Prologue
On July 9, 1943, fierce fighting began in the area of the Ponyri railway station. In an effort to break the defenses of the Soviet troops, the Germans created a powerful strike group in this strategically important section of the northern face of the Kursk Bulge.
By evening, the Ferdinands from the sPzJgAbt 654 unit, supported by the Tigers from the 505th heavy tank battalion and the 216th Brummbert assault gun battalion, crushed the first line of defense of the Soviet troops and broke through to the May 1 state farm.
Here the Germans came under heavy artillery fire from three directions. Trying to stop the creeping reptiles, the Red Army fired at the German tanks from all barrels, including the 203-mm B-4 howitzer. At the Ferdinands, corps and army artillery opened fire at close range - the hit of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile from the ML-20 howitzer (caliber 152 mm, projectile weight - 44 kilograms) guaranteed to disable the chassis of the heavy self-propelled guns, smashed the optics and concussed the crew.
The infernal battle lasted three days. Trying to maneuver under artillery fire, "Tigers" and "Ferdinands" rolled out of the cleared passages and were blown up by mines and guided landmines, carefully placed by Soviet soldiers.
By July 12, having used up the materiel, the Germans stopped their attacks and spent the whole day trying to evacuate the damaged armored vehicles. In vain. Seventy-ton "Ferdinands" are tightly stuck in the Russian black soil. On July 14, unable to withstand the counterattack of the Red Army, the Germans retreated, blowing up the abandoned equipment.
But this victory did not come easily to the Red Army. Many brave soldiers gave their lives on the Arc of Fire without retreating a single step.
Why did the Germans, having an overwhelming quality superiority in technology, lose the battle? They acted according to a clear plan, they had good commanders and experienced personnel; the interaction between the branches of the armed forces was perfectly organized - with the tank battalions there were air traffic controllers-spotters for an emergency call to the Luftwaffe. And, nevertheless, the Wehrmacht miserably lost the battle for Ponyri and failed Operation Citadel as a whole. What was the fatal mistake of the German military? We will talk about this a little later …
By the way, here is the nonsense the gloomy German genius has built to take over the world:
1. "Ferdinand" (Tiger-P) - heavy tank destroyer, named after its creator - Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. Like modern supercars of this brand, "Ferdinand" was distinguished by a very complex design and original technical solutions. The Germans used an electric transmission: the tank was driven by two electric motors, which were powered by two Siemens generators, rotating by two internal combustion engines. There was no need for long driveshafts and a heavy gearbox. True, this wunderwafe required a lot of copper, the transmission was extremely complex and whimsical.
Ferdinand also had strengths that made it the most famous tank destroyer. Until the very end of World War II, the issue with his 200 mm forehead was not resolved - "Fedya" did not break through with any conventional means. In any dueling situation, an 88 mm gun with a barrel length of 71 caliber left no chance for the enemy.
2. Another prodigy - PzKpfw VI Ausf. H1 "Tiger". Heavy breakthrough tank, at the time of its appearance - the best in the world. Excellent mobility combined with a powerful 88mm gun and 100mm armor.
3. Sturmpanzer IV "Brummber" (Stupa, Medved) - a self-propelled assault gun on the chassis of a T-IV tank, armed with a 150 mm howitzer.
How the Pentagon launched the Millennium Challenge
In August 2002, large maneuvers called "Millenium Challenge - 2002" were held at training grounds in California and Nevada, in which up to 13.5 thousand people took part. During both phases of these exercises (real and computer), units of the army, navy, air force and marines practiced an invasion of a certain country of the Persian Gulf (in the sense - Iraq or Iran). The "Blues", using various high-tech means and new methods of warfare, had to tear to pieces the army of "Reds", which plays the role of "potential enemy" in the plot, thereby demonstrating the power and splendor of the invincible U. S. Army. Retired Lieutenant General of the Marine Corps Paul van Ryper was invited to command the Reds, and from that moment on, the game did not go according to plan.
LtGen Paul Van Riper
According to the scenario of the war game, an aircraft carrier strike group of the US Navy entered the Persian Gulf, the "Reds" received an ultimatum demanding complete surrender within 24 hours. Van Riper had to indulge in all sorts of low-tech tricks to thwart the enemy's invasion plans.
Some of his decisions can only bring a smile. For example, eliminating the advantage of the "blues" in radio interception and electronic warfare, van Rijper completely stopped radio communications and transmitted commands using motorcyclist couriers.
A motorcycle is 15 million times slower than radio waves, and besides, the courier can be attacked, then the order will not be received at all. In doing so, van Rijper only demonstrated his ingenuity. By the way, it was possible to use wired communication lines, but this route is also ineffective and vulnerable - suffice it to recall the assault on the Taj Bek Palace on December 27, 1979, during which one of the KGB special forces groups blew up a communications center in Kabul, depriving President Amin of communications with his headquarters and army.
Other actions of the general were so significant that it decided the outcome of the exercises. Using a "mosquito fleet" of small rocket ships, patrol boats and civilian trawlers, van Ryper succeeded in sinking 2/3 of the US squadron!
