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00:00Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
00:30It's coming, it's coming, it's coming, I'm back, I'm dead.
00:52We're dead. Give him the code.
00:54This is the OPFOR War Games base at Fort Polk, Louisiana, USA.
01:03OPFOR stands for Opposing Force, an exercise unit that puts 50,000 soldiers through their paces every year.
01:12The men who train at Fort Polk are called the Blue Force.
01:16Their challenge is to survive 21 days of the most realistic combat scenarios that instructors can throw at them.
01:23Three solid weeks in the field, facing an unpredictable adversary across unknown terrain.
01:32Every gun on the battlefield is fitted with a sensor to register hits.
01:37Laser tagging for professionals.
01:39This is the miles gear, and every soldier has the miles gear on, they also have it on their helmets.
01:46And every weapon system has a laser on it.
01:49When the soldier is successfully engaged by some sort of a weapon system, then his miles will go off in a tone.
01:54And then that alerts the observer controllers that, in fact, the individual has been hit.
02:01At that point in time, he pulls out his casualty card.
02:04The casualty card may say that he was killed in action.
02:07And in other cases, it may say that he was wounded.
02:10And then how he was wounded.
02:12Then that gives the medical folks a training aspect so that they can use that in their own training as we conduct the medical evacuation off the battlefield.
02:19But every system has the laser systems, the Stinger and the Avenger has the miles laser on it.
02:26And when successfully engaged, a tone will go off in the hind helicopter that will alert them that they, in fact, were shot down.
02:32The airborne enemy the trainees will face are named Red Force, a team of OPFOR instructors,
02:44masters of the tactics and technologies of the armed forces of the former Soviet Union.
02:49We're being brought in to repel the aggressors, the blue aggressors, those running dogs.
02:59So we will come in and come in hard, low, fast, and hit the targets.
03:05And as quickly and as hard as we can do it.
03:08This, by far, is the most fearsome weapon at the Red Force's disposal.
03:19An MI-24 assault helicopter captured from Iraqi troops in the Gulf War.
03:32At the height of the Cold War, it was codenamed Hind by NATO planners.
03:37Thousands of these gunship transporters were built to destroy Allied tanks on the battlefields of Europe in World War III.
03:46Instead, it has seen combat in countless wars and conflicts across the Third World.
03:52Ironically, it now serves as a teaching instrument for the army it was built to destroy.
03:59Most of these gunners, this is the first time they've seen a hind.
04:01They've seen an Apache and they know how the Apache attack helicopter works.
04:05But this is hind, it's something different.
04:06You know, this thing is going to take a good attack run.
04:09It's going to start coming screaming at you and all of a sudden it breaks out of the trees.
04:12And there it is and it's shooting the missiles and it's shooting its machine guns and then it's gone.
04:18The hind pilots fly in the most heavily armoured helicopter gunship the world has ever seen.
04:24They're protected by a titanium strong box of a cockpit built to withstand point-blank hits from 37mm anti-aircraft shells.
04:32The windscreens themselves are bulletproof, even if the glass was riddled with a .50 caliber machine gun, the two pilots would survive and probably complete their mission.
04:44The cockpit itself is a large, roomy cockpit.
04:50The switches are simple, clearly marked.
04:52It's air conditioned.
04:54It's got a nice fan up in front for airflow, keeping it across your face.
04:58And in stress, you like to have airflow across your face.
05:01It's over-pressurized and it's chemically and biologically filtered air, so you're in a safe environment until you have holes knocked in it.
05:10So it's quite a large, comfortable cockpit.
05:12The Soviets had relied upon sheer weight of numbers to achieve military superiority.
05:26High-tech weaponry was never favoured because of the intricate backup systems required by such machinery.
05:32The helicopter the Russians have inherited was designed by the Mill Company, and first flown in 1971, and has proved itself to be a highly competent piece of weaponry.
05:49Nearly two times larger than America's Apache gunship, the Hind has no real Western counterpart.
05:55Soviet military doctrine had combined the speed of an attack helicopter with the size of a transporter.
06:03The result was a hybrid, larger than most World War II bombers, and at 340 kilometers per hour, the fastest military chopper ever made.
06:12Faster even than the highly maneuverable Apache.
06:16I wouldn't say it's a sneaky type of aircraft.
06:2126,000 pounds is not going to sneak up on pretty near anybody.
06:25But it is quiet in comparison to its size, and it moves, we move at a high speed, attack speed between 120 and 140 knots, 50 to 100 feet above the ground.
06:36And a rolling terrain, it's very difficult to detect, and it can be on you before you know it.
06:40This morning, we expect the MI-24 Hind to conduct an air attack.
06:44The air attack route will go up along the east side of the brigade sector.
