“YELLOW ARAB HELMET, BLUE RUSSIAN EYES”students of the languages institute even before graduation) to the 2nd Division on
the canal front—another reflection of the constant shortage of Arabic interpreters.
He was attached to the revered Col. Afanas’ev, whom he describes admiringly as “like
a father to us all.” As Gorbunov was now told, an adviser like his boss
differs from an expert in that his level of responsibility is higher. He issues advice and
recommendations to his advisees and assumes part of their responsibility for accomplish-
ing the mission ... He makes decisions and proposes them to the Arab commander, and
together they take part in the implementation. He and his protégé together reconnoiter
the terrain, and direct the firing. ... He pinpoints enemy positions during exchanges of fire,
and supplies the coordinates to the division’s artillery chief, who issues the firing orders.^10Valery Klimentov, another interpreter with the Soviet advisers to the Eg yptian II
Army Corps, retained a vivid recollection of such a preparatory reconnoiter on
14 August 1968—despite some drinking the night before:
I remember the date well, as the 13th was my birthday, and after this event I had a mighty
headache. I was ordered to go with the division commander’s deputy in charge of artillery to
a lookout post on the roof of the Suez Canal Administration building in Ismailia ... The para-
pet gave us only knee-high cover. Ahead, as far as the naked eye could see ... stood [Israeli]
tanks and other guns, and Star-of-David flags waved ... Young Israeli soldiers in unfamiliar
olive drab were walking around; some of them were presumably my countrymen till not long
ago, [as] at the brim of the trenches were boards with slogans in Russian such as “Sovki, isn’t
it time to go home?” or “Have you forgotten the wars in 1948, 1956, 1967?” or “Welcome
to hell!” Here and there, young Israeli women from auxiliary units sunbathed in bikinis. It
was sad to think that a few days later they would all simply become targets for the Eg yptians’
powerful artillery, which was already being deployed in its firing positions.
“We’ll show them soon enough,” said our artillery man—an Armenian by extraction—and
flashed his gold-crowned teeth. Fearing the Israeli snipers, who knew how the Eg yptian
officers adored gold [dental] crowns whether needed or not, I advised the gloating adviser
to talk less. It was no coincidence that the Eg yptian officers escorting us kept silent, and
presciently removed their starred epaulets ... as well as their sunglasses, which enlisted men
didn’t wear ... True, the Armenian and I were both rather dark and could have passed for
Eg yptians, but there was [already] proof that Russians too were not insured against bullets.
... A few days later the Eg yptian artillery struck forcefully and accurately.^11The accuracy was ensured as “intelligence had been collected” on the Israeli targets.
“In infantry brigades,” Serkov wrote—that is, no longer only in elite ranger units:
diversionnye-razvedyvatelnye gruppy [DRGs, sabotage-intelligence groups] were prepared
for activity east of the canal. ... Their missions are locating and assessing Israeli positions,
headquarters, manpower and armament; taking prisoners; and mining access routes. These
groups of 4–6 men are sent almost every week, cross [the canal] after nightfall on rubber
dinghies, and return before dawn.