself, and, accordingly, the value of any team member increases many times. A commander must initially be confident in his subordinates, and subordinates in their commander. And only because of this, the "entrance to the service" in this part is so strict. It shouldn't be otherwise.

Looking ahead, I will say that today nothing has been lost: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious trials that are inaccessible to most of even physically well-prepared people.

Marine 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 bulletproof vest, keeping within the running standard provided for jogging in sneakers and sportswear. I did not meet it - no one will talk to you further. If you ran on time, then immediately you need to perform 70 push-ups from the lying position and 15 pull-ups on the horizontal bar. Moreover, it is desirable to perform these exercises in "pure form". Most of the people, already at the stage of jogging in a bulletproof vest, gasping from physical overloads, begins 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 seeks 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 these torments.

At the end of the check, the candidate is placed in the ring, where three hand-to-hand combat instructors fight him, checking the person for readiness for the fight - both physical and moral. Usually, if a candidate has reached the ring, this is already an "ideological" candidate, and the ring does not break him. Well, and then the commander, or the person replacing him, talks to the candidate. After that, the harsh service begins ...

There are no discounts for officers either - everyone is tested. Basically, the supplier of command personnel for "Holuai" are three military schools - the Pacific Naval (TOVVMU), the Far Eastern Combined Arms (DVOKU) and the Ryazan Airborne (RVVDKU), although if a person wants, then nothing interferes with an officer from other schools to enter the service in the naval special forces - there would be a desire.

As I was told former officer special forces, having shown a desire to serve in this unit in front of the head of fleet intelligence, he immediately had to do push-ups from the floor 100 times right in the admiral's office - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (head of the Pacific Fleet intelligence in 1982-1991), despite the fact that the officer passed Afghanistan, and was awarded two military orders. This is how the chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet decided to cut off the candidate if he did not perform such an elementary exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

A special task force carries out a task in Kamchatka, 1989. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

At various times, a part was commanded by:

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

Captain 1st Rank Viktor Guryanov (1959-1961);

Captain 1st rank Konnov Petr Ivanovich (1961-1966);

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

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

Captain 1st Rank Anatoly Zharkov (1976-1981);

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

Lieutenant Colonel Evsyukov Viktor Ivanovich (1983-1988);

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

Lieutenant Colonel Gritsai Vladimir Georgievich (1995-1997);

Captain 1st Rank Sergey Kurochkin (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 secrets ...

Teachings and Service

In 1956, naval scouts began to master parachute jumping. Usually, the training took place at the airfields of the naval aviation - by subordination. During the first training camp, the entire personnel performed two jumps from a height of 900 meters from the Li-2 and An-2 planes, and also learned how to land "assault" from Mi-4 helicopters - both to the ground and to the water.

A year later, the naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered the landing through the torpedo tubes of submarines lying on the ground, as well as returning to them, after completing the task at the coastal objects of the conditional enemy. According to 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 Pacific Fleet Commander.

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

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

By this time, they had already decided on the specialization, which was conventionally divided into three areas:

Part of the personnel was represented scout divers, which were supposed to be engaged in reconnaissance of enemy naval bases from the sea, as well as mine ships and port facilities;

Some of the sailors were engaged military reconnaissance- in other words, having landed from the sea, they acted on the shore as ordinary land scouts;

The third direction was presented 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 any signals on the air and was subject to destruction first turn.

The naval 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 a two-seater "Triton", later - also a two-seater "Triton-1M", even later a six-seater "Triton-2" appeared. These devices allowed saboteurs to quietly penetrate directly into enemy bases, mine ships and piers, and perform other reconnaissance missions.

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

For reference:

"Triton" - the first carrier of open-type divers. The immersion depth is up to 12 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots (7.5 km / h). The cruising range is 30 miles (55 km).

"Triton-1M" is the first closed-type divers carrier. Weight - 3 tons. The immersion depth is 32 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots. The cruising range is 60 miles (110 km).

"Triton-2" is the first group carrier of closed-type divers. Weight - 15 tons. The immersion depth is 40 meters. Travel speed - 5 knots. The range is 60 miles.

Currently, these samples of equipment are already outdated and withdrawn from combat strength... 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 exposition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.

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

Insolence and sport

Some of the legends about "Holuay" are associated with the unswerving desire of the servicemen of this unit to improve their intelligence and sabotage skills at the expense of their own associates. At all times, the "Holuays" brought many problems to the persons of the daily order serving on ships and in the coastal units of the Pacific Fleet. There were frequent cases of "training-training" abductions of orderlies, documents on duty, theft of vehicles from gape of military drivers. It cannot be said that the command of the unit specifically set such tasks for the scouts ... but for successful actions of this kind, the reconnaissance sailors could even receive a short leave.

