Susangerd, Occupation, Liberation (1)

Interview with Ghodratollah Bahari

Ali takallou
Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian

2015-11-29

Note: Susangerd witnessed many changes in Mehr and Aban 1359. First, the city was occupied by Iraqis, then liberated and again was besieged and went up to the other conquest. Three operations were performed for liberating Susangerd. The first battle was not successful; in the second one the city was liberated and at the third one, its siege was raised. Ghodratollah Bahari was the commander of second battle. In those days, he was a sergeant.  He hardly could get his superiors’ approval for dispatching to the front, when Iraq attacked the Iranian border. Bahari is relating his memories of those days for the site of Oral History.

● Tell us how to be dispatched to the front, and what were you busy before that.

In the name of God, I'm Ghodratollah Bahari. By the time I was a non-commissioned officer in army ground forces. I tell some of my past and then about how I was dispatched. I would serve in Ahvaz Armored Division 92 in the previous regime. I was transferred to the Iran-Iraq border accompanied by the fortress battalion of Khorramshahr. The battalion was established in 1348. But, just after building the fortress in 1350, it was applied officially at the border. Two years later, we have formed this battalion before the fortress to be built. I was one of the founders of the battalion. In 1350, we took the fortresses and became border guard. Hence, I have a long history on serving in the borderline battalions and I am familiar with borderlines, especially in the South. I was in charge of a number of fortresses and it provided good experiences for me in fortress battalion. In 1349, I was injured in the clashes of night patrol in the borderline. Two years later, in 1351, I was transferred to the Health Department of the Army in Tehran.

It was decided that I served under the supervision of a physician in the health service. But my work didn’t match with it. Serving in the department of health made me unhappy. I was a non-commissioned officer of borderline and combat and wasn’t familiar with the paperwork. After coming to Tehran, to be able to do something here, I trained fire-fighting course under the fire department of Tehran at the fire of Hasanabad intersection; and until 1357, I was in charge of fire-fighting of the Health Department’s hospitals in Tehran. I served at Health Department when Imam Khomeini (RA) came to Iran.

One or two months after Imam Khomeini’s coming and the Revolution, I was contacted by fortress battalion of Khorramshahr. They knew I serve in Tehran. After the Revolution, soldiers had gone from garrison and there were no forces in them. A number of officers also had gone. Some officers had either fled or been expelled. The heads also had been executed. They contacted me and said: “there is a little force in garrison and tanks have rusted. These are our borderline tanks and we need them.” They then asked me to leave Tehran and go there to teach the fixing, maintenance and cleaning ways of them to the rest of staffs.

We had a number of M36 and M4 tanks in the fortresses which dated back to the Second World War period and their engine - or “caterpillar” in military terms - wasn’t working. The tanks didn’t move, but their main gun was active. In each fortress there were two tanks. I was very familiar with the fixing and maintaining of them. I did the first round shooting with them and also keeping them; and I also was encouraged in the past regime. The tanks were outdated and nobody wanted to shoot with them. I was trained in Ahvaz 255-Tank Battalion and I had shot with them. These tanks had been brought and screwed from left and right to the platform. From distance, they were alike tank, but they just were the main gun of it. If the enemy saw them, thought they are tank, but originally they were tanks.

I went to the region. I liked there. I loved this battalion. I was more interested to work there rather serving in health department and was in charge of fire-fighting. My mission was to go to the borderline and taught guys fixing and maintaining of tanks, how to work with them, and how to arm and disarm them.

It was Tir 1359 (July 1980), when I realized some changes in the Iran-Iraq border. Now why would I say “I realized”? Look, in the south, on the border between Iran and Iraq, there is a river between us. Passing there and Shalamcheh, the rest is terrestrial border, where we have about 700-800 meters or one kilometer common-border that neither have we claimed on it nor they have. In the past, our clashes with them were more on their local shepherds, who came to our side and put out their sheep on pasture. They were not allowed to do so and this was our problem with Iraq.

I saw Iraqis has passed the borderline. I wrote a report after I saw Iraqis has passed the border and was busy setting up a barricade and fortifying. Well, I was a military man and at least I could recognize that if the enemy meant it or has gradually led themselves forward. They hadn’t yet brought their tanks. But their patrol forces patrolled, while in the past they didn’t dare to do that. Our water border are not far from 5 or 6 meters - width of a river; so, Water flows between us and isn’t important too much. But I saw that they had proceeded in some parts of our common land border, which is about 700 meters or one kilometer, and even they have moved forward a little more. They have moved forward and have been busy fortifying there. Proceeding, fortifying, building or so-called digging trench, surely was meant attacking. They didn’t spend money without reason.

