Thomas C. Theiner Profile picture
May 21, 2022 โ€ข 16 tweets โ€ข 7 min read โ€ข Read on X
Let's talk artillery ammunition.

A thread ๐Ÿงต

Artillery, especially rocket artillery, requires a lot of transport and logistic capacity. Good militaries plan ahead to ensure munitions flow efficiently from factory to front.

But russia's military isn't a good military.

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First let's go back in time to WWII:

In WWII artillery ammo came in wooden crates. Be it the US Army (color photo) or Red Army (b&w photo) - lots and lots of crates. Each crate had to be unloaded by hand, stacked by hand, loaded on trucks by hand.

Slow, tedious work.

2/n ImageImage
And yes, you guessed that right: russian ammunition still comes in wooden crates.

Here we see a 152 mm projectile and the cartridge holding the charges in their crate. Lovely carpentry work... but dreadful to transport.

3/n Image
And I am sure you guessed this too: yes, russian troops still have to load and then unload each crate by hand, stack them by hand, then load them on trucks by hand, unload them again by hand...

4/n
And when you unpack crates you get:

โ€ข projectiles with fixed fuzes. Need to use a different fuze? You can't. If you didn't grab the right crate at the logistic point you're stuck now.
โ€ข cartridges holding a fixed charge. Need less or more charge? You can't.

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The russians even pack their Grad rockets in wooden crates... 42 wooden crates for one Grad launcher load... and each 80-85 kg Grad missile has to be loaded by hand.

6/n
But the absolute pinnacle of russian engineering is how Uragan and Smerch missiles are transport: 4x respectively 2x missiles in a metal cage, but

7/n
neither Uragan and Smerch can reload on its own. Both need specific reloading vehicles. No reloading vehicle = the Uragan and Smerch are useless.

Naturally the two reloading vehicles are not compatible and each missile needs to be reloaded on its own.

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What about the TOS-1 flamethrower? That's a modern vehicle for sure... nope: 2x missiles in a metal cage, a dedicated reload vehicle and every missile needs to be pushed in separately... by hand.

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Now let's look at Western armies... where all artillery ammo comes on pallets.

โ€ข projectiles - on pallets
โ€ข charges - on pallets
โ€ข fuzes and primers - on pallets

because Western armies have a secret tool, the knowledge of which has never reach russia.
10/n Image
That tool is the forklift.

NATO armies: 24x projectiles on a pallet + 1x forklift
russian army: 24x projectiles = 24 crates

The forklift is done in a minute, the russians in 30 minutes.

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And Western armies unload 35x charges and 24x projectiles in 2 minutes thanks to trucks with cranes.

Everything that leaves Western munitions factories is packaged in the most easy way to handle for logistic troops.

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And if you're in a hurry to supply a battery - well as you can see a standard NATO truck can unload the entire ammo supply for a battery in one go and in under a minute.

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And when it comes to Western rocket artillery - again: everything has been optimized for speed and efficiency.

A supply truck lowers a rocket pod with 6x rockets on the ground and a HIMARS or M270 with their build in cranes pick the pod up and reload on their own.

14/n ImageImageImageImage
Reloading rockets is a breeze for NATO armies... while for russian troops it is a continuous clusterfuck.

Flawless logistics is the difference between a military that wants to win, and a clown show, which only exists to parade once a year before the dear leader.

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With Western weapons Ukraine also receives Western logistics standards. This will further improve Ukraine's capabilities, especially on the offensive.

And on the offensive Ukraine will go as soon as HIMARS and Patriot arrive in Ukraine.

16/n

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More from @noclador

Feb 29
Air Force reductions in Europe 1989 - 2024
A look at ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ

Let's start with fighter bases in Germany:
โ€ข left 1989
โ€ข right 2024

1/
Image
Image
Fighters based in Germany in 1989:

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ 156ร— F-16C Falcon, 72ร— F-15C Eagle, 58ร— F-4 Phantom II = 286
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 96ร— Tornado, 32ร— Harrier GR.3, 32ร— Phantom FGR.2 = 160
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 312ร— Tornado, 224ร— F-4 Phantom II, 168ร— Alpha Jets = 704
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ 54ร— CF-18 Hornet

Total: 1,204 fighters
2/
Fighters based in Germany in 2024:

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ 24ร— F-16CJ/DJ (Block 50) Falcon
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 141ร— Eurofighter, 68ร— Tornado IDS, 21ร— Tornado ECR = 230 (-474)

Total: 254 fighters (-950 fighters vs. 1989)
3/
Read 25 tweets
Feb 22
#Transnistria asking putin to annex it to russia is insane.

