flight out. The story ends at a bloody battle on a mountain top in Afghanistan against the mujahideen. The film is loosely based on a real-life battle that took place at Hill 3234 in early 1988, during the last large-scale Soviet military operation Magistral. Numerous Soviet armored vehicles and aircraft appear in the film which are rarely seen or depicted in Western films. In the film, only one soldier from the company survives unscathed and the company is said to have been "forgotten" by the military command because of the Soviet withdrawal. In reality, the 9th Company, 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment was pinned down under heavy fire on Hill 3234 between the 7th and 8th of January 1988. They managed to stop 3 attacks by an estimated 200-250 mujahideen. The company lost a total of 6 men. Another 28 out of the total 39 were wounded seriously. Four of the killed soldiers were posthumously awarded the golden star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. The unit was in constant communication with headquarters and got everything the regimental commander, Colonel Valery Vostrotin, could provide in terms of rations, ammunition, reinforcements, and helicopter evacuation of the wounded.

... Read more >>