Bakhmut & The Ukraine Trench War - fortifications, attrition, and lessons

[@PerunAU]

I get the credit for these, but thanks to the people whose input makes it possible. Thanks to those in Ukraine who take the time out of, you know, fighting a war in order to correspond with someone in Australia about their experiences with this kind of fighting. Also, since I know absolutely nothing about the practicalities of clearing a minefield under fire and how you could do it without vehicular support - special thanks to a USMC combat engineer (cheers Sgt Kates) for sharing some combat engineering 101 with me and discussing the implications that overhead threats have for entrenchments and ammo storage (plus introducing me to the APOBS). Note: on one slide I say that EU sources estimate approx 100,000 Ukrainian killed + wounded over the course of the war. that means 100,000 casualties including killed and wounded (large majority wounded). it doesn't mean 100,000 killed plus some extra number of wounded /endnote

[@Syndr1]

Hi Perun, teamwork makes the dream work.

[@tilenjeraj2684]

Power point time baby🎉❤😊

[@handmadehearts]

Perun, thank you for sharing your knowledge and your experience with us. We appreciate your work. Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦 Heroyam Slava!

[@thejetace42]

Hey perun when are you going to do the video on the sixth gen platforms that you put in the community post last week

[@larsrons7937]

11:36 - KZbin doesn't let me post the link, but for those interested in this *United Nations report* search for: _United Nations Human Rights 27 January 2022 Conflict-related civilian casualties in Ukraine_

[@peytonhurley3435]

“Shock and awe is great but not when you have an inadequate supply of shock and/or awe”. I’m using that.

[@moritamikamikara3879]

Blyatskrieg

[@4T3hM4kr0n]

new COD death screen comment potential

[@090giver090]

@@moritamikamikara3879 Blitzcringe

[@RCorvinus]

@@moritamikamikara3879 that is amazing

[@hungrymusicwolf]

I actually laughed out loud when I head that. It was such a sick yet professional burn against the Russians, I just couldn't help myself.

[@jannegrey]

People often forget that Copernicus was known before his astronomy for his economics. And before that he was known for his fortifications. Knowing how to prepare fortifications was almost required knowledge to become officer. Especially higher one. Kościuszko also specialized in it. Practically every "hero" from 19th Century and before that you've heard about in military sense was specializing in fortifications, because they are such gigantic force multipliers.

[@PerunAU]

I have a soft spot for star forts - particularly the way the designs grew ever more lavish and complex until technological change made the concept unworkable

[@murphy7801]

@@PerunAU have seen the french fortifications they were using in Mali kinda a modern star fort. Was interesting to me.

[@nacht6747]

@@PerunAU Vauban was truly far and away one of the greatest military minds in France by all measures, yet he's usually forgotten because he only held military command in a battle once.

[@burhanbudak6041]

Not surprised Copernicus lived in the area where the Golden Horde invaded where wooden forts existed. In both invasions of Poland, KievRus, Hungary, the Mongols didn't meet stone forts. In west Europe and South stone forts where more common.

[@kieranwalsh2058]

Even the battle of Alesia way back in 52 BC shows just how important fortifications are. There’s a fair amount I’d have to explain here so I highly recommend looking it up yourself. Shows the military might that was Julius Caesar

[@nrao8977]

"Perun was a totally unknown Australian video game vlogger before the Russian-Ukrainian war. Today, he is a highly respected and widely followed armchair military analyst with a head for strategy and logistics. He makes these videos in his spare time."

[@jdelark6428]

@@Mortablunt scripture reader? I didn't know Perun was a man of the church!

[@vonskyme9133]

@@jdelark6428 High Priest of our Lord and Saviour Logisticus, He of the Economy and Bringer of Stuff.

[@gunterthekaiser6190]

@@Mortablunt Ah yes, the famous Australian propaganda department, lead by Mr. Lier Nottrue and funded by the Very Evil Demonist fund.

[@jamesdavies4799]

He is very cagey as to what his day job is - but it does seem to relate to economic analysis in the defence arena.

[@danielhill9080]

HIs narrative is based on Western msm propaganda, therefore everything he says is BS.

[@ninjafroggie1]

"Because even though we live in a world with satellite based reconnaissance and hypersonic missiles, it seems there's a significant place on the battlefield still for a man in a ditch with the will to defend it" Heck of a concluding statement there. Another excellent video, well done mate

[@muhammadreano1051]

Yuyy

[@Marinealver]

Funny thing was when looking at the Gas Station the first thing I noticed was thr cross roads. Yup that's worth fighting over. The Garbage dump was a little bit trickier, though there is a single road that connects the north and south roads that runs right along the contested line.

[@TheMormonPower]

Never is there going to be a substitute for boots on the ground.

[@jubuttib]

No amount of satellites, missiles, planes, helicopters or even tanks can ever capture, and hold a town. You need soldiers with guns to do that. Sure, all the rest of that can humongously help with the process.

[@totalnerd5674]

It always comes down to the Infantryman, and his rifle.

[@rcgunner7086]

Some elements of this video remind me of my experience in Desert Storm. I was with the 1st Infantry Division and we were the assault division for VII Corps. The enemy was dug into fixed positions with extensive field fortifications and minefields. We rehearsed our assault over and over again by launching mock assaults against a position that was similar to the enemy's. We used suppressing fires to cover the engineers who used MCLCs to create breaches in the minefields. Each breach, called a lane, was plowed by either actual bull dozers or by tanks with mine plows. The engineers set off the lanes with small flags that we had to stay in between or else bad stuff would happen. That's a lot of working parts and there were quite a number of nightmare scenarios- like a tank going down in a lane backing it up and the enemy having a field day chewing them up with arty... The reality was much easier, and worse too. We tore through their defenses pretty easily, but we took a number of losses due to mines and our own DPICM rounds leaving duds everywhere. Walking around the objectives was down right dangerous and we took more losses just waiting around for orders than we did in the actual assault. It really gets to you to know that only your immediate area is safe and that one wrong step could cost you a foot or even your life. We were lucky though. The Iraqi 26th Infantry Division was poorly armed, motivated, and led and they sensibly dropped their arms. I can only imagine what an assault like that must be against a determined defender who has similar levels of arms and support as you. trench warfare in WWI happened for a reason, and it is ALWAYS a specter that armies must deal with when the odds become even. Those kids in Ukraine have a hard slog ahead, and only one person can really make it stop. I wonder if he'll have the guts to end this and save lives. I seriously doubt it.

[@michalandrejmolnar3715]

I wouldn't have started it

[@MarcosElMalo2]

Aren’t there anti obscenity laws about taking your Big Red One out in public and showing it off? 😳 Just kidding! Tyfys and all that, but also thank you for sharing your real world experiences. This is one of the more interesting comments.

[@SlavicCelery]

@@MarcosElMalo2 The Big Red One gets shown off in multiple places - They've got an excellent museum at Cantigny Park, in Warrenville IL. Seriously cool to see. Highlights include the first American (yeah French in build) arty piece to shoot in WW1, an Easy 8 Sherman and so much else.

[@starpeople134]

I growing up in Goeppingen (Germany) Big Red One comunity, I guess you were stationed there because I remember that they went for Desert Storm. Greetings from Goeppingen we miss the Big Red One

[@Kriegter]

in desert storm there was as many friendly fire incidents as there were people killed by the enemy

[@afamiliarfriend]

I never would've thought I'd hear an Australian say that an idea was so bad it makes Gallipoli look like a good idea.

[@Destroyer_V0]

The problem being gallipoli WAS, a good idea in theory. Certainly the naval operation portion, if pushed. In practice... not so much. Certainly should not have stayed there as long as they did.

