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General Category => Off the Record => Topic started by: CountDeMoney on September 29, 2009, 07:49:56 PM

Title: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: CountDeMoney on September 29, 2009, 07:49:56 PM
I need recommendations for authoritative accounts of Soviet action of Afghanistan, centered principally around military operations.  Anybody ever read "The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan"?

Anybody mentions Charlie Wilson's War gets a muj Stinger square in the nutsack.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Neil on September 29, 2009, 07:53:23 PM
You know, Philip Seymour Hoffman was delightful in that movie.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: CountDeMoney on September 29, 2009, 07:55:16 PM
Quote from: Neil on September 29, 2009, 07:53:23 PM
You know, Philip Seymour Hoffman was delightful in that movie.

Yes, yes he was.

Now consider yourself Stingered in your Speedo.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Neil on September 29, 2009, 08:06:53 PM
Quote from: CountDeMoney on September 29, 2009, 07:55:16 PM
Quote from: Neil on September 29, 2009, 07:53:23 PM
You know, Philip Seymour Hoffman was delightful in that movie.

Yes, yes he was.

Now consider yourself Stingered in your Speedo.
I'm just saying, when he broke that guy's window, it reminded me of the good old days.  It's a shame that the West doesn't have the moral courage to destroy their enemies anymore.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Agelastus on September 29, 2009, 08:16:15 PM
Sorry CdM, can't help you there. It's too recent a conflict for my military history interests.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Jaron on September 29, 2009, 08:17:48 PM
Try renting Grace is Gone.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Admiral Yi on September 29, 2009, 08:25:25 PM
Quote from: Neil on September 29, 2009, 07:53:23 PM
You know, Philip Seymour Hoffman was delightful in that movie.
I really liked the office staff and the ass shots of whatshername.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: jimmy olsen on September 29, 2009, 08:26:04 PM
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095956/
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: derspiess on September 29, 2009, 08:30:29 PM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on September 29, 2009, 08:26:04 PM
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095956/

I think he's looking for books, goofball.

http://www.amazon.com/Rambo-3-David-Morrell/dp/0515093335
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Duque de Bragança on September 30, 2009, 01:57:49 AM
Quote from: jimmy olsen on September 29, 2009, 08:26:04 PM
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095956/

Some great comical one-liners in that classic though.  :lol:
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: HisMajestyBOB on September 30, 2009, 02:53:40 AM
I've heard good things about "The Bear went over the mountain", but have not read it myself. In fact, I think someone here was praising it.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Tonitrus on September 30, 2009, 04:48:38 AM
I know I saw at Barnes&Noble, last I was there, what was basicially the "AAR" of Afghanistan as written(translated to English, of course) by the Red Army General Staff, and was chock full of grognard-geek goodness.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Caliga on September 30, 2009, 05:31:53 AM
Are you trying to design your own consim or something?  :huh:
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: CountDeMoney on September 30, 2009, 05:32:16 AM
Quote from: Caliga on September 30, 2009, 05:31:53 AM
Are you trying to design your own consim or something?  :huh:

No.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: grumbler on September 30, 2009, 06:07:02 AM
The Bear Went over the Mountain is a hard read (as in, it really isn't designed to be "readable") and makes some questionable assumptions, but does have the kinds of details that aren't available elsewhere.  As far as I know, no one has written a balanced, incisive account of that war, and given life expectancies in Afghanistan and Russia, it may already be too late.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: CountDeMoney on September 30, 2009, 06:24:57 AM
Quote from: grumbler on September 30, 2009, 06:07:02 AM
The Bear Went over the Mountain is a hard read (as in, it really isn't designed to be "readable") and makes some questionable assumptions, but does have the kinds of details that aren't available elsewhere.  As far as I know, no one has written a balanced, incisive account of that war, and given life expectancies in Afghanistan and Russia, it may already be too late.

Good point.  I'm just sketchy about the veracity of Soviet AARs.
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Darth Wagtaros on September 30, 2009, 06:38:07 AM
Was The Beast ever made into book form?
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: C.C.R. on September 30, 2009, 07:39:10 AM
I came for the moose, but stayed for the squirrel...

:uffda:
Title: Re: Military history readers, to me! For Moose and Squirrel!
Post by: Pishtaco on September 30, 2009, 10:18:32 AM
I don't have any recommendations, but I just spent a while looking for articles or theses online and thought I might as well share.

The bear went over the mountain:
http://www.ndu.edu/inss/books/Books%20-%201996/Bear%20Went%20Over%20Mountain%20-%20Aug%2096/BrOrMn.pdf
The other side of the mountain (mujahideen AARs):
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA376862&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
Various articles from the same guy:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2001/010900-zhawar.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1998/981100-underground.htm
http://sfr-21.org/sources/afghanistan.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/webinator/search?query=grau+afghan&submit=Submit
From a collection of cold war history documents:
http://wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/WP51_Web_Final.pdf
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=va2.browse&sort=Collection&item=Soviet%20Invasion%20of%20Afghanistan
http://wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/ACFAE9.pdf
A couple of overview articles:
http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/pdf/2009/01/2-soviet-afghan19-1.pdf
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/caj/documents/vol_11/iss_3/CAJ_Vol11.3_10_e.pdf