The truth was only soviet forces that could effectively fight were spetsnaz, vdv airborne, some guards tank or motorised infantry units. Since the collapse of the ussr, polish scholars have been able to do research in the soviet archives on polish losses during the soviet occupation. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as. Hitler has moments of sanity page 5 spacebattles forums. List of military equipment used by mujahideen during. In addition to stipulations of nonaggression, the treaty included a secret protocol that divided territories of romania, poland, lithuania, latvia, estonia, and finland into german and soviet union spheres of influence, anticipating potential territorial and political rearrangements of these countries. The soviet invasion of afghanistan was the ussrs vietnam. 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. Jun 11, 2011 posts about soviet casualties in afghanistan written by padresteve. 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. Losses during strategic operations accounted for 61.
Boris yeltsin in 1991 gave the world more than the memorable. Engagement ranges were in general quite long, which degraded the performance of many laws such as the rpg7 although i did once see a video of a milan atgm taking out a soviet tank. Nine american tanks were now bearing down on the iraqi positions, destroying enemy t72s and armored vehicles. Ussr red army tanks graveyard, east of kabul, afghanistan. Pdf soviet t 54 main battle tank download full pdf book. May 01, 2015 the ussrs role in the defeat of nazi germany world war two is seen as the nations most glorious moment. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union rafael reuveny and aseem prakash1 abstract.
Only a fraction of the soviet army went to afghanistan, only those assigned to 40th army. The vickers 6ton had no customers when it was first released, in 1931. Aug 04, 2014 the soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989. The soviet forces supported the army of the democratic republic of afghanistan which numbered at their peak on average between 120,000150,000 soldiers. Soviet casualties and combat losses in the twentieth century.
Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a neat, surgical intervention to. This unstoppable artillery bombardment doomed nazi berlin. To what degree can the soviet losses in 1941 attributed to. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan. Perhaps no other conflicts of the period captured the worlds imagination as did the numerous wars in the middle east, which saw some of the largest tank battles in history and proved useful laboratories concerning the design. Jun 20, 2017 the red army suffered heavy losses during operation barbarossa, but it also inflicted heavy losses on the wehrmacht. The soviet afghanistan war was basically a long, low intensity conflict mainly fought by infantry units. However, this wellbalanced, modern and relatively cheap tank immediately drew the attention of soviet officers, who felt the need to keep in touch with western. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011, describes the lessons learned after ten years of war in afghanistan. From 1979 to 1989 a million soviet troops engaged in a devastating war in afghanistan that claimed 50,000 casualties and the youth and humanity of many tens of thousands more. Those two numbers together are comparable to soviet loss totals, which included anything destroyed or not yet repaired as of the time a loss report is written, it does not say that soviet afv losses are all permanent. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of world war ii.
The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. 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. Soviet t62 tank guarding a convoy in a mountain pass. 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. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Soviet interest in afghanistan dates back many years, and russian involvement even longer. The soviet t26 was the illegitimate offspring of the successful vickers mark e export light tank.
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. The mujahideen claimed to have destroyed 24 helicopters and 2 jets, and captured 530 prisoners, for a loss of 281 killed and 363 injured. In the middle of the last century, this rugged, mountainous country was the scene of much of. The russianukrainian film the 9th company, for example, became a blockbuster in the former ussr earning millions of dollars and also representing a new trend in russia in which some domestic films are drawing russian audiences away from hollywood. Soviet losses in korea amounted to 299 men mostly pilots. This story is based on a battle that occurred in afghanistan in 1985 and resulted in a soviet victory. Soviet victory, panzerjagerabteilung 46 completely destroyed last battle of pohorje battalion. Re soviet losses in afghanistan my bold in all quotes iaw graus various works, a quick capsule. The founding fathers, liberty and the struggle for independence casemate, 20. Soviet equipment losses included 118 jets, 333 helicopters, 147.
Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. Cold war soviet airborne vehicles archives tank encyclopedia. Mar 11, 2020 the taliban was formed in the early 1990s by an afghan faction of mujahideen, islamic fighters who had resisted the soviet occupation of afghanistan 197989 with the covert backing of the u. The last great tank battle was a slugfest of epic proportions. This book was quite dry on the one hand, and on the other was a pretty candid look at the soviet efforts in afghanistan. Mar 16, 2015 the figures for military losses including as many as 4 million soviet prisoners of war, who either died in captivity or were murdered on their return to the soviet union tend to be more consistent, at just over 8. The soviet union signed a nonaggression pact with nazi germany on 23 august 1939. Andrzej paczkowski puts the number of polish deaths at 90,000100,000 of the 1. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic.
