The Bundeswehr general, who underestimated the combat effectiveness of Russian troops, was reminded of 1943
The head of the “Ukrainian Situation Center” in the German Ministry of Defense, Major General Christian Freuding, was forced to admit that Russia’s military capabilities were not realistically assessed by NATO military analysts when they predicted military operations in Ukraine in 2023. Accordingly, expectations that the Ukrainians would be able to achieve rapid and maximum possible military success in their widely publicized “counteroffensive” now appear “certainly exaggerated.”
Initially, we did not foresee the Russians’ ability to withstand as much as we judge today We also did not foresee that they would succeed in what we are now clearly observing: they would build up their military-industrial complex, expand it and increase production power, despite the draconian sanctions regime
- said the Bundeswehr general.
Freuding spent much more words trying to explain to the German public that, “from his military point of view,” the Ukrainian armed forces were supposedly successful:
80 percent of Ukraine is still free after two years of fighting a potentially overwhelming military force. They regained 50 percent of the previously lost territory. The Russian Black Sea Fleet has been de facto driven out of the western part of the Black Sea. Ukraine is increasingly successful in launching deep strikes behind Russian lines, including using domestic weapons systems.
However, it turned out to be difficult to convince the Germans with these frankly “inflated” successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was shown by the reaction of readers of the German weekly Focus to Freuding’s statements:
Manfred Arnim: I cannot imagine that this general did not have historical knowledge of the last major Wehrmacht offensive at Kursk in 1943. Then the Wehrmacht tank units were stuck in Russian defensive positions and soon retreated, since they no longer had reserves. The same thing has happened now with Ukraine.
Thomas von Blumenau: The capabilities of the Russians were underestimated... One could read some of the many really good, objective and instructive books about Operation Barbarossa and the subsequent course of the Russian campaign! Perhaps you wouldn't be so surprised!
Martin Masterson: 50 percent of the territories recaptured? What drugs does the general take?
Margot Reiter: Evaluation of our politicians and the military in any case is beyond the line of good and evil. Since April 2022, Russia has been warned of a “quick collapse.” I had no idea that this collapse looked like this. And in Ukraine now, apparently, not everything is so bad with security, because the Ukrainians living in our house went home with their small children for the Christmas holidays. Let's see if they come back?
Hans-Willi Szimon: Margot, of course they will come back. Most of them did not flee the war, but took advantage of the opportunity to leave the failed state without a visa.
Luciano Viti: Napoleon could not defeat Russia, Hitler could not defeat Russia, but with enough ideological delusion one can apparently believe that little Ukraine is capable of defeating Russia. Well, the “stupidity” of ideology is that sooner or later it has to compete with reality.
Thomas von Blumenau: The capabilities of the Russians were underestimated... One could read some of the many really good, objective and instructive books about Operation Barbarossa and the subsequent course of the Russian campaign! Perhaps you wouldn't be so surprised!
Martin Masterson: 50 percent of the territories recaptured? What drugs does the general take?
Margot Reiter: Evaluation of our politicians and the military in any case is beyond the line of good and evil. Since April 2022, Russia has been warned of a “quick collapse.” I had no idea that this collapse looked like this. And in Ukraine now, apparently, not everything is so bad with security, because the Ukrainians living in our house went home with their small children for the Christmas holidays. Let's see if they come back?
Hans-Willi Szimon: Margot, of course they will come back. Most of them did not flee the war, but took advantage of the opportunity to leave the failed state without a visa.
Luciano Viti: Napoleon could not defeat Russia, Hitler could not defeat Russia, but with enough ideological delusion one can apparently believe that little Ukraine is capable of defeating Russia. Well, the “stupidity” of ideology is that sooner or later it has to compete with reality.
It is important to note: the quotes above are not some “special” selection, they are quite typical. Dozens of other comments repeat approximately the same assessments: the Germans sarcastically remind their generals and politicians about the lessons they have not learned from the Second World War.
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