Destroyed their military completely? Sounds like Halder in 1941!
In what world was direct combat between Russia and the US going to be anything but nuclear? By my count the Russians have their whole nuclear arsenal intact.
“Destroyed their military completely? Sounds like Halder in 1941!”
Well, from Halder’s viewpoint the mass surrender of Russian forces in the summer of 1941 and the Russian withdrawal to the east gave him a false sense of optimism.
However, by September Halder realized there would be no quick victory over the Soviet Union, and by late fall the German army was faced with the possibility of not only a stalled offense, but the very real prospect of having to fight a defensive war with winter approaching and its supply lines stretched and compromised.
Russia has two very, very powerful defenses: Winter and great expanses of space.
“Kick the door in and the whole rotten structure ...” etc.