Sovietafghan war tanks, vehicles, and artillery 1979 1989 the neardecadelong war saw the soviet military fail to put down the mujahideen insurgency leading to a global military embarrassment for the occupiers. Friends of padre steves world i welcome comments, even those which disagree with my positions and articles. Despite heavy tank losses, georgy zhukov, the operations planner, continued the fruitless frontal assaults for three weeks in a desperate bid to match the success of the simultaneous soviet offensive at stalingrad. 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. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan kindle edition by grau, lester w download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Soviet air confrontations with pakistan air force, during. Aug 04, 2014 the soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989. Will stick to authored books on the subject from here on out, high command reports are not my reading style in the slightest. The sovietafghan war lasted over nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The soviet union supported the government while the rebels found support from a variety of sources including the.
Consequently, in afghanistan the soviet army found its tactics. Mujahideen fechters in the kunar province o afghanistan in 1987. A compilation of little known military history from the 20th century. General pavel rotmistrov, who would head the soviet armored force after the war, candidly explained this to stavka.
The most advanced soviet tank models, however, the t34 and kv1, were not available in large numbers early in the war, and only accounted for 7. When the soviet army withdrew, hundreds were left behind. No soviet figures on casualties have been made public, but european and american estimates range from 12,000 to 15,000 soviet troops killed and wounded since their intervention in afghanistan. Soviet equipment losses included 118 jets, 333 helicopters, 147 tanks, 14 armored personnel carriers, 433. List of soviet armies from 1930 combined arms armies. The m1 abrams is a thirdgeneration american main battle tank designed by chrysler defense now general dynamics land systems. List of soviet aircraft losses during the soviet afghan war jump to navigation jump to search. The soviet union, ending a long silence about the exact number of its casualties in the war in afghanistan, said today that,310 soldiers. During the communist era in the soviet union historical writing about world war ii was subject to censorship and only official approved statistical data was published.
The following is a partial and unofficial list of helicopter and airplane crashes that occurred during the sovietafghan war of 197989. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col. In 1984 tamarov, then 19, was drafted into the soviet army and posted to afghanistan where he spent 20 months in a minesweeper outfit. Russia more assured about war with afghan three decades on. List of soviet aircraft losses during the sovietafghan. You searched for soviet afghan war pictures english russia soviet mission in afghanistan, pin by paolo marzioli. The soviet and dra losses remain uncertain, but were presumably heavy.
This system was administered through the thousands of military commissariats, voyenkomat located throughout the soviet union. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the bear went over the mountain. The soviet forces supported the army of the democratic republic of afghanistan which numbered at their peak on average between 120,000150,000 soldiers. Projects business global events books fiction newsletters. The soviet union looked very bad in the eyes of the world for trying to control this country. Dec 20, 2019 on december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the soviet afghan friendship treaty of 1978. The soviet war in afghanistan 19791989 is something nobody in russia likes to recall now unless they have to. The best soviet tank, the t34, was the most modern in the world, and the kv series the best armoured. In 1949 a soviet colonel kalinov defected to the west, he published a book claiming that soviet records indicated the military loss of. During 1984 and 1985 the soviets may have lost more than 300 aircraft from all causes. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the.
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. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords. Twenty years ago, massive casualties forced gorbachev into a troop. By the middle of 1980, an entire tank regiment had been recalled to the soviet union because it was deemed useless. Seemingly nothing was left out, except for one thing. Soviet afghan war part of the cold war and the continuous afghanistan conflict mujahideen fighters in the kunar province of afghanistan in 1987 date december 24, 1979 february 15, 1989 9 years, 1 month, 3 weeks and 1 day location afghanistan result mujahideen victory soviet failure to quell the afghan mujahideen insurgency geneva accord 1988 withdrawal of soviet forces from. Another source puts soviet dead between,833 and 26,000 killed total. Anyway i remember the soviets lost about 300 aircraft mostly helicopters, the troop losses. Soviet said to hold 10% of afghanistan the new york.
Soviet soldiers direct tank traffic outside kabul on january 7, 1980. The 10year intervention cost around 15,000 soviet lives, a huge number compared. Despite heavy operational responsibilities and danger, he managed to take artful photographs which capture the stark landscape, friendly and unfriendly afghans and the men of his platoon in action and in repose. Soviet t62m main battle tank withdraws from afghanistan. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. The soviets lost 118 jets, 333 helicopters, 147 tanks, 14. This conflict illustrates several lessons which the marine corps should study. As more and more soviet soldiers were being killed or wounded as the war dragged on, mikhail gorbachev would refer to the soviet war in afghanistan as a bleeding wound. The ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to. Soviet t62 tank guarding a convoy in a mountain pass. On average 11,000 small arms, 68 tanks, and 30 aircraft were lost each day. Next, we outline the role of the afghanistan war in the breakdown of the soviet union and provide evidence in support of our contention. Best iraq and afghanistan war books some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan.
