Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan

260 Pages·2002·3.72 MB·English

The Bear Went

Over the Mountain:

Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan

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

Stephen K. Stewman and Marcin E. Wiesiolek,

Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

National Defense University Press

Washington, D.C. 20319-6000
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Second Printing, August 1996
CONTENTS

Foreword .......................................................................... v

Acknowledgements ....................................................... vi

Introduction ..................................................................vii

Preface .......................................................................... xiii

Frunze Comments ......................................................xxii

Frunze Foreword ..................................................... xxiii

Chapter 1: Blocking and Destroying Guerilla Forces .................... 1

1. An airborne battalion searches Sherkhankhel village.............. 2

2. Searching a populated area in the Charikar Valley................... 5

3. Blocking and destroying a guerrilla force in

Kunar Province ......................................................................... 9

4. Combing the city of Barman and its outlying towns

during the course of a raid ...................................................... 11

5. Blocking and searching the green zone of the

Arghandab River..................................................................... 15

6. Blocking, searching for and destroying a guerrilla force

in Ishkamesh Region .............................................................. 19

7. Sweeping a green zone in Helmand Province......................... 24

8. Sweeping villages with Afghani and Soviet subunits............ 27

9. Sweeping a Potential Ambush Area ....................................... 31

10. Blocking, sweeping and destroying the mujahideen

in the Varduj Valley................................................................ 33

11. Sequential blocking and sweeping of a mountain

valley near Anushella.............................................................. 36

12. Blocking and sweeping an inhabited region ........................... 40

13. Blocking the enemy in an area of villages and then

destroying them during the sweep .......................................... 44

v
Chapter 2: The Offensive in Populated Areas

and Mountains................................................................ 47

14. Assault on the outskirts of Herat............................................. 48

15. The actions of a motorized rifle battalion as a

raiding detachment.................................................................. 53

16. Assaulting Xadighar Canyon and seizing weapons

and ammunition caches........................................................... 56

17. An airborne battalion seizes the Satukandav Pass .................. 60

18. Storming Spinakalacha Village .............................................. 66

19. A motorized rifle battalion offensive at night

in the mountains of the Andarab Canyon .............................. 70

Chapter 3: The Application of Tactical Air Assaults ....................77

20. Tactical air assaults in Nangarhar and

Laghman Provinces................................................................. 78

21. An air assault in the area of Rumbasi village ......................... 85

22. Air assaulting and blocking the enemy in the

Lar-Mandikul' Valley.............................................................. 88

23. Destruction of a guerrilla force by a tactical air assault

into Lowgar Province.............................................................. 89

24. Seizing and holding a mujahideen training center

with a tactical air assault......................................................... 94

25. An airborne battalion lands in Islam-Dara Canyon

and seals it off ........................................................................ 98

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

fortified region ...................................................................... 102

Chapter 4: Defense and Outpost Security.....................................107

27. A motorized rifle platoon defends outside Jurm village....... 108

28. Organizing a security outpost in the suburbs of Kabul ........ 112

29. Repelling a raid on a security post........................................ 115

30. A mobile security patrol in combat near the village

of Chandaran......................................................................... 118

31. A mobile security patrol destroys a guerrilla force in

Khinjan Canyon .................................................................... 121

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32. Repelling a mujahideen attack on a security

detachment in the Panjsher Valley........................................ 124

33. Securing a base camp............................................................ 126

34. LOC Security ........................................................................ 129

Chapter 5: March and Convoy Escort...........................................135

35. Escorting a truck convoy from Kabul to Gazni .................... 136

36. An air assault company escorts a convoy in

Kunduz Province................................................................... 140

37. Convoy escort and combat in the village

of Daulatabad........................................................................ 143

38. Convoy escort and battle near Maliykhel’............................ 147

Chapter 6: Conducting Ambushes ...............................................151

39. A reinforced motorized rifle company conducts an

ambush in Kandahar Province .............................................. 152

40. An airborne group ambushes a bridge site............................ 156

41. A motorized rifle platoon conducts an ambush

in the area of Aibak............................................................... 159

