Spetsnaz had defeated the Mujahidden by the summer of 1986

[KOHTPAKTHuK]

Try this place

www.tridentmilitary.com


some high prices
but some rare items

[hist2004]

To 16 OBr SpN

Я надеюсь Вы, пребывание парней с этим форумом, вашим пониманием и опытом имеет
внесенный много обсуждению. О войне сообщали на западе
с очевидным уклоном. Это была моя надежда убрать некоторые неправильные представления и
представьте неизвестную сторону войне. Америка будет бороться с силами
джихад для большинства из их (читатели этого форума) сроки службы, ли они знают это
или не или хотят верить этому.
Я действительно полагаю, что Вы - вклад и таковые из других российских ветеранов
открыли некоторые "глаза".
Еще раз спасибо,

Regards,
Hist2004

[UkrainianAmerican]

offtopic:
Those are some pretty impressive russian skills, man.
Where did you learn it?

[duck]

At Langley, Virginia?

[16 OBr SpN]

To 16 OBr SpN

Я надеюсь Вы, пребывание парней с этим форумом, вашим пониманием и опытом имеет
внесенный много обсуждению. О войне сообщали на западе
с очевидным уклоном. Это была моя надежда убрать некоторые неправильные представления и
представьте неизвестную сторону войне. Америка будет бороться с силами
джихад для большинства из их (читатели этого форума) сроки службы, ли они знают это
или не или хотят верить этому.
Я действительно полагаю, что Вы - вклад и таковые из других российских ветеранов
открыли некоторые "глаза".
Еще раз спасибо,

Regards,
Hist2004

Спасибо большое!
Откуда у Вас такое хорошее знание русского языка?

I have to tell you that we all learned many things from each other. We learned many things from your experience in Vietnam. You guys learned many things from ours in Afghanistan.

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

[hist2004]

Я имел помощь, я не хотел вызвать больше политические дебаты между читателями этого форума, (Россия против США и т.д.) Мы имеем наши различия конечно, и да обе страны
может учиться друг из друга.

I will follow up the story of Kozlov soon.

Regards & Thanks,
Hist2004

[hist2004]

The maverick Kozlov became a legendary figure among the troops in Afghanistan,
not only for his heroic run, but also for his devil-may-care attitude to life in general. After
this incident, he was nominated for the Hero of the Soviet Union award, which was to be
presented to him in Kabul on May 9, 1980.

Kozlov made his way from the Salang, in dusty khaki drab uniform and scuffed up sapogi, (knee-high boots). Along the way he saw a Soviet field hospital, so he went
in to find the doctors and administrators celebrating Victory Day early, and with
patriotic enthusiasm. They asked the disreputable-looking Kozlov what he wanted,
he told them he wanted to join in the celebrations, with drinks and nurses…the usual.

They immediately kicked him out and summoned the Komandatura (military police)
to take him away. The next day the staff from the hospital were present, with all the
other Soviet military authorities, during the ceremony in Kabul in which Kozlov was
made a Hero of the Soviet Union. The hospital staff told him to come back to the
hospital with them, and have what he wanted the day before.

The Airborne (VDV) Forces bore the brunt of the war more than any other branch of
the Soviet armed forces. Some idea of the VDV’s central combat role in the Afghan
War can be seen from the decorations awarded the troops of the Soviet Army.
A total of fifty Hero of the Soviet Union distinctions were awarded to the Soviet troops.
The VDV paratroopers earned 15 compared to 28 for the Ground Forces, even though
the Ground Forces outnumbered the airborne troops by a factor of at least 7 to 1.

Regards &Thanks,
Hist2004

[RomanS]

Martin Luther King had a dream, it came true

I have a dream that USA and Russia will unite. Do I have to die for it too? Cause I'm ready.

[hist2004]

Question for 16 OBr SpN

I haven't found any reference to Naval Spetsnaz or Naval Infantry/Marines
being deployed during the Soviet-Afghan War. Do you know why they
weren't utilized? Also you have commented on the quality of the Afghan
government forces, but how would you rate the Afghan Spetsnaz. I also
await your follow-up on recon missions.

Если единственный инструмент, который Вы имеете - молоток, рассмотрите все как гвоздь

Regards & Thanks,
Hist2004

[16 OBr SpN]

Question for 16 OBr SpN

I haven't found any reference to Naval Spetsnaz or Naval Infantry/Marines
being deployed during the Soviet-Afghan War. Do you know why they
weren't utilized? Also you have commented on the quality of the Afghan
government forces, but how would you rate the Afghan Spetsnaz. I also
await your follow-up on recon missions.

Если единственный инструмент, который Вы имеете - молоток, рассмотрите все как гвоздь

Regards & Thanks,
Hist2004

Several officers from Naval SpN were sent to Afghanistan, but they were positioned within several units of Army SpN. They had very short tours. There were couple of guys from Naval SpN in our unit. \

As for Afghan Spetsnaz. I wouldn't say they were SpN. There were some units which employed tactics similar to our units. Afghans had the so called "Mobile infantry units". They were comprised of people loyal to then current government, and sympathetic to our troops. But again, for the most part they could not be trusted. There were very few officers whom we could trust. During the first stages of Afghan war, their knowledge of terrain was critical. But later on, we learned the terrain really good. Besides, there were constant reports of them sharing information with the mujahedin.
Some of their units participated in our operations, but we tried not to let them inside our planning process.
From Afghan units, there were two most successful ones: a) operating in Herat; and b) operating in Charikar.