06:47On this training exercise, the soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division face a difficult job.
07:03Plunged deep into enemy territory, they must hold a riverbed running through their sector of the map.
07:08Along the way, they'll be subjected to ambush and attack by helicopter-borne Reds.
07:16The Hind pilots will not fly alone.
07:19Included in the Red Force are MI-17 Hiplight and MI-8 attack helicopters.
07:25To defend against these threats, each platoon has its own Avenger team.
07:34A Humvee fitted with Mach 2 Stinger surface-to-air missiles.
07:38Hind pilots hug the trees, seek their prey, and strike swiftly.
07:52This gives each team an average of just three seconds to get off a shot.
08:01If this were war, these men would already be dead.
08:04It's not good enough in our army just to tell somebody,
08:11I want you to do this, and I want you to do it now.
08:14You've got to tell the soldier, why?
08:18You know, what's the purpose? What are we doing here?
08:19Down to the lowest level.
08:21He or she has an idea of why we're out here.
08:24What's the whole purpose? What's the end game?
08:26And then the how is left up to them.
08:30And you trust them that they'll be able to apply that how, but it's the why.
08:33So, again, I think that's probably one of the things that's unique about our army.
08:37This is definitely the most realistic training that I've ever seen in 14 years in the army.
08:43So, this is great.
08:45In our home station, we really don't have aircraft that engage back at us.
08:49So, we'll be on our toes as to more of what we're doing.
08:53Up4 pilots fly five to six times daily.
09:00For the Stinger teams below, this constant cycle of attack forces them to sharpen their defensive skills to a fine edge.
09:07By the time a rotation is over, it's almost like we don't want to go out in the box anymore.
09:20You get whacked three or four times a day.
09:22That's...
09:23Well, you know, we are pretty good at what we do.
09:26And to get shot up pretty regular doesn't do a whole lot for your ego.
09:35It's a really good feeling when you've gone out in the battlefield, the battle area,
09:42and you've given it all you've got, and you've flown it to the maximum potential,
09:48and you've shot your ordnance, and you still get whacked and shot down.
09:52It makes you feel good.
09:53It makes you feel real good.
09:55I don't know about this one, but, you know, you do wonder who sat in here,
10:17and you wonder where they are now, what they're doing now.
10:20Would they be surprised if they knew what the aircraft was doing now?
10:25A lot of legacy to a piece of equipment like this that we're not even aware of.
10:30You wonder.
10:31You wonder.
10:32At the United Nations, the Security Council was presented with a resolution calling for
10:45the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan.
10:50For the Russians, this was not an invasion, just a helping hand to a nation in need.
11:00In December 1979, two Soviet divisions entered Afghanistan.
11:05The communist puppet state installed by Moscow was under siege from the seven Islamic tribes of the Mujahideen.
11:14The Afghans were incensed by a communist-imposed ideology that denied the existence of Allah.
11:20This would be the first real test of the Russian army since the Second World War.
11:39Suddenly seeing all these young conscripts out in the airbase, and they were all 18, 19, 20 years old,
11:49they were all trying to grow moustaches, and in a sense, this is like Vietnam déjà vu.
11:54In the early years, the Afghanistan war was left unreported in the Soviet-controlled media.
12:06In the early 80s, if you thumb through magazines and newspapers that were covering the war in Afghanistan,
12:12basically you get an impression that Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan were raising flowers or picking flowers,
12:18or constructing schools or kindergartens, and nothing else.
12:23We were birthed by the colonel who still had the Afghanistan dust on his shoulders.
12:29He just, he told us, guys, I don't care what the hell did they tell you in Moscow.
12:34Now, let's talk about real situation.
12:53By late 1980, over 100,000 Soviets were fighting and dying in Afghanistan.
13:05But when the bodies of the dead returned home,
13:08families were told that their sons and brothers had perished in training accidents.
13:12Throughout the war, the Soviets held Afghanistan's few cities,
13:23while the Mujahideen guerrilla army controlled the surrounding countryside.
13:26The region is mountainous.
13:35Much of the country sits above 3,000 metres.
13:38In attempts to project power beyond the cities,
13:41the Soviets scattered firebases across the land.
13:44Supply and reinforcement were difficult.
13:54Afghanistan's deep gorges and narrow mountain passes
13:57proved a nightmare to Moscow's conventional army.
14:00Soviet convoys found themselves under constant threat of sudden ambush
14:12by an enemy that was as elusive as it was destructive.
14:16In the rugged terrain, the Red Army came to rely more heavily on one machine than any other.
14:43Like the American conflict in Vietnam before,
14:46Afghanistan became a helicopter war.
14:49And like the Huey in Vietnam,
14:51one aircraft became symbolic of the manner in which the war was fought.