During the night, the general pulled his forces into a designated area of the Persian Gulf and sent his "mosquito fleet" aimlessly circling near the American ships. When, tired of tracking numerous targets, the blue sailors lost their vigilance, van Rijper's army suddenly attacked the invaders. The Americans were attacked by one and a half hundred combat aircraft of obsolete types, dozens of high-speed "kamikaze boats", and the coast guard corvettes opened fierce artillery fire. By order of the general, anti-ship missiles of the first generation (similar to the P-15 Termit) were launched from the shore. The situation of the Americans was complicated by the mines with which van Riper blocked the entire Persian Gulf.
The massive attack overwhelmed the computers of the Aegis naval air defense system, the carrier-based aircraft did not manage to take off, turning into a heap of smoking metal. As a result, the nuclear aircraft carrier was "sunk", 10 cruisers, destroyers and frigates, as well as 5 landing ships and UDC, were seriously damaged. The equivalent of success in a real conflict would have killed 12,000 American sailors.
Fake victory
The game was urgently stopped, none of the participants expected such a situation. Van Riper hoped that the Blues would develop new plans and the game would continue until the complete annihilation of the US Navy. But the ending was enchanting. The scenario of the game was changed to ensure victory for the blue fleet. Van Riper was ordered to turn off the radars and stop shooting down enemy aircraft. Among other insane conditions, it was announced that the ships that had sunk to the bottom were "restored to buoyancy." After that, the exercises continued according to the basic plan. But already without van Riper. The offended general did not want to take part in them anymore. The sunken ships cannot emerge and continue the battle, there was no fair play.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Marty Mayer said the outcome of the exercise was not predetermined. According to Mayer, pressure was exerted on van Riper only in isolated cases and solely in order to "facilitate the conduct of the experiment."
But the old Marine was not the kind of person to give up so easily. During his career, he was not particularly worried - grandpa had been retired for 5 years already. In retaliation for the insult, he peppered the Pentagon with insults and made a fuss in the media, which enthusiastically picked up the shocking story and spread the news of the stupidity of the American military all over the world.
For a whole year, van Riper mocked the Pentagon, until Operation Shock and Awe, the invasion of Iraq, began in March 2003. The coalition dealt with the Iraqi regular army in two weeks, suffering single losses. The embarrassed van Riper has gone into the shadows, now he serves at the National War College in Washington and is engaged in research in the field of psychology - as an experiment, he sends young officers to internship with brokers on Wall Street. Thus, it teaches command personnel to act decisively in conditions of insufficient information or when data contradicts each other. A very extraordinary general.
Epilogue
The large-scale exercise "Millennium Challenge - 2002" can be seen as a "challenge to common sense." It is enough to study the events of the Kursk Bulge in order to understand that conducting a strategic operation against a prepared and outnumbering enemy, relying only on its technical superiority, doomed to fail, especially when the enemy knows your plans. That was once again proved by the brilliant van Riper.
During the Millennium Challenge exercise, the American navy gave General van Rijper an unforgivable head start - time to deploy its forces. For a whole day, boats and suicide planes circled with impunity in the immediate vicinity of the ships of the "blue". The Americans, in fact, themselves were exposed to the blow. It is impossible to imagine anything like that in reality, all the events in Iraq and Libya speak of exactly the opposite.
At one time, the Germans were forced to give the Red Army time to prepare for the "Kursk Bulge", for which they paid - all their plans went to hell. While the Nazis were drawing schemes for Operation Citadel and bringing Tigers and Panthers to the Eastern Front, Soviet soldiers were changing the relief and preparing an in-depth defense. By order of the Stavka, behind the main forces, the Steppe Front was created - a strategic reserve for the entire defensive operation, for a quick transfer of troops they managed to lay a new branch line!
The US Navy is aware of its vulnerability to such massive attacks by heterogeneous forces, therefore, before the invasion, a "no-fly zone" is declared over the entire proposed area of hostilities, which deprives the enemy of the chance to withdraw their forces at attack distance. On March 24, 1986, the Libyan MRC "Ain Zaquit" violated the ultimatum and tried to approach the AUG at the range of a missile salvo. As soon as he left the water area of Benghazi, the deck "Corsairs" and "Intruders", directed by the Hawkeye AWACS, attacked him. The same thing happened in 2011 - a "no-fly zone" was declared and NATO aircraft dominated the air all the time. The ships approach the coast only when the regular army of the next "enemy of Democracy" is defeated.
Thirdly, the bloody General van Riper acted in the worst traditions of "kamikaze" - one boat that broke through required 10 boats that served as "cannon fodder".
It was all the more strange to carry out a strategic operation with the limited forces of one AUG and the amphibious group attached to it. As I pointed out in one of the articles, the contribution of carrier-based aviation to Operation Desert Storm was only 17% of the actions of aviation based on land airfields! Those. aircraft carriers played a supporting role. And for the ground operation, it was necessary to carry 2,000 Abrams tanks across half the globe + another 1,000 were brought by the allies.
What will be the conclusions this time? There is no need to be like "traditional healers" who offer to cure any serious illness with the help of tap water. All "asymmetric answers" and "easy ways" do not work in reality and, as a result, cost even more. And therefore - no need to make far-reaching conclusions and rush to build a fleet on the basis of "mosquito forces". How else to look into the eyes of the early-gray guys who attacked an aircraft-carrying strike group on an old passenger "Comet"?
