Global Courant
Ukrainian troops training with British Challenger II tanks
As a former tank commander, I can say one thing for sure: Putin’s demoralized conscripts are completely unprepared for the shock action now hitting their lines. Ukrainian armored formations are beginning to meet Russian troops in battle, and they are going to do so pulverize Russia’s defense lines. I am confident for one simple reason: Ukraine will follow the Western ideology of maneuver warfare in a combined arms context, while the Russians will follow Soviet doctrine, relying on attrition and numbers. The Russians will find that the armor of Western tanks is much more resilient than flesh and bones, they will die in great numbers and they will lose.
The core idea of maneuver warfare is mission command. Commanders at all levels understand the final state at the highest level and are given the flexibility to take the battle as they see fit to achieve victory. The Ukrainians are well versed in this style of warfare, which allows them to be agile and adapt their plan to the situation on the battlefield as it unfolds and changes. The Russians do not follow this doctrine. They are given strict roles in the implementation of plans drawn up at the top and cannot change them if things go terribly wrong. This has become evident time and time again in Ukraine, where Moscow’s tanks have all too often been blown to pieces without firing a bullet.
In addition, we can add the simple fact that the Kiev armed forces have proved much better in their adoption of combined arms warfare. This means that tanks, infantry, artillery and air power are used in harmony to achieve their objectives. Each element brings its own possibilities and together they are much greater than the sum of its parts. The effect is devastating. Nearly 4,000 Russian tanks were destroyed because they were not properly protected by infantry and air defenses. Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers died because they were not properly supported by artillery and tanks.
Getting this form of warfare right requires intelligence and training. You need the right equipment and effective teaching. The Ukrainians have this. I estimate that their tank brigades have had about eight weeks to perfect combined arms warfare, about the same time I would have spent training the Royal Tank Regiment under my command into an effective combined force. And they certainly have the right equipment. The Challenger and Leopard tanks lead the spearhead exceed enormously what’s left of Russia’s heavy armour, while advanced precision artillery provides destructive fire for the advance.
Story continues
Conversely, Russian recruits seem to be given a few days of training, a little ammunition, and then thrown into the meat grinder with a life expectancy certainly measured in days. Might as well shoot them down on the training grounds; it would be faster, cheaper and about as effective.
There will certainly be no aerial rescue. The Russian air force should pose a huge operational threat, but it seems that the pilots have chosen to hide in the confined space of the officers’ mess rather than face the excellent Ukrainian air defenses. Sometimes cowardice is the wisest option.
The last and perhaps the most important element of an effective armored force is morale. The Ukrainians have this in abundance. The Russian conscripts have virtually none. From personal experience, having fought a number of battles, I know that you really have to want to get out of the trench to fight the enemy. It is certainly not an easy or natural act.
With Ukrainian acumen, Western intelligence and equipment, and a little bit of luck, I expect what’s left will belong to the Russian military nothing more than a speed bump on the way to liberate Crimea, push on to the Russian border and drive Putin’s war criminals out of Ukraine once and for all.
Like Adolf Hitler at the end of his war, Putin seems to be holed up in his bunker, being told lies, making the wrong decisions as the sharks circle. What is now happening in Ukraine could go down in history as one of the great tank actions, alongside Cambrai, Kursk and the Arras counterattack. It will surely go down in history as the end of the illegal invasion of Moscow – and perhaps the beginning of Putin’s end
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a former commanding officer of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment
