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Costs of the War in Afghanistan |
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Costs of the War in Afghanistan |
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The intervention in Afghanistan cost the Soviet Union a great deal in terms of men, material, and national prestige. The mountainous terrain, lack of sufficient convoy escort and reconnaissance forces, misunderstanding the nature of the enemy, insufficient number of combat troops, and failure to win the hearts and minds of the local population all contributed to the Soviet defeat.
Individually the Soviet soldiers performed bravely under one of the world's harshest environments where fighting usually took the form of an ambush or roadside bomb. When battles did occur no mercy was expected or given. The fighting was often savage. Cases of torture and mutilation of captured Soviet soldiers at the hands of the Mujahideen were commonplace.
| Radio calls for "twenty ones*" were
common especially in truck convoys, which were a favorite target of the
Mujahideen, since the 40th army needed constant resupply from bases within
the Soviet Union. Local resupply was out of the question as
Afghanistan had but one rail line and few airports. This reliance on the poor Afghan road network cause further problems. The lack of paved roads also took their toll on machines as well as men. Vehicle breakdowns were frequent. |
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The roads were treacherous, often going through narrow mountain passes, through valleys, or the Salang tunnel. All of which were ideal ambush points that could also be mined.
Poor Soviet field sanitation practices further compounded the problem as men suffered from diseases such as viral Hepatitis, malaria, leprosy, and tuberculosis. Minor wounds in the rugged mountains could quickly become fatal infections. The Soviets did their best to adapt to this and, by the middle of the conflict large field hospitals had been set up to support the troops. Even so, field hygiene would remain a concern throughout the war.
| The combined effects of these conditions over the duration of the war would result in many thousands of soldiers being flown home from Kabul. A trip in a zinc coffin aboard an An-12's that the soldiers had grimly nicknamed 'black tulips'.** |
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* 'twenty one' - a Soviet army radio code
for a soldier killed in action.
** 'black tulip' - a name given to the AN-12 'Cub' aircraft that flew bodies of
soldiers home.