[@LupusAries]

@@Destroyer_V0 It was a good idea, in 1914, when they shelled the Ottoman forts and caused widespread panic..... ....it wasn't a good idea after they did nothing, retreated and gave the Ottomans a year to entrench and prepare. Oh, and basically told them how and where they would be attacked.

[@Destroyer_V0]

@@LupusAries Good summary, and one I agree with.

[@clippo111]

That was the hilarious comment, albeit in a tragic way....

[@KingOfKings34]

@@Destroyer_V0 The problem was, they greatly underestimated the Turks' will to defend their homeland. They thought the poor Turks would turn around and flee as they see the giant steel behemoths coming towards them but Kruppstahl had a word to say.

[@viktorlindeblom7907]

I’m very impressed with the quality of your videos. Never imagined I would look forward to a 1h PowerPoint every Sunday. Highest marks from Sweden

[@fukkami6204]

Best powerpoints on YT

[@markustorma4210]

Powerpoints and sunday. Doesnt get any better

[@DonalLeader]

Best military analysis on YT

[@jjcoola998]

I would kill to see his analytics in regards to what percentage of viewers are from where

[@Covah86]

"Even though we live in a world with satellite-based reconnaissance and hypersonic missiles, it seems there's a significant place on the battlefield still for a man in a ditch with the will to defend it." - Perun Well said mate.

[@ColonelSandersLite]

"Even though we live in a world with satellite-based reconnaissance and hypersonic missiles, it seems there's a significant place on the battlefield still for a man in a ditch with the will to defend it." War. War never changes.

[@JakobPapirov]

@@ColonelSandersLite у шшш р

[@augustuslunasol10thapostle]

@@ColonelSandersLite well i mean it does hyper sonic missiles an all but the trench will the back bone of any good defense

[@ColonelSandersLite]

@@augustuslunasol10thapostle Those things are so incredibly over-hyped, but I get what you mean. That being said, the point of the quote is really more about the human motivations and tolls that go with war than anything else. Every war ever fought boils down to some mix of like half a dozen root causes and all involves massive levels of human suffering.

[@timowagner1329]

It is astonishing, you are still going strong and you are still making fantastic videos. The topics are always fascinating, insanely well researched and brilliantly presented. Thank you, Perun, for being an awesome youtuber.

[@PerunAU]

Many thanks - it's been a heck of a year, and I'm glad to see people getting something out of these. Very ready to do something a little less heavy next week though!

[@Dingdong.82]

@@PerunAU I really appreciate the work you put in. Thanks again mate.

[@elektrotehnik94]

Anyone wanting a pick-me-up after Bakhmut & to find a competitor in YT Military quality video : "A Military History of the Iraq War Part 1: "Shock and Awe"" kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZLNlmineZZod6c By HypoHystericalHistory --> This is Beyond Powerpoint (TM) ❤

[@fresatx]

Soooooo abject crushing military victory for Ukraine is how this war will end?

[@danielhill9080]

Going strong, LOL, satiating a bunch of know nothing tards confirmation bias by parroting Western propaganda.

[@myhvKun]

To be fair, Tchaikovsky established cannon as a musical instrument in 1812 Overture.

[@ayrendraganas8686]

LMAO

[@hattimounattimou8258]

was going to mention that, ialso I believe the cannons used where howitzers

[@aldeno8055]

16:00 If anyone is wondering about the context of the comment

[@stevem7923]

Dang, he missed the opportunity to shout out AC/DC for the Australian connection😁.

[@JMM33RanMA]

@@hattimounattimou8258 The US has hijacked that Russian piece for use in July 4th [Independence Day] celebrations that conclude with howitzers and fireworks, the high point of the evening [at least in Boston]!

[@Shachza]

One of the most chilling pieces of information I've every learned about World War One was that Le Mort Homme - Hill 304, which is named after its height in meters - was 300 meters high at the end of the battle. The devastation of attritional, artillery-heavy, position warfare blew 4 meters - more than 13 feet - off the entire hill over the course of a year. And this hill was heavily defended the entire time. This kind of battle - the kind that literally grinds down the very geography - is apparently exactly what Russia wants for its soldiers.

[@david7384]

It's what Russia wants for Ukraine's soldiers lol. Clearly Russia is not willing to defend poor positions as proven by kharkiv and Kherson

[@gramfortey9338]

@@david7384 Oh, Russia is willing. It just can't.

[@Writeous0ne]

@@gramfortey9338 i feel there's a lot of cope here. Russia clearly ended up in a better position by withdrawing from Kherson, it's not even questionable that it was a good decision to withdraw. it's okay to give them bad guys credit sometimes you know, the truth is more important than subjective morality.

[@kylefraser7474]

@@Writeous0ne from a purely military standpoint, withdrawing from the western bank of Kherson was undoubtably the correct decision. However, this war (especially on the Russian side) is being driven by political objectives. One of which being the annexation of Kherson oblast, so the fact that Russian soldiers were forced to withdraw is a tacit acknowledgment that they can’t secure the oblast they supposedly annexed. Just because withdrawing leaves someone in a better military position does not mean that withdrawing is what they wanted to do, after all withdrawals don’t win wars.

[@Writeous0ne]

@@kylefraser7474 you're proving my point here, they did something they didn't want to do in favour of putting them in a better position. This shows they are adapting, mainly due to the appointment of Surovikin.

[@historian8214]

The famous Finnish Mannerheim Line was shockingly light, consisting mostly of machine gun hard points. It used the terrain well, but it was not designed for "They shall not pass!" It was to slow down the Soviets to buy Finland time. It was the soldiers' tenacity, not fortifications, that gave the Line such a reputation.

[@chrisbeer5685]

Yep, im fact the Russians often managed to break through on a narrow front, only for the Finns to use their superior mobility to cut off the advancing columns of infantry and tanks, forming small cauldrons or "motti"

[@krissteel4074]

The terrain around Bahkmut is a nightmare for assaulting forces, there's a lot of high ground for the defenders, wide open spaces to cross for the assaulting forces, the lower ground ravines and creeks channel them into killing fields and you can stick all your artillery on defilade on the surrounding hills. Which makes them really hard to get rid off by direct or indirect artillery counter fire. Some of the more forward hills you can get stuff like mortars in range of more or less the whole approaches 5-8km away. Take one look at the terrain map of the area, you wouldn't go in there willingly put it that way! Plus you've sort of got to factor in that the Ukrainians have learned a lesson or two at holding urban areas after the Russians can't help but attack them.

[@4T3hM4kr0n]

It's called "Flexible defense" in case anyone is wondering.

[@dtly50]

You can really see how will to fight can change everything. Where the Mannerheim line became famous for "you may break out lines, but never break our spirit" and "every breakthrough will be paid for in blood" the failure of the infamous Maginot line single almost handedly destroyed France's reputation as a power by making it feel like "you'll never break the Maginot, but boy will we collapse if you somehow walk the long way" was the attitude. It was'nt, but the will of the government really failed its people at that time.

[@ezragoldberg3132]

​@@chrisbeer5685 Yes, one of the first breakthroughs was achieved close to Summa village now Soldatskoye and it was a Soviet mechanized unit(mainly tanks) that broke through. They pushed up several kilometers into the Finnish line but were separated from the infantry and they eventually got swarmed and destroyed by Finnish infantry with Anti-tank rifles/ satchel charges.

[@nancydelu4061]

Perun cracks me up! An ANZAC great grand kid saying that Bakhmud "makes Gallipoli look like a good idea." Laughed so hard I had to rewind over a minute just to get back to where I was. Carry on, Perun!

