The 356th Night of Memoir-1

Compiled by: Leila Rostami
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2024-9-27

Note: The 356th night of memoir program was held on April 25, 2024 in the Surah Hall of the Islamic Revolution Arts Center with narration by the Air Force pilots of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the comrades of martyr Ali Akbar Shiroudi on the eve of his martyrdom anniversary. In this program, Colonel Hassan Khodabandelou, Colonel Ismail Mohammadi and Colonel Ali Milan shared their memories. Davood Salehi was in charge of performing this night of memory.

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The first narrator of the night of memoir, Hassan Khodabandelou, said at the beginning of his speech, I was born in Damghan. I joined the Air Force In 1973, and I became a combat pilot in the army in 1975. Martyr Shiroudi joined Iran Army Aviation one year after me, i.e. 1974, and I became a colleague and friend for him. First, we served in the Kermanshah combat base, which consisted of two battalions, "Unity" and "Assault". Cobra and Attack helicopters were for the "Unity" battalion and 214 manned helicopters were for the "Assault" battalion. Cobra helicopters provided fire support for ground units in the battle area, and 214 helicopters provided mobility for the speed of action of internal forces; For example, the speed of action in moving, carrying the wounded, ready, ammunition and food.

He further said; everything passed until in 1978, we were doing our activities in Army Aviation in the form of flying, acquiring skills and increasing flight hours, as well as preparing for possible tasks. Before the revolution, we didn't have a written battle plan that we might get into a conflict with a country or have a war, but when we reached the year 1978 and the glorious victory of the Islamic Revolution, we saw that Iran was in problem Iran and Saddam, the enemy of our country in the west, imposed a war on us. We were ready for such a day and we had to enter the field of defense. In the early hours of the war, we reached the Sarpol Zahab area, which was one of the territorial areas of Kermanshah Air Force Base. Each base has a territorial area for itself that must be defended. The base of Kermanshah was from Urmia to Mehran and consisted of 3 divisions of the 64th Division of Urmia, the 28th Kurdistan Division and the 81st Armored Division of Kermanshah. One of the brigades of the 81st Division was stationed in Sarpol Zahab. We were present in this area one year before the war and monitored all the movements and movements of Iraqi forces and reflected the information to the Tehran headquarters and the army headquarters. At that time, Bani Sadr was both the president and the commander-in-chief. Now we have nothing to do with how the information got there and was analyzed, but when the Iraqi forces attacked us, of course we stood in front of them. When we entered the field, they imposed a fake coup on us, which captured the air force pilots and some ground force commanders. We were faced with a lack of thinking. Maybe these people, with their thoughts, could make plans so that this does not happen easily. Saddam's forces entered this country and captured Qasr-Shirin and Bazidaraz Heights, which is a mountain range stretching from west to east in Qasr-Shirin, the highest point of which is 1150 meters high. Whoever owns this peak dominates the entire region and has complete control over Qasr-Shirin, Gilan Gharb, Naftshahr and Sarpol Zahab. These cities were completely evacuated, except Abu Dhar Barracks, where one of the brigades of the 81st Division was stationed, and we were also stationed there, and this was due to the bravery and selflessness of martyr Shiroudi.

Khodabandelou said about Shiroudi's moral and behavioral characteristics; Shiroudi was a pious and devoted person. If we were in the mission with the plan, he had violated the plan and was always and permanently in the mission and the region. His house was in the institutional houses of Kermanshah. Iraqi planes bombed organizational houses and his house was also bombed, but he did not leave the area. He said: "My family believe God, it is enough." In the first days of the war, he and his team's resistance was prominent in the region. We were accompanying him until after some time the Iraqi forces occupied the heights and Bazidraz area and completely dominated us. We had to do something for this area. We could not always let the area be in the hands of the enemy. Displacement of Qasr-Shirin people; we saw women, children, girls, boys, men, old and young. When they attacked the base because they didn't have a position, we were upset, so our desire to defend this water and soil would surely increase. Until the promised time came and on April 22, 1982, they decided to take back the heights from the Iraqis with the unity of the forces. For this purpose, 10 heavy-duty helicopters, which are the 214 helicopters, and 6 Cobra helicopters entered the field. We divided the area for ourselves, how to attack the enemy from all sides and face to face. The attack that was carried out because the heights were in their hands, we had to go through the heights. The distance was too long. We had to use our helicopters for the speed of the operation and drop the troops on the edge of the heights aerially, although there were casualties, but we accepted this risk to gain the speed of the operation. Cobra helicopters also provided fire support, so that within three days from 2nd to 5th of May 1981, Bazidraz heights were cleared from the Iraqi lot and we reached the height of 1150, which was the highest point. Major Madaghi was the first person who was an artillery watcher and went there. When they gained control, they directed the artillery fire in such a way that the remaining Iraqis went beyond Qasr-Shirin. All the children of Havaniroz sacrificed their lives, whose prominent face was dear martyr Shiroudi, that this area was cleared of the Iraqis.

