Can We Prevent 1941 From Happening Again?

Sergey Osipov

[This article clearly is written from the point of view of the Russian side in this conflict. The central point to be understood here is that the Russians experienced a living hell under the Nazis in 1941. It was a total nightmare for them. They will do whatever it takes to prevent this from ever happening again. Now they have the military means to do so. That being said, the article conveys the impressions of people on the ground, the ones that actually have to do the fighting. The writing may be a bit on the simplistic side, but this is to be expected as part of "the fog of war", the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. – We're sure it's interesting for some, but also a quick read for the rest. -Editor]


A column of German troops heading toward the front passing a column
of Soviet prisoners of war and their German guards after the German in-
vasion of the Soviet Union in July, 1941. (Archiwum Dokumentacji)

Russia February 24, perhaps for the first time decided to act ahead of the curve. And then a new era was to begin, including in Russian military science. The threat from the south is indeed very serious and must be stopped.

However, the results of the first half of the SMO look very alarming. The mechanism of "denazification" has slowed down and is about to freeze completely. Is it really necessary in the Russian character to first experience a humiliating defeat in order to then come to victory? And in our destiny, 1945 was impossible without 1941? [1][2]

The semiannual "anniversary" of the SMO slipped on a relatively optimistic note. In August, the RF Armed Forces managed to repulse the “epic” offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson direction. The enemy played with the choice of attack directions, but in the end did not guess right. There was a tense moment - our paratroopers really had to strain in the area of ​​Sukhoi Stavka and the surrounding villages.

But the "zahistniks"[i.e. "defenders"] managed to make only a narrow crack in the defense of the Russian army, things did not go further. The ramparts were shattered, and the results for fortification generally turned out to be deplorable. According to the estimates of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost about two full-fledged brigades in the form of dead and wounded in the Kherson direction. The first counted under four thousand people. It would seem that it would be possible to exhale and relax. But alas, not in our case.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine “unexpectedly” (it seems, only for our command) had gathered a powerful force in the northern sector of the LBS and hit Balakleya, and then Izyum and Kupyansk. And in the area of Kharkov, enemy units were concentrated. There were echelons with equipment and manpower, Western instructors and mercenaries gathered. It was clear that this "furuncle" had to break open sooner or later.

And this is exactly what happened on September 5th. And the enemy had calculated everything. The RF Armed Forces had to hastily transfer military units to the south, to the Kherson area. We made it to there, but not back again. The shortage of precisely manpower had fatal consequences for the Russian army.

Even before the beginning of September, everything was more or less stable in the Kharkiv region. There were regular military units of the RF Armed Forces with the appropriate heavy equipment and artillery. But with the first falling yellow leaves, only scattered garrisons in a number of settlements from parts of the Russian Guard and mobilized from the DPR-LPR remained on the front line.

Neither heavy equipment nor full-fledged artillery was given to them. All this was perfectly seen by the enemy and decided to act. The actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were so strong that, reading the news from the Kharkov region, one might have thought that the front had collapsed throughout the sector. The heroic resistance of, for example, SOBR in Balakliya could no longer change the picture.

The retreat of the Russian army turned almost into a flight. The only positive episode was the withdrawal of the Izyum group from the planned cauldron. The results of the "Balakleyevsky breakthrough" are truly tragic for us. The enemy covered about 80 kilometers in just a few days.

Approximately 400 sq. kilometers of territory with a number of cities and dozens of villages and villages. Yes, we have more or less managed to maintain military strength. But something else is scary - it was not possible to organize a mass evacuation of civilians from the territory, which until recently was controlled by the RF Armed Forces.


The tragedy of Kharkiv region

Someone managed to get to the border with Russia, but a significant part of the population was in a real trap. But the inhabitants of the eastern Kharkiv region, for the most part, accepted the Russian army, and the vector of sentiment among the people has changed - "we are for a greater Russia." And a lot had been done in terms of nurturing sympathies for Russia among civilians there.

So, the "educational process" was radically changed. They had prepared teachers who were capable and, most importantly, began to teach the younger generation in new ways. It was possible to normalize the humanitarian component and social security. But all this was mercilessly put on hold by the unfolding events.

The punitive operation by Ukraine unfolded quickly and will not stop soon. 90% of the population had contacts with Russian representatives in one way or another. But the enemy first of all enters state institutions, passport offices - and there you can immediately see "who was against and who was for."

It’s just not sufficient to remove the “Budyonovka” [Russian type of head gear]. The most painful thing is that even if the Russian army returns this territory, it will come to a territory scorched by the Ukrainians. The people who were for Russia will simply not be there. They may have been be exterminated.

Is it possible to stop or stop the punitive operation of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region? Partly. It is necessary to sound the alarm, collect any & all information and break through the "walls" of the Western media world by any means necessary. Save shouting, kicking at the podium at the UN - it will be necessary to make clear who the Western countries actually support: the punishers and murderers!

Will it be done? I'm very afraid not. The slogan "Russians do not abandon their own" may remain a slogan respected in the many provinces. But the leadership of our country needs to understand that it is responsible for all its citizens, for those who have trusted and believed in a big and strong Russia.

