Gavin Casey ✍ The Opel Blitz was the logistical backbone of German military mobilised logistics in WW2.

All Blitz trucks were built by General Motors, who bought Opel in 1929. Ford built numerous factories in Germany and by 1939 Ford and General Motors subsidiaries accounted for 70% of German domestic car sales. Ford profited from forced slave labour before it was required by Nazi law and up until America entered the war. Ford factories were retooled for war production at the onset of WW2. GM / Opel made tank and aircraft parts as well as a range of Blitz trucks during the war. Henry Ford actually sought post- war compensation for damage to his German factories from allied bombing. Ford along with IBM and others are on a list of 500 companies connected to Auschwitz. I am aware of no effort made by Ford or GM to compensate those who survived slave labour in their factories.

Putin spoke recently of the west enabling the German invasion of Russia in WW2 and he wasn’t wrong. But he was wrong to invade Ukraine; ill-prepared and ill-advised. The bestial nature of his war-making is utterly abhorrent. There appears to be evidence of a very selective type of mobilisation which targets those socially least-desirable to the regime and the fighting-age men of ethnic regions kept in thrall. Coupled with the Wagner convict-liquidation-system, the result is terrified men herded to their deaths by merciless pressure squads out of the NKVD handbook. A tragicomic re-enactment of the opening scene of ‘Enemy At The Gates’. To experience the despair in the intercepted phone conversations between mobilised Russians and their families is most unsettling.

The Ukrainians have readily-adopted NATO doctrine, which has proven reliable in the face of an enemy reduced to early 20th Century tactics. They have thoroughly exposed the logistical, doctrinal and organisational limitations of the Russian war machine. There are apparently few limitations on their use of inventory; I’ve seen multiple clips of Anti-tank-guided-missiles costing €10s of thousands being fired at buildings where precision artillery or mortars would have been more expedient.

Amid talk of a ‘shell shortage’ in terms of Soviet era munitions it appears nations in Africa and beyond are being approached for business. Russia has used 152mm shells for their main artillery pieces since WW1 whereas NATO uses 155mm. The NATO Military Industrial Complex (MIC) will eagerly eye the inventory vacuum.

Corruption dogs the Ukrainian regime and many officials have been dismissed amid allegations. Pocket-liners corrupt universally. There are also questions arising about the manner in which the Kherson region fell to the Russians with little apparent resistance and failure to blow 3 key bridges when Ukrainian intelligence expected the invasion to begin 2 days earlier.

Ukraine provides a proving ground and showcase for the latest offerings of the NATO MIC. The inventory ‘gifted’ to Ukraine by former Soviet Bloc countries will be replaced with NATO armaments. GM, producer of the ubiquitous NATO GM Humvee and Nazi Opel Blitz, stands to gain significantly from NATO expansion. Former Soviet-Bloc NATO nations are emptying their inventories of Soviet equipment and munitions. Each nation has pledged to spend 2% GDP on defence; Poland has announced they are increasing their spend to 4%.

Competition between NATO MICs was most apparent in terms of tanks. Germany refused to authorise Leopards to Ukraine until America sent Abrams tanks. This was a protective measure as Germany will compete with the USA in multi-nation battle tank rearmament. The Leopard and Abrams derived from a joint development project but the American Abrams is a worse tank than the Leopard in terms of this theatre due to excess weight and logistical footprint. Germany ensured a ‘try before you buy’ took place. Britain is not a serious competitor in terms of tanks but their 14 ‘gifted’ Challenger 2s will put a good hole in their tank shell inventory. The Challenger 2 has a rifled barrel unlike other NATO tanks so has unique ammunition which will be obsolete when Britain upgrades to the Challenger 3 with a standard barrel.

Two of the most eagerly-awaited items on the way to Ukraine are Sweden’s Bofors Archer artillery system and Combat Vehicle 90. Bofors are now owned by British BAE. BAE also make the turret of the Polish Krab artillery system and the aforementioned Challenger 2 and undoubtedly much more. Britain’s MIC is well represented in vehicles and munitions in Ukraine so It’s not hard to see why Britain is such a self-declared ‘willing partner’ with Ukraine. Britain’s MIC conjures images of Iraqi ‘supergun’ scandals, Middle East bribery scandals and the wretched fate of Stephen Milligan MP. I would not be surprised if perfidious machinations had a significant hand in conflict escalation. There are after all several centuries of history to consider. What is unquestionable fact is Britain provided the false pretext for the invasion of Iraq and now reaps the ‘rewards’ of carnage in Ukraine.

I truly feel for the unfortunate people of Ukraine caught in the crossfire of conflicting oligarchies and the Russian people whose lives are apparently so far beneath the contempt of their tzar. And I have little expectation NATO MICs will wish the sun to set on such a hay-making season any time soon.

Gavin Casey is an independent Republican from
County Tyrone who has also lived in the USA and Asia.

The War In Ukraine As I See It

Gavin Casey ✍ The Opel Blitz was the logistical backbone of German military mobilised logistics in WW2.

