Russia Defence Forum

Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Military Forum for Russian and Global Defence Issues


+23
KoTeMoRe
Osobist
max steel
nastle77
BlackArrow
marcinko
Inetwarrior
Morpheus Eberhardt
DTA
Battalion0415
Giulio
Werewolf
Cpt Caz
Cyberspec
Viktor
KomissarBojanchev
Pyrrus
George1
Russian Patriot
GarryB
TR1
gloriousfatherland
Mr.Kalishnikov47
27 posters

    Soviet Afghanistan war

    Pyrrus
    Pyrrus


    Posts : 76
    Points : 79
    Join date : 2011-09-20
    Age : 53
    Location : Gloucester, UK

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Pyrrus Tue Oct 23, 2012 7:18 pm

    KomissarBojanchev wrote:If any russophobe would see this he would emmidiately say that this is faulty soviet propaganda that doesnt deserve even a closer look Wink
    Exactly, the thing is many Western examples of weapons are overrated. The success of Stinger was, it was the right weapon for the occasion. It didn't mean Soviet Army had worse one. Stinger was the ideal weapon for a guerilla army, like RPG-7 against tanks before inventing reactive armours. It was ideal because of efficiency and easy way of use - very important factor as for arabic users
    GarryB
    GarryB


    Posts : 38765
    Points : 39261
    Join date : 2010-03-30
    Location : New Zealand

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  GarryB Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:25 am

    The fact that Stinger and Igla are such effective weapons has greatly restricted their sales and deployment... the most amusing thing is that the west likes to criticise the Soviets and Russians for handing out all sorts of weapons to anyone that wanted them, but it was often Western supported "freedom fighters" that got Milan ATGMs and Stingers and sophisticated night vision and communications equipment.

    The myth that the Afghans used the Soviet weapons against them is just that... the vast majority of weapons the Afghans used were Chinese made and supplied by the Pakistani ISI paid for by the CIA. If you look at the photos taken during the war at the start the vast majority of weapons used were 303 bolt action rifles left behind the last time the British tried to invade, and then AKs start appearing, but they are not Russian issue AK-74s but Chinese made AKM knockoffs and also eastern european AKs captured by Israel from Arab armies.
    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:31 pm

    Spetsnaz and VDV

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 16sq2c11


    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 40mi1211


    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 35mi2310

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 108cq10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 129ag10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 131mt10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 136q10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 135x10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 141x10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 142t10
    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:36 pm

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 145gp10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 158j10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 160e10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 162zt10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 163kp10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 179h10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 180y10



    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 171bg10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 172gn10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 178hm10
    TR1
    TR1


    Posts : 5435
    Points : 5433
    Join date : 2011-12-06

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  TR1 Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:42 pm

    Seeing BMP-2D is always infuriating.

    Working armor package, used and acquired en-masse by the military in the 80s, was it anywhere to be seen in Chechnya? Nooooope.

    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:43 pm

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 185k10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 245f10

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 254x11

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 263h11

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 712oh111

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 19046310

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 1677qb11

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 13758510

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 17283310

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 18014910
    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:47 pm

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 27000610

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 30826110

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 37291110

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 39884610

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 44630410

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 77165810
    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 50601410

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 52690510

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 63170410

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 67170610
    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:49 pm

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 80137110

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 80396710

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 89567610

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 93931310

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Evstaf10

    It's funny, some of these men couldn't be any older than 20, but at the same time, many of them look old enough to be my father. Smile
    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:51 pm

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 17283311

    Was it common for the Spetsnaz to travel in such large formations?
    GarryB
    GarryB


    Posts : 38765
    Points : 39261
    Join date : 2010-03-30
    Location : New Zealand

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  GarryB Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:34 am

    They don't look like they are carrying enough equipment to be special forces.

    The second photo where they are wearing caps you can see the blue and white striped T shirts of the VDV.

    Real Spetsnaz units often had odd weapon combinations like night scopes on PKMS or SVDs.

    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Sun Dec 09, 2012 11:22 am

    GarryB wrote:They don't look like they are carrying enough equipment to be special forces.

    The second photo where they are wearing caps you can see the blue and white striped T shirts of the VDV.

    They say that members of the Spetsnaz wore VDV uniforms to blend in. They certainly wouldn't want the Mujahideen to know that there were special forces operating in the area, otherwise they'd make an escape before the Spetsnaz had a chance to eliminate them.

    Of course they could just be VDV. There's really no way to tell for sure.

    Real Spetsnaz units often had odd weapon combinations like night scopes on PKMS or SVDs.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 35mi2311

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 263h12

    Smile

    Anyways, the equipment used depended on the operation.


