Unknown Warfare Classified Fil

Events developed as follows.

In the second half of the autumn of 1929, the situation on the Soviet-Manchu border, primarily in the area of ​​Lake Khanka, was significantly complicated. The shelling of Soviet territory by Mukden troops became increasingly frequent and lengthy. In the raids on the border regions of the USSR, along with the White Guards, regular units of Marshal Zhang Xueliang, located in the vicinity of the city of Mishanfu (Mishan), actively participated.

The Soviet command had intelligence that the enemy group, created north-west of Lake Khanka, was preparing in the coming days to capture one of the Soviet border cities - Iman (Dalnerechensk), cut the railway between Khabarovsk and Vladivostok and thereby cut off the southern regions of Soviet Primorye from the rest of the Far East. At the same time, a distracting strike was planned with lesser forces in the direction of Turi Rog - Kamen-Rybolov.

The constant provocations at the border and the concentration of Mukden troops in the direction of Suifinhe Pogranichnaya were to divert the attention of the command of the Soviet troops from the area northwest of Lake Khanka, where large forces of infantry and cavalry were gathering by order of Zhang Xuelan.

By mid-November, taking into account the situation in Primorye, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Separate Far Eastern Army (FLEA), with the approval of the People’s Commissariat of War, decided to preempt a strike against the enemy in the Mishanfu area. The idea of ​​the operation was proposed by Vasily Blyukher, and its plan in all details was developed by the acting commander of the Primorsky Group, Lapin, together with the commander of the 1st Pacific Rifle Division Cherepanov and his headquarters.

It was intended to deliver a frontal attack on the enemy from the south and at the same time circumvent it in order to prevent the enemy from retreating deep into Manchuria. In accordance with the plan, the 9th cavalry brigade with the infantry battalion and howitzer battery from the area of ​​Spassky village was given the task of raiding deep into Manchu territory and bypassing Mishanfu from the west in order to cut off the enemy’s withdrawal route.

By mid-November, according to intelligence, the enemy had transferred the 1st Mukden Cavalry Division (3 brigades, 2 regiments each) to the Mishanfu area. It totaled up to 4 thousand horsemen, about 50 easel and light machine guns, 24 mortars, 6-8 guns. The 42nd and 57th infantry regiments of the 7th mixed brigade were located in the Taipingzhin - Lishujen area - a total of about 3 thousand infantry with 12 machine guns. In total, the enemy concentrated up to 16,500 infantrymen, 4,000–4,500 cavalrymen, 124 easel and light machine guns, 94 mortars, 28–34 guns of various calibers, 2 armored trains in the Primorsky direction. In addition, in the immediate rear of this group were about 8,000 soldiers and officers, 24 machine guns, 24 mortars, 18–20 guns, and 5 aircraft.

As for the Soviet troops, in the area west of Lake Khanka, the Primorsky Group of Forces of the ODVA had the 1st Pacific Rifle Division, the 9th Far Eastern Cavalry Brigade, and the air group. In total, in this direction there were 2800 bayonets, 960 sabers, 131 easel and light machine guns, 36 guns, 25 aircraft. In terms of the number of infantry and cavalry, Soviet troops near Mishanf were significantly inferior to the enemy, however, in technical equipment, especially in artillery and aviation, the advantage was on our side.

To the surprise of the Chinese, on November 17, Soviet troops began military operations with air strikes.

At 6 hours and 40 minutes, the planes of the 19th squadron bombed the Mishanfu airfield, destroying 4 enemy aircraft on the ground.