In November 1944, the German Army deployed the 47th “People’s” Infantry Division into the Huertgen Forest, not far from Aachen. This unit was a microcosm of what the German Army was going through in its death throes near the end of World War II, and it serves as a harbinger of things to come in Ukraine.
When army forces train, they start at the individual Solider and work their way up, from small teams up to large formations like divisions of 12,000 or more men. Each level is critical to preparing a unit for combat. Yet, the 47th Division had only been able to train at a level just above the individual Solider. Needless to say, they suffered massive losses in the dark forest on the German western border, in large measure because they were ill-prepared. Six months later, World War II in Europe ended.
Fast forward to today, and the saga of the Ukrainian 152nd Jaeger Brigade. A formation of about 4,000 men and organized about 10 months ago, the unit absorbed a load of fresh recruits with minimal to no training, and then barely trained past the small unit level before elements were committed to combat. Many of the best Soldiers were gradually siphoned off to other units, and the brigade’s own mission changed several times, necessitating a change in organization, creating confusion and low morale. In many ways, the plight of the 152nd Brigade is a microcosm of the entire Ukrainian Army.[1]
And it’s also a mirror image of the last months of the German Army in World War II.
Yet amazingly, our own military leaders are so daft that they refuse to see this, in large measure because they don’t know history. Indeed, the Russo-Ukraine War (or more accurately, the NATO-Russo War) was over before it even started. If the casualty figures I’m hearing regarding Ukraine are reasonably accurate, that nation has lost more men (and women) in combat per capita than Germany did in World War II. This is nothing short of catastrophic.
The reason why Ukraine has not yet collapsed (though it appears to be coming soon), is because, unlike Germany which was attacked on all sides in World War II, Ukraine has operational and strategic depth going westward into Europe and the United States. Conceivably, the U.S. and NATO can keep this war going for generations, with only occasional operational pauses as another European NATO nation is prepared to be thrown into the flames. Moldova appears to be next on the sacrificial altar.[2]
Meanwhile, Neocons and their military-industrial friends in the U.S. make big bucks… at the expense of Europeans and Russians. Much of the war in Ukraine is about the U.S. and NATO burning off old equipment. Eastern European nations have unloaded their old Soviet armored vehicles (and even some German items) to Ukraine, to then turn around and purchase new U.S. equipment. Concurrently, the United States is burning off stocks of its old materiel, followed by the demand that Congress pony up more cash for newer items. Prior to the NATO-Russo War, the Pentagon was having trouble getting Congress to come up with more cash for new stuff. Now they have their rationale.
This is not an uncommon mantra, and has played out many times in history with many nations. But the U.S. military-congressional-industrial complex has turned it into a fine art. Cynically, they use the bodies of people in other lands to expend older military equipment so they can fleece the taxpayer of more cash for their own benefit by buying new, though not necessarily more effective, weapons.
After all, the retired CEO of Raytheon (now RTX), Gregory Hayes, made over $21 million annually in salary and compensation.[3] Of course, the taxpayer got a real deal when RTX put Christopher Calio in charge in 2023, with a paltry yearly salary of over $12 million. However, that was when he was the company’s COO, and surely he will get a lot more than that.
Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler was right when he wrote his little book War is a Racket. Sadly, it still is, and many are dying on the frozen steppes of Ukraine so that the likes of Hayes and Calio can have their millions and mansions.
Russ Rodgers has several books published on Amazon.
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[1] One can read the details on the 152nd Jaeger Brigade at https://militaryland.net/news/the-story-of-152nd-jaeger-brigade/
[2] https://www.csis.org/analysis/moldovas-fate-tied-ukraines-now-time-west-go-big-moldova
[3] https://www1.salary.com/Gregory-J-Hayes-Salary-Bonus-Stock-Options-for-UNITED-TECHNOLOGIES-CORP-DE.html . Hayes made close to $4.5 million in annual salary and bonuses before retiring in 2023.