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

No, of course, no one is thrown anywhere with one knife, but when conducting special tactical exercises, groups of scouts can be thrown into other regions of the country, where they are assigned various educational reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, after which they need to return to the unit - preferably unnoticed ... At this time, the police, internal troops and state security agencies are strenuously looking for them, and citizens are announced that they are looking for conditional terrorists.

In the very same unit, sport has been cultivated at all times - and therefore it should not be surprising that at present, at almost all naval competitions in power sports, martial arts, swimming and shooting, prizes are usually taken by representatives of "Holuay". It should be noted that preference in sports is given not to strength, but to endurance - it is this physical skill that allows the sea scout to feel confident both in hiking or skiing, and in long-distance swimming.

Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without excesses gave rise to even a kind of saying on "Holuai":

"There is no need for something, but for something you can limit yourself."

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

Healthy spetsnaz chauvinism also gave rise to the special audacity of the scouts, which became the pride of the naval spetsnaz soldiers. This quality was especially clearly manifested during the exercises, which were and are being carried out almost constantly.

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 realization that they are the elite of the fleet. folk remedies, and their duty, in which case, to justify these costs ... ".

I remember in my deep 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 loaded on the pier, going to the Russky Island (there were no bridges at that time). The sailor was stopped by a patrol, and he showed his documents, gesturing frantically, pointing to the ferry, which was already lifting 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 patrol over his very eyes, snatched his documents from his hands, slapped one of the patrolmen in the face, and rushed headlong towards 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 covered this distance in an elegant jump, grabbed the ferry rails, and there it was already pulled aboard by the passengers. For some reason, I have no doubts in which unit that sailor served ...

Return of the legend

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

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

In 2015, Viktor Leonov returned to the unit for good. 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 the naval special forces, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov, was unveiled in a solemn atmosphere.

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-purpose 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 Sirena submarine carriers and all the necessary military equipment was in combat service for 130 days. A small reconnaissance ship from the 38th brigade of reconnaissance ships of the Pacific Fleet delivered a small reconnaissance ship from the 38th brigade of reconnaissance ships of the Pacific Fleet to the place where the combat missions were being performed. It is too early to say what these tasks were, because they are still hidden by a veil of secrecy. One thing is clear - some enemy these days became very bad ...

In 1995, a group of servicemen from the 42nd Naval Reconnaissance Point of Special Purpose 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 senior chief of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps in Chechnya, Colonel Sergei Konstantinovich Kondratenko, acted brilliantly. The scouts in any critical situation remained cool and courageous. Five "kholuayevtsy" laid down their heads in this war. Ensign Andrey 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 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 Goyten-Court height, the reconnaissance group of A.V. Dneprovsky secretly approached the height, identified and neutralized the combat escort of the militants (one was killed, two were taken prisoner). Later, in the course of a fleeting battle, he personally destroyed two militants, ensuring the company's unhindered approach to the height and the fulfillment of the combat mission without losses…".

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

Names are engraved on the monument:

Hero of Russia Warrant Officer A. V. Dneprovsky

Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Ilyin

Warrant Officer V. N. Vargin

Warrant Officer P. V. Safonov

Chief ship sergeant K. N. Zheleznov

Petty Officer 1 article S. N. Tarolo

Sergeant Major 1 article A.S. Buzko

Petty Officer 2 articles V.L. Zaburdaev

Sailor V. K. Vyzhimov

Holuay in our time

Today "Holuay" is already in a new look, with a slightly changed structure and number, after a series of organizational staff activities it continues to live its own life - according to its own special, "spetsnaz" way of life. Many cases of this part will never be declassified, and books will be written about some more. The names of the people who serve here today are closed to the public, and rightly so.

Service in the Marine Special Forces - The Business of Real Men !. Photo: Alexey Sukonkin

Naval scouts today sacredly honor their combat traditions, and combat training does not stop even for a second. Every day, the "kholuayevtsy" are engaged in a variety of activities: they train dives (both real in the sea and in a pressure chamber), achieving the proper level of physical training, practice hand-to-hand combat techniques and methods of covert movement, learn to shoot from the most different types small arms, are studying new technology, which is being supplied to the troops in abundance today (now there are even combat robots in service) - in general, they are preparing at any moment by order of the Motherland to complete any assigned task.

It remains only to wish our scouts to realize their combat skills only at training grounds ...

Special Forces of the Russian Marine Corps are specialized forces that are part of the Russian Navy. The soldiers of this unit are specially trained in order to conduct reconnaissance and subversive activities at sea and in areas located close to the coastline. They are sometimes called combat swimmers, but in fact, their specialty correctly sounds like "scout diver". Most of their operations are aimed at reconnaissance of enemy positions, therefore, such units as ground reconnaissance are subordinate to the General Staff of the GRU.

The tasks and structure of the special forces of the Russian Navy

Many people realize that the special forces are more prepared, and perform tasks that cannot be performed by other units, but for a complete understanding it is necessary to find out what missions it performs Russian special forces Marine Corps.

Missions performed by naval special forces:

Landing operations that are carried out on the water.
Mineralization of coastal bases of the enemy and his ships.
Reconnaissance or destruction of naval or coastal missile attack vehicles or objects with which they are controlled.
Reconnaissance of the enemy's location in sea or coastal areas, regulation of air strikes and work of ship artillery.

When a country is not in a state of war, it seems that these skills are not in demand, but this is not entirely true, of course, they are not massively applied, but the naval special forces helps to counteract terrorist organizations. After all, taking hostages on ships or resort areas can cause quite a lot of panic.

The Marines are practicing interaction with other military formations, which helps to develop coordination of actions in case of local or global conflicts.

On the this moment the special forces of the Navy include 4 MCI (naval reconnaissance point). Their number corresponds to the number of fleets that exist in the Russian Federation.

Name:

Military unit 59190 -42 is a separate naval reconnaissance point for special purposes in the Pacific Fleet. Located in the Vladivostok area.
561OMRP Special Forces in the Baltic Fleet. Located in the village of Parusnoe, Baltic region.
420 OMRP Special Forces in the Northern Fleet. Located in the village of Polyarny, Murmansk region.
Military unit 51212 - 137 OMRP special forces in the Black Sea Fleet. Located in the city of Tuapse.

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The location of the sea reconnaissance points is not accidental, they are located on the territory so that it would be more convenient to work with the GRU General Staff of the RF Armed Forces of the region. A fully staffed staff should consist of 4 autonomous groups of 14 people.

It is important to note that the technical personnel who ensure the serviceability of the equipment and communication with the combat groups are 20% higher than the number of fighters.

Each point has 3 groups, each of which has its own specialization. Of course, they can carry out general missions, but personalized training allows them to get the most advantage over the enemy.

Specialization:

The preparation of the first group is aimed at the fastest and most complete destruction of facilities located in coastal areas. Moreover, their training is associated not only with water, but also in many respects similar to the one that the ground detachments of the GRU pass through.
The preparation of the second group is aimed at the imperceptible collection of information about the location of the enemy.
The training of the third group is unique, and includes a large number of trainings for imperceptible movement in the water, which is very important, because the main task of such fighters is mining.

But all these units, although they differ in profound skills in a certain area, but at the same time have common skills. So, all of them should perform well when landing from the air, land or sea. Therefore, it is especially important physical and psychological health, which is why these troops get into only after the most difficult tests.

Selection to the naval special forces

A serviceman undergoing contract service, a cadet of a naval school, or a conscript who wants to connect his life with work in the army can get into the naval special forces. But it is important to understand that in order to overcome all the loads, a certain physical form is required.

Body type:

Height should be approximately 175 cm.
Weight fluctuates in the region of 75-80 kg.

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First, the profiles of those who are not suitable for diving are screened out. Whether it's health problems or an unsuitable physique. After that, the remaining applications are carefully examined by the psychological conclusion. Personal qualities are especially important for spetsnaz.

Stages of checking the suitability of service in the Russian marines:

First, physical fitness is checked, and only those who have coped with the task are selected. A man must march 30 km, carrying 30 kg of ammunition.
Those who have passed the physical test are subjected to psychological stress, this is necessary in order to find out their reaction to a long stay in an unfamiliar situation, with an unknown adversary. The easiest way is at night in the cemetery, when applicants must spend the dark hours of the day among the graves. This place has a pretty strong influence on the psychological state, and 3% of participants are eliminated.
Checking with a simulated torpedo tube. To pass the test, it is necessary to swim in a narrow confined space of 12 m. The width of the pipe is 53 cm, which is very narrow for a person in a light diving suit. Together with the surrounding water, this test reveals even the slightest manifestation of claustrophobia or hydrophobia.
Blowing off the helmet occurs under water when the competitor must first dive to a shallow depth and open the mask so that water fills the helmet. After that, the mask is returned to its place, and water is released through a special valve. Quite a serious test showing whether the candidate will be able to remain calm in critical situations on which his life depends. In this case, the normal result is considered as a passed test, and if the first attempt is failed. But if the candidate cannot cope with himself several times, then he is eliminated.