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. Those that deployed, their service and duties varied. Friends of padre steves world i welcome comments, even those which disagree with my positions and articles. Soviet mi8 hip helicopters in afghanistan preparing for a mission. Tank units had set up positions all around the capital city. This book also covers tank battles near kielce, poland in january 1945 where xxiv panzer korps 16th panzer division, 17th panzer division, 20th panzergrenadier division, 424th schwerepanzerabteilung was engaged in an engagement lasting three days against forces of the soviet 4th guards tank army. List of soviet aircraft losses during the sovietafghan war.
Media in category soviet army in afghanistan the following 79 files are in this category, out of 79 total. While the actual document has not been declassified, national security decision directive 166 of 27 march 1985, us policy, programs and strategy in afghanistan defined a us policy of using established the us goal of driving soviet forces from afghanistan by all means available, including the provision of stinger missiles. The t34 was a soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. The soviet had 144,000 officers in 1937 and 282,300 in 1939. Lion of babylon tank, t62, t72 operators and variants, type 6979. Operational history includes the angolan war from the 1980s, ogaden war in somaliland 1975, with cuban bmds, afghanistan many losses by mines and rpgs, with the 103rd guards airborne division and 345th separate parachute regiment, and the 56th air assault brigade seizing critical points at the outbreak of the war.
The level of detail about how raids were conducted to what kind of canned rations were provided the soldiers offers a pretty realistic look at the way wars are. V panther tank at the battle of kursk hardcover book. Operation bagration also ensured that the former soviet republics, from the baltic sea to the crimea, would return to the communist fold. The breakdown of the soviet union surprised most scholars of international relations, comparative politics, and soviet politics. Many weapons were also captured from soviet or dra forces. 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 soviet and dra losses remain uncertain, but were presumably heavy. Mar 17, 2015 following the soviet unions direct intervention into afghanistan in december 1979, the war escalated rapidly, culminating in large battles involving massive use of tactical aircraft.
Tank units of the western front were equipped with 298 t26 tanks on 1 october 1941, equivalent to 62% of total tank forces. Tanks in afghanistan army tanks, tank history, tank. The following is a partial and unofficial list of helicopter and airplane crashes that occurred during the soviet afghan war of 197989. The ussrs role in the defeat of nazi germany world war two is seen as the nations most glorious moment. 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. Kalinovsky has provided the only comprehensive and uptodate discussion of the process leading to the soviet withdrawal from afghanistan. The t62 is a soviet main battle tank, a further development of the t55. Russian soldiers start a second life in afghanistan. Soviets put a brutal end to hungarian revolution history.
The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. 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. Its retreat is an epochal event, the culmination of an american policy begun under jimmy carter and. The pictures are clear and the supporting text provided, factual. Despite high losses, t26 tanks still formed a significant part of the red armys armoured forces in autumn 1941 many tanks arrived from inner military districts central asia, ural, siberia, partially from the far east. Summary the air war in afghanistan has provided us with a good look at soviet war fighting methods and capabilities. By 1941, 100,000 new officers were coming into the soviet army each year and those were receiving military education and better fitted to command troops in modern war. The sovietafghan war had an important impact in popular culture in the west, due to its scope, and the great number of countries involved. By the end, just six men and one antitank gun were still combatready, but eventually their ammunition ran out and their position was overrun by the soviet army. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. The soviet union supported the government while the rebels found support from a variety of sources including the. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a. By the middle of 1980, an entire tank regiment had been recalled to the soviet union because it was deemed useless.
In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col. Soviet equipment losses included 118 jets, 333 helicopters, 147 tanks, 14 armored personnel carriers, 433 artillery pieces or mortars, 18 communications or cp vehicles, 510 engineering vehicles and 11,369. But soviet tanks are still respected and still serve in other 26. On average 11,000 small arms, 68 tanks, and 30 aircraft were lost each day. In february 1989, after more than nine years of fighting, the soviet union withdrew from afghanistan. German armour lost on the western front is an excellent pictograph reference book covering german losses during the second world war. The unusual difficulty of tracking russias dead in ukraine. The battle of kursk occurred in july 1943 around the soviet city of kursk in western russia, as germany launched operation citadel, hitlers response to. Jul 06, 2015 russian soldiers start a second life in afghanistan. Following the soviet unions direct intervention into afghanistan in december 1979, the war escalated rapidly, culminating in large battles involving massive use of tactical aircraft. The story of how the marines ended up with the diesel engine variant of the sherman tank is well documented in ken estes book marines under armor pages 5558. Afghanistan is russias vietnam possibly with even greater consequences for the soviet union. Sovietafghan war tanks, vehicles, and artillery 1979 1989. Under the leadership of gorbachev, the soviet union attempted to consolidate the pdpas hold over power in the country, first in a genuine effort to stabilize the country, and then as.
