I’m pasting in below part of a much longer Twitter analysis of the current state of the war in Ukraine. As you’ll see, it’s all about the east—the Donbas. As the author points out, this is where the main action is, because it’s where the Ukrainian military’s best units were stationed. It’s important to understand Ukrainian geography to see why Russia is focused on the east and south of Ukraine—because Ukraine’s most effective units are there, and because they’re in a position to be encircled and destroyed.
During the Second World War the Germans came up with something they called “the roving pocket” which - ironically enough - had its debut around Lvov in March 1944 during the Cherkassy (or Korsun) Pocket Operation which Belgian Leon Degrelle described in detail in his poignant “Campaign In Russia: With the Waffen SS on the Eastern Front.” The “Roving Pocket was thus: “the Germans held simultaneously two parallel fronts 25 miles apart. The forward front line had a gap which narrowed to 3 miles by a pincers attack, whereas the other line was open on all flanks. This extraordinary synthesis of defense lines, as well as the interlocking pockets, we’re caused by German & Russian pincers, which were not completely closed. Defensive pincers are the preferred method of eliminating enemy bridgeheads. German experience shows there are no safer tactics for wiping out bridgeheads & inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.”
We’ll see if the Uk’s can channel German tactics but think it highly unlikely.
- from “German Defense Tactics Against Russian Breakthroughs”
Russia May not have cut it off with boots on the ground, but from what I read the no man’s land between the ends of the Russian pincers are in artillery range.
During the Second World War the Germans came up with something they called “the roving pocket” which - ironically enough - had its debut around Lvov in March 1944 during the Cherkassy (or Korsun) Pocket Operation which Belgian Leon Degrelle described in detail in his poignant “Campaign In Russia: With the Waffen SS on the Eastern Front.” The “Roving Pocket was thus: “the Germans held simultaneously two parallel fronts 25 miles apart. The forward front line had a gap which narrowed to 3 miles by a pincers attack, whereas the other line was open on all flanks. This extraordinary synthesis of defense lines, as well as the interlocking pockets, we’re caused by German & Russian pincers, which were not completely closed. Defensive pincers are the preferred method of eliminating enemy bridgeheads. German experience shows there are no safer tactics for wiping out bridgeheads & inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.”
We’ll see if the Uk’s can channel German tactics but think it highly unlikely.
- from “German Defense Tactics Against Russian Breakthroughs”
https://www.amazon.com/Defense-Tactics-Against-Russian-Breakthroughs-ebook/dp/B06XZ8VTPP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1A1PRAIXIXTI8&keywords=German+defense+tactics+against+Russian+breakthroughs&qid=1646516462&s=books&sprefix=german+defense+tactics+against+russian+breakthroughs%2Cstripbooks%2C117&sr=1-1
Degrelle link: https://www.amazon.com/Campaign-Russia-Waffen-Eastern-Front/dp/0939484188/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1I4MXOD4LLAHD&keywords=Campaign+in+Russia%3A+with+the+Waffen+SS+on+the+eastern+front&qid=1646517479&s=books&sprefix=campaign+in+russia+with+the+waffen+ss+on+the+eastern+front%2Cstripbooks%2C111&sr=1-1
Russia May not have cut it off with boots on the ground, but from what I read the no man’s land between the ends of the Russian pincers are in artillery range.
Thinking it might make sense for those solid units in the east and south to move east into Russia instead of being trapped.