    KomissarBojanchev
    KomissarBojanchev


    Posts : 1429
    Points : 1584
    Join date : 2012-08-05
    Age : 26
    Location : Varna, Bulgaria

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  KomissarBojanchev Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:43 pm

    Were thermobaric RPGs occasionally used in the war?
    GarryB
    GarryB


    Posts : 38765
    Points : 39261
    Join date : 2010-03-30
    Location : New Zealand

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  GarryB Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:33 am

    They didn't have the thermobaric warheads for the RPGs that they do have now, but they did have the RPO-A thermobaric rocket launcher... very potent.
    Viktor
    Viktor


    Posts : 5796
    Points : 6429
    Join date : 2009-08-25
    Age : 43
    Location : Croatia

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Viktor Mon Dec 10, 2012 4:03 pm

    @Mr.Kalasnjikov

    Great pictures Smile
    GarryB
    GarryB


    Posts : 38765
    Points : 39261
    Join date : 2010-03-30
    Location : New Zealand

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  GarryB Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:06 am

    Great pictures
    x2
    Pyrrus
    Pyrrus


    Posts : 76
    Points : 79
    Join date : 2011-09-20
    Age : 53
    Location : Gloucester, UK

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Pyrrus Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:28 pm

    Garry is right, part of photos are with the soldiers of the well known 345 VDV regiment. Anyway, amazing set of pictures, mate! Thank you
    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:37 pm

    Pyrrus wrote:Garry is right, part of photos are with the soldiers of the well known 345 VDV regiment. Anyway, amazing set of pictures, mate! Thank you

    Thank you Pyrrus, your info is much appreciated.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 254x12

    Would you happen to know who these men belong to? Are they part of the 345th as well?

    Great pictures

    x2

    No problem guys, if I find any more pics like those I'll be sure to post them.
    GarryB
    GarryB


    Posts : 38765
    Points : 39261
    Join date : 2010-03-30
    Location : New Zealand

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  GarryB Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:56 am

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 662rn11


    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 16109410

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 67419210

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 22419010

    These are from a folder on my computer called 66 recon.
    Pyrrus
    Pyrrus


    Posts : 76
    Points : 79
    Join date : 2011-09-20
    Age : 53
    Location : Gloucester, UK

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Pyrrus Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:50 pm

    @Kalishnkov: I can't help you in this matter. Instead I propose some soldiers' songs. Take notice of the pictures included.
    First the song about 345 VDV regiment:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbvNwdN4n2g&list=PL9E054D80E2EA7898&index=31

    about Mi 8 pilots:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Mau_D_JJg&list=PL9E054D80E2EA7898&index=32

    and Kamaz lorries' drivers:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKQEDBedQrI&list=PL9E054D80E2EA7898&index=40

    enjoy! Smile
    Mr.Kalishnikov47
    Mr.Kalishnikov47


    Posts : 293
    Points : 336
    Join date : 2012-02-25
    Age : 35
    Location : U.S.A

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Mr.Kalishnikov47 Wed Dec 19, 2012 2:31 pm

    Thank you for the excellent pictures and music GarryB and Pyrrus.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 16109410

    I've heard many times of the Spetsnaz in Afghanistan disguising themselves as the local populace to aid in their operations, but this is the first time I've actually seen it in action. Very much appreciated!
    GarryB
    GarryB


    Posts : 38765
    Points : 39261
    Join date : 2010-03-30
    Location : New Zealand

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  GarryB Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:37 pm

    Even the Soviets admit it wasn't as effective as it might appear because most muj groups included a range of people from young men to boys and old men, while the special forces units consisted only of young fit men.

    Sometimes a delay in recognition is as good as completely fooling the enemy...
    Cyberspec
    Cyberspec


    Posts : 2904
    Points : 3057
    Join date : 2011-08-08
    Location : Terra Australis

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Cyberspec Sun May 12, 2013 12:49 pm

    Flattering comments about the Soviet Spetznas and Russian Army in general from a famous former Mujahedin commander

    Cpt Caz
    Cpt Caz


    Posts : 86
    Points : 95
    Join date : 2013-09-08

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Cpt Caz Wed Nov 20, 2013 3:36 am

    I think some of you here may find this interesting:

    Guns of the Spetsnaz - Accounts From a Spetsnaz Veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War


    Part One - Rifles: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Guns+o.....-a0243718822

    Part Two - Sniper Rifles: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Guns+o.....-a0247740939

    Part Three - Machine Guns: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Guns+o.....-a0252741284

    Part Four - Pistols: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Guns+o.....-a0255603146
    George1
    George1


    Posts : 18268
    Points : 18765
    Join date : 2011-12-22
    Location : Greece

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  George1 Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:13 am

    A Soviet tank in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion, 1980. Afghan civilians stand in the foreground

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 5i2X9fj


    Troopers of the 5th airborne company 350th airborne regiment on the march, moving aboard their BMPs and BTRs along the Afghani mountain road.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 P0KUnRn


    Soviet troops on the move in Afghanistan, mid-1980s

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 HIshXGZ


    Aftermath in a village located along the Salang Highway, shelled and destroyed during fights between Mujahideen guerrillas and Afghan soldiers in Salang, Afghanistan.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 MsepJmG
    George1
    George1


    Posts : 18268
    Points : 18765
    Join date : 2011-12-22
    Location : Greece

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  George1 Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:21 am

    Two Soviet Army soldiers emerge from an Afghan shop in downtown Kabul on April 24, 1988.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 2c5Vie7


    A Soviet soldier smokes a cigarette at a checkpoint of the Soviet military airport in Kabul on February 10, 1989 as the other one forbids pictures.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 EQZ12qx


    Red Army soldiers stand for review on October 19, 1986, in downtown Kabul during a parade, shortly before they returned to the Soviet Union.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 I2nNZ2e


    Afghanistan's president Mohammed Najibullah (center) smiles as he meets Red Army soldiers on October 19, 1986, in downtown Kabul during a parade.

    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 G2EUtyc

    Sponsored content


    Soviet Afghanistan war - Page 2 Empty Re: Soviet Afghanistan war

    Post  Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 4:38 pm