15:00The Hind is powered by twin-turbine 2200 horsepower engines.
15:06Its combat range is almost 800 kilometres.
15:10The gunner sits in the front seat and the pilot in the rear.
15:14The transport compartment can carry eight troopers,
15:18but is more often used to store extra ordnance.
15:22The stub wings add 25% more lift in high-speed flight,
15:27reduce the chopper's turning radius,
15:29and can be hung with four 32-shot rocket pods.
15:32In front, the Hind wields a four-barrelled 12.7 millimetre Gatling gun.
15:45Over time, the Mi-24 evolved into a pure attack gunship.
15:50It seldom carried troops except in an emergency,
16:02and it was usually left to Mi-17s and Mi-8s to evacuate soldiers from the ground.
16:07You are in trouble, and if he's not getting you out of there,
16:13that's the end of it.
16:15And even when you're on board,
16:17you just hold your breath and count all along seconds
16:21before you feel that the altitude
16:25and probably the distance is long enough
16:28so you can slowly exhale and relax.
16:35In many ways, the Mi-24 was a product of the American debacle in Vietnam.
16:41U.S. Army studies following the war in Southeast Asia
16:44concluded that America's Huey helicopter
16:47was both underpowered and extremely vulnerable to enemy fire.
16:50In the early 1970s,
16:54Soviet designers sifted through these studies
16:56and learned from their conclusions.
16:59The result is an exceptionally fast machine
17:01that is nearly impervious to .50-caliber machine gun fire.
17:07And that was really something dreadful.
17:10And then you will fire on it,
17:13and it will have no effect.
17:16You could see that sparking of hitting it
17:19and getting sparks and sell it will come at you.
17:24I literally loved it
17:28because more than once it saved my life
17:32and it was hit with bullets and shells all around
17:36and still, well, it carried my body back to the base.
17:49Soviet tactics often replicated the strategic operations
17:52employed by the Americans in Vietnam.
17:56Hours prior to a hind assault on a suspect village,
17:59Soviet troops were inserted into hidden posts
18:02along the village's most likely path of escape.
18:04The hinds would pop up
18:08from behind the mountain peak
18:11with the sun rising
18:12and the winds blowing into their direction.
18:16And this is like a...
18:19This is like a...
18:21Here comes the nightmare.
18:24You could scare you, you know,
18:33even Afghan Mujahideen, they were very brave.
18:36They were a very good fighter.
18:37They didn't care even if they're dead or alive, you know.
18:40But you can see that feeling, everyone,
18:43that the way the helicopter was coming to you,
18:45it's...
18:46You can get that feeling like,
18:49oh, it's something coming to me, you know.
18:51When they fled from the incoming choppers,
19:07the Afghans were ambushed
19:09as they stumbled headlong
19:11into the Red Army paratroopers lying in wait.
19:21By 1983,
19:50the hinds were roaming over the Afghan countryside
19:53seeking targets at will.
19:57Soviet pilots named themselves the Grey Wolves,
20:01while the guerrillas below
20:02christened them the Gabak,
20:04or the Spectres.
20:06We were told that we had free hunting,
20:09that we should go off
20:10and shoot any people
20:11not using official roads.
20:14But it wasn't right.
20:16What if a man in the desert
20:17is just moving to the nearest village?
20:19When we first came,
20:21some people felt okay about us.
20:24But in a year or so,
20:25that changed.
20:29For Soviet pilots,
20:30distinguishing civilian from combatant
20:32was often difficult.
20:34For leaders in Moscow,
20:35the distinction was inconsequential.
20:38Kremlin planners devised a strategy
20:40that many called genocidal.
20:42Villages were bombed
20:43to empty the countryside
20:44of the people who fed,
20:46clothed, and sheltered
20:47the rebel fighters.
20:50If the Soviets had learned anything
20:51from the American experience
20:53in Vietnam,
20:54it didn't show.
20:56Terror tactics
20:57only strengthened
20:58the resolve of the enemy.
20:59There were incidents
21:05where, you know,
21:06villagers were taken out
21:07and just shot or bulldozed.
21:08That was a very common one
21:09where tanks
21:10were just run over bodies.
21:13Quite a lot of documentary evidence
21:15came out about that.
21:18With, you know,
21:19children buried alive
21:22through bombings,
21:23again,
21:24delivered attacks
21:25against villagers,
21:26sometimes as punishment
21:26for attacks
21:28by the guerrillas.
21:33Anything against land,
21:35community,
21:36faith,
21:37and honor
21:38calls for fighting to death.
21:52It is in the character
21:54of every Afghan.
21:57I mean,
21:58just to fight.
21:59And from the beginning,
22:00I had some friends
22:01here in the state.
