Category: War
It is almost two years since Russia’s invasion but the situation on the ground has changed little in recent months – despite Ukraine’s counter-offensive, which began in June.
Here are the latest developments:
- Ukrainian forces have continued ground operations on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River – a foothold that could allow it to transfer vital equipment across the river
- Russian forces in the east have made confirmed advances north east of Kupiansk, north of Bakhmut, and south west of Avdiivka
- Russian forces have also advanced near Robotyne, a southern village that was retaken by Ukraine early in its counter-offensive
Ukraine maintains foothold across river
Ukraine has continued ground operations on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River with heavy battles reported to be ongoing in the area around the village of Krynky, about 30km (19 miles) from the city of Kherson.
Ukraine first announced it had made a breakthrough in mid-November – the river had separated Ukrainian and Russian forces since Moscow’s troops withdrew from Kherson a year ago.
Analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say Ukrainian forces have retained their positions despite Russian counterattacks.
If Ukraine can continue to hold the area it could be a significant advance as it may be able to begin transferring armoured vehicles and air defence systems across the river, putting it a step closer to breaking through to Crimea, the peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
The village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region could offer a similar stepping stone but Russian forces are reported to have made some advances in the area.
When Ukraine retook Robotyne in August it was hoped that its forces would be able to cut the land corridor to Crimea, making Moscow’s supply lines more complicated.
The ISW does note that Russia’s advances might be the result of Ukrainian forces withdrawing to “more defensible positions” near Robotyne.
Russian advances in the east
Russia has also made advances north east of Kupiansk, north of Bakhmut, and south west of Avdiivka, according to the latest ISW assessment.
Perhaps most significant is the activity around Avdiivka, a strategically important town on the front line in eastern Ukraine.
The town is sometimes described as the gateway to the city of Donetsk, which has been occupied by Russia and its proxy forces since 2014. Taking Avdiivka – which lies close by – would allow Russia to push the front line back, making it harder for the Ukrainian forces to retake the territory.
The Ukrainian General Staff says its forces have repelled Russian attacks near Avdiivka itself, as well as from settlements to the north west, south west, and directly west of the town.
However, the ISW says Russia has made confirmed advances near the town and notes that several Russian sources claim its forces are trying to push Ukrainian troops out of positions in the Avdiivka Coke Plant, which occupies a key tactical position.
The plant, on the north-western outskirts of the town, dominates the main road into Avdiivka and, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) believes if Russian forces were to secure it, resupplying the town would “become increasingly difficult for Ukraine”.
It notes the building gives Ukraine a “localised defensive advantage” and says Russian forces will probably suffer significant losses if they attempt to assault the facility.
The battle for Bakhmut
The city of Bakhmut, which has endured some of the heaviest fighting of the war, has been under Russian control for several months and, although Ukraine gained some ground in the surrounding areas over the summer, the battles continue.
Recent assessments by the ISW show Russian forces have made advances north of Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian General Staff says settlements in the area – including Klishchiivka and Andriivka – are continuing to come under artillery and mortar fire.
Despite Russia’s reported recent advances along the front line, UK MoD says the individual attacks are relatively small – “rarely above platoon size”, and adds: “A major Russian breakthrough is unlikely and overall, the front is characterised by stasis.”
More than a year of fighting
Russia’s invasion began with dozens of missile strikes on cities all over Ukraine before dawn on 24 February 2022.
Russian ground troops moved in quickly and within a few weeks were in control of large areas of Ukraine and had advanced to the suburbs of Kyiv.
Russian forces were bombarding Kharkiv, and they had taken territory in the east and south as far as Kherson, and surrounded the port city of Mariupol.
But they hit very strong Ukrainian resistance almost everywhere and faced serious logistical problems with poorly motivated Russian troops suffering shortages of food, water and ammunition.
Ukrainian forces were also quick to deploy Western supplied arms such as the Nlaw anti-tank system, which proved highly effective against the Russian advance.
By October 2022, the picture had changed dramatically and having failed to take Kyiv, Russia withdrew completely from the north. Since then, little has changed on the ground.
By David Brown, Bella Hurrell, Dominic Bailey, Mike Hills, Lucy Rodgers, Paul Sargeant, Alison Trowsdale, Tural Ahmedzade, Chris Clayton, Kady Wardell, Mark Bryson, Zoe Bartholomew, Sean Willmott, Sana Dionysiou, Joy Roxas, Gerry Fletcher, Jana Tauschinsk, Debie Loizou, Simon Martin and Prina Shah.
About these maps
To indicate which parts of Ukraine are under control by Russian troops we are using daily assessments published by the Institute for the Study of War with the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project. To show key areas where advances are taking place we are also using updates from the UK Ministry of Defence and BBC research.
The situation in Ukraine is often fast moving and it is likely there will be times when there have been changes not reflected in the maps.
Images courtesy of Armor Plate Press.
Beginning on May 10, 1940, German forces struck against Western Europe, invading Holland, Belgium and France. By June 5, Holland and Belgium had fallen, and what remained of the British Expeditionary Force had been evacuated to England. Paris fell on June 14. By June 22, the Battle of France was over. With a stroke of a pen, France signed an armistice with Germany and hostilities were over on the continent. Western Europe was under Nazi control, and Hitler danced his little jig at Versailles.
