Rafael Zakirov, a member of the Academy of Military Sciences, retired colonel, tells about the events of the Cuban missile crisis.
The crisis began on October 14, 1962, when a US Air Force U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, during one of its regular flights over Cuba, discovered Soviet R-12 and R-14 medium-range missiles in the vicinity of the village of San Cristobal. By decision of US President John F. Kennedy, a special executive committee was created to discuss possible solutions to the problem.
- In mid-July 1962, the entire staff of our mobile repair and technical base (PRTB) was raised on alert and received the task of preparing special equipment for relocation to carry out a particularly important government assignment. So for me and my colleagues began to participate in the operation, which was named "Anadyr". Only later we were told that the purpose of the upcoming operation was to contain the aggression of a potential enemy against the friendly Republic of Cuba and to neutralize the military-strategic advantages of the United States. Such operations had never been carried out - this one was unique. Indeed, according to the calculations of the General Staff, from July 15 to November 15, 1962, 230 thousand tons of cargo and about 50 thousand passengers were to be transported by sea. By that time, we had no experience in the strategic transfer of troops 11 thousand kilometers from Soviet territory.
The carriers of tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Cuba were: a separate squadron of Il-28 aircraft, three divisions of Luna missiles with a range of 45 km, and two regiments of front-line cruise missiles (FKR) with a range of 180 km.
They decided to transport people and special equipment … by the dry cargo ship "Izhevsk", which was waiting for our PRTB at the naval base in Baltiysk. People were housed in twin decks - this is the name of the interdeck space on ships.
And so our "Izhevsk" set off on a long journey to the Atlantic. We had the impression that even the captain did not know about the destination. It was only after crossing the English Channel that the secret package was opened, and it became clear: "Izhevsk" must go to the equator. Later, the second package was opened, with instructions to go to one of the Cuban ports.
How happy it made us! We thought that the tropics, exotic, gentle sun, Fidel, "barbudos" await us - this is what we associated with Cuba, we read about this in magazines, listened on the radio. No one could have imagined what kind of "exotic" awaited us all in the coming months.
Fifty degree "exotic"
"Exotic" began almost immediately, in the Atlantic. Crossing the ocean turned out to be a real nightmare for us. For camouflage purposes, we were allowed to go out on the deck for a walk only at night. Then, in the darkness of the night, we were given food - twice a day. From the ocean rolling, seasickness knocked everyone down. And then there was the utter heat - the twin-deck hatches, through which at least some air could enter the crowded rooms, were covered with tarpaulin covers. As a result, the temperature there sometimes rose to plus fifty degrees!
The closer we got to Cuba, the more intrusive the "attention" of the Americans became. Increasingly, reconnaissance aircraft of the Air Force flew over us, patrol boats of the US Navy approached the Izhevsk at close range. And when ships of the US Navy appeared near the Bahamas, we were completely banned from going on deck. In general, the ocean crossing, which lasted 16 days, exhausted people to the limit.
"The Russians are with us!"
The Cubans were terribly pleased with the arrival of the Russians, shouting: "The Russians are with us!" We spent some time in a Cuban military camp, and then we were transported to the eastern province of Cuba - Oriente, closer to the US naval base Guantanamo. Having settled in a new place, we began to wait for a ship with nuclear warheads.
Some of the tactical nuclear warheads for the eastern regiment of the FKR were transported to the island aboard the Indigirka diesel-electric ship.
In order not to draw special attention to the ship, he was sent from Severomorsk without escort of warships. And the dangerous cargo was guarded by 200 marines. Another part of tactical nuclear warheads for cruise missiles was delivered on board the bulk carrier Aleksandrovsk.
For the captains of the ships "Indigirka" and "Aleksandrovsk" there was a special instruction on actions in emergency situations. In it, for example, it was indicated that in case of impossibility to fight off an obvious threat of seizure of the ship, the captain is allowed to flood it, and the teams must first be evacuated.
Ice for nuclear warheads
Meanwhile, the US Navy was already looking for a Soviet vessel "specially adapted to transport nuclear warheads." However, our ships managed to reach Cuba safely. The nuclear warheads were housed in rooms that were generally unsuitable for storage. The main danger to the warheads was the ambient temperature - the high temperature could disrupt the physical alignment of the nuclear material. But they dealt with this problem - room air conditioners were brought in for the warheads, and 20 kg of food ice were brought from the freezer factory every day.
The Soviet military was supposed to diagnose the technical condition of nuclear warheads, bring them to a state of readiness for delivery to the FKR regiment for combat use as intended. From that moment on, Cuban military uniforms were issued to the entire personnel of the base for conspiracy.
The world is on the brink of disaster
Further events developed rapidly. On October 22, 1962, the US Air Force Strategic Air Command put on high alert the B-47 and B-52 strategic bombers carrying nuclear weapons. At 18:00, the US government announced a blockade of Cuba. All fighters of the US Air Defense Command received missiles with nuclear warheads. Submarines with Polaris missiles took up positions for a nuclear missile strike against the Soviet Union and its allies.
On October 23 at 5.40 am Fidel Castro declared martial law. On the same day at 0800 hours, the 51st Missile Division was put on high alert. The launch of the R-12 missiles took 2 hours and 30 minutes.
The situation has heated up to the limit. American reconnaissance aircraft U-2, F-8 and RF-101 made multiple overflights of the territory of Cuba these days. The pilots openly asked their command posts about the time of the start of the bombing of ground targets.
About 180 US Navy ships approached the shores of Cuba, carrying 95 thousand sailors. At the American base of Guantanamo, 6,000 marines were put on high alert. The US military in Europe, including the 6th Fleet, based in the Mediterranean Sea, and the 7th Fleet, located in the Taiwan region, also received an order to put them on high alert. The plan for a possible military operation against Cuba envisaged the infliction of three massive strikes daily.
An extremely dangerous situation has developed, when a nuclear war may break out at any moment.
USSR did not plan aggression against the USA
In such a situation, the question involuntarily arises: what if someone's nerves could not stand it then and someone gave the order to use nuclear warheads? After all, the eastern regiment of the FKR received the task of keeping the Guantanamo base at gunpoint. Fortunately, however, the use of tactical nuclear weapons for the PKR was strictly regulated.
In addition, on October 27, 1962, a directive came from Moscow to the commander of the Group of Forces in Cuba, Isa Pliev, which stated: “It is categorically confirmed that the use of nuclear weapons from front-line cruise missiles, Luna missiles and carrier aircraft without authorization from Moscow is prohibited.. Receipt confirm . This confirms: nuclear weapons were brought in with the aim of deterring possible aggression from Washington, the USSR did not plan to strike at the United States.
After the dramatic events of October 1962, the Soviet and American sides finally realized that they were on the verge of a nuclear abyss. November 20, 1962 I. A. Pliev received the following directive: "Leave the Luna and FKR missiles in normal gear in Cuba. Send 6 atomic bombs to the Soviet Union on the Angarsk motor ship, 12 warheads for Luna missiles and 80 warheads for front-line cruise missiles. Malinovsky. 15.00 November 20 ". This date is considered the last day of the stay of Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba.
