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International relations thread

DB9

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Sounds about right to me. Winter snows will make large scale operations difficult but not necessarily impossible. If the ground freezes solid that will be less of a problem than a mud bath.

Both sides will spend the winter bombarding each other but will have logistical challenges with regards things like getting shells to artillery pieces. I would not be surprised if some of the training we are currently providing includes courses on how to fight in freezing conditions; it is something we practice ourselves with an eye on reinforcing Norway if ever needs be.
I know I've reffered to WW2 a bit but IIRC after the Nazis Blitzkrieg during the summer of 1941 and before the winter really set in (Which was really harsh and because the Germans had no winter clothing etc) there is that time when it seems roads etc turn into mud baths, plenty of photos/films showing the Germans struggling to make headway in it, I do wonder if this is still relevant or are the roads/tracks much better than they were back then?
 

Phil Sayers

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I know I've reffered to WW2 a bit but IIRC after the Nazis Blitzkrieg during the summer of 1941 and before the winter really set in (Which was really harsh and because the Germans had no winter clothing etc) there is that time when it seems roads etc turn into mud baths, plenty of photos/films showing the Germans struggling to make headway in it, I do wonder if this is still relevant or are the roads/tracks much better than they were back then?
I don't know but my guess would be that the major roads are better than they used to be but the back roads, forest tracks etc are the exact same. The major roads are a quicker way to travel (although only so far because a lot of the bridges over rivers have been destroyed by one side or the other) but are also more dangerous as they are easier to keep under observation and call artillery fire down on.
 

DB9

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I don't know but my guess would be that the major roads are better than they used to be but the back roads, forest tracks etc are the exact same. The major roads are a quicker way to travel (although only so far because a lot of the bridges over rivers have been destroyed by one side or the other) but are also more dangerous as they are easier to keep under observation and call artillery fire down on.
Yeah I'm thinking use the roads/highways that makes for easier targets for drones/air attacks, Going off road might be difficult, Time will tell i guess but i do remember the MOD saying that things will grind to a halt come winter or when the weather turns in one of their assements and i expect that goes for both sides.
 

Phil Sayers

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arthur

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Worrying election result from Brazil. We are now in the extraordinary position that thousands of years of human civilisation and development can be put in severe jeopardy by two individuals - Putin with his nuclear bombs and Bolsanaro turning the Amazon rain forest into a Savannah.
 

Phil Sayers

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Ukraine rapidly advancing on most fronts if these maps are to be believed (which they probably are because Ukraine has shown footage from some of the towns and the Russians are not disputing that their forces are retreating as fast as they can):




Rather amusingly the Kremlin have confirmed that they don't actually know where Russia's borders finish following annexing provinces that they only partially control. Apparently it will be subject to consultations with locals although cynics may say it is subject to how quickly the Russian Army flees the Ukrainian Army:

 

Phil Sayers

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Phil Sayers

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It continues - in general it is not a good idea to keep on advancing without pause because people need to rest, you need to make sure the area really is secure, you need time for logistics to catch up, time to survey the next area, time to build some defences in case of counter-attack (the ones just taken over will be facing the wrong way), time for artillery to start on the next set of targets and a host of other things. However, the balancing act is that if the enemy is in complete disarray and their morale is totally broken you need to exploit the opportunity before they can recover.

Nobody, myself included, gave Ukraine any chance of prevailing in conventional war against Russia but it would take a serious reversal of momentum / fortune now (or nuclear explosions) for that not to happen. It really seems possible that they will have essentially won the war before winter sets in and could then spend the winter deciding whether to go for Crimea in the spring. Not taking anything for granted but to be in this position after eight months of all out conventional war against Europe's largest military is astonishing:

 

fred binneys head

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iscalad

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