There may be a universe where Russian tanks aren’t trash but the doctrine and supporting equipment are. Russians haven’t suitably adapted to their combat environment to overcome the Ukrainians at this point and that should be the national embarrassment.
No, they are trash. The worlds best training does not matter if your tanks don't run, guns won't fire, and planes don't fly. Russian doctrine has been and always will rely on mass human sacrifice. Every single conflict starts one way but always ends up that way.
Russian doctrine has been and always will rely on mass human sacrifice. Every single conflict starts one way but always ends up that way.
This is so ahistorical that it makes my head spin.
Napoleon - the followed a Fabian tactic of luring him deeper and deeper into Russia, avoiding all conflict after Borodino and then striking when the French army was at its weakest
Ww2 - Source here is David Glantz and John Erickson, the finest historians of the Soviet military.
In the first phase of the war June 1941 to May 1942 - this was broadly true. The Great purge had neutered all leadership in the Red military. They were afraid of even their own shadows and right from Front Hq down to platoon leaders the only strategy adopted was "hurrraaah and charge". Dec 1941 was a break from the mold, they planned a counterstroke outside Moscow and played it to perfection but Stalin against the advice of his core team got carried away and ordered multiple offensives across the line thereby squandering their manpower
In the 2nd phase from June 1942 to Nov 1942 was all about reorganization, their unit composition changed, committees were formed to study past operations, and very candidly provided feedback to Stavka (Stalin and his team), and changes incorporated into the Red Military. Inefficient leaders were demoted or booted out (no more executions), commissar power was reduced and eventually done with. This showed in the first real planned armoured counter offensive (the Izyum Baravenko offensive) when German units were overwhelmed quickly, the soviets achieved deep penetrations but inexperience of the higher commands showed when they timed the introduction of the exploitation forces correctly, botched it up and the Luftwafe redeployed from Kerch and literally blew them all up.
For Operation Uranus, the Stavka invited ideas in Sept itself, the idea of a much wider counterstroke came from Yeremenko iirc and sent upto Zhukov who endorsed it and sent it to Stavka. Multiple sub committees were formed, and OP Uranus planned and executed with precision. Overall the Soviets had only marginal superiority across the front in numbers of men / tanks and planes but they ensured overwhelming superiority in the schwerpunkt that was OP Uranus. Again Stalin got carried away, demanded greater results from OP Mars and it failed but the Soviets in Feb 1943 were an entirely different army as opposed to the one that fought in June 1941.
Phase 3. Was just clinical military perfection. This is from Nov 42 to end of war. Offensives were meticulously planned, maskriovka deployed to confuse the German intelligence on the real focal points of attacks, they borrowed extensively from the German concept of Aufgatsktik (spelling?) and higher commands would simply set broad goals, lower commanders would execute as they saw fit.
To reduce all this to "human wave" is extremely ahistorical.
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u/jredful 3d ago
There may be a universe where Russian tanks aren’t trash but the doctrine and supporting equipment are. Russians haven’t suitably adapted to their combat environment to overcome the Ukrainians at this point and that should be the national embarrassment.