For the last test of physical endurance and psychological stability, applicants are required to swim 1.5 km under water using a diving suit. In this case, the air cylinder had a pressure of 170 atmospheres. When a person was in a calm state, used the correct breathing technique, the pressure dropped only by 4-6 atmospheres. But if a man was breathing incorrectly (with his mouth), panicked or showed another state of altered consciousness, then the pressure could drop to 30 atmospheres.
Special forces are not lone saboteurs, therefore, mutual trust and an atmosphere in the team are important for them. Due to the fact that there were quite a few previous tests, and it was impossible to complete them in 1 day, the remaining fighters already know each other well enough. Therefore, everyone is provided with lists with fellow students, and they are asked to determine with whom they would like to work in pairs. The higher the number, the less the desire to cooperate with this person. Those who scored the most points are eliminated.

The secret part of the "Holuay" of the Pacific Fleet, it is also the 42 MRP of the special forces (military unit 59190), was created in 1955 in the Maly Ulysses Bay near Vladivostok, later relocated to the Russky Island, where scouts-saboteurs undergo combat training to this day. 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 main character of an action movie. Today RIA PrimaMedia publishes material military historian and journalist Alexei Sukonkin about the legendary part of "Holuay". In 1993-94, he served in the special forces unit of the ground forces, but from time to time their part was also in the naval special forces.

Foreword

“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that we, ten people, were taken by the Japanese to the headquarters to the colonel, the commander of the aviation unit, who wanted to make us hostages. with us the representative of the Soviet command, Captain 3rd Rank Kulebyakin, as they say, was “pinned to the wall.” Looking into the eyes of the Japanese, I said that we had fought the entire war in the west and had enough experience to assess the situation that we would not be hostages , or rather we will die, but we will die together with everyone who is in the 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 back of the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door, put the key in his pocket and sat down on the chair, and Volodya Olyashev (after the war - Honored Master of Sports) lifted Andrei along with the chair and put the q 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 scarf, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after a while signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison. "

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

Origins

And it all started back in the years of the Great Patriotic War. Then the 181st reconnaissance detachment was successfully operating in the Northern Fleet, carrying out various special operations in the rear of the enemy troops. The culmination of the activity of this detachment was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily defeat the landing convoy) in preparation for the landing at the port of Liinakhamari (Murmansk region - ed.). 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 even difficult to imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured only a few guns of the German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this, the reconnaissance detachment was created in order to sting the enemy with small forces. the most vulnerable place ...

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

Nevertheless, at the end of the war, all such reconnaissance formations in the USSR Navy were disbanded as they were allegedly unnecessary.

But soon the story turned back ...

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: 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th combined-arms army stationed in Ussuriysk, 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th the combined arms army stationed at the Fighter Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. Special-purpose companies were tasked with finding and destroying the most important military and civilian objects in the enemy's deep rear, including the enemy's nuclear attack weapons. The personnel of these companies underwent training in military reconnaissance, mine explosives, and made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit for service in the airborne troops.

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

At the same time, the captain of the first rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically substantiated this decision, arguing that "... the difficulties and duration of the training of scouts - light divers necessitate their early training and systematic training, for which special units should be created ...".

Descent under the water. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

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

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

Holuay Bay

In the thirties, on Russky Island (at that time, by the way, its second name was also widely practiced - Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographical maps only in the forties of the twentieth century), Vladivostok antiamphibious defense facilities were being built. Defense objects included coastal long-term firing points - bunkers. Some specially fortified bunkers even had their own names, for example, "Stream", "Rock", "Wave", "Koster" 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 sector of the coastal defense of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of Cape Krasny in the Kholuay Bay (Novy Dzhigit), served the firing points located on the Russky Island. For this battalion, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built in 1935. Here the battalion was stationed 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 in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks was settled here, the secrecy of the existence of which was brought to the highest limit.

In open use among the "initiates", the unit was called "Recreation center" Irtek "of the Main naval base" Vladivostok. " the people used to have a "popular" name for the part - "Holuay" - after the name of the bay.

So what was that part? Why is there a multitude of the most diverse legends that sometimes border on science fiction, hovering around her, both then and today?

The birth of a legend

Arriving at the location of the unit in Holuay Bay, the reconnaissance seamen 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, the unit began single combat training of future reconnaissance divers under the program for training special forces. A little later, the combat coordination of 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 the selection for the naval special forces should be as tough as possible, if not cruel.

The candidates for service who were called up from the military registration and enlistment offices or transferred from the training units of the fleet faced severe tests - during the week they were subjected to exorbitant loads, which were supported by severe psychological pressure. Not everyone could withstand, and those who could not resist were immediately transferred to other parts of the fleet.

***

Looking ahead, I will say that today nothing has been lost: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious trials that are inaccessible to most of even physically well-prepared people.

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

If a person seeks 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 these torments.

***

There are no discounts for officers either - everyone passes tests. Basically, the supplier of command personnel for "Holuai" are three military schools - the Pacific Naval (TOVVMU), the Far Eastern Combined Arms (DVOKU) and the Ryazan Airborne (RVVDKU), although if a person wants, then nothing interferes with an officer from other schools to enter the service in the naval special forces - there would be a desire.