[@aislin2989]

I had to do much the same from the spit take I did

[@Billy01113]

That one got me as well 😄

[@boobah5643]

It's not clear that Gallipoli _was_ a bad idea. It was a risky idea, rife with political infighting, and executed poorly. The only inevitable part of that is the risk.

[@nancydelu4061]

I actually sorta agree, boobah. But the result was such a mess up that it remains one of the iconic latter day "Light Brigade" fubars.

[@scoobiusmaximus9508]

@@boobah5643 the idea of Gallipoli, or at least the strategic thinking behind it, actually wasn't terrible. The planning and execution of the invasion was, but it at least had a point, they wanted to open up the Turkish Straits to the British Navy. Right now there isn't much of a point to Russia’s massive commitment to assaulting Bahkmut. Russia basically doesn't achieve anything if they take the city other than running headfirst into the next Ukrainian defensive line.

[@timedGuano]

There's a US Armored Captain that frequents a forum I post in-for the past decade, every time he's asked what a peer war for the West would look like, he's answered "All the best equipment smashed each other apart within a week, and then it's WWI with Ipads."

[@Nathan-Roman]

Your army is only as good as the equipment you have stockpiled from the last war you fought

[@marianodelosreyes7352]

ug

[@IronWarhorsesFun]

so...he is admitting that Russia is not so bad then?

[@jonathangrafton4016]

@@IronWarhorsesFun This was before people knew how bad Russia is at war against peer opponents.

[@niklasw.1297]

"... it makes Gallipoli look like a good idea" Damn. That statement coming from an Australian hits different

[@larsrons7937]

I believe Churchill wasn't proud of Gallipoli afterwards. However the deception operation to evacuate the last troops unnoticed by the Ottomans was a masterpiece and should get a lot more attention in the history books (actually I never saw it in a history book, I learned from it here on KZbin). I don't think Churchill had anything to do with that plan but frankly I don't know much about it.

[@ninjafroggie1]

@@larsrons7937 aye, most history only mentions what a dismal failure the campaign was, but make absolutely no mention of the phenomenal success that was the evacuation. I too only learned of it thanks to youtube

[@Voriof1]

And it started out so well... seriously.

[@tonydoggett7627]

@@larsrons7937 it’s in Australia military history books eg the Aussies unmanned auto timing of rifle shots etc

[@larsrons7937]

@@tonydoggett7627 In military history books I think it has all the right, the whole operation was an impressive accomplishment.

[@rossmurray6849]

Ouch! At 41:50, "The Bakhmut offensive seems to me to be so mismatched ... it makes Gallipoli look like a good idea!" To any non-Australians out there, the significance of Gallipoli to Australian military history, and to its broad national culture, is so great that it's hard to imagine a more damning comparison that any Australian could make.

[@concept5631]

Russia: Its a good idea guys we swear!!

[@wom_Bat]

Non Australians learn about it too. At least canadians do. the Newfoundland Regiment was there too. Which at the time was a colony that gained independence after ww1. Didn't join Canada until 1949. It was a few battles like this in ww1 that lead to a national identity and independence.

[@RCorvinus]

Yeah, that statement hit hard.

[@burhanbudak6041]

True. No joking here, not even mentioning the Emu.

[@andersgrassman6583]

The 1981 film is a very emotional and strong anti war piece. I've read that Churchill wouldn't attempt invading nazi occupied Norway, because he did not want a second Gallipoli. (He was minister of the Navy I believe, at the time of Gallipoli.) Just before the occupation though, an invasion of the north of Norway and Sweden was planned, to stop German access to Sweden's iron ore. (That's the only plan to invade Sweden I as a swede know of during WWII.)

[@WWFanatic0]

Another irony on the "bleed them out" strategy is that recent scholarship has called into question if that was Falkenhayn's plan in the first place. The idea of "bleeding the French white" only concretely appears *after* the battle turned into an attritional one. Contemporaries like the Kaiser claimed that Verdun was to be a prelude, a smaller battle of part of a broader campaign in the west to defeat France. Driving a wedge between the British and French militarily and politically was a key goal of such a campaign. Problem is Falkenhayn had a lot of enemies internally, including Hindenburg and Ludendorff. Though we can't know for sure, it's quite likely that the "bleed them white" became an ex post facto justification to explain away the failure of the battle and the tremendous German casualties for no meaningful gain...which sounds familiar. As the saying goes, history doesn't repeat but it often rhymes...

[@FLJBeliever1776]

One recent accounting of losses places the French and German losses at being only some 40,000 apart. Collectively over 600,000, but separately almost equally split. So that does make some sense that the Germans absorbed high losses for no long term gain and so Falkenhayen had to come up with an excuse for both his failure and the near equal losses. Especially as the French had the Belgians and British to fall back on. The Germans may have had allies, but they had to divert troops to help them.

[@WWFanatic0]

@@FLJBeliever1776 What's most likely is that contemporaries and historians confused the operational and strategic ideas of it all combined with post facto explanations. He likely talked about "bleeding them white" in the *strategic* sense, not in the battle at Verdun. Basically, Falkenhayn wanted to return to a war of movement and Verdun was supposed to be a relatively small offensive as a prelude to induce French and British counterattacks to relieve pressure. The Somme was the type of thing he wanted, a battle where the Entente attacks and takes disproportionate casualties. Problem is it came months later than expected. So he needed to keep up the pressure at Verdun and feed more troops into it. Instead of 8 divisions a total of ~50 would be pushed in by the end of it. This depleted German reserves so they couldn't hope to counterattack after Anglo-French casualties of the Somme. Dying shortly after the war and with many of his enemies like Hindenburg having great political and military influence meant he never really got to explain his reasoning or plans. He became a scapegoat and so his rationalizing of attrition became popular among his detractors as it made him appear callous and a butcher.

[@TheIndianaGeoff]

But in this case, it's like the US Civil war and the North vs South. The North could bleed the other side dry because it has a relatively endless supply of troops. But Grant didn't reach this level of self harm, but he knew every Confederate soldier lost would never be replaced while he could replace any losses.

[@FLJBeliever1776]

@@TheIndianaGeoff - Technically, Grant was actually fairly conservative with his forces. His overall KIA was only over 15,000 men. Comparatively, Robert E Lee, the Finest and Best of the Southern Generals, had suffered nearly 29,000 men KIA and unlike Grant, Lee was on the defense most of the time. If Lee took such a beating, compared to Grant who was typically on the Offensive, we can conclude that Grant didn't need to try hard. None of the Union commanders would have needed to try hard to bleed the South. They would do it willingly for them. And did do it for them.

[@WWFanatic0]

@@FLJBeliever1776 Not sure where you got your numbers from but important to be mindful of statistics differences. Union KIA often excludes those who were mortally wounded and would die later because it was a separate category while CSA statistics typically had KIA and MW lumped together as dead. Union also kept numbers on "non-battle dead" that were separate from disease. There's also the question of what counts as under his command. By 64 he was in charge of all forces but campaigned with the Army of Potomac. Much like WWI battles weren't really "defensive" or "offensive" as an engagement would have both sides attacking and counterattacking. More importantly, Grant and the Union should have had far fewer battle casualties due to force disparity. Force advantage compounds multiplicatively. The Union advantage in quantity and quality of men and guns should have made the fight quite different than it was but early leadership was too cautious and borderline incompetent.

[@BenBillson]

I used to stick these videos on to help me on long drives and the like. Now I genuinely look forward to my Sunday afternoons so I can pop Perun's latest piece on the big screen, park myself on the sofa with a glass of whiskey, and just listen. Ultra-premium quality content as always, sir.