22:02I told them
22:02that the Afghans
22:05will fight
22:06to the last man.
22:10And they did,
22:11and I was not wrong.
22:15The Afghans
22:16simply became
22:17more determined
22:18in the face
22:19of escalating violence.
22:20the Afghans
22:25could travel
22:26on bread
22:26and tea
22:27and could travel
22:28for days,
22:29weeks,
22:29even months
22:29on this,
22:30you know,
22:30very basic form
22:31of nutrition
22:32and they seemed
22:34to have this
22:34extraordinary resilience
22:35for living
22:37on very,
22:38very little.
22:39For the Soviet troops,
22:41the resilience
22:41of their helicopter comrades
22:43was fast becoming legendary.
22:44What do they experience
22:48when we were covering
22:49our heads
22:50under the fire
22:51and those guys
22:52just sitting in this
22:53without anything
22:55they can do
22:56to protect themselves?
23:06Pilots spent much
23:07of their time
23:08flying convoy escorts
23:09and over time
23:11earned the respect
23:12of the troops
23:12that they're sent
23:13to protect.
23:15Their strongest bond
23:16was with the
23:16Helleborn troops
23:17they would carry
23:18into battle.
23:25For Airborne,
23:26it was like
23:27between brothers
23:28and I especially
23:29respected
23:30that they never
23:31used their chutes
23:32when they were
23:33flying us
23:34for sorties.
23:35So if push comes
23:36to shove,
23:37we were in the same boat
23:38and they would not
23:40take any extra chance
23:42to save themselves
23:44or to leave us
23:47or just to drop us
23:49in the deep shit alone.
23:54Hind pilots
23:55often flew
23:56on what they called
23:56roadrunner missions.
23:59In order to present
24:00as brief a target
24:01as possible,
24:02they'd spend much
24:02of their time
24:03flying just above
24:04the ground
24:05as small arms fire
24:06posed little danger
24:07to the thickly
24:08armoured chopper.
24:09but by 1984
24:11the Mujahideen
24:13had learned
24:13a new trick.
24:15They took a weapon
24:16designed to penetrate
24:17the thick armour
24:17of Soviet tanks
24:18and directed it skywards.
24:20another unexpected thing
24:30we encountered there
24:31were the usage
24:32of hand
24:34grenade launchers
24:36against helicopters
24:37which were intended
24:39to fire
24:39at tanks
24:40but at helicopters
24:42at low altitude.
24:44They had lots
24:44of grenade launchers
24:46and a Mujahideen
24:47could just raise it
24:48and fire at you
24:49with a grenade
24:50and there were
24:51many cases like that.
24:55You see,
24:56the helicopters
24:57will come high.
24:57If you fire it like this,
24:59the blast will kill you
25:00or at least injure you.
25:02So what we did,
25:03we will have these
25:04long, tall trees
25:06of poplar
25:08or some sort of a pine.
25:09On the top of it,
25:10a Mujahideen
25:11will climb
25:11and climb
25:12and climb
25:12and usually
25:13there will not be
25:14strong branches
25:15to hold him
25:16so what we will do,
25:17we will tie him
25:18up to the tree
25:18and then wait
25:20for the helicopters
25:20to come with the RPGs
25:22and there have been cases
25:24that we shot
25:25the Heinz
25:26with the RPGs.
25:31Over time,
25:32the Mujahideen,
25:33like the Viet Cong
25:34before them,
25:35learned that pilots
25:36notice field movement.
25:39Running from incoming
25:40helicopters was suicidal.
25:42Once the guerrillas
25:43stood their ground,
25:44it was the
25:45Soviets who suffered.
25:50Hind pilot
25:51Valery Burkov
25:52entered combat
25:53in Afghanistan
25:54just two months
25:55after his father
25:56died flying
25:57an Mi-24 mission.
26:02Another Mi-24
26:03was shut down
26:04and my father
26:05decided to land
26:05his chopper
26:06and try
26:07and save the downed crew.
26:08but when he was coming in,
26:13his Heinz too was hit
26:15in the fuel tank
26:16so the helicopter
26:18exploded
26:19and started to burn
26:20and he was the only one
26:25of the crew
26:25who didn't manage
26:26to get out.
26:29He burned up
26:30up in the machine.
26:35Eventually,
26:36the Heinz weaknesses
26:37began to show.
26:39The altitudes
26:40in Afghanistan
26:40are extreme.
26:42Some Soviet
26:43firebases
26:43were located
26:44as high as
26:45five and a half
26:46thousand meters.
26:46The thin air
26:48took its toll
26:49on turbine engines
26:50built to work
26:51no higher
26:51than four thousand meters.