He added that the Iraqis would not retreat so easily. They fired at the heights with their armored forces and a large number of tanks through plain Dasht Zahab, which was in the north of these heights, so that our forces left the area. It was night, the night of May 26, around 10 pm. A colonel named Jahanbani, who was the third pillar of the Abu Dhar garrison, came to us and said: "The path has become heavy and all our forces are being wasted. If we do not act in time, there is no possibility of recapturing the heights." We have night flight restrictions. Of course not today. We are talking about forty years ago. We had restrictions that day, we could not fly at night. It was at the beginning of the morning - believe me, we didn't sleep until the morning - because the roar of the tanks was so close that when they hit each other, it seemed as if the whole door, wall and mountains were shaking. It was a terrible night. We only had RPGs there. The biggest weapon of our tank was a missile called the Maliutka missile that was on the personnel carriers and we used it to defend our own forces and threaten the enemy's tanks. The best weapon to destroy these was the Tau missile that was mounted on our helicopters. At dawn at 5:50 am, we started two Cobra Tau helicopters and one 206 helicopter and went to fly. We reached the area of ​​Dasht Zahab, the weather was twilight. Before we reached that area, helicopter 206 landed in an area called Mirage because it had a technical problem. We continued and went to the target. When the weather is cold, if you have seen the smoke coming from a heater does not rise to the sky and stays almost there. When we reached the Zahab plain, we saw that the tanks had fired so much that we could see the electricity from the opening of the tank tube. That is, the tank itself was still not clear as a target. These 2 helicopters were the helicopters of Shahid Shiroudi and Ahmad Arash. I was a servant with Colonel Farid Alipour. Anyway, we moved forward until we found the tanks. This smoke that came out of the opening of the tanks had created a gray cloud on the tanks themselves, which made it difficult to see these tanks. In any way, they took the first target, Mr. Shiroudi and Mr. Arash shot. The missile hit the target, we hit the second target. We hit the second target and it was twilight. Tank bullets are placed around the turret. When the missile hits this turret, these shells explode first. These tanks would explode just like the lightening they do in the sky. At the same time as this explosion, when I was on the camera for the next shot, Mr. Alipour said that Ali was hit. I completed the rocket. I looked and saw that the Shiroudi helicopter had fallen on the right side. We were about 100 meters apart. Well, we used to bring “rescue” team here to help us if such a situation happened, but unfortunately our rescue made a precautionary landing in that mirage and had to land. It happened that the two of us had to make a decision. Mr. Alipour said: "What should I do?" I said: "Land, we have no choice but to land, I will get off, you go and bring reinforcements." Because we were at a low altitude, it must be a direct line with the communication station so that the waves can catch each other. He made me land there and left. The first thing I did was turn off the helicopter. I said that if the engine is on, it might explode, there was 1000 liters of gasoline under the men's seats, which if it exploded, it would create a hellish fire and everyone would burn. Mr. Arash was healthy, I took him out. Then I said, help us get Ali out. When the helicopter is tilted to the right, the rear cockpit door of the Cobra helicopter is on the right. It was on the door, we couldn't open it. We ejected the glasses. When the windows were ejected, we came on top of the helicopter. The rear seat of the Cobra helicopter is hollow. After about 5 to 10 minutes, our friends came from Sarpol Zahab base. A few of us helped and took this noble martyr out of the helicopter and took him to Sarpol Zahab barracks, where his martyrdom was officially announced. Shahrivar 8 (August 29) is memorable for me and one of the worst days of my life, because I lost one of my close friends named Ali Akbar Shiroudi and I will never forget this day. I tried everywhere on this day to reach a platform to keep the name of this martyr alive.

To be continued…