The Bear Went Over the Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan
| Author | Lester W. Grau (translator and editor); introduction by David M. Glantz |
|---|---|
| Published | 1996 |
| Format | Book |
| Original | Read the original |
TL;DR — A translation of a Soviet Frunze Military Academy study of small-unit combat in Afghanistan, with commentary from U.S. Army analysts on what went wrong.
Published by National Defense University Press in 1996. Lester Grau of the Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth translated and edited a collection of tactical case studies written by Soviet officers who served in the 1979–1989 war, adding commentary after each.
Chapters cover blocking and destroying guerrilla bands, raids and ambushes, air assaults, defence of outposts, and convoy escort in mountain terrain. It is a standard text on counterinsurgency lessons from the Soviet war.
What it is: a U.S. government publication and a well-known military-history reference. A later commercial edition was published by Frank Cass.
Where this came from
- A copy saved in October 2026.
- Defense Technical Information Center: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA316729.pdf (the live site blocks scripted requests; verified via a Wayback Machine snapshot)
- Archived copy (Google Drive): Google Drive
246 pages. A copy is archived locally against link rot; the header links the original source.