Iam gona go for option 2 i havent decided as to where i supose to where i dont know where the picture was taken. heres what i found on wikapedia
Initially Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on August 7, 1978[citation needed]. The final troop withdrawal began on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989. Due to the interminable and inconclusive nature of the war, the conflict in Afghanistan has often been referred to as the Soviet equivalent of the United States' Vietnam War.
Former USSR
The BMP-1 entered service with the Soviet Army in 1966. The world's first unit equipped with IFVs was 1st motor rifle (renamed as armoured) battalion of 339th Guard Red Banner Belostok motor rifle regiment of 120th Guard Rohachow motor rifle division (Belorussian Military District), which tested thirty Ob'yekt 765 IFVs and three experimental Ob'yekt 765 IFVs with active location system of troopers since 1965. BMP-1 IFVs from 339th motor rifle regiment successfully participated in large military exercises "Dnieper" in September 1967 where they were first seen by high rank military authorities of USSR and Warsaw Pact countries. BMP-1 IFVs were first seen by the West specialists on the 7 November 1967 military parade in Moscow when a significant amount of those vehicles already served in the mechanized units of the Soviet Army. Its appearance created a stir in the West where lightly armed APCs were still the main means of transportation and infantry support on the battlefield. The vehicles shown on that parade belonged to aforementioned 1st battalion (commander - major V. Samodelov) of 339th motor rifle regiment and represented the first serial model of BMP-1 (Ob'yekt 765Sp1) by KMZ together with the preproduction model (Ob'yekt 765) from Chelyabinsk. The parade broadcaster couldn't pronounce a name and specifications of the newest secret vehicles so he described them as "the most perfect fighting vehicles which make possible to perform fast moving infantry battles at great depth of enemy defence"[35]
In the Soviet Army, BMP-1 IFVs were typically issued to motor rifle divisions and motor rifle regiments of tank divisions where they replaced the BTR-152 APCs, BTR-50P APCs and some of the BTR-60P APCs in the front line service. In a typical Soviet motor rifle division of that time, one motor rifle regiment had BMP-1 IFVs, the other two had wheeled BTR-60 APCs. Soviet motor rifle regiment of motor rifle division consisted of three motor rifle battalions and usually had 129 BMP-1, 4 BMP-1K, 2 BMP-1KSh and 1 BRM-1K. Soviet motor rifle regiment of tank division consisted of two motor rifle battalions and one tank battalion, it usually had 81 BMP-1, 1 BMP-1K and 1 BRM-1K.[36]
There was a considerable debate among Soviet tank specialists about the utility of BMP at the time: the BMP-1 had weak armor and not very powerful armament in comparison with main battle tanks, and it was far more expensive than wheeled APCs. Because the probability of nuclear warfare decreased significantly in the beginning of 1970s, the new tactics for usage of IFVs during conventional warfare should be developed. Those tactics should take into consideration a large number of anti-tank weapons on the battlefield. It was finally decided that a BMP-1 with troopers inside could be used successfully during breakthrough operations or pursuit of retreating enemy forces. However when faced against strong enemy defense, the infantry should be dismounted and should follow 200 meters behind main battle tanks while IFVs should follow not further than 300 to 400 meters behind the infantry and support it with their firepower. After enemy anti-tank sites were neutralized, the infantry should mount the IFVs.
[edit] The Groups of Soviet Forces in Central and Eastern Europe
In a Soviet motor rifle division of the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia (18th Guards Insterburg motor rifle division, 30th Guards Irkutsk-Pinsk motor rifle division and 48th motor rifle division), one motor rifle regiment was equipped with 31 T-72 MBTs and 130 BMP-1/2 IFVs while the other two were equipped with BTR-60PB or BTR-70 wheeled APCs instead of IFVs. Each motor rifle regiment also had 1 BRM-1 combat reconnaissance vehicle. Tank regiment of the motor rifle division had 3 BMP-1/2 IFVs in addition to its 94 T-72 MBTs. An independent tank battalion of the motor rifle division was equipped with 6 T-72 MBTs, 3 BRM-1 CRVs, 12 BRDM-2 armoured scout cars and 12 BMP-1/2 IFVs. Therefore the amount of BMP-1/2 IFVs and vehicles based on it in each aforementioned motor rifle division was 145 BMP-1/2 IFVs and 7 BRM-1 CRVs (data for 1988). A Soviet tank division of the Central Group of Forces (15th Guards Mazyr tank division, 31st Vistula tank division) consisted of two or three tank regiments (each operating 94 T-72 MBTs, 43 BMP-1/2 IFVs and 4 BRM-1 CRVs) and one motor rifle regiment (31 T-72 MBTs, 90 BMP-1/2 IFVs and 4 BRM-1 CRVs). BMP-1/2 IFVs were also used by division's reconnaissance battalion (12 BMP-1/2 IFVs in addition to 3 BRM-1 CRVs). Therefore the amount of BMP-1/2 IFVs and vehicles based on it in each aforementioned tank division was 231 BMP-1/2 IFVs and 19 BRM-1 CRVs (data for 1988).[37]
Soviet Northern Group of Forces in Poland included the following units equipped with BMP-1 IFVs and vehicles based on it (data for the end of 1990): 6th Guards doubly Red Banner Vitebsk motor rifle division stationed in Borne Sulinowo (one of its three motor rifle regiments used IFVs while the other two used APCs - 139 BMP-1, 5 BMP-1KSh, 14 BRM-1K, 13 PRP-3, 3 PRP-4, 1 IRM) and 20th Red Banner Zvenigorod tank division stationed in Jelenia Góra (111 BMP-1, 8 BMP-1KSh, 15 BRM-1K, 12 PRP-3, 1 IRM).[38]
