- In ImmoderateHeroQuest_at_yahoogroups.com, Julian Lord
<julian.lord_at_g...> wrote:
>
> de Galeotti:
>
>
wrote:
> > > >The Soviets invaded in 1979 because the then-rulers only
managed
> > to make things
> > > >worse.
> > >
> > > This is a rather rosy view of why the Soviets invaded.
> >
> > I don't think I'd agree. There was no particular enthusiasm for
> > intervention, and certainly no grand plan or intention to move
> > beyond Afghanistan.
>
>
> Oh, come on...
>
> (with all due respect)
>
> I remember at the time, that the main objectives were to extend
Soviet
> "influence" in the general but precise direction of the Indian
Ocean. In the
> 1980s, there _was_ still some sort of extant ideological desire to
spread
> the Soviet model Far and Wide ...
There's a big difference between a generalised 'everyone ought to be
part of our sphere of influence' PoV and a plan to conquer the
world. There was lots of kerfuffle in the West about the bear
reaching out his claws and all that (just as in the Eastern bloc
Reagan's invasion of Grenada was characterised as the first step in
an invasion of Cuba; this was the Cold War, people said and
sometimes even believed all sorts of stupid things) but
- the main invasion force was to a large extent withdrawn 6 months
after, and only then brought back up to strength as the level of
resistance became clear
- the Sovs never had the kind and size of forces in-theatre which
would be appropriate for further power-projection. In the RW, you
can't just move tanks, heavy bombers, etc in, you need the
logistical framework, and they never made any attempts to build them
up
- the Sovs had a much better idea of their military weaknesses than
the West. They knew they couldn't force the Fulda Gap without nukes,
never mind hold the line in Europe _and_ commit to a major operation
in the Middle East. If anyone knows about the dangers of a war on
two fronts, it's the Russians.
- not a speck or scintilla of actual evidence has emerged about any
Grand Plan, even after the Soviet collapse, not even in the files of
the General Staff's Main Operations Directorate, whose job it was to
come up with even the most unlikely contingency plans.
- so there!
All the best
Mark