If the authorities do not realize what has just happened in the Kharkiv region, how extensive the defeat of the Russian army was there, then this can become exactly that “brick” taken out of the foundation that may bring down the whole house. The Russian house.

In other words, the shortage of manpower, ignoring the wave of information that a powerful enemy always seems to be the fist one to be gathering, near Kharkov this time, the lack of systematic preventive work to destroy enemy infrastructure (railway junctions, equipment, bases with fuel, etc.) - all this led to a terrible result.

Moreover, the collapse of the front became so bad that the RF Armed Forces did not even dare holding on to Volchansk, which is located almost on the border with Russia. Although it probably could have been done, because the city had not been hit by the first wave of the Ukrainian offensive.


Not one step back

The Russian army is now going through a painful period of building a new defensive line on the very edge of the Kharkov region - along the Oskol River. Because the river flows in a straight southerly direction it was possible to somehow straighten the battle formations and start defending again.

The situation is such that, for example, the western part of Kupyansk had to be hastily abandoned, while the eastern part of the city, beyond Oskol, remained under the control of the RF Armed Forces (I hope forever). Dry data speaks volumes of change.

Before the onset of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, about 120.000 people lived in the Kupyansky district. After the transition of the territory of the region under the control of the Ukrainian military, about 60.000 of them remained. The bulk of the inhabitants were evacuated to Russia, the rest - to the LPR. The armed Forces of the Russian Federation are, of course, not equipped for humanitarian tasks.

The Russian army is now holding out during daytime, but merey scaraping by during the cold nights. The most dangerous section [by the way] turned out to be the place where the Oskol and Seversky Donets rivers converge. The Ukrainian Armed Forces directly threatened to seize Svyatogorsk.

And the attacks on the key city - Krasny Lyman have been going on for several days. The risk of the Ukrainians taking it was great. But in the most difficult moments, the “leopards” and those mobilized from the LPR held the defense. Honor and salute to them! "The Defenders" ["zahistniks"] continued [however] to attack the city, there were even attempts to build a crossing across the Seversky Donets.

Liman is indeed the key-city in the changed operational environment. Its capture will already create a threat of seizing the territory of the LPR, recently liberated by such efforts, the Severodonetsk-Lysichansk agglomeration. The prospects are very bleak.

Is our military leadership going through a painful rethinking of the course of the SMO? I hope so. The pace of the liberation of Donbass fell with every summer month. A bid for the liberation of, for example, Seversk was announced back in the middle of summer, but was never implemented. And now, I'm afraid, it has generally become irrelevant.

The special military operation gradually shifted to a defensive format throughout the entire theater of operations. But the situation does not even come close to the goals that were originally announced - the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine. Yes, and actions from the defense are not suitable for the updated goals - the complete liberation of Donbass.

In addition, the enemy did not waste time during these six months and was rapidly updated, trained and received military equipment from abroad. Kyiv carried out not a total, but a wholesale mobilization and, in fact, created a second combat-ready army. After all, the Russian army, whatever one may say, practically "denazified" the Ukrainian army, which entered into confrontation with the RF Armed Forces at the end of February.

A painful rethinking also is necessary in the sense that we need to understand with whom we are fighting, what kind of Ukrainian society is now behind the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And in many ways it has rallied around its leaders and now perceives the SMO as a direct threat to the very existence of the entire Ukrainian state. Perhaps it was this factor that so greatly increased the willingness of the Ukrainians to take the war effort seriously.

According to various estimates, over the past six months, the number of killed and wounded Ukranian soldiers amounted to about 200.000 people. That's a lot of soldiers! It must be comprehended, and then the boundaries of the action of the SMO should be outlined. It is simply impossible to take all of Ukraine, and, apparently, it is beyond our power.

The second serious factor is the re-equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the help of US and NATO supplies. The United States, together with Britain, one arms shipment after another, expanded the supply of both conventional military weapons and high-tech. The American howitzer "777" has suddenly become almost a symbol of the Ukrainian confrontation at the present stage.

Our side responded, and the neutralizing of any "three axes" [i.e. the M777 howitzers] is perceived as almost a small victory. And what can we say about the "Hymars"? They have become a real headache for the RF Armed Forces. Let's not forget about "Harpoons" and others like them. In other words, the second phase of the SMO is clearly shifting into the high-tech spectrum.

Now the question is as follows - whose military technology will be more effective? Yes, we have "Caliber" with "Daggers". But there are issues with these too. According to various sources, out of 11 missiles recently fired at the “square” energy infrastructure, five were hit by Ukrainian air defense. This also requires some rethinking.

As you can see, there are a lot of questions. They will no doubt require a change in the way we think about all of this. Russia will not be the same. But the main thing here is not to betray those who trusted and believed in her, and not to betray those who died on the borders of this war. They believe that our country will win. Such an important victory for Russia.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Source: topwar.ru. IMG: US Holocaust Museum. AWIP: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/aL0F

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