Soviet invasion of afghanistan, invasion of afghanistan in late december 1979 by troops from the soviet union. Mikhail gorbachev attempted to reform the soviet economy, but discovered that you cannot give people a little bit of freedom and starting in 1989 the warsaw pact nationas spurned communism in a. This book is very highly recommended to military professionals and their civilian counterparts. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. In the sovietafghan war the russian general staff takes a close critical look at the soviet militarys disappointing performance in that war in an effort to better understand what happened and why and what lessons should be taken from it.
The battle of jaji occurred in april 1987, during the first stage of withdrawal of soviet forces from their war in afghanistan. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. The war in afghanistan 2001present began on october 7, 2001, as operation enduring freedom, a response to the september 11, 2001 attacks on the united states of america u. Throughout the cold war, the united states and the soviet union competed for power and influence in different areas of the world. The toll of the russian afghan war on the soviet union by the time the chastened soviets withdrew in february 1989, they had suffered,826 dead and 49,985 wounded. In the soviet afghan war the russian general staff takes a close critical look at the soviet militarys disappointing performance in that war in an effort to better understand what happened and why and what lessons should be taken from it. Trump was wrong about the soviet war in afghanistan the.
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. To help bring a quick victory, the resulting escalation of troops to pacify the region leads to the bloodiest year of the war. Discover the best afghan war military history in best sellers. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned dave shunk 26 december 2008 col dave shunk, usaf, ret. Soviet war in afghanistan battles list of battles in the. Battle for hill 3234sovietafghan war pakistan defence. The sovietafghan war lasted over nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. This superb translation will generate widespread and unprecedented interest in the subject. Defense mapping agency for the final preparation of the material. Battle for kandahar soviet unionafghan war youtube.
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. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. I learned a great deal about the war from this book. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan. 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. May 31, 2011 the war startedbefore the soviet invasion and continued long after their departure. Jan 29, 2019 president trump claimed the soviet union went to war in 1979 to battle terrorists. 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 steve coll 4. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. The soviet invasion had enormous implications on the global stage.
Click download or read online button to get battles of the war in afghanistan involving afghanistan book now. While the kite runner, is an excellent book that describes parts of the sovietafghan war id recommend reading it for fun if you havent. 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. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the. 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. The soviet union began trying to build its influence in afghanistan. Jan 04, 2019 when i was researching a 2009 book about the soviet war, i found enough time had passed for many veterans to be able to critically reflect on what they saw as a tragedy. Battles of the war in afghanistan involving afghanistan. A firsthand account of the most extraordinary battle in the afghan war by. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the. The sovietafghan war was published in 2002, just a year into the us intervention into afghanistan. Army, is an analyst for the foreign military studies office at the armys combined arms center at fort leavenworth. The soviets objective was to destroy the mujahideen logistic base situated at zhawar, 3 kilometers from the pakistani border.
Download first published in 1985, this is a book written at the height of the soviet war in afghanistan in the 1980s. Jan 05, 2018 osprey publishing continues its combat series with a study on the soviet afghan war 197989. The battles of zhawar were fought during the soviet afghan war between soviet army units, and their allies of the democratic republic of afghanistan against afghan mujahideen groups. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan had help deciphering the russian general staff papers from gress, a soviet migr who served in the soviet army. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. The book consists of separate chapters on various aspects of the war, including the experiences of various components of the soviet army. The increased soviet defense spending and the war in afghanistan combined with a moribund economy forced the soviets to make difficult decisions. In the soviet afghan war the russian general staff takes a close critical look at the soviet militarys disappointing performance in that war in an. The battles of zhawar were fought during the sovietafghan war between soviet army units, and their allies of the democratic republic of afghanistan against afghan mujahideen groups. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Osprey publishing continues its combat series with a study on the soviet afghan war 197989. A soviet invasion intended to simply pacify the nation ended ten years later with thousands of dead on both sides and an overlooked war which shaped the modern situation in the middle east. There is a relative lack of studies on the soviet war in afghanistan in english, so this book is a welcome addition. The hitandrun bloodletting across the wars decade tallied more than.
Remaining soviet troops supported the sovietbacked governments operations in paktia province against the mujahideen, hoping to relieve a besieged garrison at ali sher, and cut off supply lines to the mujahideen from pakistan. Apr 20, 2020 in the decades since the end of world war two military historians have published thousands of books on the campaigns, operations, and battles fought during this most global of world wars. Grau and ali ahmad jalali, the campaign for the caves. The summery and point of view of the united states during the 1980s explaining the conflict that lasted over nine years.
