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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Changing geometries of battlefield— from machine guns in WWI to the drones of today
Ukraine's Operation Spider Web may have fundamentally transformed the geometry of the battlefield, and potentially changed the face of war for years to come. This was a deep strike with few parallels. Rather than strategic air bombing raids or long-range missiles, the Russian bomber fleet fell victim to 150-odd relatively inexpensive quadcopter drones smuggled into Russia and launched from inside shipping containers. Looking at the history of warfare, it is not surprising that Moscow was unprepared for this 'Trojan Horse attack': historically, militaries have struggled to keep up with technological advances, with deadly consequences. Machine guns: scaling up the killing While artillery was the greatest killer during World War I, it was the machine gun that shaped the way the war, the deadliest in history at the time, was fought. Invented by the American Hiram Maxim in 1883, the machine gun was a force multiplier that made centuries of military wisdom obsolete. A single machine gun could outgun hundreds of soldiers armed with bolt-action rifles and bayonets, and a system of well-positioned machine guns could defend the frontline with a fraction of the manpower required to overrun it. The result: a stalemate on the Western Front, and a lengthy war of attrition that bled both sides. The defensive power of machine guns made gaining ground a prohibitively costly affair. But both sides took time to fully grasp this new reality, and began the war using outdated tactics. Thousands of men were mowed down by well-emplaced machine guns as the generals ordered wave after wave of futile frontal assaults. 'The enormous losses in August and September 1914 were never equaled at any other time, not even at Verdun: the total number of French casualties (killed, wounded, or missing) was 329,000. At the height of Verdun, the three month period February to April 1916, French casualties were 111,000,' wrote US Army Major Jack R Northstine in 'The Development of the Machine Gun and its Impact on the Great War' published in the journal Infantry in 2016. '… Almost all of the technologies that were introduced during the war were built in order to defeat [the challenge posed by machine guns],' Maj Northstine said, adding that the weapon 'radically changed the strategies and tactics used by militaries in the future'. Tanks & aircraft: making war mobile Throughout the 1930s, France devoted significant resources to construct the so-called Maginot Line, an 'unbreachable' defensive line on its border with Germany. Comprising hardened fortifications and sophisticated underground communications and supply infrastructure, the Maginot Line was the logical extension of World War I trenches. But when the Nazi invasion came, France fell in just about a month. After invading the low countries on May 10, German forces took Paris by June 15. The speed of Germany's success, and the inability of the Maginot Line to deter its offensive, were a product of German blitzkrieg (literally, 'lightning war') tactics, which combined fast-moving Panzer tank divisions, motorised infantry divisions, artillery, and Luftwaffe bombers. The idea was to engage and win a series of quick and decisive short battles, and deliver a knockout blow to the enemy before it could fully mobilise its troops. Instead of going head on against the Maginot Line, the German attack focussed on invading France from the north — through Belgium and Luxembourg — which was not as well fortified, and moved rapidly before the French Army could regroup. 'The truth is that our classic conception of warfare has run counter to a new conception,' said French Premier Paul Reynaud in a radio broadcast on May 21, after the Germans breached the Allied line at Flanders. This conception was based on 'the massive use of armored divisions and of fighting airplanes' and sowing 'disorganisation of the enemy rear by deep raids by parachutists', he said. Like machine guns in World War I, tanks and aircraft once again shaped the geometry of the battlefield in World War II, ushering in an era of fast, mobile warfare where the frontline was constantly changing, and the enemy could attack hundreds of kilometres beyond the lines. Extending the range of fighting Thus far, war was fought at close quarters. Most artillery guns did not have an effective range of more than 25 km, and 'dogfights' took place with aircraft getting dangerously close to each other, often only metres apart. While long range bombers could inflict damage deep inside enemy territory, they still had to brave enemy air defences and fly to their targets. Everything changed when a German V-2 rocket hit London on September 8, 1944. This was the first true 'ballistic missile' — one that has a brief period of powered flight, after which it continues on a ballistic trajectory outside the atmosphere, then curves back to strike a target on Earth. The following decades saw major advancements being made in missile technology, specifically in guidance and targeting systems. The thrust was to be able to fight as remotely as possible. Missiles were not only harder to intercept, an interception did not mean the loss of a pilot, one of the major challenges that World War II air forces had to deal with. Drones were the next logical development. Unlike missiles, they are usually under real-time human control, providing the flexibility of fighter aircraft without the human costs associated with them. Drones, unlike missiles, can loiter in a particular area, wait for an opportune moment, and then strike. But like missiles and aircraft, drones too had to be launched from within one's territory — that is, before Sunday's attack. On Sunday, Ukraine made obsolete decades of air defence doctrine by launching potent attack drones from deep inside Russian territory. This is the culmination of decades of developments in long range combat, opening up vulnerabilities that were previously believed to be non-existent. Most notably, the simplicity of the attack means that it is within the technical capabilities of almost any nation or even non-state actors. Mick Ryan, a retired Australian general, wrote for the Sydney-based Lowy Institute that 'the proliferation of drones, open-source sensors and digital command and control systems means that long-range strike is now a commodity available to almost every nation state, and nonstate actor, with a few million dollars and the desire to reach out and strike their adversary.'