[@justinkire4658]

That's funny, same here. I drive a little over an hour to work so these were perfect for my transit. But now I can't wait and I watch them right away. Great content!

[@glenndean6]

Two principles of war apply here: (1) never chalk up to conspiracy what you can attribute to incompetence, and (2) never stop your enemy while they are making a mistake.

[@BlackEpyon]

Yep. Russia is content to keep bashing their heads against a brick wall, and Ukraine is happy to provide that wall, if it keeps Russia from committing mischief elsewhere.

[@lolasdm6959]

@@BlackEpyon A brick wall that occasionally stabs your sides?

[@BlackEpyon]

@@lolasdm6959 Not to mention the ever present threat of being "HiMAR'ed."

[@steventhompson399]

I remember seeing a quote from napoleon bonaparte like that, never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake But I could be wrong, I haven't looked into French revolution and napoleonic wars since I was a teenager

[@attilamarics3374]

@@BlackEpyon Thats nonsense. I would point you guy toward the recent interview the Ukranian general was part of. Even he said that HIMARS arent effective, because Russia just moved the valuable targets further away and they shoot from there.

[@sirdavidoftor3413]

Perun: your videos are the only videos on KZbin where after an hour plus minutes, I am always asking myself, where did the time go? and is that all there is? I want more! Keep doing what your doing! I really appreciate your effort every week! Have a very Happy Holiday! Stay safe, stay sane, stay Strong Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@unai_asecas9070]

You want peace and safety in Ukraine?? Easy, let Europe peacefully trade with Russia. Instead Ukraine and Poland are the most NATO intervened countries because the USA wants to control where we get fuel from.

[@Sk0lzky]

The comparison to stormtroopers is hilarious because the breakthrough idea leading to their creation was attacks *without preparatory bombardment*. It's why they were so successful and have so few casualties early on as the enemy didn't expect them. Later on the shelling would happen while the attack was in progress, so close in fact that due to technological limitations friendly shells would sometimes strike the german unit itself

[@Pvt.Conscriptovich]

Exactly.

[@wom_Bat]

They used bombardment sometimes. It was usually 1 or 2 salvos to put heads down as they charged up. They'd time it so they could hit them moments after the splash.

[@vandeheyeric]

That actually depended. Stormtroopers were used under all kinds of conditions (and indeed many of the early models were used at Verdun). But in general you either went in either without preparatory bombardment or - MORE LIKELY - with brief but INTENSE bombardment designed to take the enemy by surprise (Rather than telegraphing exactly where you will be focusing on, like many bombardments such as the pre-Somme Offensive did). They also weren't nearly as successful as is often portrayed. They won truly staggering victories (Riga, Caporetto, and a few others came to mind) but they generally suffered high casualties, especially once the enemy got together. On the Eastern Front this didn't really happen, but on the West it did. The German and Habsburg Stosstruppen that shattered an Italian Army and Government at Caporetto and ended the fighting over the Isonzo were basically annihilated trying to storm Italian positions on Monte Grappa and the Piave River, and similar happened in the West. Turns out asking specialized spearhead troops to fight against resilient enemies that learn a dozen or more times in a campaigning season tends to cause problems.

[@westphalianstallion4293]

@@vandeheyeric Infiltration( at night) would be also something stormtroops would do but not what you would describe commonly as stormtroop tactics. (Which in modern german doctrine mainly describes a structure that combines fire and movement machineguns and assault companies) Local fire superiority meats the meatpress is what is more commonly understood. You are right with the aspect of suprise. Just describe it more as suppressing fire for the infantry to close than fire for effect. That is one of the easiest way to describe the difference. And trenchclearing is cqb and ultra costly by nature. Without spacemarine or plot armour there are only few bends and fortified positions even a super soldiers can clear without lead poisoning. But one of the rare modern scenario were human mass can make difference. Damn, Vacuum-Bombs are really practical in such situations, they suck you out of tora bora, they get you out of trenches.

[@jakobmax3299]

This channel makes by far the best analysis of the ukraine war. No clickbait and good neutral analysis.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

He’s not neutral, Perun is proudly pro-Ukraine, but he is honest, factual, and detached.

[@Bist040]

@@MaxwellAerialPhotography so his analysis is neutral then? Because that's what Jakob was saying.

[@danielhill9080]

LOL! He’s parroting Western msm propaganda, Ukraine never stood a chance, the Russian economy dwarfs Ukraines.

[@alicorn3924]

@@danielhill9080 you say that like Ukraine has already fallen

[@jakobmax3299]

@@danielhill9080 Hmmmmm then why is it taking them so long hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[@Nakkikassi]

"Even though we live in a world satellite based reconnaissance and hyper sonic missiles it seems that there is a significant place in the battlefield for a man in a ditch with a will the defend it." Epic quote.

[@genericyoutubeaccount579]

This reminds me of Stalingrad and how individual buildings were the site of major battles. The Grain Silo, Pavlov's house, etc.

[@cooldudecs]

Russians are not in Bakmut … They are getting meters and then slaughtered. No way they can keep this going

[@MrBendylaw]

Ahhh, Pavlov's House...I bet the Russians assaulting Bakhmut don't feel like talking about _that_ bit of their history.

[@PobortzaPl]

Their propaganda was trying to sell Kherson as "new Stalingrad", where UAF were to be bloodied dry and broken... Looks like Bakhmut has become this and, once again, it's Russian doing the part of Germans. It's them "constantly pushing forward", "using troops specialised in this kind of fighting" and "bleeding enemy dry". And again - it's not just a propaganda purpose that pushes Russians into attacking there. It might be, I stress "might be", that focus was shifted towards attrition of UAF instead of getting any kind of operational success there, but this is still a valid operational target. True questions are: how much of attrition and to whom is being done there more if success is achieved by Russians will they be able to capitalise on it is Russian higher command loosing focus on other areas due to preoccupation with Bakhmut. I'm writing this being somewhere in the mid point of video, so it's possible that Perun had addressed all of that.

[@alabaster6117]

Big brain comment there, urban fighting has similarities. Who would have thought?

[@AppleSauceGamingChannel]

@@MrBendylaw Especially since that story is mostly twisted propaganda. Pavlov was a low level officer in the storming of the building but wasn't even there for most of the heavy fighting to keep it for such a long time. 'Vranyo' goes a long way back in Russia.

[@julesgro8526]

Man how do you even manage to do all the research to get these presentations done every week? Massive respect for your invaluable work here Perun!

[@venpirethevampire]

Dude is probably making some income from this channel so it is normal he is dropping all this valuable info in little time as possible, making a very good name for himself meanwhile I like his videos so much

[@nemisis4u]

in my view this guy is already at the top of the ladder by far the best channel

[@Destroyer_V0]

... cause he makes power point presentations. Dats it. Video editing wise, it would not be that different from a lets play, so it's quick to produce once you have all the data points you want to cover.

[@china_airguns]

What I really like about this channel is that it tries to report extremely neutrally. Here the Ukrainians are never just the good guys and the Russians are always the bad guys. Here just the facts are named without any coloring. Big respect for that!

[@saltefan5925]

Is trench warfare the military analogue to "Everything evolves into crab"?

[@Maritimesgestein]

Yes.

[@mip5944]

Yes.

[@JosephKano]

More Yes needed.

[@blue-pi2kt]

I think it's more like that Trotsky quote that all happy families are happy in the same way but all unhappy families are unhappy in uniquely their own way. Dynamic combat spaces are endlessly innovative but when static, build trenches.