The reason why naval SpN units were not widely utilised was because of their specific nature.

Oops, I have to go...
I'll write more later.

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

[hist2004]

In interdiction, as in other actions throughout Afghanistan, Soviet SOF showed themselves
to be capable of using concealment, camouflage, and tactical maskirovka (deception, OPSEC).
Soviet ambush forces, in many cases composed of SOF, were sometimes inserted in daylight
along roads as Soviet convoys passed. The Soviets would ambush guerrilla convoys running
along these same roads at night (or in daylight), and then be extracted the next day by returning
convoy or helicopter.

Some Soviet SOF operated in Kabul regime uniforms. Guerrillas frequently had local non-aggression
pacts with Kabul regime forces but would detect a Soviet presence. Soviet soldiers had reportedly
dressed as Afghan guerrillas and engaged in “pseudo operations” to discredit the resistance. Afghan
sources also reported that Soviet troopers dressed as shepherds have driven herds of sheep up to
Afghan positions before attacking.

Another way the Soviets gained surprise was by appearing in areas where the resistance thought was
secure, or where no helicopters had been seen or heard. This was done in many cases by using vehicles
to covertly move the ambush forces from the landing zones. Some patrols included the use of armored
vehicles flown into remote ambush positions by helicopters, although this was done most often as part
of interdiction efforts.

Regards & Thanks,
Hist2004

[hist2004]

Forum member ßå$tĮТHÏ¿ð asked 16 OBr SpN about a Spetsnaz article in the Military History and Tactics section.
It takes quite a bit of information from an author named Viktor Suvorov. 16 OBr Spn replied that 80% of Suvorov’s
material is B.S. I agree, and would probably put that percentage even higher. On page 5 of this thread I go into some
detail about the capabilities of the bulk of the spetsnaz soldiers who served in Afghanistan.

I mentioned that there were a number of author’s who came up with some pretty outlandish tales of Spetsnaz’s
capabilities. Viktor Suvorov is at the top of the list. Sovorov’s real name is Vadimir B. Rezun, a former Soviet GRU
Major who defected to the West in the late 1970’s. Until Suvorov began writing his books on the subject, little
attention was paid (publicly at least) to Soviet special forces aside from obvious elite units such as the Soviet
Airborne Divsions (VDV). Certainly, there has always been some appreciation for Soviet partisan warfare and
unconventional tactics, but not for the extensive type of special operations portrayed by Suvorov.

He luridly depicts Spetsnaz as a bunch of highly trained multilingual sportsmen-killers, with a bent for assassination
and other mayhem. He suggested that they would be used in missions to eliminate NATO VIP’s in the event of war,
as well as carrying out more conventional commando-style operations against key NATO facilities. He elevated
Spetsnaz to mythical proportions, aided and abetted by a large number of credulous western writers who just echoed
his exaggerated portrayal.

This type of mythmaking ignores the primary role of such forces, which is deep reconnaissance. Commando-style
sabotage missions are a secondary mission of Spetsnaz. Ii was in Afghanistan that their role was changed to direct
action missions to fit a particular need, in this case interdiction of mujahidden supply caravans.

Selection to become a recruit in the Spetsnaz was a great honor for a conscript soldier, but it amounted to only a
two-year tour of duty. For an officer selection for spetsnaz meant a tough duty assignment with little hope of future
advancement. Spetsnaz was not a stepping-stone within the GRU, since most GRU assignments favored candidates
with strong analytical and administrative skills (like our CIA), or with extensive experience in espionage functions during
foreign assignments.

Spetsnaz officers could hope to become majors or colonels and command one of the Spetsnaz Brigades, but they’re few
prospects beyond that point. (This may have changed in recent years) The Spetsnaz did attract many fine officers
who preferred an adventurous lifestyle over the bureaucratic life of the average Soviet officer. But other services were
a stronger magnet, particularly after Col. General Margelov (who I mentioned earlier in this thread) revived the VDV
In the 1960’s.

The VDV (Airborne) offered significant career opportunities since the force was more than ten times the size of the
Spetsnaz. Under Margelov, the VDV began to be regarded as a prestigious assignment, whereas the Spetsnaz brigades
remained obscure and highly classified until the very end of the Soviet Union, as we knew it.

So if you have read Sovorov’s tales, remember that Spetsnaz, like most of the Soviet armed forces, was a conscript
force. In a Spetsnaz detachment, eighteen of the twenty men were conscripts, and only two were professional (career)
soldiers, 90 percent of Spetsnaz tactical units were made up of eighteen to twenty-year-old conscript soldiers with
only a limited amount (several months) of specialized training.

Regards & Thanks,
Hist2004

[aktarian]

Forum member ßå$tĮТHÏ¿ð asked 16 OBr SpN about a Spetsnaz article in the Military History and Tactics section.
It takes quite a bit of information from an author named Viktor Suvorov. 16 OBr Spn replied that 80% of Suvorov’s
material is B.S. I agree, and would probably put that percentage even higher.

Is this Suvurov of "Icebreaker" (in)fame?

[sergey31]

This is how Soviets were dealing with Mujahadens...
Early morning wake up call..

[hist2004]

To Sergey31,

If you've read my thread from the beginning, you'll see that I agree.

Regards & Thanks,
Hist2004