http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idsvnVZowOA Very good film!
Received it from amazon today. English subtitles
Follows soviet recruits from bootcamp to a battle for a hill in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation.
Def. puts the war in perspective from a soviet troopers point of view.
THE AFGHANISTAN WAR
historical details
The war in Afghanistan lasted from 1979 to 1989 – nine years,
one month and 19 days.
On the basis of a Soviet-Afghan agreement of 1978, Soviet troops entered the country on December 25 1979 on three flanks – Kushka-Shindand-Kandahar, Termez-Kunduz-Kabul, and Khorog-Faizabad, using the aerodromes of Kabul, Bagram and Kandahar.
The official reason for the deployment was the prevention of threatened foreign military involvement, but very soon the limited Soviet contingent was caught up in the country’s rapidly developing civil war.
On December 27 Soviet forces stormed the presidential place in Kabul, killing President Amin in the process. The “Parcham” faction, headed by Babrak Karmal, came to power.
Between December 25 1979 and February 15 1989, 620,000 Soviet troops served in Afghanistan, including 525,200 from the Soviet army (including 62,900 officers), with 90,000 drawn from border guards and other detachments of the KGB, and 5,000 from other Defence Ministry structures.
Overall casualties from all causes among Soviet forces
amounted to 15,051.
Over the period 417 soldiers were reported as missing in action and taken prisoner, of whom during the course of the war, and its aftermath, 130 were freed and returned to their homeland.
THE TRUE STORY OF THE 9TH COMPANY
According to Colonel Valery Vostrotin, commander of the 345th Parachute Bridgade, Hero of the Soviet Union:
The story of the 9th Company is unique. It was one of the first detachments to enter Afghanistan.At that time I was in command of it. Before the deployment, the regimental commander instructed me to form the company, choosing from anyone from any of our groups. I went through the battalions, inviting them to serve in Afghanistan. At that time it looked like it would be a light expedition excursion, and there were more volunteers than needed. I selected maybe not the most disciplined, but certainly the most prepared soliders – the best gunners, the best drivers and mechanics, the best machine-gunners and snipers. Two months later, and it was clear that the 9th Company was the best prepared of our detachments. It became clear during the storming of Amin’s presidential palace, a renowned special forces operation which the Company carried out with distinction. Right up until the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the 9th Company was always sent to the most dangerous locations. Later, when I was already commanding the regiment, I still had the same relation ot the 9th Company. I gave it the most complex, sometimes almost impossible missions.
At the end of 1987, during the “Magistral” operation close to the Pakistan border, the 9th Company were right in the thick of it. It was securing the safe passage of transport columns to the Khost province, from the most distant position, the furthest heights which later received the name “3234”. The main problem was the remoteness of the company from the main, and back-up, forces, with chances to assist limited to artillery and air attacks. The main battle for Heights 3234 began on January 7 1988 in the most brutal fashion. The enemy were stoned, not even reacting to major artillery action…
The battle lasted for two and a half days. But getting any assistance to my favorite company proved very difficult. Some forces went to their aid, but unfortunately the intensity of the fighting, and the mountain landscape prevented reserve forces arriving in time. Nevertheless, they accomplished their mission, and kept the heights, repelling a total of 12 attacks. Six out of 39 soldiers died, with 12 injured. Two, Vyacheslav Alexandrov and Andrei Melnikov, were honored as Heroes of the Soviet Union. Posthumously.
(from “Esquire”)
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