Afghans stand around the canopy of a downed soviet jet in 1984. On december 24, 1973, stephenie meyer, author of the twilight novels. Soviet occupation troops in afghanistan control no more than 10 percent of the country and are limited mainly to searchanddestroy operations from isolated strongholds and outposts, according to. 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. T26 model 1933 tank with radio at the central museum of the great patriotic war 1941 194, park pobedy, moscow, russia t26 tank captured by the finnish and painted in their markings not german markings ww2 soviet tanks poster.
The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. The soviet 10th tank division of the 15th mechanized corps alone had 63 kvs and 38 t34s, according to glantzs book the initial period of war on the eastern front. War presidents new york, times booksrandom house, 1995. In afghanistan, the taliban, according to the press, were destroyed with ease. There were 79 combined arms army headquarters created during the second world war, with 16 permanently disbanded during the war, and over 20 converted to other army, front or military district headquarters. Soldiers upon completion of their service in afghanistan in kabul. Origins of soviet interest in afghanistan 3 the socialist king, amanullah khan 19191929 10 conclusion 17 growing soviet involvement, 19451979 19 soviet influence grows 19 soviet and us objectives in the postwar decades 27 the people s democratic party of afghanistan the afghan communist party 30 the communists come to power 37. The other crewman, yuri moscowchuk, was captured, becoming the first soviet air force pilot to be a prisoner of war. In late december 1979, the soviet union invaded afghanistan.
Some soviet soldiers held captive during the war in afghanistan over 3 decades ago. Most people inside the soviet union did not support this war. Soviet mi8 hip helicopters in afghanistan preparing for a mission. Afghan force counts losses after ambush stalls its drive. Putins russia is repackaging that defeat as a patriotic victory. Part of the cold war, it was fought between soviet led afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen.
List of soviet aircraft losses during the sovietafghan war. Summary the air war in afghanistan has provided us with a good look at soviet war fighting methods and capabilities. Russian soldiers start a second life in afghanistan. This book will inform the readers on every aspect of soviet operations inside afghanistan, from logistical and medical issues, to largescale motorized infantry tactics. The soviet unions last war has all that information in a paragraph in the introduction. As a result, the outnumbered german defenders killed, wounded, or captured 500,000 soviet soldiers in less than a month, while. Tanks in afghanistan army tanks, tank history, tank battles. The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. Starting with the saur revolution military coup, an almost continuous series of armed conflicts has dominated and afflicted afghanistan.
The soviet armed forces were manned through conscription, which had been reduced in 1967 from three to two years with remaining 3 years service in naval forces. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the soviet afghan friendship treaty of 1978. Thirty years on, soviet war in afghanistan continues to divide russia. As russia prepares to mark fridays anniversary of the soviet withdrawal, many see the 10year soviet war in afghanistan as a necessary and.
Fighters of the muslim force that has swept across afghanistan counted their losses today after an ambush on a garrison in the mountains north of kabul that seemed likely to stall their drive on. The battles of zhawar were fought during the sovietafghan war between soviet army units. World war ii casualties of the soviet union wikipedia. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 68 short tons almost 62 metric tons, it introduced several innovative features, including a multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated chobham composite armor, a computer. In early 1987 a cia report estimated that, from 1979 to 1986, the soviet military spent 18 billion rubles on the war in afghanistan not counting other costs incurred to the soviet state such as economic and military aid to the dra. Germany and russia fought historys largest tank battle. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as. 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. Also lacking was more detail on the mujahideen perspective on the war. They can still be found, rusting, all over the afghan countryside. Soviet casualties and combat losses in the twentieth century 9781853672804 by krivosheev, colonelgeneral g. Consider to support the channel of patreon and gain cool stuff. Ghost wars relays the trials and tribulations that befell the cia spanning the years from the soviet invasion of afghanistan and the bombing of the american embassy in islamabad, pakistan in 1979, straight through to the assassination of ahmed shah massoud, the courageous tajik guerrilla leader and leader of the anti soviet and antitaliban.
