In 2018, Putin announced with great fanfare that the Russians had developed a hypersonic missile against which the West had no defense. At the time this was greeted with much alarm and angst with the American military industrial complex lathering at the bit to build more capable US missiles and missile defenses.
Khinzhal missile (Kh-47M2) touted as being able to fly more than 1,000 miles at hypersonic speed and deliver 1,000 lbs warhead with pinpoint accuracy.
You are a young Russian in vocational school learning to become a BMW/Mercedes mechanic and a guileful, well-dressed, Russian recruitment officer comes to your school and says, “May I please have a word with you? Ivan, have I got a deal for you!”
“Oh, Russian recruitment officer, I am quite content here in my training to become a BMW/Mercedes mechanic. Thank you, but no thank you.”
“Please Ivan, hear me out. I know you are a patriot and your Mother Russia and Vladimir Putin himself — he mentioned you by name, comrade — require your assistance as cannon fodder a patriotic soldier in Ukraine. You are a patriot, yes?”
Vladimir Putin stages faux visit to “wounded” Russian soldiers in hospital. Same guy in both pics?
“I am as patriotic as the next Orc, comrade; OK, what’s the deal?” Continue reading
We wrote about the numbers of Russian tanks back in December 2022. That blog post is here:
Since then several things have happened:
1. The Russian spring offensive began with attacks in southeast Ukraine and the continuing assault into the Bahkmut meat grinder where the Russians take seven KIAs for every one KIA for the Ukrainians.
This is the essence of a meat grinder.
2. The Russians — even elite units — and the mercenary Wagner Group — powered by criminals — have made small progress, but appear to have taken a “tactical respite” for a couple of weeks.
The Ukrainians are doggedly defending and buying time for their own Spring/Summer dry land offensive.
3. The US/NATO/West has promised Ukraine modern main battle tanks — Abrams M1A1, Crusaders 2s, Leopard IIs and others.
Deliveries are now happening.
Abrams tank — looking for work — arriving for deployment in Ukraine.
4. The Russian tank situation has gotten worse from the perspective of raw numbers, tank crew training, and opposition. Continue reading
The Russian Spring Offensive is underway. Yawn.
Let’s talk manpower like we talked tanks the other day:
Of course, dear reader, let’s lay the foundation, shall we?
1. Russia is a country of 144,000,000 of which approximately 1,000,000 men in the prime draft age range have fled.
Crack Russian conscripts eager to fight and die in Ukraine. Haha. The smart ones fled the country.
Today, I heard a lovely sermon in church. I go to this particular church because the rector gives such wonderful sermons.
The church dates from three years after the end of the Civil War and is steeped in history. It sits on one of Savannah’s gorgeous squares made all the more lovely by the azaleas that are just coming out.
It is a time to think big thoughts. Continue reading
China is buying all the Russian oil it can — huge discount from their new Orc pals — and is thereby funding the Putin war machine in Ukraine. Move on, nothing to see here.
In the course of this, Putin and Xi have been playing a lot of canasta and watching porn together.
Xi Jinping is going to Moscow — something he assiduously refused to do in order not to tip his hand in support of Russian perfidy in Ukraine.
Couple of cutups saying hello at the Despotic Murderers Club, Moscow branch.
Now, he’s going to go clubbing in Moscow and intends to hook up with Putin for some quality bare chested horse riding. Continue reading
Recently I spoke to a fellow graduate of Virginia Military Institute and he said, “That is not the hill I want to die on.”
Both of us, being former soldiers, understood the portent of those words. There was no hill involved nor any prospect of death, but it meant what he intended it to — this was not the issue upon which to bet the entire enterprise. I agreed with him.
In business, life, relationships, the military, and the social wars that engulf our great national experiment, it is becoming progressively more difficult to sell the idea of the decisive engagement.
George Washington is known for being the most influential Founding Father, but he was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, a warrior chieftain, and the first two American Presidents. Sort of awkward the way I said that, but you understand what I mean.
Washington depicted after the battles of Trenton and Princeton by Charles Willson Peale, one of 8 different paintings of G Washington by Peale and his son.
Prior to the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia, it was thought Russian forces were tank heavy and highly mobile. In fact, many thought the Russian tank corps was a killing machine capable of running over its adversaries.
What the Ukrainians quickly revealed was: Continue reading
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