26:54This sometimes
26:55cut the helicopter's speed
26:57by as much
26:57as two-thirds.
26:59More often,
27:00it meant that
27:00the heavy
27:01armor-plated machine
27:02couldn't take off
27:03like a real helicopter
27:04but would lumber down
27:05a short runway
27:06to get airborne.
27:09When pilots complained,
27:10Moscow and the
27:11mill company
27:12took no real action.
27:13Russia's idea
27:15was always
27:16to make
27:17more cheap
27:19aircraft.
27:20The more
27:21the better,
27:21the cheaper
27:22the better.
27:23Pilots
27:24were expendable
27:26in the Soviet
27:28communist ideology.
27:30People were
27:30expendable anyway.
27:33And the most
27:34expendable
27:34were the draftees
27:36in the convoys below.
27:40Now,
27:40most of these
27:41conscripts
27:41were non-Russian
27:43ethnic-Russian.
27:44They tended
27:44to be Georgian,
27:45Ukrainian,
27:46from the Baltic states,
27:48Estonians,
27:49Lithuanians.
27:50So,
27:50there was a degree
27:51of resentment
27:52toward the Russians,
27:55toward Moscow.
27:56Also,
27:57most of the conscripts
27:58hadn't any idea
27:59of why they were
28:00covering or
28:00why they were
28:01involved in this war.
28:03As I understand,
28:03Moscow tried to save
28:05more Russian kids
28:06because there was,
28:10Russian population
28:10was not growing
28:11as fast as
28:12the population
28:13of Asian republics.
28:15And I think
28:16it was a very
28:16cynical policy
28:17of
28:18Moscow leaders.
28:22So,
28:22I think there was
28:22a lot of resentment
28:23amongst the conscripts.
28:25They didn't really
28:25believe in this war.
28:28For many,
28:29in combat,
28:30this sense of detachment
28:31would soon change.
28:34For most of the guys,
28:36they were more or less
28:37indifference until
28:38they experienced
28:41personal casualties
28:43among their friends
28:45or they were wounded.
28:46Then,
28:47by blood,
28:49they were committed
28:49to this vicious circle
28:52of cannon fodder.
28:54Once you lose
28:55your body,
28:56spears,
28:57with whom you
28:58had a personal
28:59experience sharing
29:02your life,
29:03your service,
29:05then,
29:06you just start
29:08from there.
29:10Then,
29:10for you,
29:10it's like
29:11the whole damn
29:12thing
29:13personifies
29:15in the faces
29:16of those
29:16who perished.
29:19And
29:19the revenge
29:21is the word.
29:22That's it.
29:24For them,
29:24there is no
29:26difficulties,
29:27no doubts.
29:28It's as simple
29:29as that.
29:30They killed
29:31my body.
29:32Now,
29:32you watch me.
29:34I think the fear
29:35element had grown.
29:37I think also
29:37the fear element
29:38had grown with the Soviets
29:39because word did come back
29:40of what happened.
29:41And if you look
29:42at the Soviet propaganda,
29:43which a lot of it
29:44was probably not that
29:46far off the mark,
29:47that if you got captured,
29:49they would skin you alive.
29:50And I always remember
29:50this being one particular
29:51element,
29:51that they would skin you alive.
29:52And it did happen.
29:59It was not a very nice war.
30:20And, you know,
30:20I talked a great deal
30:21with both Soviet prisoners
30:23and Afghans themselves.
30:25And I usually carried
30:26a copy of the Geneva
30:27Conventions,
30:28a cartoon book
30:29in my pocket
30:30to try and explain
30:32to the Afghans
30:33that, you know,
30:33they should not
30:35kill prisoners.
30:36This was not part
30:36of the game.
30:37And most Afghans
30:39really couldn't see
30:39the logic in this.
30:40They said, well,
30:41you know,
30:41if we keep prisoners,
30:42we have to feed them.
30:43And they're bombing us,
30:44they're killing us,
30:44so why should we
30:45keep them alive?
30:46You know,
30:46which, you know,
30:47was their point of view
30:48and probably from
30:49their point of view
30:50also justified
30:51if they'd lost
30:51loved ones.
30:57Just to dampen
31:06the morale
31:07of our soldiers,
31:09they would throw
31:10the live body
31:12of one of our prisoners
31:14with his legs
31:15and arms cut off
31:16and still bleeding.
31:18And as soon as
31:19the column stops
31:20and the guys would
31:21check out
31:21what the hell
31:22is going on,
31:23they would,
31:23usually,
31:23they would put it
31:24in the big box
31:27from missiles
31:29and it is open.
31:32And then the whole
31:32story is just like
31:33a wildfire spreads
31:35all along the column.
