Echoes of the Great War in Ukraine

Echoes of the Great War in Ukraine

15 Feb 23
Posted by: Lt Gen Robert Fry
7 minutes, 53 seconds read
Message from the Editor

The author compares Germany’s self-defeating planning before the First World War, and the subsequent struggle to master attritional warfare, with the failure of deterrence in Ukraine and the battlefield ramifications, and makes an important historical point that bears repeating: As Moltke the Elder knew, no plan survives contact with the enemy. The dangers of attempting to force a political resolution through operational action are clear. Originally published in The Article, 1 June 2022 (https://www.thearticle.com/echoes-of-the-great-war-in-ukraine). A 10 minute read.

War in the 21st century shouldn’t be like this. Assembled ranks of military pundits (including this one) insisted that Russian mass, firepower and doctrinal sophistication above and below the threshold of formal conflict would deliver a quick outcome, at least in the conventional phase of any conflict with Ukraine. Instead, we have had a thoroughly revisionist fight, conducted largely within the range of traditional weapon systems, from heavy artillery to the infantry bayonet. Drones and smart anti-armour kit have given glimpses of a future battlefield, but the essential nature of war looks as…

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