Self Inflicted

"We weren't defeated by superior tactics -- we were thrown against the wall by sheer weight of numbers" so said combat star Kurt "Panzer" Meyer describing last millennium's titanic struggle featuring Nazi time Deutschland versus Collectivist time Russia.

Meyer knew a thing or two about tactics -- having served in Waffen SS Liebstandarte and later commanded Waffen SS Hitlerjugend in Normandy -- and his ancient analysis of Russia's war machine may still be considered au currant.

Despite fond memories of the vaunted juggernaut that ground Eastern Europe into dust eons ago -- Russia's combat bona fides were seriously dissed in not one -- but several wars against Chechnya way back in the 1990's

When Russia tried to put down Grozny the 1st time in the Commonwealth era - it was horribly embarrassing - like catching a longtime Gf hooking up with a guy that she KNEW you liked.


"The initial attack ended with a major rout of the attacking forces and led to
heavy Russian casualties and nearly a complete breakdown of morale. An
estimated 1,000 to 2,000 federal soldiers died in the disastrous New Year's
Eve assault.

"All units of the 131st "Maikop" Motor Rifle Brigade sent into the city,
numbering more than 1,000 men, were destroyed during the 60-hour fight in the
area of the Grozny's central railway station, leaving only about 230 survivors
(1/3 of them captured). Several other Russian armored columns each lost hundreds of men during the first two days and nights of the siege."

The mighty Red Army quagmired in their own back yard with the first defeat suffered by Russia nearly 51 years to the day. Not since the wicked Wehrmacht desperately delivered a bloody nose at Zhitomir Ukrainia had the Red Army been defeated and retreated.


And now BBC shares not so cool intell on the recent panzer blitz that licked Georgia's peach clean last summer.

BBC says Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategy and Technology says that half the Russian planes lost in last summer's five-day war were shot down by friendly fire.

The latest issue of the Moscow Defense Brief reports that Russia lost six jets in the war with Georgia, not four as officials claimed at the time. At least three were downed by the Russians themselves.

Detailed info about each of the losses, including times, locations and the names of the pilots.

It is also highly critical of the Russian military.

It says there was a total absence of co-operation between the Russian army and the Russian air force, which led them to conduct completely separate campaigns.

Russian forces easily overwhelmed Georgian troops during the brief war.

But the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says losses sustained by the Russian side in just five days have led analysts here to question how Russian troops would fare against a bigger, better-equipped and better-trained enemy.

Pic - BBC