MG42 use during the Soviet era of the 1980s in Afghanistan.

[browningautorifle]

It is very hard to say without looking at the film clips and verifying the source.

It is after all media, and their main job is to sell news. Doesn't matter about source or truth. Anyone believing without firsthand knowledge can also believe that rabbits can talk.

[Sentryduty]

It is after all media, and their main job is to sell news. Doesn't matter about source or truth. Anyone believing without firsthand knowledge can also believe that rabbits can talk.

Even beyond the normal, "the media is no soldier's friend" in the editing room they tend to be sloppy.

I am sure that our members have noticed in documentaries "flipped negatives" that suggest left handed versions of rifles, or unit markings equipment on film clips that didn't exist in the time/location in the narration.

In places where uniforms and terrain are difficult to nail down allows Syria footage to morph to Iraq, or Afghanistan to become the Golan, etc etc.

It is sloppy work or creative licence that does discredit to many documentaries as a viable historical reference.

[Flying10uk]

It certainly looked like Afghanistan from the way people were dressed, the terrain and the Soviet armoured vehicles which were also shown. Was the Soviet Union involved in another war around the same time as their Afghanistan campaign in the 1980s with similar terrain and where the local population were dressed in a similar manner to the Afghan civilian population?

[Sentryduty]

Without seeing the footage myself it is impossible for me to offer much more help. However Russian TO&E found its way everywhere from the 1950's on.

And depending on how the clips were threaded together the shooting may have been from one event, and the target and battle effects could have been taken from a completely unrelated timeline.

Again without watching the film it is hard to judge.

[Flying10uk]

I don't think that there was anything dodgy about the film footage; my interest in it was seeing the MG42 or a derivative. It made me wonder to what extent that it may have been used there during the 1980s.

[Vincent]

MG42s or MG3s were not supplied in large numbers to the Muj. Those people keep every gun they get their hands on. We would have seen them in the civil war and the current war that started in 2001 if they had them.

Iran and Pakistan have borders with Afghanistan, the terrain is the same in those places. The people look and dress the same. OBL was a Saudi and he looked like one of them. So, you really can’t tell what country it is by the terrain or where the people are from by the way they are dressed.

If the film clip was taken in Afghanistan in the 80’s, the MG was probably taken there by one of the many foreign fighters, the “Afghan Arabs” who went to Afghanistan to wage jihad against the Soviets.

[Vincent]

I would imagine all done in a deniable way via shadowy third party arms dealers...

So the Canadian and US Government's could say nothing to do with us if it all went wrong

Shipped by Southern Air Transport to bordering county would be my guess.

It was a CIA owned cargo airline for many years and continued to support the agency after they were forced to sell it in the mid 70’s. The Iran-Contra arms, parts, etc. were flown by Southern Air Transport in 85’ and 86’.

[mrclark303]

Interesting stuff Vincent, so not unlike Air America of an earlier generation.

I bet they just use International Arms dealers these days, all done through middle men, you can bet your bottom dollar lessons were learnt from the Iran Contra affair.

Incidentally, whatever became of Colonel North?

[Flying10uk]

Iran and Pakistan have borders with Afghanistan, the terrain is the same in those places. The people look and dress the same. OBL was a Saudi and he looked like one of them. So, you really can’t tell what country it is by the terrain or where the people are from by the way they are dressed.

I think that their respective governments would have had something to say about the Soviet troops and armoured vehicles waging war on their soil, which was shown in the footage, if it had been Iran or Pakistan.

[browningautorifle]

Incidentally, whatever became of Colonel North?

If you can believe Wiki... Oliver North - Wikipedia