The Bear Went Over the Mountain

Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan

Translated and Edited by Lester W. Grau,

Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Introduction by David M. Glantz, Former Director,

Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Graphics and maps by Stephan K. Stewman and Martin E. Wiesiolek,

Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Originally published by National Defense University Press, 1996

This edition published by Tales End Press, 2012

ISBN 978-1-62358-050-6

eBook Notes

The footnotes in this ebook edition have been moved to the end of each chapter, with links to and from the main text. The glossary, list of tactical map symbols and the overview maps of Afghanistan are very helpful when studying each of the tactical situations.

We love to get feedback and suggestions – just email feedback@talesendpress.com, or leave a comment on our book blog at www.talesendpress.com

The Bear Went Over the Mountain. Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan _1.jpg

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Preface

Frunze Comments

Frunze Foreword

Chapter 1: Blocking and Destroying Guerrilla Bands

1. An airborne battalion searches Sherkhankhel village

2. Searching a populated area in the Charikar Valley

3. Blocking and destroying a guerrilla band in Kunar Province

4. Combing the city of Bamian and its outlying towns during the course of a raid

5. Blocking and searching the green zone of the Arghandab River

6. Blocking, searching for and destroying a guerrilla force in Ishkamesh region

7. Sweeping a green zone in Helmand Province

8. Sweeping villages with Afghani and Soviet subunits

9. Sweeping a potential ambush area

10. Blocking, sweeping and destroying the

mujahideen

in the Varduj Valley.

11. Sequential blocking and sweeping of a mountain valley near Anushella

12. Blocking and sweeping an inhabited region

13. Blocking the enemy in an area of villages and then destroying them during the sweep

Chapter 2: The Offensive in Populated Areas and Mountains

14. Assault on the outskirts of Herat

15. The actions of a MRB as a raiding detachment

16. Assaulting Xadighar Canyon and seizing weapons and ammunition caches

17. An airborne battalion seizes the Satukandav Pass

18. Storming Spinakalacha village

19. A motorized rifle battalion offensive at night in the mountains of the Andarab Canyon

Chapter 3: The Application of Tactical Air Assaults

20. Tactical air assaults in Nangarhar and Laghman Provinces

21. An air assault in the area of Rumbasi village

22. Air-assaulting and blocking the enemy in the Lar-Mandikul’ Valley

23. Destruction of a guerrilla force by a tactical air assault into Lowgar Province

24. Seizing and holding a

mujahideen

training center with a tactical air assault

25. An airborne battalion lands in Islam-Dara Canyon and seals it off

26. Conducting a tactical air assault in the “Melava” fortified region

Chapter 4: Defense and Outpost Security

27. A motorized rifle platoon defends outside Jurm village

28. Organizing a security outpost in the suburbs of Kabul

29. Repelling a raid on a security post

30. A mobile security patrol in combat near the village of Chandaran

31. A mobile security patrol destroys a guerrilla force in Khinjan Canyon

32. Repelling a mujahideen attack on a security detachment in the Panjsher valley

33. Securing a base camp

34. LOC security

Chapter 5: March and Convoy Escort

35. Escorting a truck convoy from Kabul to Gazni

36. An air assault company escorts a convoy in Kunduz Province

37. Convoy escort and combat in the village of Daulatabad

38. Convoy escort and battle near Maliykhel’

Chapter 6: Conducting Ambushes

39. A reinforced MRC conducts an ambush in Kandahar Province

40. An airborne group ambushes a bridge site

41. A MRP conducts an ambush in the area of Aibak

42. A MRC conducts an ambush in the Loy-Karez region

43. An airborne platoon conducts an ambush in Helmand Province

44. A reinforced reconnaissance platoon conducts an ambush northwest of Surubi

45. Conducting ambushes on the basis of radio intercept data in the area of Khanabad

46. A reinforced motorized rifle company conducts an ambush to the northwest of Jalalabad

47. A recon platoon conducts an ambush in enemy-controlled territory

48. A reinforced recon company conducts an ambush west of Bagram

49. Conducting an ambush on the Yakpay Mountain Pass

Chapter 7: And in Conclusion

Glossary

About the authors

Map symbols

Maps of Afghanistan

Foreword

When the Soviet Union decided to invade Afghanistan, they evaluated their chances for success upon their experiences in East Germany, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately for their soldiers, as well as the people of Afghanistan, they ignored not only the experiences of the British in the same region, but also their own experience with the Basmachi resistance fighters in Central Asia from 1918–1933. Consequently, in Afghanistan the Soviet army found its tactics inadequate to meet the challenges posed by the difficult terrain and the highly motivated mujahideen freedom fighters.

To capture the lessons their tactical leaders learned in Afghanistan and to explain the change in tactics that followed, the Frunze Military Academy compiled this book for their command and general staff combat arms officers. The lessons are valuable not just for Russian officers, but for the tactical training of platoon, company and battalion leaders of any nation likely to engage in conflicts involving civil war, guerrilla forces and rough terrain. This is a book dealing with the starkest features of the unforgiving landscape of tactical combat: casualties and death, adaptation, and survival.


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