The Unknown Soldiers Podcast

The Unknown Soldiers Podcast

by James Houser

Season 3

The Soviet-Afghan War Part 1.5 - Stumbling Bear: The Soviet Armed Forces in Afghanistan

The Soviet Armed Forces were the juggernaut of a nuclear superpower, the largest army on Earth, the embodiment of the massive, powerful Russian bear. But they were also deeply flawed. Their soldiers were mistreated, their equipment was crude, and they suffered from the paradoxes of the socialist empire. But above all, the Soviets were locked into an ideological prison of their own making: a Marxist approach to warfare. Sources & Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-more-maps-and-sources-part-i-and-soviet-army-short-round

Episode #56: The Soviet-Afghan War Part 1 - A Special Military Operation

In the late 1970s, two neighboring countries were in turmoil: the Soviet Union was beginning its decline and fall, and Afghanistan was roiled by political chaos. When a socialist, pro-Soviet government comes to power in Afghanistan, it immediately comes under attack by its own people - and the Soviets have to make a decision. In Part I of a five-part series, we will see how the Soviet Union stumbled into the graveyard of empires. Sources: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-maps-and-sources Audible Recommendation: https://www.audible.com/pd/A-Peoples-Tragedy-Audiobook/B07J5DSS8M?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Music: "Soviet Red Army Military March" by Rafael Krux https://music.orchestralis.net/track/38439579 Desert City Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Jalandhar Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

The Soviet-Afghan War, Prologue: Welcome to Afghanistan

Before we dive into the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, it's time to get acquainted - or reacquainted - with the Graveyard of Empires. Let's take a look at the peoples, places, and history of Afghanistan before 1979. (Or, to put it another way, I wrote way too much context for Soviet-Afghan War Part 1 and spun it off into its own thing.) Sources & Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-maps-and-sources Email Me: unknownsoldierspodcast@gmail.com Music: Desert City Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Introduction to the Soviet-Afghan War

A brief introduction to the upcoming Soviet-Afghan War series, debuting March 3. Don't know your Kremlins from your Gremlins? Find the answers here! Sources and Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/the-soviet-afghan-war-series-maps-and-sources Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/unknownsoldierspodcast https://twitter.com/unksoldierspod Email me: unknownsoldierspodcast@gmail.com

An Unknown Soldiers Podcast Update! - August 2025

Brief update on the current status and future direction of the Unknown Soldiers Podcast...and what's coming up next! To send me more suggestions or any ideas about future episodes, or just your commentary on the state of the pod, send them to: unknownsoldierspodcast@gmail.com Check the Website: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/ Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/unknownsoldierspodcast https://twitter.com/unksoldierspod

Season 2

Episode #55: Go for Broke!

The U.S. Army's 442nd Infantry Regiment was a unit unlike any other . Many of their families were behind barbed wire in internment camps, and all of them suffered discrimination from their own country. They didn't just fight for America…they fought to prove they were Americans. And they became America’s most decorated combat unit of World War II. Sources: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/episode-55-go-for-broke-sources Audible Recommendation: https://www.audible.com/pd/An-Army-at-Dawn-The-War-in-North-Africa-1942-1943-Audiobook/B00CBKIDUG?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Music: Superepic by Alexander Nakarada (CreatorChords) | https://creatorchords.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Short Round: Mill Springs 1862, The Union's First Victory in the West

When the American Civil War began, the state of Kentucky wanted to remain neutral - but that was never in the cards. As the Union and Confederate armies spar over the outcome of the border states, a trio of incompetent Confederate generals ensures that Kentucky will go to the Union. The climax of this story is a small but decisive battle at Mill Springs, Kentucky - and one general, Felix K. Zollicoffer, who literally never saw it coming. Sources & Maps: Coming Soon

Short Round: Legacy of the Khalsa

After the fall of their empire in 1849, the Sikhs have continued to render military service all over the world. They have served the British Empire, the modern Republic of India, the Canadian and Australian and U.S. militaries, on battlefields from Africa to China, from Italy to Burma, from Afghanistan to Palestine. This is the story of Sikhs in warfare after their conquest by the British - the legacy of the Khalsa. Sources & Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/episode-54-glory-of-the-khalsa-maps-and-sources

Episode #54: Glory of the Khalsa

In the early 19th Century, the followers of the Sikh religion forged in empire in northern India's Punjab region. The threat of the British Empire led their Maharaja, Ranjit Singh, to build a powerful Western-style army. But modern armies are a loaded gun that can be just as dangerous to the wielder as to its target. The Khalsa Army, one of India's greatest fighting forces, would be the ruin of the Sikh Empire. Sources & Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/episode-54-glory-of-the-khalsa-maps-and-sources Audible Recommendation: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Anarchy-Audiobook/1526616971?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Music: "Battle Fight War Cinematic" by DIADOH via pond5.com Yes I know about the title. I combed through like 200 songs to find one that wouldn't be too on the nose and offense and still contain the flavor. Surprisingly difficult!

Episode #53: World War 622 A.D.

Welcome to the world of Late Antiquity, where the two superpowers of the age prepare for their final showdown. The Byzantine and Sasanian Empires - also known as the Romans and Persians - face off in a world war, an apocalyptic struggle saturated with divine power and visions of doom. But neither side sees the true danger coming from the desert. Sources & Maps: https://www.unknownsoldierspodcast.com/post/episode-53-world-war-622-ad Audible Recommendation: https://www.audible.com/pd/Byzantium-Audiobook/B0BR6791XN?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Music: The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday by LostDrone | https://soundcloud.com/lostdrone Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

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