As a former special forces officer told me, having shown a desire to serve in this unit in front of the head of fleet intelligence, he immediately had to do push-ups right in the admiral's office 100 times - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (head 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 chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet decided to cut off the candidate if he did not perform such an elementary exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

A special task force carries out a task in Kamchatka, 1989. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

At various times, a part was commanded by:

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

Captain 1st Rank Viktor Guryanov (1959-1961);

Captain 1st rank Konnov Petr Ivanovich (1961-1966);

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

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

Captain 1st Rank Anatoly Zharkov (1976-1981);

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

Lieutenant Colonel Evsyukov Viktor Ivanovich (1983-1988);

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

Lieutenant Colonel Gritsai Vladimir Georgievich (1995-1997);

Captain 1st Rank Sergey Kurochkin 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 secrets ...

Teachings and Service

A year later, the naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered the landing through the torpedo tubes of submarines lying on the ground, as well as returning to them, after completing the task at the coastal objects of the conditional 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 Pacific Fleet Commander.

In many exercises, the scouts developed the necessary skills, acquired special knowledge and expressed their wishes for the composition of the equipment. In particular, back in the late fifties, naval reconnaissance officers formulated the requirements for weapons - it should be light and silent (as a result, samples of special weapons appeared - small-sized silent MSP pistols, silent "Silence" grenade launchers, SPP-1 underwater pistols and APS submachine guns, as well as many other special weapons). Also, the scouts wanted to have waterproof outerwear and shoes, and the eyes had to be protected from mechanical damage with special protective goggles (for example, today the set of equipment includes four types of goggles).

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

By this time, they had already decided on the specialization, which was conventionally divided into three areas:

- part of the personnel was presented scout divers, which were supposed to be engaged in reconnaissance of enemy naval bases from the sea, as well as mine ships and port facilities;

- some of the sailors were engaged military reconnaissance- in other words, having landed from the sea, they acted on the shore as ordinary land scouts;

- the third direction was presented 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 any signals on the air and was subject to destruction first turn.

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

For reference:

"Triton" - the first carrier of open-type divers. The immersion depth is up to 12 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots (7.5 km / h). The cruising range is 30 miles (55 km).

"Triton-1M" is the first closed-type divers carrier. Weight - 3 tons. The immersion depth is 32 meters. Travel speed - 4 knots. The cruising range is 60 miles (110 km).

"Triton-2" is the first group carrier of closed-type divers. Weight - 15 tons. The immersion depth is 40 meters. Travel speed - 5 knots. The range is 60 miles.

At present, these samples of equipment are already outdated and withdrawn from 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 exposition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.

Insolence and sport

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

No, of course, no one is thrown anywhere with one knife, but when conducting special tactical exercises, groups of scouts can be thrown into other regions of the country, where they are assigned various educational reconnaissance and sabotage missions, after which you need to return to the unit - preferably unnoticed ... At this time, the police, internal troops and state security agencies are strenuously looking for them, and citizens are announced that they are looking for conditional terrorists.

In the very same unit, sport has been cultivated at all times - and therefore it should not be surprising that at present, at almost all naval competitions in power sports, martial arts, swimming and shooting, prizes are usually taken by representatives of "Holuay". It should be noted that the preference in sports is given not to strength, but to endurance - it is this physical skill that allows the sea scout to feel confident both in hiking or skiing, and in long-distance swimming.

Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without excesses gave rise to even a kind of saying on "Holuai":

"There is no need for something, but for something you can limit yourself."

It contains a deep meaning, which in many respects reflects the essence of the Russian naval reconnaissance officer - 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 realization that they are the elite of the fleet. if something happens, justify these costs ... ".

Return of the legend

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

Monument to Leonov. Photo: Sergey Lanin, RIA PrimaMedia

Combat use

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

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 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 Goyten-Court height, the reconnaissance group of A.V. Dneprovsky secretly approached the height, identified and neutralized the combat escort of the militants (one was killed, two were taken prisoner). Later, in the course of a fleeting battle, he personally destroyed two militants, ensuring the company's unhindered approach to the height and the fulfillment of the combat mission without losses …".

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

Names are engraved on the monument :

Hero of Russia Warrant Officer A. V. Dneprovsky

Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Ilyin

Warrant Officer V. N. Vargin

Warrant Officer P. V. Safonov

Chief ship sergeant K. N. Zheleznov

Petty Officer 1 article S. N. Tarolo

Sergeant Major 1 article A.S. Buzko

Petty Officer 2 articles V.L. Zaburdaev

Sailor V. K. Vyzhimov

Holuay in our time

Service in the Marine Special Forces - The Business of Real Men !. Photo: Alexey Sukonkin

Naval scouts today sacredly honor their combat traditions, and combat training does not stop even for a second. Every day, the "kholuayevtsy" are engaged in a variety of activities: they train dives (both real at sea and in a pressure chamber), achieving the proper level of physical training, practice hand-to-hand combat techniques and methods of covert movement, learn to shoot from various types of small arms, learn new techniques , which is being supplied to the troops in abundance today (now there are even combat robots in service) - in general, they are preparing at any moment by order of the Motherland to complete any assigned task.

