“There were weird exceptions. For reasons that defy military logic, Russian troops in a few eastern sectors not only stayed in place—they attacked.
These isolated Russian assaults—call them “countercounterattacks”—so far have not resulted in meaningful territorial gains for the Russians. They have however resulted in heavy casualties. Especially for the Russian side. “The Ukrainians are fighting a very, very successful mobile defense,” U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters on Wednesday.
Just one corps of the Ukrainian army is doing most of the killing. The artillery. In the eastern town of Bakhmut, where pro-Russian separatists and Russian mercenaries from The Wagner Group have been conducting perhaps the biggest of the isolated countercounterattacks, Russian and allied forces are under daily bombardment by one of Ukraine’s best artillery formations. The 40th Artillery Brigade.
The brigade is a new formation. The Ukrainian army stood up the 40th Artillery Brigade back in 2015 as part of its wider mobilization in response to the Russian occupation of Crimea and subsequent attack on eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. When Russia widened its war on Ukraine in February, the 40th Artillery Brigade was in the eastern city of Kharkiv. “
Comment: Yup. The old sergeants say that “the infantry is the queen of battles, but the artillery is the king.” They are right. Most casualties are inflicted by artillery fires, not infantry small arms. pl
Russia’s Pointless Attacks In Bakhmut Are Running Into A Wall Of Ukrainian Artillery (msn.com)
The second half of that phrase, as I learned it is “And the king always puts it where the queen wants it.”
See Old French artillier – to equip.
Etymology:
Vulgar Latin *apticulāre, derivative of Latin aptāre to put on (armor, ornaments, etc; see adapt); -i- for expected -ei- perh. by association with atirier; see attire) + -erie -ery
Anglo-French, Middle French artillerie, equivalent. to Old French artill(ier) to equip, arm, alteration, by association with art art1, of atill(i)er to set in order, put on armor (
Middle English artil(le)rie, artelry, art(u)ry armaments, ballistic engines 1350–1400
https://www.wordreference.com/definition/artillery
I was looking up “Vulcan” who was a fire god and equipment maker to the gods.
Roman counterpart Hephaestus.
On Gunsmoke Burt Reynolds played the blacksmith Quint Asper, who I think was lame as was Vulcan (thus he makes weapons not being whole). I was going to say that he was replaced by Festus after a few seasons, and remark that “Festus” is the ending of Hephaestus …ie follows Vulcan as Rome followed Greece. But Fester was Matt Dillon’s sidekick or deputy and actually followed Chester as deputy marshal. played by Denis Weaver who went on to play McCloud. Notice the godlike Olympian reference with Cloud. Was there a follow-up blacksmith or armorer to Marshal Matt Dillon? I can’t recall.
Started reading a new book: “Civil War Field Artillery”, Earl Hess.
Hess is a pretty prolific author of current ACW history. Often technical in nature. My most recent prior purchase of his was “Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War”
Just starting out, but he makes clear that logistics and technical problems with fuses were major factors in employment of the arm. He tends to discount the dispersed vs concentrated employment as important, except as a problem in logistics rather than tactical effectiveness. But in general artillery was under tactical control of infantry officers who didn’t know how to employ it.
Scott –
Thanks for the tip on Hess’s book. I’ll get a copy. Does he say anything about Henry Jackson Hunt at Gettysburg, where some claim his refusal of or resistance to higher orders actually led to defeating Pickett’s Charge?
I’m not military, in my 60s, I missed the blessing of serving my country.
Wonder if Putin had great fear of Prigozhin, and his deep contacts and power base in the prison system, and if Putin’s use of them as cannon fodder is an attempt to liquidate P’s base.
Reports from the Russians are that Wagner is driving the pigs out of Bakhmut.
Razumov,
Russians have been reporting that they’re taking Bakhmut for many weeks now, maybe even months.
ttg
Russia found an interesting way of reducing their prison population.
By all accounts, ‘western sources’ too, that’s what they are doing. Slowly, deliberately, and killing scores of Ukrainians in the proces, demilitarising Ukraine as was their formal goal at the outset.
Heat.
It’s secret was a mystery to science since the beginning of time. Newton, Liebnitz, Bacon, Bernoulli, Pascal, Laplace, Lavoisier — these were all prodigious intellects who failed to comprehend its essence. Perhaps Archimedes did, but we don’t know. The riddle of Heat was finally unraveled and put to rest by a Captain, I think it was, serving in the Army of The United States of America, around the time of that nation’s Civil War. His commanding officer ordered him to discovery why his Army’s artillery pieces, cannons, were falling so rapidly into disuseful configuration due to repeated firing. Which this officer proceeded to do. It was one of the most profound scientific discoveries of human history.
Or so I read in Phyics Today years ago. I lost my copy due to an unforeseen event and no longer subscribe so please accept my kind sentiments of regret at not being able to supply more information.
” Reports from the Russians” frequently is just propaganda and should be taken with a grain of salt. I think it started with that they would not invade Ukraine. Regarding the Wagners, if you have to recruit in prisons, you have a serious problem.
What should concern Russia is the considerable degradation of their armed forces. If it continues, as seems to be the case currently, it is questionable if they can hold their federation together. Tribal urges are present and can easily become prominent.
Kazakhstan should be the next victim according to the talking head war lovers on Russkie TV.
Give a man a flag, a capitol, and a title and he thinks he’s got him a country. Don’t they all know they are jus l’ll russkies?