[@keeshoogendoorn6241]

@@blue-pi2kt I think that was Tolstoi.

[@stephenpulich9946]

Again, best,comprehensive analysis of the ongoing war. You are a global treasure. Thank you again for the exhaustive effort put into these presentations.

[@Dreadhead02productions]

"...it makes Gallipoli look like a good idea." As a fellow Aussie - that one line hits home. Thank you Perun for your fascinating insights and wry humour. I've looked forward to you videos each week and they have been a bright point in this horrible conflict. I hope we see an end to the war in 2023, but until then keep up the great work!

[@u.h.h4915]

💙💙💙🙏🏻💛💛💛

[@KingOfKings34]

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well. -Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

[@Isometrix116]

I know what you mean, but I hope the war doesn’t end in 2023, only because if the war is over that soon, it likely means Ukraine isn’t on the winning side.

[@KingOfKings34]

@@Isometrix116 You're a horrible person. You don't care anymore about human lives than Putin does.

[@KingOfKings34]

@@Isometrix116 You're a horrible person. You don't care anymore about human lives than Putin does. You are exactly what you claim to hate

[@billykotsos4642]

Best channel on YT

[@deepinthewoods8078]

Best comment on the best channel on YT...

[@norahc.]

This channel epitomizes what the internet was supposed to be.

[@TheRisto2]

For sport preformance it has underpreformed so far but I agree the analysis of the Russo-Ukraine war is top notch.

[@IsaakSpy]

My absolute favourite

[@mur4s4m3]

@@deepinthewoods8078 best answer to best comment on the best channel on YT

[@SyntheticParanoia]

16:06 Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture confirms this definition of musical instrument.

[@DavidVT23]

A howitzer is definitely a percussion instrument, just ask Tchaikovsky. In fact, at Antietam battlefield, for the 4th of July, the Maryland National Guard uses 105mm howitzers (firing blanks, of course) to really give that extra oomph to the 1812 Overture.

[@buddermonger2000]

Well now I need to have myself a visit.

[@DavidVT23]

@@buddermonger2000 Be sure to look it up, because it's not always *on* the 4th, but usually on the first Saturday in July.

[@IronWarhorsesFun]

Katyusha is literally a russian folk song that gave its name to the famous soviet rocket launcher in ww2.

[@nickolas474]

I think it bears pointing out that collectively this series of youtube videos is shaping up to be quite a thesis -- All told, this content could form a book which would be a really good primer for laymen on the course and effects of a war.

[@Billy01113]

There is a great idea. @Perun: PHD thesis?

[@Whisper555]

It is almost like he has already done such a thing and currently employed to do this exact kind of assessments for his own country?

[@Mortablunt]

It’s just the same old approved propaganda but with a little bit more presentation to it so it looks meaningful.

[@barnebyoconnell8176]

@@Mortablunt yawn

[@Prometheus7272]

A couple of years after the war is over we will know infinitely more than we do now.

[@CapSalty]

Damn my fellow 🇦🇺 countryman’s honest appraisal, research and presentation of this bs war is truely impressive ! Someone needs to give you a job further up that ladder brother.

[@nicholasackroyd4460]

I would imagine that whoever pays his wage is aware of his videos and approves of them. Also I think he will start briefing people higher up the chain. If Richard Marles doesn't second Perun then he needs his head examined.

[@blue-pi2kt]

@@nicholasackroyd4460 Do we know Perun is a soldier?

[@nicholasackroyd4460]

He has been evasive on what he does but IIRC he said he hasn't been in uniform.

[@blue-pi2kt]

@@nicholasackroyd4460 As I sort of figured as he doesn't sound like a soldier. He likely does work in the Department of Defence or Defence aligned industry.

[@andersgrassman6583]

@@blue-pi2kt He's a specialist in logistics and aquisitions according to himself. My guess is he's working for the Australian defence department or armed forces.

[@XavianBrightly]

as a fellow 1371 (USMC Combat Engineer) I find this analysis in conjuction with my background very informative. One thing I'll note is while I haven't seen combat from what we learn its strange how its common for there to be unobserved mine fields as its one of the primary lessons of engineer school that obstacles without observation are combat ineffective.

[@XavianBrightly]

oh. the sgt does go into that later with the dragons teeth. good on him.

[@littlekong7685]

Russians seem to love dropping mines everywhere, I am starting to think the soldiers are paid per mine they lay. I think it goes back to soviet doctrine, where you just literally couldn't cover so much frontline, so you spoil it instead. You make it so small tactical forces can get through sure, but massed strategic forces are forced to move with caution. This give you time to shift strategic resources to hardpoints before any push can get through. On the tactical front, it seems Ukrainians are dropping mines behind them as they go to distract and hopefully delay, I think the untrained Russians are just lobbing them randomly into civilian and Ukrainian areas and hoping for the best (Certainly enough cases of Ukrainians picking up Russian mines that were never armed, and arming them to make me think the Russians don't know the best use case for mines). Even from the first days of the war, Russia has loved dropping mines. Even in "Liberated" areas they ostensibly controlled without contest, Russian soldiers took delight in dropping random mines in playgrounds, kids rooms, in front of civilian bomb shelters, farmers fields, grocery stores, under dead civilians, and in front of aid stations. They have them, and they will use them, with skill or without.

[@disbeafakename167]

Yeah, as an infantryman we learn early on that an unobserved obstacle is an opportunity.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

One would assume that one problem is that once you get there to the unobserved barrier and start observing it, well, now it's _your_ barrier, not theirs?

[@kukuc96]

@@MostlyPennyCat That's one thing. The other would be that an obstacle with no enemy watching is something you can remove or circumvent. You can go slow, and you can bring in the equipment for it. Doing it under enemy fire would be damn near impossible.

[@lexvangelder2525]

History never repeats itself, it just rhymes. The fist lesson all historians learn, and you just shown us again with this impressive presentation,

[@carlosbalazs2492]

They got him

[@noradrenalin8062]

Perun last week: Topic for next week will be less heavy *proceeds to upload video about trench warfare and the bloodiest battlefield of the conflict*

[@JosephKano]

Yes I thought he was doi g something lighter too...

[@larsrons7937]

@@JosephKano Perun again warned that the next upload will probably not be "heavy". But you never know with Perun, it seems he can't stay away from digging deep into the heavy stuff. It seems like a passion. And I love the results.

[@today05]

these wideos are insanely well put together, everyone who had the luck to put together a few uni assignments that are worth of 10 minutes of talking will understand how insane it is to put together 1 hour of concengtrated information with very little ballast, and to do this every few days is quite a job.

[@sixstringedthing]

Dunno how you find the time outside of your day job to make these presentations each week mate, but like many people I'm glad that you manage it. I feel that staying well across this kind of information is a regretful but necessary part of living in the modern world and making good political choices, and the local touch makes learning about it much easier to bear. Thanks once again. Edit: And thanks most of all to those living in an actual warzone who have shared their experiences of what that's like when facing a modern - if catastrophically mismanaged and disorganised - enemy.

[@thevoxdeus]

It's not well known, but Perun is actually a highly sophisticated American AI project housed at Stanford, designed to generate military analysis via PowerPoint and text-to-speech. Unfortunately the developers couldn't get the text-to-speech to render correctly before the funding ran out, so they just told everyone it's supposed to be Australian and called it a day.