It remains only to wish our scouts to realize their combat skills only at training grounds ...

August 9, 10:20

Special Forces of the Russian Navy

Fighters of the special forces of the Navy are often called combat swimmers, but the correct name for their military specialty is "scout diver".

Being, like the GRU special forces, first of all, a highly professional force intelligence, the Russian naval special forces are very different from the army special forces. Both the one and the other are subordinate to the GRU General Staff, their personal undergoes strict selection and rigorous preparation for actions behind enemy lines. But the structure, combat missions and areas of combat training for the units of land and sea special forces are different. There are nuances in the requirements for the selection of personnel.

LANDING OF MARINE SPECIALTY TO WATER: PROCEDURE AND TECHNOLOGY Landing on water is, perhaps, one of the most difficult and dangerous elements training of naval special forces. The commandos on board the aircraft are in full diving gear.

When parachuting, they are dressed in a GK-5M2 diving suit. GK-5M-1, it does not have a volumetric helmet lock, instead there is an obturator with a VM-5 mask. Personal weapons are in rubber cases, equipment is in IKD-5 containers. During the flight, the supply of oxygen to parachutists comes from the on-board system of the aircraft. When approaching the landing area, the group commander examines the personnel and orders them to signal their readiness for landing. After that, the paratroopers disconnect the hoses of the onboard oxygen equipment and begin to breathe from their IDA-71P vehicles. On command, the landing party leaves the transport compartment, the last to jump is the group commander. The landing is carried out on PV-3 parachutes, specially designed for the landing of divers. It differs from a conventional landing parachute in its increased area, since the mass of a diver in full gear can reach 180 kg. After opening the main parachute, the ICD-5 container and the reserve parachute are released and go down on fifteen-meter strands.

When the container touches the water (this is immediately noticeable by the slowdown in the fall rate), the parachutist opens the trigger switches that release the free ends of the main parachute. After immersion in the water, the divers disconnect the reserve parachute and the backpack of the main one, pull the containers towards them by the strand. This is followed by a short ascent, the scuba divers are connected by strands into a hitch, and begin to move with the help of fins in the direction of the coast. Ahead they are waiting for a landing, camouflage of diving equipment, a rapid departure into the land from the coastline and reconnaissance in the deep rear of the enemy. As for the main parachutes, they will get wet and sink in 20-30 minutes, thus ceasing to unmask the group.

SELECTION IN THE MARITIME SPECIAL FORCES, SPECIFIC SERVICES AND COMBAT TRAINING

In the USSR, naval special forces units were recruited by conscription. Then it was quite justified. Young people came to the army already physically prepared enough, many had categories in parachuting and scuba diving. Considering that the service life in the fleet was three years, during this time it was possible to train a sufficiently qualified scout diver. Now the service life in both the Russian army and the navy is one year, the quality of conscripts has fallen dramatically, so it does not seem like a good idea to recruit naval special forces with conscripts. Although, according to the governing documents of the RF Armed Forces, the recruitment of intelligence military units SPN and OSN can be carried out from citizens serving both by conscription and by contract. G. Zakharov describes the selection of conscripts as follows.

The officers of the naval special forces: the commander of the MRP, the detachment commander, the physiologist and the physical training instructor began work with the naval selection committee. We selected the candidates we liked. Naturally, good health was required. They tried not to take especially large ones. The optimal candidate was considered to be about 1.75 m tall and weighing 75-80 kg. Such people can withstand the greatest relative loads. We studied the questionnaire and psychological qualities. Orphans and children from incomplete families were eliminated. Preference was given to people from large families: service in the naval special forces is very dangerous even in peacetime. Also, suitable candidates were selected in the "training" of the Marine Corps. But one must understand that endurance, courage and excellent physical characteristics do not yet guarantee successful service in the naval special forces. A kind of psychological stability is especially important here. It so happens that a brave and proactive person on land is completely lost in the underwater environment. The screening of candidates was carried out in several stages. The first one is the "thirty" march - a 30 km run with a weight of 30 kg. Combat training in the 561st OMRP Then an elementary test for psychological stability "Night at the cemetery."

