Krauts are always Krauts

This article from UK Telegraph is written by an experienced British army man who knows a thing or two about tanks. He says the Kraut tanks being used in Ukraine are failing for the same reasons that Krauts lost WW2. First, Kraut machinery is brittle and precise, while Russian machinery is flexible and easy to fix. US machinery was FORMERLY flexible and fixable, until we started designing for software control.

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The first issue identified is how difficult it is for Ukraine soldiers to mend these tanks and keep them battle worthy. If the engine breaks down it must be taken hundreds of miles for repair in a specialist facility, whereas the old, simple engines of the Russian tanks can be easily fixed by any automotive mechanic, in situ if necessary. The first tank I commanded was a Chieftain, designed in the 1950s, which had a “London bus” engine to power it. The engine frequently stopped when the fuel injection solenoid got stuck shut. This was simply remedied using a clothes peg to keep it open! A similar problem with a [German] Leopard 2 or CR2 would require a new engine.

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Sounds familiar. Beetles were the closest thing to American or Russian, but still tremendously brittle and precise. Most parts had to be VW-made, and most tools were custom for VW. If you didn’t adjust the valves JUST RIGHT, or if you left a vacuum hose off the distributor, the engine would break SUDDENLY AND COMPLETELY, with no gradual warning. An old Chevy or Ford or Renault could be fixed with generic tools, and tolerated a wide range of wear and misadjustment.

The second problem is more obvious. Krauts are making only small numbers of tanks, while Russia is pouring in thousands of tanks. Germany lost WW2 for the same reason. Krauts firmly believe in their perfect superiority over all Untermenschen, so they don’t bother with careful preparation and strategizing.

Americans were more modest back then (not now!) and recognized that the enemy could be stronger or smarter. We tried harder to give ourselves an advantage. FDR switched our gigantic auto industry over to wartime production in just one year, and we turned out tanks and machine guns and bullets in the same gigantic numbers we had formerly used for cars.

Above all, our soldiers and factory workers were WILLING to exert the massive effort because FDR had given them a REASON to be loyal. He proved that the government was on their side. If the war had started in 1931 instead of 1941, we would have fought grudgingly and reluctantly despite our already massive industrial power. A government that allowed us to starve wasn’t worth defending.

Our army faces the same problem now. After 40 years of Bush/Clinton/Obama/Trump, enriching a few billionaires and ruining the rest, the army can’t find enough willing volunteers. No institution can find willing volunteers.