1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910650287803321

Autore

Braithwaite Rodric <1932->

Titolo

Afgantsy [[electronic resource] ] : the Russians in Afghanistan, 1979-89 / / Rodric Braithwaite

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Oxford ; ; New York, : Oxford University Press, 2011

ISBN

0-19-991151-7

1-283-23229-4

9786613232298

0-19-983266-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (448 p.)

Disciplina

958.1045

Soggetti

Soviets (People) - Afghanistan - History

Russians - Afghanistan - History - 20th century

Soldiers - Afghanistan - History - 20th century

Soldiers - Soviet Union - History

Afghanistan History Soviet occupation, 1979-1989

Afghanistan History Soviet occupation, 1979-1989 Social aspects

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

"First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Profile Books"--T.p. verso.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Prologue -- pt. 1. The road to Kabul: Paradise lost ; The tragedy begins ; The decision to intervene ; The storming of the palace ; Aftermath -- pt. 2. The disasters of war: The 40th Army goes to war ; The nationbuilders ; Soldiering ; Fighting ; Devastation and disillusion -- pt. 3. The long goodbye: Going home ; The road to the bridge ; The war continues ; A land fit for heroes -- Epilogue : the reckoning -- Annex 1 : timeline -- Annex 2 : order of battle of the 40th Army -- Annex 3 : the Alliance of Seven and its leaders -- Annex 4 : Indo-China, Vietnam, Algeria, Afghanistan : a comparison.

Sommario/riassunto

The story of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan is well known: the expansionist Communists overwhelmed a poor country as a means of reaching a warm-water port on the Persian Gulf. Afghan mujahideen upset their plans, holding on with little more than natural fighting skills, until CIA agents came to the rescue with American arms.



Humiliated in battle, the Soviets hastily retreated. It's a great story, writes Rodric Braithwaite. But it never happened. The Russian conscripts suffered badly from mismanagement and strategic errors, but they were never defeated on the battlefield, and withdrew in