31:39And you just can
31:40look at the faces
31:44of the young soldiers,
31:45how they turn pale
31:46and some of them
31:47just tremble.
31:50And it's hard to measure
31:52to what extent
31:53it affects
31:54the combat readiness.
31:57But, uh, usually,
32:01well, I believe
32:02you understand
32:03what I'm talking about.
32:05It just fortified
32:07the views of those
32:09who spent some time there.
32:11It gave them
32:12ugly justification
32:14for atrocities
32:17on our side.
32:18So for us
32:19it was very simple.
32:21When we dealt
32:22with the POWs
32:23we would have
32:25only very limited
32:26options.
32:28He cooperates
32:29with us.
32:31If he doesn't want
32:32he will be
32:33wasted on the spot.
32:35That's it.
32:36Nothing fancy.
32:38No slicing,
32:39no knifing,
32:40anything like that.
32:41With each passing month,
32:50combat in Afghanistan
32:51was turning
32:52ever more savage.
32:54By 1986,
32:55even the children
32:56of the Mujahideen
32:57were fighting
32:57the Soviets.
32:59Such conflicts
33:00had no respect
33:01for age.
33:03Unlike the Hind,
33:05most Soviet helicopters
33:06flew without heavy armor
33:07and bulletproof glass.
33:09One of our
33:10medevac helicopters
33:12was shot down
33:13by a teenager.
33:16And after he was killed
33:17it turned down
33:18that he was
33:19no elder than
33:21probably 13
33:22or 12 years old.
33:25When he shot
33:26the pilot,
33:27a bullet struck him
33:28right between his eyes
33:29from
33:30probably around
33:32250 yards.
33:36and he was
33:39and he
33:40he had enough guts
33:42to shoot
33:43from such a close range
33:44and to take all
33:46and I'm sure he
33:50had a pretty understanding
33:52of what would happen
33:53with him
33:53and he took the risks.
33:56So,
33:57he developed
33:57the feeling
33:58of just
33:59respect to
34:01professionalism
34:02to the other side.
34:04by 1986
34:05the CIA
34:06was supplying
34:07the rebels
34:08with the Stinger missile.
34:10Capable of hitting
34:11a moving target
34:12five kilometers away
34:13it represented
34:14a massive threat.
34:24The General Dynamics
34:26Stinger
34:26weighs just
34:2715 kilograms
34:28flies twice
34:29the speed of sound
34:30and can reach
34:31aircraft flying
34:32five kilometers away.
34:34There was a perception
34:44in the CIA
34:45that the rebels
34:46were not
34:46technologically advanced
34:47enough
34:48to utilize
34:48such a weapon
34:49but the guerrillas
34:51were quick learners
34:52and the new missile
34:53proved deadly
34:54to the Soviet air crews.
34:59One resistance commander
35:01remarked
35:02there are
35:02there are
35:02only two things
35:03we Afghans
35:04need
35:04the Koran
35:06and more
35:07stingers.
35:07Well, you see the bases
35:19for 10 years of war
35:21didn't change
35:22and we used
35:23one and the same
35:25bases
35:25so
35:26however
35:27you would
35:28change the routes
35:29leading
35:30out of
35:31the base
35:32and back
35:32to the base
35:33the directions
35:34the directions
35:34were still
35:34the same
35:35so
35:36Madjahids
35:37built up
35:38fortified positions
35:40in the mountains
35:41on the general
35:42directions
35:43of our approach
35:44to the airfields
35:45and our routes
35:46leaving the airfields
35:48and especially
35:49when they got
35:50stingers
35:50they had
35:51people
35:52literally sitting
35:54with stingers
35:54and if not
35:56in a day
35:56then in a month
35:57at this particular
35:58point
35:58an aircraft
35:59would appear
36:00and would be
36:01shot at.
