Afgantsy

March 1985 Chernenko dies, succeeded by Mikhail Gorbachev.

October 1985 Politburo agrees troops should leave Afghanistan within eighteen months.

February 1986 Gorbachev tells Soviet Party Congress that troops will leave Afghanistan.

May 1986 Karmal replaced by Najibullah.

September 1986 First Stingers are fired, down three helicopters.

January 1987 Najibullah announces ‘National Reconciliation’.

December 1987 Operation Magistral relieves Khost.

December 1987 Gorbachev and Reagan discuss Afghanistan.

14 April 1988 Agreements for Soviet withdrawal signed in Geneva.

May 1988 40th Army begins withdrawal.

15 February 1989 Last Soviet troops leave.

April 1992 President Najibullah overthrown.

August 1992 Russian Embassy evacuated from Kabul.

September 1996 Taliban captures Kabul and kills Najibullah.

9 September 2001 Mujahedin leader Ahmad Shah Masud assassinated by Al Qaeda.

11 September 2001 Twin Towers destroyed in New York.

December 2001 Northern Alliance, backed by US, drives out Taliban.

– ANNEX TWO – Order of Battle of the 40th Army

Formations mentioned in the text are marked *.

Divisions

5th Guards Motor-rifle Division (Shindand)*

12th Guards Motor-rifle Regiment (Herat)*

101st Motor-rifle Regiment (Herat)*

371st Guards Motor-rifle Regiment (Shindand)

24th Guards Tank Regiment (Shindand)

1060th Artillery Regiment (Shindand)

1122nd (later 1008th) Antiaircraft Rocket Regiment (Shindand)

650th Guards Reconnaissance Battalion (Shindand)

68th Guards Independent Engineer-sapper Battalion (Shindand)

108th Motor-rifle Division (Kabul, later Bagram)*

177th Motor-rifle Regiment (Jabal-Ussuraj)

180th Motor-rifle Regiment (Kabul)*

181st Motor-rifle Regiment (Kabul)

1074th Artillery Regiment (Kabul)

1415th (later 1049th) Antiaircraft Rocket Regiment (Kabul)

781st Independent Reconnaissance Battalion (Bagram)

271st Independent Engineer-sapper Battalion (Bagram)

201st Motor-rifle Divison (Kunduz)*

122nd Motor-rifle Regiment (Tashkurgan)

149th Guards Motor-rifle Regiment (Kunduz)

395th Motor-rifle Regiment (Pul-i Khumri)

234th Tank Regiment (Kunduz)

998th Artillery Regiment (Kunduz)

990th Antiaircraft Rocket Regiment (Kunduz)

783rd Independent Reconnaissance Battalion (Kunduz)

541st Independent Engineer-sapper Battalion (Kunduz)

103rd Guards Air Assault Division (Kabul airport)*

317th Guards Parachute Assault Regiment (Kabul airport)

350th Guards Parachute Assault Regiment (Kabul airport)

357th Guards Parachute Assault Regiment (1980–86: Bala Hissar fortress; 1986–9: Kabul airport)

1179th Guards Artillery Regiment (Kabul airport)

62nd Guards Independent Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (Kabul airport)

130th Guards Independent Engineer-sapper Battalion (Kabul airport)

105th Independent Antiaircraft Rocket-artillery Battalion (Kabul airport)

Independent Brigades and Regiments

56th Guards Independent Airborne Assault Brigade (Kunduz)*

66th Independent Motor-rifle Brigade/106th Motor-rifle Regiment (Jalalabad)*

70th Guards Independent Motor-rifle Brigade/373rd Guards Motor-rifle Regiment (Kandahar)

191st Independent Motor-rifle Regiment (Pul-i Khumri/Ghazni)

345th Guards Independent Parachute Assault Regiment (Bagram)*

860th Independent Motor-rifle Regiment (Faisabad)*

264th Independent Special Forces Regiment (Radio and Radiotechnical Intelligence) (Kabul)

15th Special Forces Brigade (Jalalabad)*

22nd Special Forces Brigade (Asadabad)*

58th Automobile Brigade/159th (Engineering) Road-construction Brigade (Kabul)

59th Logistics Brigade

276th Pipelaying Brigade (Doshi)*

278th Road-security Brigade (Doshi)

28th Artillery Regiment/Rocket Artillery Regiment (Shindand)

45th Engineering-sapper Regiment (Charikar)

103rd Independent Communications Regiment (Kabul)

Establishment of Motor-rifle Units

The establishment of motor-rifle divisions and their subordinate formations and units varied from time to time and place to place. Formations and units were almost never up to their establishment in Afghanistan. The following information is therefore not definitive.

Motor-rifle Division: 12,000 men—287 tanks, 150 BMPs (infantry fighting vehicles), 221 BTRs (armoured personnel carriers), 6 rocket launchers, 18 130mm heavy assault guns, 18 anti-tank guns, 126 self-propelled and towed howitzers, 96 mortars and multiple rocket launchers, 46 mobile anti-aircraft missile complexes, 16 self-propelled automatic anti-aircraft guns.

Independent Motor-rifle Regiment: 2,198 officers and men, 132 BMPs, 40 tanks, 18 122mm self-propelled howitzers, 264 vehicles.

Motor-rifle Battalion: 481 men, 41 BMPs.

Motor-rifle Company: 101 men, 11 BMPs.

Motor-rifle Platoon: 30 men, 3 BMPs.

Army Aviation

The 40th Army was unique in having its own integral air force. It consisted of two combat air regiments and one combat squadron, a mixed air regiment, three independent helicopter regiments, a helicopter detachment, and three independent helicopter squadrons, a total of 60 combat aircraft, 19 transport aircraft, and 253 helicopters. The aircraft shared their bases in Kabul, Shindand, Bagram, and Kandahar with Afghan air-force units.

The 40th Army was also supported by long-range bombers flying from bases in the Soviet Union.

Sources: ‘Komandiry soedinenii i chastei 40 Armii’, compiled by A. Volkov (http://www.rsva-ural.ru/library/mbook.php?cid64); V. Korolev, ‘Uroki voiny