The center of Tiraspol, the capital of this russian created fake state, is barely 10km from Ukraine... and there are 0 geographical obstacles between Ukraine and Transnistria.

The six Ukrainian brigades currently
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in the Odesa region (20,000+ battle hardened troops) outmatch the approximately 4,000 Transnistrian troops and 1,000 russian troops. And half of the Transnistrian troops are in the north, while half of the russians are on the other side of the Dniester in the city of Bender,
2/4
with just one bridge connecting Bender to the rest of Transnistria... not to mention that if Ukraine goes in, then so will Moldova and Romania, which will see the few Transnistrian troops attacked from ALL sides.
Ukraine has the easiest route to enter Transnistria: this image
3/4 Image
Read 4 tweets
Feb 19
Wrong. The British needed arms and ammo to withstand a German invasion in 1940.

Every British soldier in this photo is equipped with US "surplus war supplies", that Roosevelt allowed to be shipped to the UK on 1 June 1940. Included were: 900 field guns with half a million
1/4
Image
shells, 80,000 machine guns and half a million rifles with 125 million rounds. This allowed the UK to build up its forces after the defeat at Dunkirk.

Britain needed US materiel to survive the first two war years. Without this US help Hitler would have taken London.
2/4
If the US had refused to help the UK, US troops would have had to land on the beaches of England before Normandy... and at least 300,000 more Americans would have been killed.

Like Lindbergh Vance wants to hand a US ally over to fascists, without understanding that this will
3/4
Read 4 tweets
Feb 18
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ US Army material based or stored in depots in Europe in 1989 and what is left in 2024 in brackets:

Armor:
โ€ข M1A1 Abrams: 3,189 (0)
โ€ข M2 Bradley: 3,085 (0)

Artillery:
โ€ข (M109A3 & M110A2): 1,320 (M119: 12 & M777A2: 24)
โ€ข M270 MLRS: 288 (32)

1/4 Image
Helicopters:
โ€ข Attack (AH-1F & AH-64): 572 (AH-64E: 24)
โ€ข Scout (OH-58C & OH-58D): 597 (0)

US Air Force fighters based in Europe in 1989:
โ€ข A-10 Thunderbolt: 144
โ€ข F-4G Phantom II: 58
โ€ข F-15C Eagle: 96
โ€ข F-16C Falcon: 244
โ€ข F-111E/F Aardvark: 186

Total: 728 fighter.
2/4 Image
And the number of US Air Force fighters based in Europe in 2024:

โ€ข F-16CM/DM Block 40: 48
โ€ข F-16CJ/DJ Block 50: 24
โ€ข F-15E Strike Eagle: 48
โ€ข F-35A Lightning II: 48

Total: 168 fighter.

For the US it is much cheaper to have troops in Europe and deter russia now, than to
3/4 Image
Read 4 tweets
Feb 18
Some examples of operational equipment reductions from 1989 to 2024:

Let's start with main battle tanks:
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 3,892 -> 248
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท 1,297 -> 200
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น 1,206 -> 200
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 855 -> 148
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ 750 -> 16
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช 660 -> 110
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ 330 -> 44
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช 296 -> 0
1/6 Image
Now artillery - first howitzers and in brackets multiple rocket launchers:

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 1,206 (352) -> 104 (32)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น 888 (18) -> 160 (18 + 18 ordered)
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช 822 -> 26
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท 608 (24) -> 96 (11)
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ 402 (18) -> 35 (20 ordered)
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 357 (24) -> 156 (~40)
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ 306 -> 19 (8 ordered)
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช 162 -> 14
2/6 Image
Major naval units: first destroyers, frigates and corvettes; with missile boats in [] & submarines ():

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 15 [40] (24) -> 12 (6)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น 20 + 1 cruiser [7] (8) -> 16 (8)
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 46 (32) -> 16 (10)
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ 16 (5) -> 6 (3)
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช 2 + [12] (12) -> 7 (4)
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ 5 + [10] (5) -> 5
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช 4 -> 2
3/6 Image
Read 6 tweets
Feb 17
In 1989 the Italian Army fielded the following brigades:

โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Cadore"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Julia"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Orobica"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Taurinense"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Tridentina"
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Ariete"
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Centauro"
1/9 Image
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Mameli"
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Brescia"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Goito"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Gorizia"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Legnano"
2/9
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Mantova"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Trieste"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Vittorio Veneto"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Acqui"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Aosta"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Cremona"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Friuli"
3/9
Read 10 tweets

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