All Blitz trucks were built by General Motors, who bought Opel in 1929. Ford built numerous factories in Germany and by 1939 Ford and General Motors subsidiaries accounted for 70% of German domestic car sales. Ford profited from forced slave labour before it was required by Nazi law and up until America entered the war. Ford factories were retooled for war production at the onset of WW2. GM / Opel made tank and aircraft parts as well as a range of Blitz trucks during the war. Henry Ford actually sought post- war compensation for damage to his German factories from allied bombing. Ford along with IBM and others are on a list of 500 companies connected to Auschwitz. I am aware of no effort made by Ford or GM to compensate those who survived slave labour in their factories.

Putin spoke recently of the west enabling the German invasion of Russia in WW2 and he wasn’t wrong. But he was wrong to invade Ukraine; ill-prepared and ill-advised. The bestial nature of his war-making is utterly abhorrent. There appears to be evidence of a very selective type of mobilisation which targets those socially least-desirable to the regime and the fighting-age men of ethnic regions kept in thrall. Coupled with the Wagner convict-liquidation-system, the result is terrified men herded to their deaths by merciless pressure squads out of the NKVD handbook. A tragicomic re-enactment of the opening scene of ‘Enemy At The Gates’. To experience the despair in the intercepted phone conversations between mobilised Russians and their families is most unsettling.

The Ukrainians have readily-adopted NATO doctrine, which has proven reliable in the face of an enemy reduced to early 20th Century tactics. They have thoroughly exposed the logistical, doctrinal and organisational limitations of the Russian war machine. There are apparently few limitations on their use of inventory; I’ve seen multiple clips of Anti-tank-guided-missiles costing €10s of thousands being fired at buildings where precision artillery or mortars would have been more expedient.

Amid talk of a ‘shell shortage’ in terms of Soviet era munitions it appears nations in Africa and beyond are being approached for business. Russia has used 152mm shells for their main artillery pieces since WW1 whereas NATO uses 155mm. The NATO Military Industrial Complex (MIC) will eagerly eye the inventory vacuum.

Corruption dogs the Ukrainian regime and many officials have been dismissed amid allegations. Pocket-liners corrupt universally. There are also questions arising about the manner in which the Kherson region fell to the Russians with little apparent resistance and failure to blow 3 key bridges when Ukrainian intelligence expected the invasion to begin 2 days earlier.

Ukraine provides a proving ground and showcase for the latest offerings of the NATO MIC. The inventory ‘gifted’ to Ukraine by former Soviet Bloc countries will be replaced with NATO armaments. GM, producer of the ubiquitous NATO GM Humvee and Nazi Opel Blitz, stands to gain significantly from NATO expansion. Former Soviet-Bloc NATO nations are emptying their inventories of Soviet equipment and munitions. Each nation has pledged to spend 2% GDP on defence; Poland has announced they are increasing their spend to 4%.

Competition between NATO MICs was most apparent in terms of tanks. Germany refused to authorise Leopards to Ukraine until America sent Abrams tanks. This was a protective measure as Germany will compete with the USA in multi-nation battle tank rearmament. The Leopard and Abrams derived from a joint development project but the American Abrams is a worse tank than the Leopard in terms of this theatre due to excess weight and logistical footprint. Germany ensured a ‘try before you buy’ took place. Britain is not a serious competitor in terms of tanks but their 14 ‘gifted’ Challenger 2s will put a good hole in their tank shell inventory. The Challenger 2 has a rifled barrel unlike other NATO tanks so has unique ammunition which will be obsolete when Britain upgrades to the Challenger 3 with a standard barrel.

Two of the most eagerly-awaited items on the way to Ukraine are Sweden’s Bofors Archer artillery system and Combat Vehicle 90. Bofors are now owned by British BAE. BAE also make the turret of the Polish Krab artillery system and the aforementioned Challenger 2 and undoubtedly much more. Britain’s MIC is well represented in vehicles and munitions in Ukraine so It’s not hard to see why Britain is such a self-declared ‘willing partner’ with Ukraine. Britain’s MIC conjures images of Iraqi ‘supergun’ scandals, Middle East bribery scandals and the wretched fate of Stephen Milligan MP. I would not be surprised if perfidious machinations had a significant hand in conflict escalation. There are after all several centuries of history to consider. What is unquestionable fact is Britain provided the false pretext for the invasion of Iraq and now reaps the ‘rewards’ of carnage in Ukraine.

I truly feel for the unfortunate people of Ukraine caught in the crossfire of conflicting oligarchies and the Russian people whose lives are apparently so far beneath the contempt of their tzar. And I have little expectation NATO MICs will wish the sun to set on such a hay-making season any time soon.

Gavin Casey is an independent Republican from
County Tyrone who has also lived in the USA and Asia.

4 comments:

  1. A very informative and knowledgeable piece Gavin.

    ReplyDelete
  2. GRMA cara but lest we forget the article is entirely based on information in the public domain.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nobody wanted a war in Europe Gavin.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I couldn't have explained it better myself Gavin. Very well explained without over labouring points.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

    ReplyDelete