Quote:
Originally Posted by Draq
I'm not sure if this has been brought up before, but is the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan mentioned or addressed anywhere in v1? In RL it is often referred to as the soviets Vietnam, only hastening the decline of the union. When v1 was first written, the Russians were still there. And in v1 the Soviet and Warsaw pact don't seem to be on as much of an economic decline as opposed to RL, so would we presume they won Afghanistan, and did the us/allies give any aid to the mujahadeen as per RL? And what other ventures abroad would they be engaged in to keep the economy afloat? For example the ussr and China were competing alot in Africa trying to win aid contracts, and starting proxy wars.
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As far as I am aware only two sourcebooks mention Afghanistan.
RDF Sourcebook
As the Soviet government became increasingly preoccupied with a rapidly modernizing China, their influence in the Middle East slowly waned. The war in Afghanistan dragged on interminably. Despite a steady influx of men and materiel, the Soviets were no closer to a solution than they were twelve years earlier. The gains that Moscow had made in the Middle East in the 1970's became increasingly difficult to maintain.
GENERAL MAJOR NIKITA KURDAKHOV: After an incident with the Finns in June of 1980, Kurdakhov was sent to Afghanistan. There, he and his KGB Border Guard Mobile Group, garnered a reputation for aggressiveness and brutality. Kurdakhov became involved in drug smuggling. He blackmailed his way into his next promotion. He left Afghanistan in 1985 for a tour of duty in the Border Guards Directorate at KGB Headquarters in Moscow.
Soviet Combat Vehicle Handbook: 1st Edition
15th Tank Division: A Category I Division from Afghanistan, where it was involved against partisans, the 15th was provided as a stiffener for the 40th Army and sent into action in early 1997 in north-eastern Iran.
54th Motorized Rifle Division: A Category III division stationed in Afghanistan at the start of the war, the 54th was ordered into Iran in late 1997 to shore up the crumbling Soviet position.
66th Motorized Rifle Division: A Category III division, the 66th was on duty in Afghanistan when it was called to form part of the 40th Army for the campaign against Iran.
80th Motorized Rifle Division: A Category III division on duty in Afghanistan when the war broke out, the 80th remained in occupation in Afghanistan. In mid-1998 it was sent to Ashkhabad in Turkestan.
201st Motorized Rifle Division: A Category III division stationed in Afghanistan when the war started, the 201st was sent to north-western Iran as an anti-partisan unit in early 1998.
346th Motorized Rifle Division: A pre-war Category I stationed in Afghanistan, the 346th was used to form the nucleus of the 1st Army and sent to Iran in August 1997.
360th Motorized Rifle Division: A Category III division on duty in Afghanistan along with 66th MRD, the 360th helped form the 40th Army.
103rd Guards Air Assault Division: A Category I division stationed in Afghanistan, the 103rd was sent to Iran in early 1997.
There are no references to any of these divisions serving in Afghanistan in the 2nd edition of the Soviet Combat Vehicle Handbook.