The Soviet-Afghan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost The Russian General Staff (Author), Lester W. Grau (Editor, Translator), Michael A. Gress (Editor, Translator) The Russian/Soviet General Staff has a reputation for thoroughness, extensive record keeping and a highly professional analysis of its war experiences. When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Red Army was in desperate straits and [was] chronically short of experienced officers [partly because Stalin had already purged and killed many of those he mistrusted--EDITOR at Citizen Soldier]. Yet, the Soviet General Staff dedicated several of its best and brightest officers to record the events and experiences of this war. Their primary purpose was not so much to record history as to generate research to capture the lessons from the early mistakes and successes so that the Red Army could improve its performance during the war. These lessons were collected by officers at the front and then published as classified documents for use by front line commanders (and others) throughout the war. At war's end, the General Staff had produced a 60 volume classified study of war experience. Western analysts assumed that the General Staff had continued this valuable tradition during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This was the largest Soviet expeditionary force to be deployed outside the USSR since the Hungarian and Yugoslavian uprisings of 1956 and 1968, respectively. In 1995, one of the editors Les Grau learned that a similar General Staff study of the Soviet-Afghan war existed. This book is a professional examination of this long war (in which an estimated 26,000 Russian troops were killed). It does not dwell exclusively on combat. Rather, it presents a unique look at the role and missions of all the Russian elements involved in the (attempted) occupation It shows how the war was fought to a military draw and a political defeat. It is a testament to the inherent strengths and weaknesses of a guerilla movement and the minimal operational impact that technology has on this type of war. -- Edited version of the book's Preface, which was written by its editors, Les Grau and Michael A. Gress Publisher: University of Kansas Press, Lawrence, KS 66049 www.kansaspress.ku.edu