Kinophile

The artillery summaries are particularly useful :

Philip OBrien put me on to this guy:

Yah I was teasing A relative trained briefly with Harry (I think early during his ground/mech days) found him very straightforward and no pretense. A worker. I've zero love for the monarchy, so it's nice to see someone not rest on their status.

Interesting, ref @Splinty's notes above. I wonder if the upgrades to those T55s gave a NATO style BMS that would d integrate better with Brad's than the standard UKR one?

You've heard of SHORAD, manpads, etc, yes? Apache Obsoleted Nukes...eh Interesting angle. So the Apache helicopter, a tactical aviation platform obsoleted both its tactical level intended target (MBTs) and completely unrelated NATO operational/strategic doctrine using nuclear weapons? Hmm...

Timeline on availability German manufactured Gepard ammo - June July to hit 100k+. Hopefully supplying more well before that. https://mil.in.ua/en/news/germany-will-provide-ukraine-with-300-thousand-rounds-of-ammunition-for-the-gepard-spaag/

Plus Harry was a ground pounder, not RAF. But he did get pounded to the ground by a member of the RAF so there's that >:)

Interesting. I wasn't aware the actionability of Bradley survivors was a potential issue. Are the RL accounts? But applicable to this war, if UKR has an IFV that consistently sVes the lives if its occupants, abd Russo does not, then that is a still long term force sustainment win for UKR,, yes?

If They don't hit immediately they're still alive, armed and mobile. Morale is recoverable on living soldiers, not so much on the strawberry jam guys inside BMPs....

Ah in fairness I can go on about the moral aspect, I'm aware. But the political point stands - Ukraine has no option but to match Putins maximalist positions. He has driven the narrative and Zelensky et al are clear in their understanding of the Russian mindset - any agreement with extreme demands implies weakness of the target, and this opportunity to demand more. This is a pattern that Russia has exhibited time and again and which Ukraine is very clear-eyed on. Ukraine has no negotiations to offer because Putin has closed off anything reasonable. All that is left is unreasonable and thats not negotiating, thats extortion. The only means Ukraine has left to make Putin reasonable are military actions, and until that is achieved talking is worthless and possibly detrimental. I'm not concerned about Milleys estimates, frankly. For CJOC he can be pretty...unaware sometimes. I go by the UKR Gen Staff, Zelensky and the general public vibe over there and they are quite realistic in what they have, need and intend to do. And they sure aren't going to give in, Western aid or not

@Khalerick you've mentioned this war as ending in a diplomatic /economic negotiation... I'm sorry, what? There is a ethical aspect to this war that makes it unique over many others, and which completely guts any possible diplomatic/economic end, for a very simply reason - Ukraine is under attack for simply existing. This isnt 2014. The invasion now is not a territory grab for resources or power or some other BS, it's an existential fight to shatter Ukraine as a cultural entity. That isn't my read, btw, that's Putin's publically stated goals. He's had almost a year to walk back from this maximalist positions but he hasnt, he's just hardened them. The rhetoric has gotten more extreme, the demands more intransigent and his "negotiating" position is now "Accept What I've Done And Taken From You, then we can talk about I'Il allow you to keep from here on. Maybe" . There isn't a diplomatic/economic solution to a situation like that. This is a man ruthlessly bent on subjugation, who views negotiation as a weapon not a peace process, who has decreed the wholesale deportation of Ukrainian children into Russia proper. How does Ukraine "negotiate" with a man like that, in any sort of good faith from him? You cannot negotiate with an extremist ideologue, they just view anything other than NO as an opportune weakness. Where is the wiggle room in that situation? What are the acceptable degrees of cultural destruction, ethnic cleansing and child murdering that any Ukrainian would be able to "discuss" with Putin and somehow not have his family, friends and colleagues back home string him from a lamp post? This is why Zelensky has stated that any peace will require a referendum, as any peace will affect Ukraine as a whole being, as a state and a society. And based on everything so far, I dont see any possible prospect of Ukraine agreeing to let Putin keep what he has torn away, no matter what.

Yah exactly. He'll just add it to the stupid imaginary grievances vomit that he spoonfeeds them every day. Everyone loves being the victim, its the perfect excuse for any behaviour.

Beavers FTW!

Lol

Interesting. I wonder why not the Constitution also.

Sure, the politicians represent but the Government, consisting of politicians etc, leads. It decides on things to, the people can pressure it, agree with it or oppose it. But the Government leads the nation, and its leader (or as in Scholz's case, the Not So Glorious And Downright Humdrum Dogsbody) leads the Government.

https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/german-minister-berlin-shouldnt-oppose-transfer-of-polish-leopard-tanks-to-ukraine @Butschi insights on this guy?

Good to see this, to contrast or smooth over Zaluzhny celebrating Bandera,and other stuff like it. Friends forgive and move on.

