Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan had help deciphering the russian general staff papers from gress, a soviet migr who served in the soviet army. Jan 01, 2009 the soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. Briefing book on the soviet intervention in afghanistan. The afghan government repeatedly requested the introduction of soviet forces in afghanistan in the spring and summer of 1979. These enabled them to shoot down soviet helicopters and were a major turning point in the war. Do you remember afghanistan, comrade this was a soviet afghan war song of the 1980s. Most people still talk about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the 20th. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan.
All of them have been carefully selected by the pakistani isi and do not represent a broad. A mujahideen, a captain in the afghan army before deserting, poses with a group of rebels near herat, afghanistan, on february 28, 1980. The soviet union, china and angloamerican intelligence in the afghan war library of middle east history only 1 left in stock more on the way. I learned a great deal about the war from this book. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books. Aug 18, 2009 do you remember afghanistan, comrade this was a soviet afghan war song of the 1980s. The route to progress depends on recognizing the centrality of politics to issues of war and peace. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Aug 04, 2014 a lowflying afghan helicopter gunship in snowcapped valley along salang highway provides cover for a soviet convoy sending food and fuel to kabul, afghanistan, on january 30, 1989. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has stri. His behindthescenes campaign was the subject of the nonfiction book charlie wilson. The soviet war in afghanistan was a nineyear period involving the soviet forces and the mujahideen insurgents that were fighting to overthrow afghanistans marxist peoples democratic party of afghanistan pdpa government. What was the average soviet infantrymans experience in afghanistan. Because the soviet union failed in securing afghanistan from the rebels for such a long period of time, the war is sometimes referred to as the soviet unions vietnam war. There is a relative lack of studies on the soviet war in afghanistan in english, so this book is a welcome addition. Soviet and mujahideen uniforms, clothing, and equipment in the sovietafghan war, 19791989. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century.
The rebel raiding party, travelling by motorcycle and horseback, crossed from iran into afghanistan s doab valley in a threeday raid. Will stick to authored books on the subject from here on out. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned 16. Intelligence history remains a difficult topic to research, and the intelligence history of recent conflicts represents an object of special difficulty all. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the 20th. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 pixtale news. The soviet invasion of its neighbour afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody nineyear conflict in that country until soviet forces withdrew in 198889, dooming the communist afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the mujahideen, the afghan popular resistance backed by the usa and other powers. The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. At one point, late in the war, rebels were reportedly downing nearly one soviet aircraft every day with stinger missiles. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The book is about the afgantsy the russians who served in afghanistan and is. Both the vietnamese and mujahedin of afghanistan used guerilla warfare tactics. Military art military history warsaw pact soviet army afghanistan war war photography red army korean war modern warfare.
Its most interesting aspect is not the overall historical narrative. Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. Ideologically, the soviet leadership was unable to come to grips with war in afghanistan. Sometimes referred to as the soviets version of the vietnam war, the soviet war in afghanistan ended up being a losing battle for the soviet union, and in many ways, accelerated the dissolution of communism in the east. What is most important to the history of the world. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of foreign. To quote from ospreys web page, each essential histories book studies the origins, politics, fighting and repercussions of one major war or theatre of war, from both military and civilian perspectives. For example, i was amazed at how poorly the average soviet soldier was supplied and fed, and how that directly led to looting and murders of the local afghans, which in turn hardened them against the soviets. Mar 27, 20 william dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan.
The soviet invasion of its neighbour afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody nineyear conflict in that country until soviet forces withdrew in 198889, dooming the communist afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the mujahideen, the afghan popular resistance backed by. The soviet afghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the mujahideen. This book, the soviet afghan war 197989, by gregory fermontbarnes, is an entry in osprey publishings essential history series. Pages in category afghanistan in fiction the following 6 pages are in this category, out of 6 total. Afghanistan 1979 the war that changed the world youtube. Gregory feifer relates these events in his fascinating new book, the great gamble. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. The afghanistan war with the soviet union history essay. The soviet invasion of afghanistan in december 1979 was roundly denounced by. This article is a compilation of lessons learned from the russian afghan war 1979. All of them have been carefully selected by the pakistani isi and do not represent a broad spectrum of the resistance movement.
Why did the soviet union invade afghanistan in 1979. The soviet war in afghanistan is a 2009 book by gregory feifer about the 19791989 sovietafghan war. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, and. For the soviet union, the intervention proved extraordinarily costly in a number of ways. The soviet invasion and the afghan response, 19791982. What was the average soviet infantrymans experience in. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned dave shunk 26 december 2008 col dave shunk, usaf, ret. List of books and articles about soviet invasion of afghanistan. The single best source of information and analysis on the conduct of military operations during the sovietafghan war is the authors own stumbling bear. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. Persia and afghanistan in 19334 being recognised as the greatest of all prewar travel books. Soviet troops invaded kabul on december 25 th 1979, on order from moscow to replace the radical hafizullah amin with the sovietendorsed babrak karmal as head of the democratic republic of afghanistan. Based primarily on an exhaustive analysis of russianlanguage soviet military journals, this book provides a unique, comprehensive analysis of soviet objectives.
Ideologically, the soviet leadership was unable to. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup that overthrew afghan president sardar muhammad daud khan, who had come to power by ousting the king in 1973. See more ideas about afghanistan, afghanistan war and war. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. Violence of the most murderous, indiscriminate, and terrible kind started this afghan war. What are some interesting facts about the soviet war in.
Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. This book was written by a soviet journalist and recounts many of the experiences of the soviet army in the last couple of years of the war. The main body of the book is about soviet army and air force tactics, operations, and armaments. The soviet war in afghanistan, lasting from 1979 to 1989, was an attempt by the soviet union to strengthen its control within soviet central asia, which was comprised of kazakhstan. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a. Based primarily on an exhaustive analysis of russianlanguage soviet military journals, this book provides a unique. Existing explanations attribute the breakdown of the soviet union to the reformist leadership of gorbachev, andor. The afghan war changed the soviets leaderships policies of using armed forces to impose political decisions, and additionally it is important to understand the culture and geography in order to better understand the victory of afghanistan. And, although many in the west view gorbachev as a liberal democrat and point out that he ordered the soviet withdrawal from afghanistan, the bloodiest years of fighting in afghanistan 19851986 were under his leadership. Soviet voices from the afghanistan war by svetlana alexievich, the soviet afghan war.
How to end the war in afghanistan by david miliband. This book, the sovietafghan war 197989, by gregory fermontbarnes, is an entry in osprey publishings essential history series. Gregory feifers book about the soviet experience in afghanistan is the best i have read to date. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. Near herat, afghanistan afghan rebels snipe at soviet held positions near herat january 11. Today, afghanistan is once more embroiled in war, pitting nato troops and the current government against the ousted taliban and its allies.
Near herat, afghanistan afghan rebels snipe at sovietheld positions near herat january 11. At the time, it was reported that the afghan capital of kabul returned to normal for the first time since bloody antisoviet rioting erupted there, killing more than 300 civilians and an unknown number of soviet and afghan soldiers. Also check the movie charlie wilsons war for the actual newsreel and documentary footage cut in as the action scenes. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. At the time, it was reported that the afghan capital of kabul returned to normal for the first time since bloody anti soviet rioting erupted there, killing more than 300 civilians and an unknown number of soviet and afghan soldiers. The united states provided the mujahideen with stinger missiles. Will stick to authored books on the subject from here on out, high command reports are not my reading style in the slightest. A lowflying afghan helicopter gunship in snowcapped valley along salang highway provides cover for a soviet convoy sending food and fuel to. Based on scrupulous research and firsthand accounts by key government, intelligence, and military personnel both foreign and american, ghost wars details the secret history of the cia s role in afghanistan including its covert operations against soviet troops from 1979 to 1989, the rise of the taliban, the emergence of bin laden, and the failed efforts by u. In the brutal nineyear conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed, as well as 90,000 mujahideen fighters, 18,000 afghan troops, and. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a neat, surgical intervention to. The rebel raiding party, travelling by motorcycle and horseback, crossed from iran into afghanistans doab valley in. The shoulderfired, heatseeking missile supplied to the afghan resistance by the cia during the soviet invasion of afghanistan, is capable of bringing down lowflying planes and helicopters.
The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of. Soviet invasion of afghanistan questia online library. To help bring a quick victory, the resulting escalation of troops to pacify the region leads to the bloodiest year of the war. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Both the war in afghanistan and the civil war in syria have resulted in a large number of refugees. As the us mobilizes for covert war in afghanistan see 1978 and july 3, 1979, a cia special envoy meets afghan mujaheddin leaders at peshawar, pakistan, near the border to afghanistan. While the soviets never released official casualty figures for the war in afghanistan, u. Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords. Its a highly readable history of the conflict, which began with.
The invasion of afghanistan was the soviet unions final foreign military intervention before its eventual dissolution in 1991. Several events in afghanistans history led up to the soviet invasion and the civil war that followed the withdrawal. Sadly abit dry, to be expected though since its simply the direct translation of the soviet high commands write up of their participation and the break down of support structures during the soviet afghan war. The united nations general assembly calls for soviet withdrawal. It is not so much a military history of the war, as a thematic series of short.
For many years, western scholarship on the sovietafghan war was limited to a. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the. He had previously held different careers under the peoples democratic party of afghanistan pdpa and was a graduate of kabul university. Afghan civilians stand in the foreground troopers of the 5th airborne company 350th airborne regiment on the march, moving aboard their bmps and btrs along the afghani mountain road. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. During the last years of the cold war, the soviet union sent some of its most elite troops to unfamiliar lands in central asia to fight a vaguely defined. How comparable is it to a american gis experience in vietnam. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism. While the americans did fight a guerilla war in vietnam, there seemed to be plenty of brigade level operations against nva units. In the great gamble, a groundbreaking account of the soviet invasion of afghanistan.
A significant portion of the refugees from afghanistan made their way to peshawar, pakistan, while most of the the syrian refugees have gone to refugee camps in lebanon. A political settlement for afghanistan must have two dimensions. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. New soviet leader mikhail gorbachev publicly states that. New soviet leader mikhail gorbachev publicly states that he wants to end the war in afghanistan. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union rafael reuveny and aseem prakash1 abstract.
The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. The breakdown of the soviet union surprised most scholars of international relations, comparative politics, and soviet politics. Preceding the attack on afghanistan in late 1970s the soviets had previous success with invasions. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books the. The soviet vietnam by tamarov is a photographic record of one soldiers tour in the war, mainly personal images but some great pictures of equipment. A soviet tank in the hindu kush mountains of afghanistan during the soviet invasion, 1980. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the foreign mercenaries, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. How a superpower fought and lost modern war studies by the russian general staff, lester w.
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