36:04The most dangerous
36:06time was around
36:071986
36:08we lost
36:09a third
36:10of our men
36:11and a half
36:11of all our
36:12helicopters
36:13Most of the guys
36:17lost
36:17were in
36:18Mi-8
36:18because they
36:19are most vulnerable
36:20during landings
36:21and takeoffs
36:22in enemy territory
36:23By 1987
36:32flare dispensers
36:34had been added
36:34to most
36:35Soviet helicopters
36:36They acted
36:38as decoys
36:38to the heat-seeking
36:39missiles
36:40Fixed-wing aircraft
36:43too
36:44utilized this system
36:45Despite this
36:47in 1987
36:48alone
36:49more than
36:50200 Soviet
36:51aircraft
36:51fell prey
36:52to the
36:53Mujahideen's
36:54new weapon
36:54On almost
37:01on a
37:02daily basis
37:04they would
37:05have a
37:06glass of
37:08vodka
37:08filled up
37:09with a piece
37:10of bread
37:11and a candle
37:12and it
37:14would be like
37:14like a funeral
37:20or
37:21faraway
37:23party
37:24for somebody
37:25else
37:26who was shot
37:27I had
37:33I had the first
37:34experience
37:34being ambushed
37:36and we had
37:37a huge
37:38casual
37:38tirade
37:3947
37:41killed
37:42and
37:43we had
37:44six guys
37:45who were
37:46just bleeding
37:47and dying
37:48from the wounds
37:49and our
37:50two medical
37:51personnel
37:52were killed
37:53two
37:53so we
37:55we didn't
37:56have anybody
37:56to take care
37:57of these
37:57wounded guys
37:58properly
37:59and we
38:01radioed to the
38:02base
38:03to pick them
38:04up
38:04The arrival
38:07of the stinger
38:08meant that the
38:08helicopters the
38:09soldiers looked to
38:10for salvation
38:11were no longer
38:12there when needed
38:13and this is
38:15like a waiting
38:16situation
38:17I was walking
38:20around those
38:20guys
38:23moaning
38:24from their
38:25pain
38:26and
38:27they were
38:28provided
38:30the first
38:30medical aid
38:31and
38:32I was cursing
38:34I was preaching
38:35I was hoping
38:36and
38:37there was nothing
38:38else we can do
38:39about it
38:40and I thought
38:41my head would
38:42explode
38:42trying to pick
38:44up the first
38:45sound
38:48sounds of the
38:50incoming
38:50helicopters
38:51this is I would
38:52say
38:52the worst
38:54waiting I've
38:56ever had
38:57in my life
38:58I mean
38:59something
39:01I would not
39:03I would like
39:10to have
39:12anybody
39:13get through
39:14the feeling
39:16of
39:17the mixture
39:18of
39:19hopelessness
39:20and
39:22hope
39:24at the same
39:25time
39:25not all
39:28of them
39:29made it
39:29when they
39:31landed
39:31I had
39:34I had
39:34hard feelings
39:35I was looking
39:37somebody to
39:38blame
39:38and I
39:39couldn't put
39:39my finger
39:40on somebody
39:41or something
39:42it was like
39:43it was as big
39:45as life
39:46it didn't work
39:49out properly
39:50birds landed
39:52safely
39:52but they
39:54were useless
39:55because
39:56guys did
39:58make
39:58when they
40:01landed
40:01and it
40:02was
40:02well
40:05everything has to be
40:09wonderful
40:10and happy
40:11and not bloody
40:13and stupid
40:14but
40:15and you
40:18sometimes
40:20you pretend
40:20that you
40:21can make
40:22wonders
40:22but sometimes
40:25you realize
40:25that you
40:26can't do
40:27it
40:27some in
40:34Afghanistan
40:34claimed that
40:35the stingers
40:36were more
40:36of a
40:37psychological
40:37threat
40:38than a
40:38physical
40:38one
40:39I think
40:40the numbers
40:41of stingers
40:42which actually
40:43shot down
40:43Soviet planes
40:45was quite
40:45questionable
40:46I saw
40:47probably
40:48five or six
40:49and each one
40:49I saw
40:49being fired
40:50missed
40:50and
40:52I think
40:53that was
40:53the same
40:54experience
40:54of quite a few
40:55of my other
40:55colleagues
40:56however
41:00the facts
41:00speak for
41:01themselves
41:011300
41:02Soviet aircraft
41:04were shot
41:04down
41:04nearly
41:05one third
41:06MI-24
41:07Heinz
41:07by the
41:08winter of
41:091988
41:10Soviet morale
41:11was devastated
41:12there was not
41:13much of a
41:13discipline
41:14in their
41:14soldiers
41:15their soldiers
41:17were selling
41:19their weapons
41:19trading it
41:20for something
41:21they were even
41:22selling their
41:23spare tire
41:24of their
41:24jeeps
41:24they would
41:25sell fuel
41:26out of
41:27their
41:27vehicles
41:29they will
41:31sell ammunition
41:32in Moscow
41:37the war
41:38was now
41:38being freely
41:39debated
41:39glasnost
41:40and perestroika
41:41had opened
41:42the floodgates
41:43for the first
41:45time in
41:45Soviet history
41:46public dissent
41:47against a war
41:48of aggression
41:48was openly
41:49tolerated
41:50social fatigue
41:53and a crumbling
41:54economy