The fighters must spend the night on the graves. Three or four candidates out of a hundred did not pass it. Zakharov describes a case when three candidates dug up a grave and began to look for gold in it. Interestingly, they were left in the unit. In the future, these turned out to be the most psychologically stable people. Pipe check. Tough test. Candidates must swim through a tube that simulates a submarine torpedo tube. Its length is 10-12 m, width is 533 mm. At first, the pipe is not completely filled with water. At the final stage, the fighter must swim in light diving equipment through a pipe filled with water. For some, this becomes the moment of truth in terms of suitability for service in underwater special forces. Andrei Zagortsev in his story "Sailor of the Special Forces" describes just such an incident that happened to him, when he, a physically strong and resourceful young man, "in civilian life" diving with an aqualung, fell into a panic, finding himself in a pipe. The case ended with a loss of consciousness and pulling the candidate out of the pipe with the help of a safety rope. Tellingly, swimming in "clean" water did not give him any inconvenience, but when swimming in a confined space, it turned out that the main character is prone to claustrophobia. G. Zakharov talks about the fatal incident with the "pipe", when a fighter, overpowering himself, nevertheless dived into it, but from fear he earned a massive heart attack. All this is important for understanding what the fighters of the naval special forces have to face. Blowing out the helmet. Go under the water, open the helmet to fill it with water, close the helmet and blow the water out through the etch valve. This is a typical situation. Some, as soon as the water reached the nose, jumped out to the surface like a bullet. If the candidate could not pass the test the first time, he was not weeded out, but the failure of several attempts meant that the person would not serve in the naval special forces. Control swim. This is the most serious and at the same time indicative test. If the unsuitable person could somehow slip through the previous two tests, then this one objectively showed the capabilities of each. After completing light diving training, candidates were given a one-mile underwater swim. Air was pumped into the cylinder of the oxygen apparatus at a pressure of 170 atmospheres. With normal calm breathing, oxygen had time to regenerate and the cylinder at the finish line showed a pressure of 165 atmospheres. If a person is psychologically broken, breathes through his mouth, he "eats" all the air and comes to the finish line with a pressure of 30 atmospheres. The last test was called the "weak link". For the fighters of the naval special forces, psychological compatibility is very important. The fighters sit in the classroom, each is given a list of the group and a pencil. And the fighter must write a number against each surname: with whom he would like to go in a pair for reconnaissance in the first place, with whom - in the second, and with whom - and the last. The profiles are anonymous. After that, the points were added up and those who scored the highest points were eliminated. Those who could not pass the tests were no longer sent back to their units. It was necessary for someone to do household work in the naval special forces.

As you can see, the qualities required for service in the special forces of the Navy are somewhat different from the stereotyped image of the special forces. These are not necessarily supermen and masters of hand-to-hand combat, but above all, psychologically stable people, although the usual combat training in the naval special forces is at its best. G. Zakharov gives an interesting example of the role of psychological stability in the work of the naval special forces: “I had such a fighter Valya Zhukov - a laughing stock, only the lazy one didn’t tease him in part. And somehow the submariners asked me for three divers to participate in the tests of the rescue submarine. If they had not been cut later for scrap, the Kursk crew would have been saved. Tests in the ocean. I gave three best guys. We started to work normally, according to the program, and suddenly someone asks: "How much is there under the keel?" And there two and a half kilometers. getting out of the water.

He was also the best military orderly, he coped with wounds and fractures, as if he had been a paramedic all his life before. But there are very few such super-stable people. The rest had to be trained hard. " The process of combat training in the special forces of the Navy is ongoing. The training program is rich and includes diving, airborne, navigation-topographic, mountain special, sea, physical fitness, fire training (including the possession of weapons by the armies of a potential enemy), mine explosives, hand-to-hand combat, the ability to survive in various theaters of military operations, knowledge about the armed forces of a potential enemy, radio affairs and much more, which cannot be done without in modern war ... Significant time is devoted to the study of actions under water: underwater penetration into enemy territory and evacuation into the water, orientation, observation in conditions of poor visibility, pursuit of the enemy and separation from pursuit, camouflage on the ground.

The acquired skills are practiced during practical training. According to G. Zakharov, mortality during combat training was not uncommon. If the commander of the MCI lost no more than two or three people a year, he was not punished, but simply chewed verbally. Although this does not mean that human lives in the special forces of the Navy were not given a damn. On the contrary, instructions were developed in case of emergency situations, the personnel memorized to the smallest detail the order of actions in such cases. Squad 1 and 2 trained at various onshore facilities until all actions were honed to shine. The third detachment first of all learned to act in an aggressive aquatic environment. IN Soviet time underwater special forces were constantly involved in checking the state of security of strategic facilities, anti-sabotage protection of ships and ground facilities of the fleet. As a rule, the "defending" side was given a maximum of data on the groups that would work (composition, object and time of action), nevertheless, the special forces regularly managed to penetrate objects and perform training tasks. Sometimes it was necessary to go to the military trick - to "hand over" one of the comrades, and while the "caught saboteur" was solemnly led to the headquarters of the unit, the main part of the group worked. One of the former fighters of the naval special forces recalls on an Internet forum how a group during an exercise entered a destroyer under the guise of inspectors; on another occasion, special forces drove into the harbor in an UAZ vehicle, the license plates of which and the driver were well known at the checkpoint; the author of the post himself once escorted "a comrade dressed in uniform ... a militia captain straight to the office of a military unit commander." Even in conditions when the time and place of the attack were known, and several hundred people were waiting for the saboteurs in full combat readiness at the facility, the special forces groups managed to carry out the task. If the group worked without warning, the result was all the more predictable.