When i was researching a 2009 book about the soviet war, i found enough time had passed for many veterans to be able to critically reflect on what they saw as a tragedy. We plan to write about these battles in a future book. How a superpower fought and lost modern war studies by the russian general staff, lester w. Sep 10, 2011 the increased soviet defense spending and the war in afghanistan combined with a moribund economy forced the soviets to make difficult decisions. Dec 20, 2019 on december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the soviet afghan friendship treaty of 1978. I am wondering if there are any wargames that cover the tacticaloperational level of this war. I just finished the book the bear went over the mountain which covered soviet tactics in the soviet afghan war. 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. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. Short summary of the soviet war in afghanistan synonym. List of every major soviet war in afghanistan battle, including photos, images, or maps of the most famous soviet war in afghanistan battles when available. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as.
Pages in category battles of the sovietafghan war the following 15 pages are in this category, out of 15 total. The toll of the russianafghan war on the soviet union by the time the chastened soviets withdrew in february 1989, they had suffered,826 dead and 49,985 wounded. New soviet leader mikhail gorbachev publicly states that he wants to end the war in afghanistan. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by. Offering a candid view of a war that played a significant role in the ultimate demise of the soviet union, this book presents analysis absolutely vital to western policymakers, as well as to political, diplomatic, and military historians, and anyone interested in russian and soviet history.
The campaign in northwest europe garnered the lions share of. 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. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. In the decades since the end of world war two military historians have published thousands of books on the campaigns, operations, and battles fought during this most global of world wars. The soviet union found itself directly involved in an afghan civil war, leading to the russianafghan war. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011, describes the lessons learned after ten years of war in afghanistan.
Feb 28, 2002 the sovietafghan war by the russian general staff, 9780700611867, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. 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. Lieutenant general aleksandr mayorov was a senior soviet military adviser to the afghan regime in 1980 and 1981 and is the author of the book the truth about the afghan war. Lester grau and michael gresss expert english translation of the general staffs study offers the very. President trump claimed the soviet union went to war in 1979 to battle terrorists. 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. Dec 23, 2004 lieutenant general aleksandr mayorov was a senior soviet military adviser to the afghan regime in 1980 and 1981 and is the author of the book the truth about the afghan war. 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 on the.
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. Preferably, i would like a pc game since table space is very limited. The author also draws many analogies between the sovietafghan war and the ongoing war led by the united states. For those who wish to consult the map sheets, map sheet numbersare given with. The battles for zhawar in the sovietafghan war the journal of slavic military studies, vol. Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords. While it is not a comprehensive list of all skirmishes, conflicts, or battles that took place in the soviet war in afghanistan, we have tried to include as many military events and actions as possible. The soviets objective was to destroy the mujahideen logistic base situated.
The battle for hill 3234 was a defensive battle and successful military campaign fought by 345th soviet paratroopers in afghanistan against a force of 200 to 250 mujahideen rebels two of the soldiers killed, vyacheslav alexandrovich alexandrov and andrey alexandrovich melnikov, were posthumously awarded the golden star of the hero of the soviet. List of military operations in the war in afghanistan 2001. The war startedbefore the soviet invasion and continued long after their departure. How did the soviet invasion of afghanistan impact the cold war. Sovietafghan war operations this document is designed to be used with the soviet afghan war scenario location map. The sovietafghan war by russian general staff, 9780700611850, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The battle of zhawar sovietafghanistan war, battle of.
This site is like a library, use search box in the. 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. The soviet union found itself directly involved in an afghan civil war, leading to the russian afghan war. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978 as midnight approached, the soviets organized a. 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. As of 2011, as the us and its nato allies are attempting to close out their intervention, the lessons of the sovietafghan war are no less relevant.
Grau, a vietnam war veteran and retired lieutenant colonel in the u. The main body of the book is about soviet army and air force tactics, operations, and armaments. The hitandrun bloodletting across the war s decade tallied more than 25,000 dead soviet soldiers plus a great many more casualties and further demoralized a ussr on the verge of disintegration. 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. 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. The sovietafghan war helps clarify how such a surprising demise could have materialized in the backyard of the cold wars other great superpower. But a newly published cable underscores moscows fear that afghanistan would switch loyalties to the west. The campaign in northwest europe garnered the lions share of the reporting, the analysis, and the storytelling. The hitandrun bloodletting across the wars decade tallied more. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col.
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