[@sixstringedthing]

@@thevoxdeus You had me right up until "text-to-speech". To my knowledge there's about three Americans in the world who can pull off a reasonably convincing Aussie accent. I strongly doubt that even the boffins of Stanford could code an AI to sound this natural when speaking strayan mate. ;)

[@DudokX]

Its crazy that I remember reading articles in newspapers in August how Bakhmut is a ghost city and will 99% fall soon. These were quite pro western newspapers. The Ukrainian effort to hold that city is incredible

[@Fjodor.Tabularasa]

Yeah, the hohols are bled white there, a great hohol victory indeed.

[@bluemobster0023]

@@Fjodor.Tabularasa the Russians are choking on their own blood 🤣

[@NiklasMJ]

@@bluemobster0023 they are making sunflower fields and bakhmut will look beautiful due to their kind donation and them watering the seeds with that blood you were talking about.

[@eminatorstudios]

​@@Fjodor.Tabularasano glory, just fertilizer

[@Fjodor.Tabularasa]

@@bluemobster0023 it's rather sad you believe Western news. Don't say you were not warned

[@recurvearcher6542]

Thank you Perun. It takes an Aussie to make posts such as yours , haven't yet found anyone with coverage so detailed and intuitive. You touched briefly on the Wagner group and it struck me , as previously suggested I wonder if they are having military equipment supply issues. We have seen this with Russian logistics , but not Wagner. Keep up the excellent work.

[@maxroucaille2446]

FFS finally someone talk about force density! I am astonished about how little it is commented on and as an external observer it makes a gigantic difference on my ability to picture the front If you could give a bit more info on it, it would be greatly appreciated! Anyway thanks for your job, the only 2hr videos I jump on the day they release

[@jeanhunter3538]

Something that should be clarified too is that the Germans in WW1 also only began to claim the battle for Verdun was to inflict casualties on the French AFTER they had failed to take it for long enough. In both cases it has been a very poor excuse for very heavy casualties. *Edit minor typo

[@mangalores-x_x]

That is not quite correct. Yes, Falkenhayn portrayed his failure at Verdun as always being intended to bleed the French white when that is wrong. However the battle was always intended as a battle of attrition. But s a limited one, with the prequisite of creating circumstances where the German army could inflict casualties on the French at a disporpotionate rate. This approach was essentially a war plan played through before ww1 when a decisive battle was seen as strategically impossible. France was assessed to be the weak link and the French army seen as having inferior heavy artillery allowing German artillery to inflict superior casualties on them. Something Germany was doing to Russia at that time. The initial offensive never expected to take Verdun. It always intended to take only some of the high ground and force the French to attack at a disadvantage into superior artillery fire. This never manifested but the German intelligence mistook the French army cycling through their units fast as their units getting destroyed at a high rate. In the beginning they assumed a more than 2:1 casualty rate in Germany's favor. Fact was 1:1. Also not all high points were taken so not just the French, also the Germans attacked up hill. Once it had been realized that the battle was not inflicting casualties at the intended rate it should have been ended. However Falkenhayn fell into a sunk cost fallacy as now the German casualties looked bad vs the real French ones. So the battle of attrition continued long beyond where it would have made sense in the original plan. So no, the strategic plan always called for a battle of attrition over taking territory, but yes, the battle of Verdun failed (even in preparing the ground) and should have been stopped way way earlier when it was realized that the battle did not go according to the strategic plan.

[@mikulasadamek7349]

Here is a good source for those who want to know more: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp_ai52Lp7iWaM0

[@Itspietertime]

@@mangalores-x_x Thanks for the informative message! From my recollection, Verdun was chosen by the Germans as they expected the French to not accept the loss of Verdun, as it had a symbolic value considering it used to be part of a fortified defense line (even though Verdun was strategically worthless as artillery already outmatched the defense of the forts there).

[@Dantick09]

Wagner fighting and dying for a garbage dump is poetic

[@u.h.h4915]

🤩💛🙏🏻💙🤩👍🏻🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

[@guythomas7051]

It wasn't a garbage dump before the Russians came.

[@Z-Bunjevac-13-Z]

If that's true then why commit so many Ukrainian military to a dump? I guess Zelensky might have thrown out a 8 ball.

[@letsdebate839]

They aren't they are keeping large numbers of the Ukrainian army locked in a battle of attrition without any Russian army activity

[@electricant55]

@@letsdebate839 oh yeah, that explains why Russia gains so much territory on all the other fronts

[@mickdevries4237]

Between this week's trench warfare and last week's strategic bombing, I'm beginning to think that war isn't the glorious enterprise I'd been led to expect.

[@Mrinsecure]

War always sucks, which is why most people hesitate to get involved in a war unless it's absolutely necessary. But don't tell that to Very Strong Ultimate President for Life Vladimir Putin.

[@Menaceblue3]

The American empire loves war! How else we're gonna get the new stealth fighters and dividends from owning Lockheed stocks?

[@motoxray]

@@chooseyouhandle I think if not it, should be!

[@halebopp_a_cometh]

😂😂😂

[@lAljax]

Thanks for this Perun, people are paying a lot of attention to this front right now, your analysis is always sober and well balanced.

[@miguelfernadez-palaciosser3675]

About quadcopters and other little drones... There is indeed a parallel with WWI. When first planes started to roam the skies, reconnaissance planes usually threw grenades or artillery munitions on enemy trenches by hand. The characteristics of those planes were in a way somewhat similar to nowadays drones.

[@elijahsnow3119]

🥃 I’m sliding this one across the bar to you Perun. I doubt this one was all that fun to prepare. But your effort is appreciated.

[@thestrangeguy6084]

Not so fun fact, the battle of bakhmut is now going on longer than the battle of paschendael.

[@MrRugbylane]

That is an interesting fact for sure. We are totally in the dark about Bakhmut casualties (cant believe anything we get in any media re this) but its likely to be ghastly

[@herptek]

These battles are much smaller in scale even if some of the techniques are old.

[@grumbeard]

Erich von Falkenhayn lives again....

[@PerfectDeath4]

concentration of force does not happen in a WW1 scale anymore, as soon as you try to stage that behind the front you get hit by missiles. As you draw near to the front the longer ranged artillery will hammer you. Lastly once at the front good luck keeping that high density of soldiers alive in the fortifications. An example I will use is a Russian drone took footage of artillery attacking a Ukrainian trenchline. The first shell lands near the trench, the Ukrainians reposition a few meters along the trench and the next Russian shot lands EXACTLY where they used to be (because the drone is spotting). Then the Ukrainians move again and a 3rd round lands EXACTLY where they had been. If this was a packed trench no one could reposition. Ukraine had so much difficulty getting forces to assault in places like Kherson because Russia would dump artillery on any staging force. Same happens to Russia, thus the density of forces in these attacks has shrunk on both sides.

[@dawnmoriarty9347]

Grim thought

[@redfro4992]

"makes Gallipoli look like a great idea." Perun throwing Anzac shade with the best! Let me echo the others here and thank you for all your efforts.

[@unhumanized]

These weekly briefs are the best way to begin the week. I never thought I'd be awaiting a PowerPoint every Sunday to get a good head on for the week.

[@schiefer1103]

An australian saying that gallipolli looks like a good idea compared to literally anything was so bloody damning, I couldn’t help but almost puncture my lung laughing for one second. That really hurt, and kind of put it into perspective. Nice cid as always man

[@gw8147]

It wasn't just the AZACS in Gallipolli. Though they were under the union Jack, it was the biggest assembly of Irish troops ever ( my grandfather among them )

[@WABillsFan]

The US civil war showed 50 years before WWI the power of a dug in defensive force in a number of battles.

[@MitchJohnson0110]

Examples of that go back way further than the Civil War

[@WABillsFan]

Very true, but it showed the power of it against rifled artillery as well as rifled guns, which had not been used in large quantities in pitched Napoleonic style warfare.