NDTV
15-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Video: Indian Army's Tanks, Mechanised Infantry Roll Out At Firing Range
New Delhi: The Indian Army's Trishakti Corps conducted an exercise at a field range to validate joint operations and combat in all kinds of terrain, among other capabilities. Units involved included infantry, artillery, armoured, mechanised infantry, special forces, aviation, engineers and signals, the Trishakti Corps said in a post on X. It said the exercise validated "jointness, tech-enabled warfare, rapid mobility and all-terrain operations." A high-octane video posted by the Trishakti Corps showed tanks, armoured fighting vehicles, shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles, etc being used in the exercise held at Teesta Field Firing Range in West Bengal. The Trishakti Corps is headquartered in Siliguri, located in what is known as the 'Chicken's Neck', the land that connects India's northeast region with the rest of the country. "Exercise Teesta Prahar at Teesta Field Firing Range showcased synergy across Infantry, Artillery, Armoured, Mechanised Infantry, Special Forces, Aviation, Engineers & Signals. Validated: jointness, tech-enabled warfare, rapid mobility & all-terrain operations," the Trishakti Corps said in the post on X. Exercise #TeestaPrahar at Teesta Field Firing Range showcased synergy across Infantry, Artillery, Armoured, Mechanised Infantry, Special Forces, Aviation, Engineers & Signals. Validated: jointness, tech-enabled warfare, rapid mobility & all-terrain operations. #IndianArmy... — Trishakticorps_IA (@trishakticorps) May 15, 2025 A key highlight of the exercise was the deployment and validation of newly inducted next-generation weapon systems, military platforms, and advanced battlefield technologies, as a part of the Indian Army's emphasis on modernisation. In addition, the exercise reinforced the army's ability to operate swiftly and effectively across varied terrain and adverse weather conditions. Exercise Teesta Prahar also featured tactical drills, battle rehearsals, and adaptive manoeuvres aimed at refining responses to dynamic combat scenarios.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Booby-trapped village at Central Coast military base trained troops to fight Nazis
The United States was united in defeating Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers. Many local families sent their best to fight the war against the fascists. The county was small enough then that almost everyone knew someone who never came home. On April 17, 1945, my grandmother's brother, Elwyn Righetti flew his last mission over Germany, killed in action. His body is still missing. Democracy is messy and may have frayed edges, but when it was called on to meet the challenge of war in both Europe and the Pacific the United States responded with a mobilization of the whole nation for the war effort. Women worked in factories, Navajo troops spoke in a language that functioned as a code the Imperial Japanese troops could not break. On the other side of the world, Japanese-American troops in the 442 Infantry fighting Nazi forces in Italy were the most decorated unit in United States military history. The all-Black 332nd Fighter Group was one of the most effective and decorated in the Army Air Force. One could argue that diversity, now being erased from websites under the current administration, was a factor in winning the war. In addition, the military learned from mistakes. Ineffective commanders were replaced and leadership success was rewarded. Unfortunately the current administration officials have not absorbed the WWII lessons shared on posters that advised 'Loose lips sink ships' and 'Don't discuss: Troop movements, ship sailings war equipment.' A group of key cabinet members including the Vice President, National Security Advisor, Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, Director of National Intelligence, White House chief of staff, Secretary of State and more shared exactly that information in an unsecured group chat. Something present during the war that seems absent today is strong congressional oversight. While huge sums of money were being spent on the war effort, there was a temptation for grift and fraud. Senator Harry Truman rose to national prominence leading the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. Sometimes Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration officials were called to answer even though Truman and Roosevelt were Democrats. One investigation into cost overruns at Camp San Luis revealed that unusually heavy rains had delayed construction, driving up costs. But another complaint lead to an investigation of an aircraft manufacturer Curtiss-Wright which preferred to make the obsolete but profitable P-40 rather than create or assist in producing a top flight fighter like the North American P-51 Mustang or Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Curtiss-Wright