The photos presented here show many of the small arms of the Battle of France. Certainly to be of interest to firearms enthusiasts and history buffs, the images represent the infantry weapons of the earth-shaking Blitzkrieg that thrust World War II into full gear in the West. But these are also illustrations of a cautionary tale: No one believed or expected that the numerically and technologically inferior German forces could overwhelm the Allies and control the continent in little more than five weeks.
Over time, the legends of the Blitzkrieg would have us believe that German forces represented an overwhelming strength of numbers and technological might. The reality is shockingly different. France alone could deploy more than three times the number of armored vehicles than Germany’s panzer force. Just 10 percent of the Wehrmacht was even motorized at all, with many German units relying on horses (and this remained true even until the end of the war).
Only half of Germany’s divisions were truly combat ready, and almost all German units were not as well equipped as their French or British opponents. During the 1940 battles, almost half of all German Army troops were at least 40 years old, comprised of men mature enough to have served in the Great War.
While French officials maintained tepid confidence behind their Maginot Line, German planners found innovative ways to go over, around and through the obsolescent forts and the outdated “Maginot Mentality.” With Germany’s new quick-strike, combined arms principles of the Lightning War, there would be no repeat of the plodding trench warfare of World War I. Casualties were minimized by comparison, but then again so was French independence.
German infantry arms were superior to those of the French and Belgian forces, and were slightly better than those of the British. In 1940, the Battle of France saw the first significant use of some of the finest light machine guns of the war: Germany’s MG34 (as well as many captured Czech ZB vz. 26), the British Bren gun, and the lesser-known French Modèle 24/29 (Chatellerault).
The Germans had also introduced a growing number of submachine guns into their armed forces, and the then ultra-modern MP40 made a huge impression on the SMG-starved British. While the Panzers and Stuka dive bombers captured the headlines, astute observers saw the dawn of a new era of infantry firepower during the Battle of France.
By the summer of 1940, England stood alone, and the British armaments industry struggled to resupply its army with up-to-date infantry weapons. English eyes turned to America, soon to become the Arsenal of Democracy.
Here’s a look at a few little-known images from the Battle of France, detailing the men who fought and the guns they used:
Blitzkrieg Team
Two of the most influential infantry weapons of the Blitzkrieg: the German MG34 light machine gun and the MP40 submachine gun. These innovative firearms would occupy the thoughts (and nightmares) of Allied arms designers in the long months ahead.
Left Behind
German soldier’s photo of captured Vickers machine guns in France 1940. Thousands of British infantry arms were abandoned to the Germans after the “Miracle of Dunkirk” evacuation. In German service, the Vickers was designated the 7.7 mm sMG 230(e).
Preparing To Face The Panzers
British troops train with the .55-cal. Boys anti-tank rifle Mark I. The Boys was reasonably effective against tanks of the era (21 mm of armor penetrated at 300 meters), but was unpopular due to its excessive recoil and tremendous weight (36 lbs. unloaded).
Marching To War Again.
Glum French troops march to frontline positions in the spring of 1940. These men are armed with the archaic Lebel Model 1886 rifle, chambered in 8×50 mm R Lebel.
Held Over From The Great War
French troops with the 8 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1914. The strip-fed Hotchkiss had been France’s primary heavy machine gun in World War I, and it served the same role in 1940.
Colonial Troops In The Defense Of France.
Moroccan troops clean their arms during 1940. To the right are a pair of Mle 1924/29 light machine guns (7.5 mm), and to the left, a Berthier Model 1907/15 rifle (8 mm Lebel).
The Battle Of The Alps
Italy attacked France on June 10, 1940, and two weeks of fighting in the French Alps ensued. These French mountain troopers are equipped with the Berthier Carbine Mle 1892 M16. Another holdover from World War I, the Berthier Carbine was chambered in 8 mm Lebel, and proved to be a solid and reliable little rifle that served French troops until the early 1960s.
The Spoils Of War
A German soldier’s photo of a French small arms collection point in 1940, featuring a pair of Mle 1924/29 light machine guns and a wide assortment of French rifles. All of the captured arms from Holland, Belgium, France and England went into the Wehrmacht’s arsenal.
Marching Into France
For German troops in 1940, their efforts were rewarded with a stunning victory and a complete reversal of the humiliating Treaty of Versailles in 1918. In a little more than four years, this advance into France would be turned into a headlong retreat.
Germany’s Base Of Infantry Firepower
By the spring of 1940, the ground-breaking MG34 was the finest general-purpose machine gun in the world. Light (26.7 lbs), fast-firing (900 rounds per minute), and highly effective, the MG34 brought firepower and mobility to the German infantry’s contribution to the “Lightning War.” The gunner’s assistant carries ammunition and the Kar98k rifle.
Little-Known French Submachine Gun
The M.A.S. Modele 38, chambered for the French 7.65 mm Long pistol round. It was light (about 6.5 lbs.), well made of machined steel, and easy to use. Unfortunately for the French, few had been made prior to the 1940 invasion. The Germans thought enough of the gun to keep it in limited production during the war to equip collaborative French police units and for their own occupation troops.
Man-Portable Anti-Tank Technology
In 1940, the anti-tank rifle was best weapon the infantryman had in the battle against the tank. The German 7.92 mm Panzerbuchse PzB 39 fired a 7.92 mm bullet (with a tungsten core) necked down from a 13 mm cartridge.
Offering 30 mm of armor penetration at 100 meters, the PzB 39 was ineffective against many Allied tanks of the era. Within 18 months of the Battle of France, the PzB 39 had essentially disappeared from frontline service.