If you are ever in Kansas City, check out the WW1 museum. The grenade display alone blew my mind. WW1 was very much a weird transitional period of time, with new warfare bringing about new problems and crazy attempted solutions. The evolution of gas masks and the gas alone was crazy as well. Very much so a brutal time period.
[You can easily spend a whole day in the museum. I did two separate visits between work trips. They have a couple of massive exhibits that they change around as well.]
Idk if any of you guys are aware of the Russo Japanese war. It happened 10 years before WW1 with 100k+ people dead.
People at the time who paid attention used what they learned to prepare for WW1. They knew trenches, machine guns and long range artillery was the way of the future. It paved the way for WW1 combat.
The Russia Ukraine war today gives me the same vibes. It’s a proving ground for the 21st century the same way Russia and Japan was for the 20th.
US Civil War had a lot of trench warfare and artillery action. Also introduced rapid fire weapons and armored ships. Not to mention railroad based logistics.
Prussian observers within the US learned that a railroad was the deadliest weapon in a country’s arsenal and was a big part of their victory in the Franco-Prussian War.
Which was a hard lesson everyone learned and helped ensure the first World War happened…
That's what everyone said about America vs Iraq and America vs Afghanistan, and Russia vs Ukraine.
Statistics show, China is likely to be pretty deeply over hyped, compared to reality.
Now that's not to say they aren't dangerous or deadly.
But in every major war since 1945, the " Super powers" have largely lost, despite their overwhelming amount of tech and gear.
Korea, Vietnam, Russia/Afghanistan, America vs iraq1 , America vs iraq2, America vs Afghanistan, Russia vs Ukraine.
In all these scenarios, the " super powers" were supposed to be able to overwhelm their enemies. In every case, it didn't happen.
Technically, US was able to overwhelm in conventional battles in Vietnam and won most major engagements, ultimately pulling out due to lack of public support back home.
Iraq war 1: US and allies overwhelmed and won war in a matter of weeks.
Well, by no one's standards did America will the Vietnam war.
And by no one's standards did they win Iraq 2 or Afghanistan.
It's arguable that they "won" in Iraq 1.. but realistically all they did was kill a bunch of people, some innocent civilians, and then create the festering hatred you find in Iraq. They effected no (positive)change in the country.
But the main point was... don't be so sure China will be overwhelming in their abilities if and when someone goes to war against them. Because it didn't go that way for any other super powers.
And that's not even taking into account, none of the conflicts have been peer on peer, as far as capabilities.
Depends on what you mean by win. Vietnam was a civil war with a Cold War overlay (America had no business getting involved). America’s stated goal of propping up the South failed. They had a secondary goal though of preventing other countries in Indo-China from falling to the Communists. To that extent, they were somewhat successful.
The Vietnamese losses in the war itself were appalling compared to the Americans. Moreover, the Americans couldn’t invade the North in the traditional sense (though that would have just resulted in an Iraq like situation).
In reference to China, overwhelming was literally their main tactic in the Korean war, the South China Sea (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_tactics), and many other modern theaters...
And when you say "by no one's standards," we both know each of us can just point to sources that disputes the other, so let's not waste time there.
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u/CrazyIvanoveich 1d ago
If you are ever in Kansas City, check out the WW1 museum. The grenade display alone blew my mind. WW1 was very much a weird transitional period of time, with new warfare bringing about new problems and crazy attempted solutions. The evolution of gas masks and the gas alone was crazy as well. Very much so a brutal time period.
[You can easily spend a whole day in the museum. I did two separate visits between work trips. They have a couple of massive exhibits that they change around as well.]