I reported that the enemy follows a purpose by these harassing acts in the region, and its goal is certainly attacking and making troubles. Nobody cared. They said: “Why do you inquire? You are instructor and your serving place is in Tehran; don’t get into things.” Well, unfortunately, the atmosphere was like that. They branded you soon, if you insisted on something. “So, it is not my business.” I said. Then, at the 31 Shahrivar 1359 (22^nd September 1980), bombing of Tabriz, Shiraz and Tehran began and it turned out that report haven’t been a mistake. My guess and information on that time and also saying that they are pursuing a goal were right. It was two pm that day, when I was in the garrison.

● Which garrison were you in?

I was in engineering post of Health Department of Army, which was located at veterinary Department of the Army in Eskandari Street. It had passed two pm when I heard sound of bombing. I didn’t know the first that it’s bombing; I thought that it’s again the same bomb attack that happened in the city. But I thought then it might be happened. I usually left the barracks at 2:30 pm. I came home, turned on the radio and heard the march was broadcasting. I was very surprised.

Of course, I wasn’t totally unaware. Because my friends, who were on the border and another places, informed me. But I didn’t know that the attack has started that day. Radio broadcasted just the march and no announcement. Constantly the song was over and again repeated. It was four pm, when I was curious to see what's going on. Finally, the first announcement was released on the radio; that the Iraq Baathist enemy has bombed a number of our sites by air, and also has invaded a number of our lines and frontier villages on the ground. I was very impressed due to my familiarity of serving at the border and knowledge of Iraqi’s army. I said to myself, why it should be. Iraq has attacked our bases and great cities, and has entered into our territories through the ground. I felt like crying. I didn’t know what to do? I thought that what can I do in that situation?

The next morning I went to the garrison and saw that everything is as usual. My colleagues were curious. They all came up to me and asked: “do you think what happens now?” I said: “I’m here. What the hell I know. But surly the border has guards and the enemy can’t come inside. There are fortresses and each of them has two tanks. They have pill-box. Also, twelve staff is working there.” I said these things to them. Well, I was military man and they were office-clerk. They asked me what information I have and I think that what can do Iraqis?

The first thing I did was writing a report. I wrote: “I don’t give a bit of my home’s land / even though they cut my head”, I also noted that now that Iraq has invaded, please let me go to the area, as I have specialty in war tools and familiarity with borderline. The first time they refused. I had requested by telephongram. They responded the same. Their answer was: “as a foresaid has injured and disabled, and assigned to the health service; he should perform his duty in the offices and therefore we unable to send him to the war zone.”

I myself drove to the Command Headquarters of Army in Lavizan, and visited Colonel Mokaber. He was then deputy commander of ground forces. I said: “Colonel, what is your reason for disagreeing with my request?” he replied: “You are just one-some.” I said: “Well… yeah…, I’m just one, but am I not better than who doesn’t know where border is at all? Now, I’m one-some, what difference does it make? If now I go to the border, I know where to go, what palm I cross, where is the boundary, do I put my foot this side or that side… so, am I the right person or whom he doesn’t know there by no means? This is the first reason. Second, study my case and see what activities I had under the former regime in the borderline. I have also been encouraged. Pleas pay attention to this.” he ordered: “bring his file.” My file was brought. It seemed that they hadn’t showed it to him. My letter had been just showed to him and he had written in its bottom that he can’t be dispatched. Then they had added: “along with appreciation of mentioned non-commissioned officer’s feelings, he is disabled and must perform his duty in offices, therefore unable to send him to the war zone.” Reading my file, colonel said: “He is right. He knows border. He’s familiar with this certain point of border or that one. Well, he is a volunteer too; so, it is better he goes there than someone who doesn’t know anything. He can at least guide a number of our guards.” It was written: “to be sent as soon as possible.” That meant that I should fly without delay. Also colonel was impressed by a poem I had read for him.

Hearing the poem, Colonel Mokaber laughed and said: “quickly send him as a knowledgeable person to the zone.” The letter was delivered to me and I went to the area.

How I went and in such a way people welcomed and showed their hospitality to me is itself a story. I couldn’t go by air. There was no security for airliners and C-130, when Iraqi fighter aircrafts were in the sky. They said: “As Iraqi fighters are in the sky, we can’t fly.” In the end, we went by train. People had crowded at stations of cities in the way, especially at large stations and even at small stations, such as Qom, Arak, Dorood, and so on. Our train was military and people welcomed it. Some were crying because their children, their youth were going to the front; and some were happy because they saw forces were going to the borders. I was also on that train. I was going alone with my request. But I witnessed people’s epic, that how they saw young man off; how they brought food in trains; how they throw flowers into trains, so that soldiers go to the front in high spirits.

To be continued...