COMBAT USE OF SPECIAL FORCES OF THE Navy

Almost all military operations of the Soviet and Russian naval special forces are secret, very little is known about them in the public domain. G. Zakharov, for example, claims that he did not have to fight. During “ Cold war"Special forces of the Navy performed tasks in the same places as other" military advisers "from the USSR: in Angola, Vietnam, Egypt, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and other countries, often at the request of their governments. In Angola and Nicaragua, swimmers guarded Soviet ships and advised the local military. When the war in Afghanistan began, many special forces officers of the Navy asked to send them "for combat experience", but the leadership did not respond to these requests. Instead, officers who had visited Afghanistan were sent to the special forces of the Navy to transfer combat experience. And really, what was the point of throwing people with diving training into a meat grinder, sending them on two-week raids in the mountains or desert, if there were ordinary airborne units and SPN GRU? After the collapse of the USSR, everything changed. During the first war in Chechnya, the grouping of Russian troops had to be assembled "all over the place", and apparently this explains the fact that the naval special forces did end up in the "land" war. During the First Chechen campaign, the personnel of the 431st OMRP operated as part of the 8th company of the 879th regiment of the 336th battalion of the Baltic Fleet, formed from the sailors of the Leningrad naval base. The company was commanded by Captain 1st Rank V., a submariner by profession. The infantry officers of the Vyborg antiamphibious defense regiment, who were supposed to go to war, refused to do so. The Baltic Fleet Marine Brigade was in a state of collapse at that time. The personnel of the 8th company was recruited from sailors of naval specialties, far from land combat operations.

In these conditions, due to the lack of regular scouts, reconnaissance support for the actions of the 8th company was entrusted to the 431st OMRP, whose fighters acted as part of the 1st (reconnaissance) platoon. By the way, the captain of the first rank V. does not directly mention that it was the special forces of the Navy that operated as part of the 8th company, but this is indicated by other sources, and the very logic of events. In conditions when the company was formed with great difficulty from sailors who did not have infantry training, there was simply nowhere else to take trained scouts. The reconnaissance platoon was commanded by a Navy special forces officer, Guards. Art. Lieutenant Sergei Anatolyevich Stobetsky. The company was supposed to leave for Chechnya in January 1995, but due to organizational problems, it was only transferred to Khankala on May 4. At this time, an armistice was declared, during which the militants managed to regroup and "lick their wounds", and on May 24, hostilities resumed.

Federal troops launched an offensive on the mountainous part of Chechnya, where militant detachments were hiding. The 8th company began to advance in the direction of Shali-Agishty-Makhkety-Vedeno. The 1st reconnaissance platoon acted in the vanguard, occupied key points, and platoons of marines with heavy equipment were pulled up behind it. Serious clashes with bandit formations began in the mountains. The company was forced to take positions and dig in. On the night of May 29-30, the positions of the 8th company came under fire from an automatic mortar "Vasilek". The company suffered large one-time losses: six dead, twenty wounded. Among the dead was the commander of the reconnaissance platoon, Guards. Art. Lieutenant Stobetsky. It is often argued that the special forces of the Navy took part in the battles in Chechnya not in the first, but in the second campaign.

However, if the participation of naval special forces in the first Chechen war is confirmed by the facts, and an officer died during the hostilities, then there is nothing concrete about participation in the second. Rather, on the contrary, by this time the combat capability of the RF Armed Forces had increased in comparison with the deplorable state in which it was after the collapse of the Union, and there was no longer any point in sending naval special forces to the mountains. Also, the special forces of the Russian Navy are sometimes credited with blowing up and sinking a part of Georgian ships in the port of Poti during the war in South Ossetia, but this is not the case. The Georgian ships were sunk by scouts of the 45th separate guards regiment of the Airborne Forces Special Forces. This mission would be perfect for the Marine Special Forces. And the "ground" commandos carried out it, though successfully, but not in the most optimal way. The Georgian ships should have been sunk on the high seas, but since the Airborne Forces scouts were not qualified to navigate ships, they sank them at the piers.