Existing explanations attribute the breakdown of the soviet union to the reformist leadership of gorbachev, andor. Political wars tend to end badly, and its felt by the soldiers, who put up with the crap for years. For a long time the soviet war information had been far from true,full of propagannda,almost useless for analytical study. The soviet union feared the loss of its communist proxy in afghanistan. Planning for the withdrawal of the soviet union ussr from the afghanistan war began soon after mikhail gorbachev became the general secretary of the central committee of the communist party of the soviet union. 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. In so doing, it set the stage for soviet domination of much of eastern europe for the next 40 years. Oct 27, 2015 the unusual difficulty of tracking russias dead in ukraine and syria a prorussian separatist tank drives past locals on a road in aleksandrovsk town, near luhansk, ukraine, on oct.
Afghans stand around the canopy of a downed soviet jet in 1984. When the soviet army withdrew, hundreds were left behind. There are a total of 67 ww2 soviet tanks 19391945 in the military factory. The korean war, which spanned the years 1950 to 1953, claimed millions of lives, involved over a dozen nations, and nearly led to a third world war. I highly recommend this book to any historical buffs or modeling fans who are interested in wrecked and abandoned vehicles.
In zinky boys journalist svetlana alexievich gives voice to the tragic history of the afghanistan war. The guerrilla mastery of the roads strangled the soviet efforts. As mcmaster described it in his first summary of the battle. There are a total of sovietafghan war tanks, vehicles, and artillery 1979 1989 in the military factory.
The following is a partial and unofficial list of helicopter and airplane crashes that occurred during the sovietafghan war of 197989. This magisterial study of the soviet nightmare in afghanistan is a lesson to us all, says sherard cowpercoles. Limited contingent of soviet forces in afghanistan. Russian tanks are on display outside ahmad shah massouds memorial site in the panjshir province, afghanistan on jan. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. The neardecadelong war saw the soviet military fail to put down the mujahideen insurgency leading to a global military embarrassment for the occupiers. The tank is a remnant of the sovietafghanistan war, 19791989. Hardcover, encyclopedic format 84x10816 205 x 260 mm, high quality coated paper, very rich illustrated.
This conflict illustrates several lessons which the marine corps should study. This list shows military equipment used by the mujahideen during the soviet afghan war. Enemy rounds began falling around the lead tank as the two tank platoons in eagle troop got on line to join the fight. The reflection of the soldiers in this documentary is similar as seen from soldiers from the usa in vietnam towards its closing days. Soviet tank crewmen sometimes abandoned their vehicles.
The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. Once regrouped after the axis invasion of june 1941, the soviet army proved something of an unstoppable force its armored corps becoming the spearhead to victory. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. Wellarmed and wellarmored, its chief shortcoming was the slow rate of fire of the main gun, the consequence of. John antals latest mustread book is 7 leadership lessons of the american revolution. But there is another story of mass rapes by soviet soldiers of german women. 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.
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. Massoud was a local afghan hero and former leader of the northern alliance, who fought the russian during the sovietafghan war in the 1980s. But the biggest problem for the soviet officer was the rapid expansion of the army. Sovietafghan war in popular culture military wiki fandom. Light tank 193141 soviet union around 10,300 built based on the vickers mark e. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the.
When the soviets withdrew, they left tanks behind in afghanistan. The mujahideen obtained weapons from many sources, mostly supplied by the cia during operation cyclone and channeled through pakistan. A sovietdesigned t72 battle tank remains buried in the rocks near marmal, balkh province, afghanistan, june 8, 2012. Thus, over the course of the 1980s, the soviet union spent billions of dollars into the war in afghanistan, and at its peak, more than 100,000 soviet soldiers were fighting in afghanistan.
The summery and point of view of the united states during the 1980s explaining the conflict that lasted over nine years. This clearly written book will be useful not only to historians, but to anyone who wants to understand the ongoing developments in afghanistan and the issues surrounding western disengagement. Jan 30, 2017 in what is sometimes described as the largest artillery bombardment in history, the soviets opened the road to berlin in 1945 at the battle of seelow heights with a massive barrage that saw over 9,000 soviet guns and rockets firing along a front approximately 18. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. Cutting our losses in afghanistan washington examiner. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978. Soviet casualties and combat losses in the twentieth. According to a book written by a former soviet officer. In total, at least 333 helicopters and 118 jets crashed during the war. This book reveals real figures of casuaties and combat losses of the red army through the 20th century showing concrete deta and analysis,in which stand is fair and honest. Is2 tank redesign of the is1 in order to work out problems but also to reduce the weight, improve the armor, provide an improved shape, and simplify production. Grau in preface to the bear went over the mountain hereafter reference a derived from aleksandr lyakhovskiy, tragediya i doblest afghan the tragedy and valor of the afghan veterans, moscow. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords.
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