Soviet motor rifle divisions of South Group of Forces were represented from 1965 to the end of 1980s by 93rd Guards Kharkov motor rifle division stationed in Kecskemét, Hungary and 254th Cherkassy motor rifle division stationed in Székesfehérvár, Hungary. On 19 November 1990, 93rd Guards Kharkov motor rifle division operated 60 BMP-2, 64 BMP-1, 1 BMP-1KSh, 15 BRM-1K, 6 PRP-3 and 2 PRP-4, 42 BMPs of the division were already withdrawn to Kiev Military District in USSR that time.[39]
[edit] Soviet War in Afghanistan
The BMP-1 IFVs were widely used in the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Besides usual motor rifle and tank units of the 40th army (5th Guard motor rifle division, 108th motor rifle division, 201st motor rifle division and 860th independent motor rifle regiment), BMP-1 IFVs were also operated by some Soviet special force units in Afghanistan. Thus, the first company of 154th independent detachment of GRU special forces (so called "Muslim battalion" because it consisted exclusively of soldiers of Tajik, Uzbek and Turkmen nationalities to increase its ability to successfully operate in Afghanistan) was equipped with BMP-1 IFVs (1 vehicle per squad, 3 vehicles per group/platoon) while three other companies of that detachment were equipped with BTR-60PB APCs. This unit together with KGB special forces captured presidential Tajbeg Palace near Kabul on 27 December 1979.[40] This operation was codenamed Storm-333 and during it the leading Soviet BMP-1 was hit by intense fire from Afghan 12.7 mm DShK twin anti-aircraft heavy machine guns (the troopers left the damaged vehicle which was shoved off the narrow road by the next BMP-1 and continued the assault of the palace hill using scaling ladders). In 20 minutes since the beginning of the assault 9 BMP-1 IFVs of 154th independent detachment of GRU special forces reached the palace by a serpentine road and troopers transported inside the vehicles broke into the palace.[25][41] Also the 1st and 2nd companies of 177th independent detachment of GRU special forces (so called the "2nd battalion", which participated in the Soviet War in Afghanistan since the end of 1981) were equipped with BMP-1 IFVs; the 2nd company of the detachment was shortly reequipped with BTR-70 APCs instead of BMP-1 IFVs.[42] Since February 1980 the 40th army had its own special force unit - 459th independent company of special forces which consisted of four reconnaissance groups and one communications group, the company was equipped with 11 BMP-1 IFVs since December 1980.[43]
Soviet motor rifle squads got ready to mount three BMP-1 IFVs, Afghanistan, 26 August 1988.
BMP-1 IFVs weren't suited for fighting in mountain regions of hot Afghanistan as they were originally developed to be used together with main battle tanks and infantry in rapid maneuvers during an assault on flat and forest covered European theater of operations in conditions of nuclear warfare. In Afghanistan the main enemies were not AFVs but land mines and ambushes prepared by skillful Afghan Mujahideen armed with light anti-tank weapons which meant that BMP-1's anti-tank firepower was useless.
A new up-armoured variant of BMP-1, designated BMP-1D (it was also called an "Afghan" variant of BMP-1) was urgently passed into service in 1982. BMP-1D IFVs were used exclusively by Soviet assault combat battalions of 56th, 66th and 70th independent assault combat brigades in Afghanistan, also a small number of BMP-1D (together with BMP-2D) were used by composite battalion from 810th marine infantry brigade of the Black Sea Fleet during the final stage of the war.[14][44] There were also many field modifications done to BMP-1 IFVs by various units. These include welding of an additional AGS-17 "Plamya" automatic grenade launcher without its mounting on the bracket of ATGM launcher on the turret roof or 2B9 "Vasilek" 82 mm automatic gun-mortar on the roof of the troop compartment to increase the vehicle's firepower when guarding vital routes. Crew members noted that 73 mm OG-9 HE-Frag grenade for the main gun, which was supposed to increase vehicle's firepower against unarmored vehicles, infantry and firing points, had a large dispersion, insufficient point-blank range and, sometimes, unable to penetrate cob walls because of a low flight speed. PG-9 HEAT grenade was able to penetrate Afghan pise buildings through but because of the poor fragmentation effect of an anti-tank projectile only a small hole was the result of its action.[25] Based on that experience in Afghanistan, a serial BMP-1PG (Ob'yekt 765Sp8) model fitted with additional AGS-17 "Plamya" automatic grenade launcher on the left hand side of the turret roof was developed by Kurgan Engineering Works. A few BMP-1 IFVs were used in Afghanistan as support for airborne teams and were equipped with RPG-16 airborne shoulder-launched anti-tank rocket propelled grenade weapons taken from BMD-1 IFV.[15]
Many BMP-1 and BMP-1P IFVs fell victim to Mujahideen attacks and, especially, antitank landmines (see Protection Issues section for details) like quite many Soviet light AFVs sent there. A number also fell into the hands of the Afghan Mujahideen. The Soviet Army lost 1317 APCs and IFVs of all types during 9 years of war in Afghanistan.[45]
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