PDF The Soviet-Afghan War 1979-89 (Essential Histories) by Gregory Barnes in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. As much of a history of Afghanistan as coverage of the warBy WryGuy2This book; "The Soviet-Afghan War 1979-89"; by Gregory Fermont-Barnes; is an entry in Osprey Publishing's Essential History Series. To quote from Osprey's web page; "Each Essential Histories book studies the origins; politics; fighting and repercussions of one major war or theatre of war; from both military and civilian perspectives ... Featuring full colour maps; diagrams and photography throughout; each book in Osprey's Essential Histories series also includes pictures of contemporary artwork and artifacts; providing a full visual appreciation what it was like to live through each war." Including the index; the book is 96 pages cover to cover (not 80 pages as listed in the product description above).As suggested by Osprey's summary; the book is more of a high level overview of the Afghanistan and the Soviet -Afghan conflict than a pure coverage of the war. The author begins with a discussion of the genesis of Russian/Soviet-Afghan relations (primarily beginning in the 1800's); discusses the warring sides; and covers the outbreak of the conflict and the fighting itself. He then shifts to following one Soviet soldier's story for a chapter; provides a look into how the typical Afghani lived; and discusses the experience of a western journalist who rode with the mujahedeen on two expeditions in 1985. He then explains how the war ended; and offers some analysis of the war and conclusions. I'll admit that I was expecting more detailed coverage of the Soviet campaigns and various battles when I purchased the book. Most of the depictions are either broad overviews or notional examples of how each side would conduct operation. This is partly understandable given how there were no defined "fronts" as there were in say; World War II; and a large part of the problems the Soviets faced arose because they couldn't force the mujahedeen to fight a convention war.Overall; this is a good; erudite book that gives you the background into how the war came about; why the war was fought the way it was (in large part because of the different cultures and expectations for each side); and what the ramifications of the war were. Four stars.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Excellent book on an obscure war with far-reaching consequencesBy Carl W.This book; the latest in Osprey's Essential Histories' series; deals with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the waning days of the the Soviet Union (yes; the invasion that led the U.S. to pull out of the Moscow Olympics). The book is well illustrated with maps and photos; and has much useful detail on this obscure conflict; which began the chain of events that led to the United States also being drawn into Afghanistan in 2001. In that war; the Soviet Union was backing a pro-Soviet government that had overthrown its predecessor; against a Muslim insurgency that came to be heavily backed by the U.S.; ironic in light of the current posture of the U.S. there. The author's analysis of the conflict is sound; and highlights the difficulty of putting down an Afghan insurgency even by one of the strongest military forces in the world; as well as the many mistakes the Russians made.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent overview of the USSR's "Vietnam"By Stone DogThis is an excellent overview of the Soviet conflict in Afghanistan that has been compared to America's experience in Vietnam. I feel the author did a good job of creating a cogent chronicle of the conflict from many points of view. The author covers a number of aspects of the war quite well.The author spends a little time on the past invasions of Afghanistan but brings the reader quickly to the fateful events that brought a superpower into the mountainous land of the Afghans. The reader quickly notices that the USSR did not dictate events but was constantly reacting to what was going on internally on the Afghan political scene.The USSR moved quickly and decisively into their neighbor to the south with what seemed to them to be massive force sufficient for the task. Throughout the conflict; the Soviets overestimated their own abilities and underestimated those of the mujahadin and with forces too few for the task and often the wrong weapons. They were a mechanized army optimized for war in central europe; not for fighting a guerrilla war in mountains. Gregory Freemont-Barnes introduces the reader to the rural Afghan who is tough; self-reliant and fiercely Islamic and one can hardly think of a worse place and an even worse people for the atheist; Marxist USSR to attempt to subdue.We get a sense of the geography of the land and how it affected combat. The reader gets a sense of the kind of war the mujahadin fought as well as the downside of their lack of a "united front". It's fairly obvious the Soviets lasted as long as they did because of the fracturous nature of the opponents. On the other hand; we read about how lightly they were armed and poorly they were supplied and yet how highly motivated they were as "fighters of God".Lastly; I liked that the book contains first-hand accounts in the form of the words of Pvt. Vladislav Tamarov as well as American journalist Arthur Bonner. The book contains numerous passages from the journals of these men and others. It's valuable to get a sense of what it was like by those who were there.If you're looking for a good overview of the conflict; this would be a good choice. It contains good maps as well as excellent photos and artwork as one would expect from Osprey. I give this Osprey title five stars.