[@crazywarriorscatfan9061]

Was waiting for this one. Never fully understood the situation around Bakhmut

[@marcusott2973]

Home sick, what a nice diversion. This is some of the finest content available.

[@cornerstone343]

Every time I hesitate clicking because of the length of the video. And every time I’m so glad I clicked. Right from the start these videos keep me interested til the end.

[@caseblue2232]

And every time before you know it, you watch a hour long free lecture!

[@HarryJoiner]

Brilliant. Thank you so much for this. The news coverage on this battle has been sensational - but not educational. This video hits the spot. 🍻

[@Jenkss]

Thanks again for another awesome video mate. Sunday evenings are one of my favourite times of the week now. I always learn and come away from your videos with a better understanding of the topic.

[@Casavo]

Your points about depleted combat power makes me think of the often forgotten fact that near the end of ww1 the allies combat power began to surpass the germans and thus the lines began to move as maneuver combat started to become viable again. I remember after the Russians pulled out from the capital I keep telling my peers this would devolve into trench and artillery and many of them could not understand how a "modern" conflict could do that. Tho most of them knew nothing of the Iranian Iraqi War.

[@jarrydfong2736]

That point about WW1 isn't exactly true. The Allies' combat power (whilst waiting for American soldiers to enter in force) was severely depleted, Lloyd George was preventing reinforcements to Haig due to his severe casualties. Nearly all formations were at half strength or less and as the Germans shifted forces from East to West, they at that point had the numerical superiority. Maneouvre combat started again after Operation Michael (where Haig did very little to prepare his forces for the oncoming offensive) due to the Allies falling back dozens of miles where Germans were no longer behind their heavily fortified positions.

[@ferociousfil5747]

When the Canadians took Vimy ridge, using a creeping barrage, giving power to individual soldiers to take initiative changed the tide of the war. The entering of the Americans in the war(finally) also brought fresh, although I’ll trained, troops to the mix. WW1 on the Eastern side had no trench warfare, it was mostly manoeuvre war.

[@dimas3829]

Absolutely false statement. Allies military was extremely depleted at the end of WW1 and French troops were unwilling to move into attack to a point of mutiny. Only fresh American troops who were yet to witnes how harsh long conflict can be - could helpt there. Americans learnt same lesson hard way in Vietnam war. Furthermore, Russian force was much smaller than Ukrainian ones to begin with, and it stayed that way. Russian army fights with quality in mind, Ukrainian one throws thousands of cannon fodder into the artillery fire.

[@jarrydfong2736]

@@dimas3829 your point about ww1 is correct. But your weird tangent assessing Russian & Ukrainian tactics definitely isn't. There is no evidence to suggest Ukrainians are using cannon fodder tactics, even their whole operation to retake Kherson shows the AFU successfully employing an interdiction campaign to drive the Russian forces onto the other side of the river. Also Russians have always favoured quality over quantity??? You're kidding right? Russian equipment has NEVER been about quality, from WW2 onwards Russian standard has been about mass produced and even Stalin himself said "quantity has a quality of its own". I'm thinking you made a spelling mistake or something because your assessment is clearly the other way around. But an army that employs conscription and prisoners in warfare does NOT suggest an emphasis on quality over quantity

[@dimas3829]

@@jarrydfong2736 Them throwing constant waves near Kherson to drive Russians off really self-evidant that they are indeed using such. Constantly blowing up on Russian mines again and again untill Russians decided that the unmanned defensive measures depleted thhemselves and ti would be safer to relocate Russian troops elsewhere instead of starting losing such. Instead of throwing soldiers, Russia threw tanks at Ukrainians and was laughed at it cause some special military experts like Perun screamed how Russia should have used much less tanks and much more grunts.

[@TheFreshSpam]

I appreciate your videos and talks no end, the length and ability to be able to watch all of it is unmatched compared to others. Even companys that specialise in long form content. I love the debating, the open discussion and the way you lay information out and make a journey of it. Its top class production and I love you for making it, it isn't just bashing one side or talking big or small of anyone but straight discussion and I'm so glad I discovered your channel a while back. Thank you again, I wish more viewers subscribed back to you

[@Metalhead_69]

I'm always looking forward to Sundays since they're imo Perun days now. Rate of production with such quality for an individual person/small team is insane to me. Thank you Perun for keeping up with such great work

[@goatmealcookies7421]

I really appreciate the time you put into these presentations! You bring reason the the messy mass of info available.

[@jesustyronechrist2330]

Thank you Perun, very cool! I still don't understand how you are able to pump out such quality, so well researched information AND also present it in a way that you don't have to be a military general to understand

[@ninjafroggie1]

these vids are everything great about an army war college lecture but somehow formatted in a way that is concise, clear, and remains interesting.

[@meekmild8964]

My Perun haiku. So packed with the fact, Only content worth watching, Pulitzer for you.

[@meekmild8964]

@Attila the Pun oh, well played sir.

[@Captainkebbles1392]

Loooooooveee these long, info rich videos with good but not over saturated visuals.

[@jamielondon6436]

I once read a book that included a lengthy siege of an entrenched position. Much of what's in this video sounds *very* familiar from that story. The story was set during the crusades and the position was a castle.

[@Goals764]

What I've learned enough in my military training course was combat engineering especially mining and demining activities, I've not forget a decade later out of service, my courageous training teacher of these mining activities was from Sweden, it's risk and needs courageous and much talent and attention to focus, Perun thank you very much.

[@deek0146]

I've been speaking to a friend who was drafted in Ukraine, he doesn't see combat but spends all day digging trenches and is sick to death of it so this would appear to confirm your macro analysis on an anecdotal scale

[@ricardokowalski1579]

I expected that trench digging would be mechanized / power asissted by now

[@ZalvaTionZ]

@@ricardokowalski1579 Only if you get lucky and happen to have engineers do some work for you. At least that's my experience from the safety of conscription.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

@@ZalvaTionZ Interesting. Thanks for the perspective. 👍

[@VulpeculaJoy]

Well tell him that every shovel of dirt that he moves may save a life of a comrade.

[@gianmarcomarzo7327]

In addition to everything you've said, I think another reason why Bakhmut is the focus is simply that here Russian logistics allow sustained offensives, which is not the case along most of the LOC. Starobelsk is close enough that here Russia has good logistics.

[@gaoxiaen1]

That's like looking for your car keys under the street light.

[@RinAldrin]

Hearing about artillery or rocket deployed mines sent a shiver up my spine because those kinds of systems often kill civilians long after the war is over and are difficult to clean up. The humanitarian groups are going to have a hell of a time finding and clearing these minefields.

[@guidorizzo693]

Great video! keep it up! Loved: "Infantry zerg rushes into fortified positions"

[@MateHegyhati]

Thank you, I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. When this is over, I'd love to see some Starcraft streams from Perun with detailed economical analysis.

[@massgunner4152]

@@MateHegyhati he has a gaming channel but i don't know if he played Starcraft yet

[@cinnamon2151]

Look forward to all your vids , very in-depth and worth while, clarifies a lot of ‘ noise’ often put out there ,, learned a lot from your presentations , within minutes of your upload Suchomimus did a short sweet one on the garbage dump , , I mentioned yours over there ,, you all do a great job getting key information out there , all in this together supporting freedom Thankyou and best of the season to you and family! 💙💛🇨🇦

[@douglasgoodwon8227]

16:06 "I guess a howitzer is kind of a percussion instrument if you stretch the definition far enough" *Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture in the background*

[@redflag1985]

This is great. The gap is filled on many levels. Thank you so much. I wish, I have teachers like you.