Biden. Not a Great Leader, but leading the fight from a very clear ethical position. Believes in what he says and follows through. Scholz is doing the same, only what he believes in is domestic Peace In Our Time At Someone Else's Cost. I understand that Scholz is a creation of his system and is responding to what he believes the polls are saying. I'm not concerned about a semi-fascist or over strong leader arising or whatever, and reject the idea that even seeking a stronger leader is dangerous. A weak leader is just as dangerous. Neville Chamberlain, anyone? James Buchanan? Letting things slide and worsen without leading a way through is a deep failure of leadership. Im saying that, in a uniquely horrible moment like this, a vacillating and regressive position like Scholz's is simply Not Good Enough. D- from me.

I hear you. To be clear, I'm not seeking a Great Leader, with all its attendant slippery dangers, just someone with enough moral fortitude to take a stand and lead (not Capital L Lead) the EU wide conversation. Van Der Leyem is good and all but nothing happens without France, Germany and (now sometimes) UK. A figurehead like Leyen is useful but limited. That 50% against is not monolithic, polls are like sand dunes - ever shifting, rising, fading. Sure Germans want a quieter, a less Out In Front leader, fine. But it's short term thinking, as public opinion usually is. Scholz should look past that, with a vision that he unfortunately does not have. He's a man dominated by his place in the polls, not in history. All he sees is the next vote, not the next decade. He is absolutely not the man for the hour; he's just a plastic bag in wind, flapping around and making noise, blown in directions that he's incapable of controlling. His position has great potential power, but he's a Lada engine hiding inside a BMW. His lack of PUSH is just maddening. Can you imagine what would have happened by now if he was as convicted as Biden, or as energetic as Johnson? .Johnson delighted in getting his grubby little hands on some historical relevance but still - he led. Macron, well - Macron has yet to find a Photo Op Looking Presidential that he doesn't like. But still, he's leading and pushing public opinion in a certain direction. Biden has limits but he is 101% clear on his moral duty to FU Putin's invasion. My argument is that Scholz has that moral duty too, because he's a leader on the damn continent where the invasion is actually happening. Now, let's see you mix and match that many metaphors in one post!

But this, I think, is frankly what gets under everyones skin about Scholz. It's his slavish obsequsiouness to party politics and his avoidance of what many expect of the leader of the largest country in EU - moral leadership. I mean, it's bloody ridiculous - Here is a tailor-made historical opportunity, a once in a generation chance to take the moral lead against an enemy that is an insanely similar mirror to Germany's terrible past, to finally put to bed the idea of continuing German guilt, to bloody LEAD THE CONTINENT on a deeply righteous project and - wtf is he doing? Fretting about voting margins? Dribbling Gepards to the Ukrainians? Doesn't Scholz get it? He could be the Greatest German of his Generation, outshine Merkel and put her Russian complacency to shame. And who did we get instead - Boris Bloody Johnson? Boris Johnson put the German Chancellor to shame? A Clown showed up the leader of Germany?! Sure, polls etc show certain, whatever. Polls change and can be changed. . You can lead your nation with conviction and the polls will follow. You take a moral stand, stating clear and unequivocal democratic principles and people will vote for you even though they don't like much else about you. But, GOD he's such a waste of space.Yet another bland, grey, moral rubberband of a politicker such that he cannot see the chance that is being provided him - or worse, he sees it but balks out of fear, his own inadequacy or sheer spineless careerism. There is a gaping, Chancellor shaped hole in the middle of European leadership and this fool will never fill it. He doesn't have the wit, ethical gumption or intellectual depth to lead anything more than a domestic political party. I guess leading Europe is just beyond his ability. Such a depressing twat.

Bingo Etc

Interestingly, it also echos the anecdotal accounts of local AFU tactical command lapses from that battle. When UKR has its Command poop together the Ivan makes no headway. When they fumble the ball the Russians have enough sense to pile in, exacerbating the issue. Then UKR High Elves come down, yell the humies into shape and AFU starts re-kicking Orc butt. I suspect Soledar or adjacent will have one more surge attack (theres simply so many enemy numbers in the area) but that UKR has a clearer handle on things.

Yah but they're dismounting from mobile soviet garbage cans! God those things are the worst, the godammn worst. Better than an SUV sure, whatever. Do you think a UKR team inside a Bradley would dismount an equivalent distance away? Then what's the point of all that gee-whizz armor protection and sensing, if a modern Western IFV is just as vulnerable as a 30 years old soviet POS? Certainly, anything that can hit your wheels from a Km away probably also has the punch to KO it, but still - the godawful optics on soviet stuff puts you at an immediate disadvantage, so LOL seeing the shooter first, the armor is ROFL and the survivability design is LMFAO. Western armor has significant advantages over Soviet, which should certainly allow UKR to press home their attacks in a far better fashion, and if their taxis go pop then then men inside often are not dead and come ou super pissed and Javs in hand. Many, many times I've snotted a Bradley in CMBS and had its damn uber riders pile out, occupy the nearest structure and snot me back. Yes, big metal is a target, its always a target. But if the big metal has excellent eyes and networking, then it has much better chance of nailing the shooter first and if it's designed right, which Bradleys are (dont laugh, I mean for survivability) then the difference is significant. Tricky to survive or not, a Bradley will for sure get my little pixel nutjobs closer to the edge and survive for longer.

That's twice now!