Jun 28, 2008 afghan army units, with the benefit of soviet supplied weapons, could still make such movements through the countryside, but could not hold significant tracts of territory outside the main cities. Sovietafghan war wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. The intelligence came from the upper reaches of the soviet defense ministry and indicated that soviet hardliners were pushing a plan to attempt to win the afghan war within two years, sources said. Mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war, by lester grau and ali ahmad jalali.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The modern history of violence has seeped into the nations ancient art of rug making rugs now feature imagery of tanks, ak47s and u. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. Aug 03, 1984 they buy the drugs with money looted from afghan houses and by selling army supplies kettles, ammunition both live and spent, spare parts and automatic weapons.
The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. Born in the 1960s in southern uzbekistan, into the muslim faith, mamura was a komsomol and volunteered for afghanistan, where she served in particular as an army censor. 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 a book showing a more scholar view of the conflict and written decades after the end of the war with new russian material, i recommend ospreys the soviet afghan war 19791989 by gregory fremontbarnes, published in 2012. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states. Blowback from the afghan battlefield the new york times. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. Most of the photos of soviet weapons are not from afghanistan, are from the ussr training, the t72 was never deployed in afghanistan, but is in the book, the. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and. Nov 12, 2012 first published in 1985, this is a book written at the height of the soviet war in afghanistan in the 1980s.
It was fought over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989, mostly in the afghan countryside. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989. Author russell phillips has compiled a threevolume directory of weapons and equipment used by land forces of the former soviet bloc. List of military equipment used by mujahideen during. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. This list shows military equipment used by the mujahideen during the sovietafghan war. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan. What the book contains, though, is a wealth of information and knowledge of how the war in afghanistan was fought, from the weapons and tactics that were used. My gran bought me my first copy way back in the early 80s the one to go for however is this one the revised 1988 reprint. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan, by lester grau.
Feb 07, 2015 afghanistan has suffered through decades of war. The sovietafghan war helps clarify how such a surprising demise could have materialized in the backyard of the cold wars other great superpower. 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. The book consists of separate chapters on various aspects of the war, including the experiences of various components of the soviet army. 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. Zhawar is, additionally, the name of a village within khost province, approximately six miles distant from the boundary between pakistan and afghanistan.
The mujahideen obtained weapons from many sources, mostly supplied by the cia during operation cyclone and channeled through pakistan. These are very good, comprehensive books the former more popnarrative than the latter about the afghansoviet war. The author analyses their deliberate policy of migratory genocide through a combination of aerial. A specially equipped c141 starlifter transport carrying william casey touched down at a military air base south of islamabad in october 1984 for a secret visit by the cia director to plan strategy for the war against soviet forces in afghanistan. It is also another translation from original works by the soviet genreral staff, this time a collection of papers based on their analysis of the armies performance over. Guns for the afghan rebels is a song by the english oi. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned 16.
This deterioration was continuing despite the increased involvement of soviet personnel in guiding afghan combat operations and logistics. The costs and benefits of the afghan war for pakistan. The afghan army was expected to carry the burden of suppressing opposition, which was to be done quickly with soviet support. The mujahideen groups were backed primarily by the united states, saudi. Whereas a janes directory would shoehorn the russians into a bigger volume covering the full scope of international arms manufacture, mr. There is a plate showing a soviet soldier wearing an nbc suit, as the soviets used chemical weapons against the guerrillas and the civilian population alike.
Feb 12, 2019 in this video we will look at the camouflage effectiveness of some of the uniforms and camouflage worn by soviet troops during the soviet afghan war. Pakistans role in the sovietafghan war september 17, 2017 september 17, 2017 rousseau1214 back in islamabad, hart sat in his house at night and drafted long cables to langley on yellow legal pads, describing a soviet convoy of tanks destroyed here, a helicopter shot down there. Pakistans role in the sovietafghan war thoughts on history. Part of the cold war, it was fought between soviet led afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances the peshawar seven and the tehran eight. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the. Army, is an analyst for the foreign military studies office at the armys combined arms center at. What was the largest battle fought in the sovietafghan war. Vehicle photo origin number notes main battle tank t55 soviet union 20. Discover the best afghan war military history in best sellers. Many weapons were also captured from soviet or dra forces. Derivatives of the jezail, barely recognizable, and usually termed countrymade weapons, are in use in rural indiaespecially in the state of uttar pradesh.
Aug 04, 2014 in the brutal nineyear conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed, as well as 90,000 mujahideen fighters, 18,000 afghan troops, and 14,500 soviet soldiers. Based on five clandestine trips into afghanistan with the resistance, the book examines why the soviets invaded in 1979 and what they were seeking to defend. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. But with the collapse of the soviet union, they united states simply did not seem to care much about afghanistan, nor did it want to get involved in its politics, much to the behest of many career mid to lower level intelligence and diplomatic.