41:55was to undermine
41:56support for the
41:57war
41:57the Soviets
42:03then announced
42:04their impending
42:04withdrawal
42:05from Afghanistan
42:05in the months
42:07that followed
42:08soldiers in the
42:09field focused
42:09on one thing
42:10getting home
42:11in one piece
42:12hind pilot
42:16Valery
42:16Burkov
42:17served with
42:18ground troops
42:18as a forward
42:19air controller
42:20when we took
42:25over one of the
42:26mountains in the
42:27Panjshir valley
42:27there was a bunker
42:29a natural bunker
42:31in a mountain
42:32cavern at the
42:33summit
42:33and when we
42:34got up there
42:35I went down to
42:36this bunker
42:37to look for
42:37trophies
42:38it was a position
42:40for a high caliber
42:41machine gun
42:42and just
42:44when I climbed
42:45out with my
42:46trophies
42:47I stepped on a
42:48mine under a rock
42:49near the entrance
42:50it seems
42:52it was the only
42:53mine on that
42:54mountain
42:54so when the enemy
42:57left that position
42:58they left just
42:59one mine
43:00and I stepped
43:02on it
43:02and it exploded
43:03Burakov
43:07lost both
43:08his legs
43:08in the explosion
43:09a helicopter
43:10carried him
43:11to safety
43:11and for this
43:12he became
43:13a hero
43:13of the
43:14Soviet Union
43:14the Soviet Union
43:22has made
43:23a commitment
43:23to withdraw
43:24completely
43:25its forces
43:26from Afghanistan
43:27no later
43:28than February
43:2815th
43:291989
43:30there is no
43:32reason
43:32why they should
43:33not meet
43:34this obligation
43:35and we expect
43:36the Soviets
43:36to honor
43:37the obligations
43:38they undertook
43:39in signing
43:40the Geneva
43:40Accords
43:41there is no
43:42evidence
43:43that they
43:43will not
43:44do this
43:44in Afghanistan
43:46in Afghanistan
43:46for some reason
43:59you immediately
44:00became an old man
44:01just right after
44:04you were a youth
44:05I've seen eyes
44:07on young faces
44:08eyes that
44:09should belong
44:11to very old people
44:1280 years old
44:1390 years old
44:14those kids
44:15what they saw
44:16in Afghanistan
44:16was beyond
44:19normal
44:20human experience
44:22and this was
44:23reflected in
44:24their eyes
44:24it's like
44:28we made it
44:30it's like
44:30from now on
44:32it's R&R
44:33till the end
44:33of my life
44:34nothing will be
44:36as bad as it was
44:37that's it
44:38today a small unit
44:40of guardsmen
44:40was marched
44:41onto the runway
44:41of Kabul airport
44:42we were excited
44:44that we made it
44:46we were there
44:46we made it
44:47and now we're
44:47back home
44:48period
44:48I mean
44:49nothing to
44:51worry about
44:52I must tell you
44:56that I
44:57as a correspondent
44:58in Afghanistan
44:59went through
44:59different stages
45:00of understanding
45:00of what war
45:01is all about
45:03in 1986
45:04I thought that
45:05we need another
45:05two or three divisions
45:06and everything
45:07will be okay
45:08in 1987
45:10I thought that
45:11even if you sent
45:12three more armies
45:14you'd still lose
45:16the war
45:16and that something
45:18is deeply wrong
45:18here
45:19and in 1989
45:21I basically thought
45:23that this was a war
45:24that will not only
45:25destroy Afghanistan
45:26but basically
45:27the Soviet Union
45:28historically
45:33the Afghanistan war
45:35ended
45:35as the Soviet Empire
45:36began to disintegrate
45:38and there's no doubting
45:39that the burden
45:40of that conflict
45:41contributed to its downfall
45:42the Soviets
45:44lost 15,000 troops
45:45because of dogmatic
45:46principles
45:47as for Afghanistan
45:49itself
45:50one and a half
45:51million rebels
45:52and civilians
45:52have died
45:53and the terror
45:54continues
45:54with warring tribes
45:56fighting over the rubble
45:57left by the invading Soviets
45:59for me
46:18the hind
46:19is
46:21a symbol
46:22of our
46:24urban experience
46:25for me
46:28it signifies
46:29like an accumulative force
46:32all the
46:33all the brutality
46:39brutality
46:41and power
46:42and
46:43of
46:45this conflict
46:46that we experience
46:47on both sides
46:48and against
46:49the red army
46:56and the empire
46:58that this weapon
46:58was built to serve
46:59no longer exists
47:01it's ironic
47:06that the system
47:06the helicopter
47:07now operates under
47:08is as run down
47:09as the helicopter
47:10itself
47:10there is a final
47:14irony
47:14because of the lack
47:16of fuel in Russia
47:17the average Russian
47:18Federation pilot
47:19flies just once a month
47:21making the hind pilots
47:22of the Louisiana
47:23OPFOR unit
47:24the most active
47:25MI-24 unit
47:27in the world
47:27the most active