Posted on 09/23/2022 1:29:24 PM PDT by EnderWiggin1970
At the end of 1942, when the Wehrmacht could advance no further east, Hitler switched German ground forces from an “enemy force-oriented” strategy to a “ground-holding” strategy. Hitler demanded that his armies defend vast, largely empty and irrelevant stretches of Soviet territory.
“Holding ground” not only robbed the German military of its ability to exercise operational discretion, and, above all, to outmaneuver the slow, methodical Soviet opponent; holding ground also pushed German logistics to the breaking point. When holding ground was combined with endless counterattacks to retake useless territory, the Wehrmacht was sentenced to slow, grinding destruction.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, (presumably with the advice of his U.S. and British military advisors), has also adopted a strategy of holding ground in Eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces immobilized themselves inside urban areas, and prepared defenses. As a result, Ukrainian forces turned urban centers into fortifications for what became “last stands.” Sensible withdrawals from cities like Mariupol that might have saved many of Ukraine’s best troops were forbidden. Russian forces responded by methodically isolating and crushing the defenders left with no possibility of either escape or rescue by other Ukrainian forces.
Moscow’s determination to destroy Ukrainian forces at the least cost to Russian lives prevailed. Ukrainian casualties were always heavier than reported from the moment Russian troops crossed into Eastern Ukraine, but now, thanks to the recent failure of Ukrainian counterattacks in the Kherson region, they’ve reached horrific levels that are impossible to conceal. Casualty rates have reached 20,000 killed or wounded a month.
(Excerpt) Read more at theamericanconservative.com ...
I wouldn’t say I love it. It pains me to think of the death toll among the Ukrainian cannon fodder. At the outset of the war I gave $20K to help get refugees out and food and medicine into Ukraine. At some point Ukrainian citizens need to realize they need to live with Russia as their neighbor, not Brussels or the US. (That said, some of the links in this article were enlightening, and helped me understand Russia’s complaints about “Nazi” Ukrainian atrocities against Russians in the recent past. Peace will be challenging to achieve, all the more so if the West tries to block it.)
Ukraine is now like the farmer who returns from vacation to find a cow got loose and died in his front yard some days ago and he now has the weighty task of cleaning up the rotting carcass.
Very interesting “The Duran” program today. Alexander thinks the most likely outcome of the current situation is that we will see the Russian flag over Kiev and Lvov by the end of the year. Quite surprising.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaCj9A1On7Y
> Rather different from the triumphalist happy-talk of the propaganda media. We’ll see whose right.
Yeah, the Russians ran out of men, ammunition, tanks, and everything else in May from what has been in the MSM.
I watched Alex earlier, but have been busy in the interregnum.
I watched Garland Nixon on The Duran yesterday. Very good program.
Thanks for the heads-up!
I had never seen this before.
The Ukrainians created Maginot Line-type fortifications in the populated portions of the Donbas over an eight-year period. I've heard that the houses in that area are very solidly built, unlike the stick construction that us Americans are used to
Once the militias have cleared those, the way is open to the Dnepr.
“During WWI you easily had 20,000 killed a day.
British troops sustained 420,000 casualties—including 125,000 deaths—during the Battle of the Somme.”
The casualties also included 200,000 French troops and 500,000 German soldiers.
McGregor rightfully has been obliterated on Free Republic for having made perhaps the most consistently wrong predictions about this war of any pundit. Wildly wrong stuff.
Anger flares as Russia mobilization hits minority regions and protesters - Washington Post
He’s right, in that taking ground for reason other than for taking ground accomplishes little.
But does that correctly characterize the current Ukrainian offensive?
It look to me as if the ground that is being taken severely restricts the Russians’ ability to resupply. At the very least it means much longer supply lines.
Given the structure of the Ukrainian defense forces and the nature of the flat surrounding terrain, their only real option was to lager up in the cities and invite Ivan to come in to play. In that sense the Ukrainians were “less wrong” than the Russians and more successful in the defense than the USA anticipated — all of which has allowed our nation’s foremost military strategist, Joe Biden, to run his mouth without regard to the strategic weakness of the rest of Europe (energy). As much as Vlad has screwed up, he holds the strategic high-card, and that is all that matters in the end.
“He has been predicting a Russian victory since the war broke out. Didn’t he predict that Kyiv would fall within a week?”
This guy is way out there. No wonder the pro-Russia FReepers cite him so much.
Some of his greatest hits:
- Called for Russia to annex Donbas way back in 2014;
- Supported Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine from Day One;
- Said Russia should be allowed to seize whatever parts of Ukraine it wanted;
- Regarded as a Putin apologist.
“Most conservatives elsewhere, and on that site, are refuting Biden. But here, for some reason, Biden gets support.”
Nice try. I don’t know of anyone of FR who supports Biden, especially anyone who wants to see Ukraine repel Russia. So many of you guys equate wanting to see Ukraine repel Russia with supporting Biden. Nothing could be further from the truth. Speaking for myself, I want to see Ukraine prevail despite who is president of Ukraine or the US; to me, who the presidents are is irrelevant.
I’m bookmarking your post for January 1, 2023. We’ll see how credible your Duran is.
“The Ukrainians created Maginot Line-type fortifications in the populated portions of the Donbas over an eight-year period. I’ve heard that the houses in that area are very solidly built, unlike the stick construction that us Americans are used to.”
What you described is Russian/Soviet construction. They built pretty much EVERYTHING out of concrete.
“During WWI you easily had 20,000 killed a day.”
On July 1st, 1916 the English lost over 57,000 men.
Artillery had bombarded German positions for almost a week. English Generals ordered that their men advance in file across no man’s land in order to maintain a uniform advance. They counted on the Germans being either dead, disabled or pulled back.
With the Germans having better constructed trenches they were ready for the English.
Russia attacked during the spring mud season, little chance of success when armor is restricted to modern roads.
Now Ukraine is on the move with the fall mud season about to arrive. Should be interesting.
Douglas MacGregor said on March 5th that in 10 days Russia will have defeated Ukraine. Then he corrected himself on March 7th and said Russia has already won and the Ukrainian military is entirely destroyed.
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