Existing explanations of the soviet unions breakdown. Bradsher, henry, afghanistan and the soviet union, 2nd ed. As midnight approached, the soviets organized a massive military airlift into kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost 8,500 men each. May 26, 1988 the soviet union, ending a long silence about the exact number of its casualties in the war in afghanistan, said today that,310 soldiers had been killed, 35,478 wounded and 311 are missing.
When the soviets withdrew, they left tanks behind in afghanistan. Either grau bear went over the mountain or galeotti afghanistan. When introduced in 1940, the t34 had an unprecedented balance of firepower, mobility, protection and ruggedness. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. The soviet army was driven from afghanistan 30 years ago. The insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, 9 as well as weapons and billions of dollars from the united states, united.
In total, at least 333 helicopters and 118 jets crashed during the war. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by. Afghan firefighters carry the body of a young girl killed in a powerful bomb. May 08, 2019 american casualties in iraq and afghanistan. Losses during strategic operations accounted for 61.
Soviet casualties and combat losses in the twentieth. The difficulty is that while there isnt much difference in speed between the light t 60 tank and the medium t 34 tank on the roads, when moving across country, the light tanks are quickly left behind. The guerrilla mastery of the roads strangled the soviet efforts. Moscow ap when the last soviet tanks rumbled back home across a bridge on the border with afghanistan 30 years ago, the withdrawal was hailed as a muchanticipated end to a bloody quagmire. Jun 11, 2011 posts about soviet casualties in afghanistan written by padresteve. Krivosheev, the frightful tally and stupendous scale of soviet arms is. May 10, 2019 soviet helicopter pilots in afghanistan. Estimates for soviet losses in the second world war range from 7 million to over 43 million. The t34, a soviet medium tank, had a profound effect on the conflict on the eastern front in the second world war, and had a lasting impact on tank design. The mujahideen claimed to have destroyed 24 helicopters and 2 jets, and captured 530 prisoners, for a loss of 281 killed and 363 injured.
An emotional mother embraces her son, a soviet soldier who has just crossed the soviet afghan border in termez, during the withdrawal of soviet army from afghanistan, on. Since then, moscows view of the war has changed radically. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the. This comprehensive technical reference book details soviet casualties and losses in wars, military actions and conflicts throughout the twentieth century from the 1918 civil war to afghanistan. Sep 01, 2015 some soviet soldiers held captive during the war in afghanistan over 3 decades ago. As russia prepares to mark fridays anniversary of the soviet withdrawal, many see the 10year soviet war in afghanistan. Sovietafghan war tanks, vehicles, and artillery 1979 1989. The soviet era armour the iraqi army has been using in alanbar has also suffered losses, including mtlb multipurpose armoured vehicles, a bmp1, and t55 tanks. Soviet air confrontations with pakistan air force during soviet afghan war.
Likewise, the soviet kept about 3,000 tanks in the far east through much of the war. The last soviet tanks cross a bridge on the border between. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011, describes the lessons learned after ten years of war in afghanistan. When the last soviet tanks rumbled back home across a bridge on the border with afghanistan 30 years ago, the withdrawal was hailed as a muchanticipated end to a bloody quagmire. Understanding that the soviet unions troublesome economic and international situation was complicated by its involvement in the afghan war, gorbachev had decided to seek a withdrawal from afghanistan and had won the support of the politburo to do so by october 1985. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989.
The data comes from thousands of separate documents and reports from different archives, examined and compared over a number of years by an expert team of historians in moscow, whose aim is to shed. Kalinovskys study of the soviet withdrawal from afghanistan is impressively researched and wholly convincing. The soviet union entered neighboring afghanistan in attempting to shore up the newlyestablished pro soviet regime in kabul. The soviet afghan war began in 1979 and ended in 1989. The data comes from thousands of separate documents and reports from different archives, examined and compared over a number of years by an expert team of historians in moscow, whose aim is to shed light on contradictory and often arbitrary claims about the war losses of russia and the soviet union. 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. The data comes from thousands of separate documents and reports from different archives, examined and compared over a number of years by an expert team of historians in. Apache near howzemadad, kandahar, afghanistan for op spinarwa. In february 1989, after more than nine years of fighting, the soviet union withdrew from afghanistan. Too many tanks that got stuck in the mountains, and not enough modern weaponry. The signal failure of soviet policy in afghanistan is moscows inability to create an afghan government with any. When doing my essay i took both books out of the university library, i cant remember which one it was i think it was grau. Matthew johnson for russiainsider american casualty statistics for its war in afghanistan and iraq are false. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war.
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