Brian M Downing and the world at war. Timely, thoughtful, and nonpartisan analysis of military matters. @BrianMDowning1.
Brian M Downing Army morale The troops that began the war were ill trained, badly led, and poorly equipped. They performed dismally. Hard experiences have made them more effective. They’re no longer taking casualties in static positions and stalled convoys. They’re taking enemy positions and meting out punishment. There are Read More …
Brian M Downing Putin invaded Ukraine five months ago, confident his forces would swiftly take Kyiv and overwhelm the rest of the country in short order. When the blitzkrieg failed, he shifted to a war of attrition. The conflict is almost certainly to be long and arduous. Putin believes that Read More …
Brian M Downing Wars bring sweeping changes, most unforeseen. The First World War brought down three proud, venerable dynasties and began Europe’s decline and America’s ascendance, a process completed by the Second World War. The Russo-Ukraine war, the largest Europe has seen since 1945, will determine the future of Europe Read More …
Brian M Downing Eleven weeks ago Russia withdrew from Kyiv and focused on the east. Attempts at decisive breakthroughs failed and a slow, grinding war of attrition has emerged. Territorial changes have been small, casualties high. Neither side gives detailed casualty figures. The Russian army has shown marked improvement since Read More …
Brian M Downing Russia’s Donbas offensive has failed to encircle Ukrainian units or make significant penetration. It’s made only limited gains around Lyman, Donetsk, and Severodonetsk. Ukrainian casualties, though, have been high – about a hundred dead per day on average and twice that amid exceptionally sharp fighting. Russian casualties Read More …
Brian M Downing The Great Patriotic War reverberates in the Russian soul. At times, it thunders. Official ceremonies see to that but memories of 20-27 million deaths do more. The lower estimate is 15 times the American losses. Family lore recounts experiences, hardships, and deaths. To paraphrase Faulkner, the past war Read More …
Brian M Downing A nation’s history, beliefs, traditions, and family lore are forged in wars and become its ordering principles. Britain became a dominant power through the Napoleonic Wars and colonial conflicts. The US was decisively changed by World War Two and later by Vietnam. World War Two, the Great Read More …
Brian M Downing Putin’s war on Ukraine shows no sign of relenting. The Donbas campaign has brought only limited gains at great cost and even they are being lost to counterattacks. The war is moving toward stalemate. Artillery exchanges might soon predominate. The entire world is affected. With less Russian Read More …
Brian M Downing Putin’s war hasn’t gone well. Attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv have been driven back, and pincer movements from north and south in the Donbas pocket haven’t achieved much. More recently, however, Russia can rightly lay claim to two successes – Mariupol and the central Donbas pocket. What’s Read More …
Brian M Downing Putin’s effort to vanquish Ukraine has failed. The drive on Kyiv was driven back to Belarus and the one in the Donbas has stalled. Ukrainian forces are attritting invading forces with artillery, drones, antitank weapons, and MANPADs. Ukrainians wore down the Nazis in the 1940s and their Read More …