had put a focus on quantity and not quality, profit-taking over research and development. The investigation lead to the company becoming greatly diminished after the end of the war, a time when aerospace industry as a whole was taking off like a jet. Congress needs to be an effective watchdog and not rubber stamp requests from the executive branch. The war required training that learned from past mistakes to help save lives. Today they are called IEDs or improvised explosive devices, but then they were called booby traps. In 1944, the fight in Europe lead to an ersatz Nazi village being built at Camp Roberts, just north of the county line, to train soldiers. From the May 30, 1944, Telegram-Tribune: Camp Roberts trainees will learn to discover and disarm booby traps in a model Nazi village where swastikas fly from the buildings which hide authentic mines and explosive charges. Constructed by the Field Artillery replacement raining center, the village is built of waste lumber and includes a chapel, drug store, grocery store and a beer hall (bierstube). Signs in German Displayed throughout the village are German language street signs, and large martial law proclamations in German. The purpose of the village is to demonstrate to each trainee just how cunning Nazi soldiers can be and how and where they leave mines hidden so that incautiously attacking Yanks will be killed. Lt. Warner Hutchinson, who also conducts a 12-hour anti-booby trap course, was in charge of construction and planning of the village. Hutchinson explained that 50 percent of the casualties in the European theater of operations are caused by booby traps. The course has been designed to lessen this loss. Artillerymen walking along Adolf Hitler Strasse in the village may release a percussion type trap which will detonate a nitro starch charge. Although charges are not heavy enough to injure a trainee, they do give him a scare and demonstrate just how easy it is to lose a life when moving in territory abandoned by the enemy. Variety of Traps Traps planted in the village may be detonated by trainees stepping on loose floor boards, pulling wires, sitting on unsuspected furniture or by such actions as pulling a window sash. The village, when fully completed, will have 17 buildings. Still needed is more furniture to furnish the houses and to provide places in which to plant booby traps for the unwary trainees.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Former Fort Benning commanders speak out on renaming
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — Following the news that Fort Moore has been renamed back to Fort Benning, announced by the Secretary of Defense on March 3, former Fort Benning commanders are speaking out. Retired Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe served as the commanding general of the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning from July 2020 to July 2022. He said: 'We should understand the upsides in naming our local base after both LTG Hal and his wife, Julia Moore. The renaming honored our Korean and Vietnam War veterans while also uniquely recognizing the vital role of military spouses by naming the installation after both a Soldier and their spouse. This is the only military post in the nation named for a married couple who exemplify service, sacrifice, and unwavering character. It is even more meaningful that the Moores remain a part of the installation, resting in its cemetery. As the home of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Hal Moore was a great choice as he represents both branches Armor and Infantry! Commissioned into the Infantry he commanded in the 7th Cavalry in Vietnam as highlighted in the book and movie 'We Were Soldiers Once And Young.' In the Army, you strive to be all you can be—here, you come to Be Moore!' Former Fort Benning Garrison Commander (2015-2017) retired Brig. Gen. Andy Hilmes also offered a statement. 'The renaming of DoD installations has become a highly emotional and politicized subject. It pains me to see fellow Americans so divided on this matter. America is at its best when its people are united. Hal & Julia Moore, who made much of the history they are famous for here in the Chattahoochee Valley, were uniters of men, women, and families of all colors, religions, and backgrounds. The blended human fabric of the modern U.S. Army enabled any success I was involved in during 28 years of service to the nation. Requiring Fort Moore to undergo a name change twice in as many years not only invites taxpayers to question the appropriate use of resources, but also reopens old, divisive wounds that distract us from moving forward together on more complex and far-reaching matters. Further, it indirectly politicizes an institution every American expects to remain apolitical, regardless of who the commander-in-chief is.' Read more about the renaming here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