42. A motorized rifle company conducts an ambush

in the Loy-Karez region........................................................ 163

43. An airborne platoon conducts an ambush in

Helmand Province................................................................. 167

44. A reinforced reconnaissance platoon conducts

an ambush northwest of Surubi ............................................ 171

45. Conducting ambushes on the basis of radio

intercept data in the area of Khanabad.................................. 175

46. A reinforced motorized rifle company conducts

an ambush to the northwest of Jalalabad .............................. 180

47. A recon platoon conducts an ambush in

enemy-controlled territory .................................................... 185

48. A reinforced recon company conducts an ambush

west of Bagram ..................................................................... 190

49. Conducting an ambush on the Yakpay Mountain Pass......... 193

vii
Chapter 7: And in Conclusion.........................................................197

Glossary ............................................................................................. 209

About The Authors...........................................................................213

Map Symbols .....................................................................................214

Maps Of Afghanistan........................................................................216

viii
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 dif­
ficult terrain and the highly motivated mujahideen freedom fighters.
To capture the lessons their tactical leaders learned in Afghani­
stan and to explain the change in tactics that followed, the Frunze
Military Academy compiled this book for their command and gen­
eral 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.
Battalion and company commanders, platoon leaders and ser­
geants will find realistic issues within these vignettes to discuss with
squad and team leaders, and with vehicle commanders and drivers.
Basic and Advanced Infantry Officer and NCO courses will find use­
ful applications for both classroom and field instructions. Senior
leaders may find invaluable insights into the dangers and opportuni­
ties tactical units under their command may face in limited wars.
Above all, the lessons in this book should help small unit leaders
understand the need for security, deception, patrols, light and litter
discipline, caution, vigilance, and the ability to seize the initiative in
responding to unpredictable enemy actions and ambushes.
Hans Binnendijk
Director, Institute for National Strategic Studies
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people contributed to this book. Colonel General Fedor M.
Kuzmin, the Commandant of the Frunze Academy, made this book pos­
sible. Other Frunze Academy officers who helped me immensely were
General Major Ivan N. Vorob'ev and Colonel Analtoli Malin. Mary
Fitzgerald of the Hudson Institute suggested the present book layout.
Michael Orr of the United Kingdom's Combat Studies Research Centre
in Sandhurst and Allen Curtis of the National Training Center, Fort
Irwin, California read and commented on the manuscript. Colonel (Ret)
Dave Glantz, the former director of the Foreign Military Studies Office
(FMSO), read and commented on the manuscript and wrote the intro­
duction. My directors, Colonel Tod Milton and Colonel Charles
Johnston, and my co-workers at FMSO, Dr. Graham Turbiville, Colonel
(Ret) Bill Mendel, Dr. Jacob Kipp, LTC (Ret) Tim Thomas, LTC (Ret)
Bill Connor, LTC John Sray, LTC Geoff Demerest, Major Brian Dando,
Major Ray Finch and Major Steve Button read and commented on the
manuscript. Randy Love of FMSO and my good friend Michael Gress
painstakingly checked my translation. Stephen Stewman of FMSO did a
fantastic job on the maps. General Yahya M. Nawroz, former Chief of
Operations of the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense, mujahideen strate­
gist, and interim Minister of Defense, read and corrected my manuscript
and identified and corrected place names. Colonel Ali Ahmad Jalali,
former Afghan Army and mujahideen commander and noted author,
also read and corrected my manuscript and identified and corrected
place names. SPC Marcin Wiesiolek cleaned up and scrubbed the graph­
ics. Peter D. Neufville provided good counsel and direction based on his
experience in Afghanistan and research on the Panjsher operations.
James H. Brusstar and Fred Kiley guided the manuscript through the
acceptance process at National Defense University. Richard Stewart of
the Special Operations Command at Ft. Bragg found additional publica­
tion funds, and Jonathan Pierce of NDU Press did the final edit and
design. Finally, Gina Grau, my bride of 29 wonderful years, helped with
encouragement and understanding. Thank you all for your help. The
mistakes are mine, the product is ours.
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