Posted on 03/11/2022 11:57:28 PM PST by Ceebass
And now Putin is enraged. I wonder what self destructive mistakes HE will make. Did Hitler’s mistakes also include being stuck besieging Stalingrad without their winter gear, or was that a different year?
At another FR post I read that 200 Spetsnaz were in trouble in Syria and not supported by Moscow. I wonder if there are any loyalty problems in the Spetsnaz ranks. Either that they were sacrificed because Putin had some such fears, or they might be less loyal or effective now because of bad treatment. Time will tell.
True, the Germans bailed out the Eye-talians but it was the uprising in Serbia by the King, who disposed the Crown Prince (who was pro-Fascist) that so enraged Hitler he committed Panzer and Grenadier division that were absolutely meant for Barbarossa.
The debate about ‘what if’ still rages on, BTW. Lead Panzer divisions could see the spires of Moscow, it is said, in mid-October, but the freeze and the snows took over at that time.
They never took Moscow.
Given six extra weeks?
He has a plan I’m sure. They just didn’t wake up one day and decide to invade Ukraine.
Xi forced Putin to delay invasion for a few weeks to have “glorious patriotic” Winter Olympics. Have Russian forces moved in earlier, the outcome might have been difficult. His troops may have advanced faster.
Now that Russians bogged down in Ukraine, I am not sure China would return the favor to save Putin. They will probably sit around and watch even if Chinese played the part in creating Putin’s trouble.
Well, one can advance a scenario: they feel they are sent to meat grinder to clean up the holy mess Putin and his generals created and see too much blood and destruction for unworthy cause.
Or maybe the Russians just don’t train combined arms the way you would expect and just sort of choreograph their battles?
I have read your link and it is quite interesting and perhaps alarming. It appears in 2018 about 40 American specialists with air support had to deal with about 500 Syrians and Russian Merceneries(?). They were successful with none lost and from 200 to 300 of the enemy killed. The Americans were assured by Russian command post that the Russians were not their soldiers but were Mercenaries (paid from Syrian oil profits). Americans contacted Russian Command several times asking that they stand this group down before finally firing on them.
The disturbing part is the subsequent experiences related to Electronic Warfare (EW) that seems to have resulted from a careful Russian examination of the US communications and tactics. Is this part of what will now be used by Russians in Ukraine with these Spetznaz troops being sent in.?
“Russian government forces in Syria maintain they were not involved in the battle. But in recent weeks, according to US military officials, they have jammed the communications of smaller US drones and gunships such as the type used in the attack.
“Right now in Syria, we’re in the most aggressive EW environment on the planet from our adversaries,” Gen Tony Thomas, head of US Special Operations Command, said recently, referring to electronic warfare. “They’re testing us every day.”
I wouldn’t doubt if it was staged... I have het to see any burned up bodies in all these destroyed tanks like we did in desert storm.
That was the Wagner Group now renamed to Liva I think. Those mercs are composed of ex Spetsnaz and others. The number of dead is not firm, although there is at least one person here that insists it is. And that issue really does not matter, as their tactics then were so bad as to border on utter military stupidity.
From the Russian point of view, whatever the number of dead was, it was worth the ELINT gained, as they can now jam HIMARS and AC-130s along with C&C.
Maybe it’s just a head fake so the enemy (enemies) well let their guard down. But I admit that all of this confuses me except the part where Biden wants America to fail.
Have you seen anyone with a javelin? The launch system even without a missile functions with thermals, optical, and massive zoom. Pretty cool system.
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