[@NGXII]

I always come away from your videos far more informed than compared to dozens of hours of discord/Twitter/reddit doom scrolling. Thank you for your uniquely superb information dense + long form content.

[@brendabrass2715]

Thanks again Perun. You are a busy bunny. Thanks for your efforts.

[@curtismsh9211]

I feel like this is a short version of what you really could provide. Your analysis is amazing. I'd immensely value a long version of your lecture. You are the best page on KZbin for current battle analysis. Amazing.

[@robertosans5250]

This is the best youtube channel by large in any subject. Really invaluable as source of information in these dark times. Thanks

[@jameslooker4791]

The prefab bunkers might actually have a lot of potential if they're properly buried. Precision Guided Artillery might not be special anymore, but PGAs also are not as easy to manufacture as a concrete box. The criticism of the bunkers sees them as WWII analogues when I think they will be used very differently. That's why they are not more heavily reinforced.

[@IronWarhorsesFun]

ya they gonna get buried or reinforced with extra layers at the local level. its just a basic building block as we see now months later to a MUCH larger and more impressive scheme.

[@janetwilliams7705]

I'm just astonished at the depth and breadth of your presentations. Thank you!

[@rudolflang7435]

Hello Perun, the first video from you that I watched (as far as I remember) was "All metal, no manpower". (Thanx youtube algorithm!). I was positvely surprised. Since than I look out for you and also went back to about "the long war 1&2". The Jake Broe interview with you made me watch your first "All bling, no basics" and I am impressed how good your analysis was from the very beginning. You provide understandible basics without bling! Thank You!

[@mercygal1]

New Perun just dropped; time to scratch every analytical itch I didn't know I had about this conflict. Thank you for your hard work!

[@jrnmller1551]

Still going strong, thanks for effort and time put into this,Perun!!

[@stalwartarjuna]

A timely video. I only heard about this and read some info about it yesterday. Truly ghastly.

[@Saurophaganax1931]

Just an update: it has been THREE MONTHS since this video was posted and Bakhmut still hasn’t fallen. Avdiivka still stands as well. THREE MONTHS! All to capture the burnt out ruins of a little backwater village. Is this how it’s going to be for Russia moving forward? Is every town, village, and hamlet going to be a months long, grinding, beatdown fight to the death in the mud? If that is the case then the road to victory that they have set before themselves is not just hopeless but positively Sisyphean in its pursuit.

[@mazanakaUA]

Bakhmut prewar was a town with 70k population. Hardly a village.

[@mathieusimoneau3358]

Again thank you for the excellent condensate of informative bullet talking point, as you call it yourself, that quickly became my favorite source of the week when i found on your channel the first time. You told me yourself you didn't see your work as the fantastic feat i elevate it to, but please take the compliment for what it is. You deserve some praise for your weekly video. Merry Christmas to you, hoping you won't take a long break for the holidays.

[@usov656]

Your channel has been a godsend. Never before have I seen the sheer amount of ridiculous claims being thrown around over some military conflict, that we see making the news everyday. And what's worse is that the worst estimates and wild claims all seem to claim from mainstream media types. Keep up the good work. You're the king of KZbin power point.

[@dmackmatt]

You got me again I was going to skip it but 5 mins in you had me again to the end

[@Turinnn1]

When I was playing Arma 3 Western Sahara campaign I used small drones to recon and it seemed overpowered. I thought "why aren't militaries using this more?" Seems like it's quite useful in reality too.

[@kttkttkt]

I would be delighted to listen to these ideas as podcasts on Spotify or some other platform. Even without the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, the spoken word holds great power and can convey information effectively.

[@aliasalias8433]

Ein schauriges Thema, aber die bislang beste Präsentation hierzu die ich kenne. Wieder einmal. Ungemein analytisch und verständlich.

[@christopherrodriguez653]

Excellent topic, as always Hoping for thorough war powerpoint action, as usual 👌🏻

[@Oscar_SanJuan]

Another classic PowerPoint presentation. If I might add a suggestion, I think one topic worth discussing is Cyber Warfare. The term is thrown around so often without much clarity despite it be touted as the “next step” of modern warfare. Defining what it is, what contributions it gives to the modern playbook, and how Russia has used it would make for a great video.

[@egoalter1276]

Cyber warfare is not a new method of engagement, but a new arm like the airforce was back in ww2. It has application from reconnaisance through propaganda to feints, and logistics. It is far too broad a topic for an easy overview.

[@lauchlanguddy1004]

yes incisive, in depth knowledgeable and intelligent. great work Mate.

[@adrianbelkin]

Thank you. Always enjoy reading your take on a situation with a little humor thrown in here and there.

[@angrydoggy9170]

I’m pretty convinced one of the biggest issues for the Russian army was not knowing the intention. Russian soldiers and officers are prone to selling their stuff to increase their wages, that’s a basic fact. So if you’re told you’re doing an exercise, you will be selling all kinds of stuff. But if you know you’re going into battle, you might just want to hold on to some of your supplies.

[@catc8927]

They weren’t issued some supplies in the first place, like no heavy winter uniforms and only 7 days of rations, because they thought this would be over quickly.

[@HansLemurson]

"And now for the battle plan: As you all know, the key to victory is the element of surprise. SURPRISE!!! [deploys surprised troops]" -- Zapp Brannigan

[@jjcoola998]

I think knowing you’re fighting a BS war must be horrendous on morale as they can’t even loot much anymore even

[@generalputnam2990]

Excellent. Fortuitous & timely showing up tonight in the YT algorithm. Thank you.

[@90dtr20]

Perun you said in one of your videos that you wanted to read the Biography of Zelensky's bodyguards after the war. Given the events of the last few days my desire for such a book has skyrocketed. First a visit to the most active site of the war, to get a flag from those who defended Bakhmut, to his first out of country visit since the war started and crossing the Atlantic to do so. Seems to me there would be MANY opportunities for Russian agents to cause problems with such a schedule, yet he made it to the USA unharmed. I cant imagine the threats his security faced to get him there and it truly would be fascinating to see how they pulled it off. Keep up the awesome work!

[@jamesdavies4799]

US Military flight out of South Eastern Poland. Security tight enough that the plane's crew did not realise he was one of the "diplomatic passengers" until he boarded.

[@nihluxler1890]

I don’t think he has ever been at real risk from a targeted assassination. If the Russians were intent on killing him, they would have given him the Saddam treatment (blowing up every building he could potentially be in with a dozen cruise missile) the instant the war broke out. Otherwise, there hasn’t been any confirmed attempt at targeting the Ukrainian political leadership.

[@hungrymusicwolf]

7:19 You made me laugh out loud here. "Shock and awe is great, but not when you have an inadequate supply of shock and/or awe." That was an absolutely sick burn to the Russians, and done entirely professionally as well. Beautiful.

[@rrpearsall]

That wasn't their goal.. How can you do shock and awe with a limited military operation.. Duh..

[@randomdude2832]

yeah, he burnt that straw man really well.

[@HaleFire7]

Screenshotting your comment and bookmarking this video so I can return to it in about a year when Russia has completely redrawn the map of Ukraine and thoroughly demilitarized it. :) See ya later!

[@hungrymusicwolf]

@@HaleFire7 Sure, I'll see you in a few hundred years!

[@dimas3829]

It was stupid and arrogant remark on someone who couldn't comprehend that Russians actually do have strategic bomber,s they are just not American barbarians to use such to bomb civilians en masse.

[@clippo111]

Another belting presentation!! Some hilarious comments and as usual plenty of technical detail in there. 👏👍🏼