The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and. Part of the cold war, it was fought between sovietled afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances the peshawar seven and the tehran eight. Guns of the afghan opposition staring into muzzles of the. The soviet invasion and the afghan response, 19791982. This book, the sovietafghan war 197989, by gregory fermontbarnes, is an entry in osprey publishings essential history series. Limited numbers were, however, used by mujahideen rebels during the sovietafghan war. In the book shantaram by gregory david roberts, he describes his experiences fighting with the mujahideen in afghanistan. Phillips sticks to the soviet union and her allies principally. 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, mostly in the countryside. The sovietafghan war lasted over nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan. University of california press, 1995 isbn 9780585249766. Sep 17, 2017 pakistans role in the sovietafghan war september 17, 2017 september 17, 2017 rousseau1214 back in islamabad, hart sat in his house at night and drafted long cables to langley on yellow legal pads, describing a soviet convoy of tanks destroyed here, a helicopter shot down there. List of books and articles about soviet invasion of.
The soviet bw program began in the 1920s at the leningrad military academy under the control of the state security apparatus, known as the gpu. A superb book on the soviet afghan war up there with the bear went over the mountain. The sovietafghan war lasted over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989. Mar, 1994 this is the last great battleground of the cold war, in which the afghans, backed by the united states central intelligence agency, fought off the soviet union in the 1980s. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. Best iraq and afghanistan war books some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. Grau, a vietnam war veteran and retired lieutenant colonel in the u. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. Soviet and mujahideen uniforms, clothing, and equipment in the sovietafghan war, 19791989. The sovietafghan war had an important impact in popular culture in the west, due to its scope. 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. First published in 1985, this is a book written at the height of the soviet war in afghanistan in the 1980s.
Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. The book is a superb analysis of the soviet intervention, not communist propaganda, every tactics and weapons is shown in a professional way. This research note based on an anthropological fieldwork retraces the life of mamura, an uzbek woman who became a hero among her peers, afghan war veterans. A firsthand account of the most extraordinary battle in the afghan war by. In the brutal nineyear conflict, an estimated one million civilians were killed, as well as 90,000 mujahideen fighters, 18,000 afghan troops, and 14,500 soviet soldiers. This photographic history of the sovietafghan war of 1979 to 1989 gives a fascinating insight into a grim conflict that prefigured the americanled campaign in that country. The soviet expansionism created a challenge to the. Review books, weapons and tactics of the soviet army, isbey one of the definitive texts for the cold war gamer, everything you ever wanted to know about the soviets and more.
The intelligence came from the upper reaches of the soviet defense ministry and indicated that soviet hardliners were pushing a plan to attempt to win the. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. It starts with the sovietafghan war, and our clear agenda to help the afgans bleed the soviets. This list shows military equipment used by the mujahideen during the soviet afghan war. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers.
The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by. List of military equipment used by afghan national army. A muslim woman officer in the soviet army during the soviet. There are a total of sovietafghan war tanks, vehicles, and artillery 1979 1989 in the military factory. The hitandrun bloodletting across the wars decade tallied more than 25,000 dead soviet soldiers plus a great many more casualties and further demoralized a ussr. Phillips work that should make these books attractive to readers interested in the armed forces of the warsaw pact. Sovietafghan war tanks, vehicles, and artillery 1979 1989. 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. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war, by lester grau and ali ahmad jalali.
The photos, starting in 1988, span afghanistans immediate postsoviet era, the agonizing civil war of the 1990s, the period of taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, the u. Printed books are making a comeback and while these three titles lack the glitz of the kind produced by the bestknown military specialist publishers, there is a substance to mr. Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. They buy the drugs with money looted from afghan houses and by selling army supplies kettles, ammunition both live and spent, spare parts and automatic weapons. I learned more about the details of this war in a single chapter from this book than i have in all the other books combined. The neardecadelong war saw the soviet military fail to put down the mujahideen insurgency leading to a global military embarrassment for the occupiers. Guns of the afghan opposition staring into muzzles of the mujahedeen guns the soviet spetsnaz story. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned dave shunk 26 december 2008 col dave shunk, usaf, ret. In this video we will look at the camouflage effectiveness of some of the uniforms and camouflage worn by soviet troops during the sovietafghan war. The battle of zhawar zhawar is an area within the khost province of 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.
This is the 7th book on the sovietafghan war ive read, and lester grau kept up his reputation with this book for historical investigative detail. The soviet invasion of afghanistan in december 1979 was a major cause of worldwide anxiety and a turning point in international politics. The intense images of afghanistans long and distant war. These are very good, comprehensive books the former more popnarrative than the latter about the afghan soviet war. It starts with the soviet afghan war, and our clear agenda to help the afgans bleed the soviets. A muslim woman officer in the soviet army during the. 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. Overall this book is excellent for the time when it was written.
My gran bought me my first copy way back in the early 80s the one to go for however is. List of books and articles about soviet invasion of afghanistan. How a superpower fought and lost modern war studies by the russian general staff, lester w. The jezail no longer sees widespread use in warfare of any nature. This is the last great battleground of the cold war, in which the afghans, backed by the united states central intelligence agency, fought off the soviet union in the 1980s. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. This occurred despite the fact that the ussr was a signatory to the 1925 geneva convention, which banned both chemical and biological weapons 1928 revolutionary military council signed a decree. Mujahideen tactics in the soviet afghan war the plates in this book are as good as usual. 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. The soviet war in afghanistan reprint by gregory feifer isbn. The sovietafghan war by members of the russian general staff, and translated by lester grau and michael gross, is a summary overview of the soviet experience in the afghan invasion and war of the 1980s.
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