March 2, 1969 – Sino-Soviet Border Conflict: Soviet and Chinese units skirmish on Damansky/Zhenbao Island
On March 2, 1969, Soviet border troops were sent toDamansky/Zhenbao Island to expel 30 Chinese soldiers who had landed on theisland. Unbeknown to the Soviets, alarge Chinese force, (300 soldiers, according to the Soviets) which was hiddenand waiting in ambush in the nearby forest, opened fire on the Soviets. Fighting then broke out, with other unitsfrom both sides joining the fray. Chinese units used artillery and small arms fire from their side of the Ussuri River,while the Soviets sent reinforcements to Damansky/Zhenbao Island from theirside of the river.
(Taken from Sino-Soviet Border Conflict – Wars of the 20th Century – Volume 5)
What became the trigger for the escalation of border clashesthat nearly led to total war between China and the Soviet Union was thedisputed but nondescript Damansky Island (Zhenbao Island to the Chinese), asmall (0.74 square kilometers) 1½-mile long by ½-mile wide island located inthe Ussuri River between the Soviet bank in the east and the Chinese bank inthe west. By the terms of a treatysigned in the 19th century, Damansky/Zhenbao Island belonged to the Soviet Union. Theisland was uninhabited, and also experienced flooding from seasonal rains. Both the Chinese and Soviets regularly sentpatrols to reconnoiter the island.
During border negotiations in 1964, the Soviet Union agreedto cede the island to China,but then retracted this offer when talks broke down. Thereafter, the island became a flashpointfor armed clashes. In March 1969, China accused the Soviet Union of intruding into Damansky/Zhenbao Island sixteen times duringa two-year period in January 1967-March 1969. In December 1968 and again in January 1969, Soviet border guards usednon-lethal force to expel Chinese patrols from the island. More border incidents occurred in February1969.
Then on March 2, 1969, Soviet border troops were sent toDamansky/Zhenbao Island to expel 30 Chinese soldiers who had landed on theisland. Unbeknown to the Soviets, alarge Chinese force, (300 soldiers, according to the Soviets) which was hiddenand waiting in ambush in the nearby forest, opened fire on the Soviets. Fighting then broke out, with other unitsfrom both sides joining the fray. Chinese units used artillery and small arms fire from their side of the Ussuri River,while the Soviets sent reinforcements to Damansky/Zhenbao Island from theirside of the river.
A Chinese military report after the incident stated that theSoviets fired the first shots. Morerecent information indicates that the Chinese military planned the incident,and used elite army units with battle experience to ambush the Sovietpatrol. In this way, China hoped to retaliate for the many Sovietprovocations, and also to signal that Chinawould not be intimidated by the Soviet Union.
The two sides released different casualty figures for theDamansky/Zhenbao incident, although the Soviets may have suffered greaterlosses, at 59 dead and 94 wounded. Boththe Chinese and Soviets claimed victory. The two sides also raised strong diplomatic protests against the other,accusing the other side of starting the incident. The Soviet Union accused China of being“reckless and provocative”, while China warned that if the Soviet Unioncontinued to “provoke armed conflicts”, China would respond with “resolutecounter-blows”.
Sensationalist news reports by the media from the two sidesstirred up the general population in both countries. On March 3, 1969 in Beijing, large protests were held outside theSoviet Embassy, and Soviet diplomatic personnel were harassed. In the Soviet Union, demonstrations were heldin Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. In Moscow,angry crowds hurled stones, ink bottles, and paint at the Chinese Embassy.
On March 11, 1969 in Beijing,demonstrators besieged the Soviet Embassy in protest for the attack on theChinese Embassy. Then when Soviet mediareported that captured Russian soldiers during the Damansky/Zhenbao incidenthad been tortured and executed, and their bodies mutilated, largedemonstrations consisting of 100,000 people broke out in Moscow. Other mass assemblies also occurred in other Russian cities.
On March 15, 1969, a second (and larger) clash broke out inDamansky/Zhenbao Island, where both sides sent a force of regimental strength,or some 2,000-3,000 troops. The Chineseclaimed that the Soviets fielded one motorized infantry battalion, one tankbattalion, and four heavy-artillery battalions, or a total of over 50 tanks andarmored vehicles, and scores of artillery pieces. The two sides again claimed victory in the10-hour battle, and also accused the other side of firing the first shots. Both sides suffered heavy casualties.
The Soviets lost a number of armored vehicles, and failed toexpel the Chinese from the island. OnMarch 17, 1969, some 70 Soviet soldiers who were sent to retrieve a disabledT-62 tank were forced to retreat. TheChinese subsequently recovered the Soviet tank and transported it to Beijing where it was puton public display. Casualty figures forthe March 15-17 battles are disputed. The Soviets place their own losses at 58 dead and 94 wounded. The Chinese place their losses at 29 dead, 62wounded, and one missing. Foreignindependent sources provide much higher combined total casualty figures, from800 to 3,000 soldiers killed for both sides.
As in the first incident (March 2), more recent Chinesesources indicate that the Chinese Army had prepared for the second encounter(March 15). Chinese authorities hadanticipated that the Soviets would return in force. The Chinese Army therefore sent a greaternumber of Chinese elite units, and fortified its side of the island with landmines. With these preparations, theChinese succeeded in repelling the Soviets, who had attacked using armoredunits. After the encounter, the Sovietsbegan an extended artillery barrage of Chinese positions across the river, andhit targets as far as seven kilometers inside China.
The two incidents generated different reactions in theChinese and Soviet governments. In China, Mao madeefforts to prevent the crisis from escalating further. He ordered Chinese border troops not toretaliate to the Soviet artillery shelling of Chinese positions inDamansky/Zhenbao Island, and at the Chinese side of the Ussuri River. In Moscow, theSoviet government was thoroughly provoked by the two incidents, viewing them asa direct challenge from China.
However, Soviet authorities were divided as to theappropriate response. The ForeignMinistry called for caution, but the military wanted aggressive action. On May 24, 1969, because of continued borderincidents by Russian troops, Chinafiled a diplomatic protest, accusing the Soviet Unionof provoking war. On May 29, the Sovietgovernment threatened to go to war with China, but also called for talksbetween the two sides.
As tensions increased, so did troop deployment to thedisputed regions. Soon, 800,000 Chineseand 700,000 Soviet troops were deployed at the border. The Soviets continued to initiate borderincidents, apparently to provoke a wider conflict. On August 13, 1969 in the Tieliketi Incident,300 Soviet troops, supported by air and armored units, entered China’sTieliketi area, located in Xinjiang region, in the western border. There, they ambushed and killed 30 Chineseborder guards.
By now, the Soviet Union was preparing for war, andincreased its forces in Mongoliaand carried out a large military exercise in the Far East. Soviet authorities notified Eastern Bloccountries that Russian planes could launch an air strike on China’s nuclear facility in Lop Nur, Xinjiang. In Washington, D.C., aSoviet diplomatic official, while dining with a U.S. State Department officer,broached the planned Soviet attack on China’s nuclear site, to gaugeAmerican reaction. The U.S. official reacted negatively, and subsequentU.S. warnings of interveningmilitarily if the Soviet Union attacked China, would have far-reachingrepercussions in the ongoing Cold War.
Meanwhile in Beijing, Chineseauthorities were concerned about the growing threat of war with the Soviet Union. Despite appearing defiant, and warning Russiathat it too had nuclear weapons, Chinawas unprepared to go to war, and its military was far weaker than that of the Soviet Union. Exacerbating China’sposition was its ongoing Cultural Revolution, which was causing seriousinternal unrest.
