Soviet-Union

The Invisible Army ← Series Home Key Takeaways Infrastructure is strategy: Russia's wider railroad gauge (1,520mm vs. Germany's 1,435mm) meant German trains couldn't use Russian tracks—forcing either gauge conversion or transshipment at the border. Conversion takes time armies don't have: German engineers could convert about 50km of track per day. The front advanced 50km per day in the first weeks. The railhead never caught up. Trucks can't compensate: Germany tried to bridge the gap with trucks, but vehicles consumed fuel faster than they could deliver it over Russian distances and roads. The tyranny of distance: At 500km from the border, the logistics math collapsed. The German army was literally starving as it approached Moscow. The Plan That Ignored Logistics Operation Barbarossa, launched on June 22, 1941, was the largest military operation in history. Three million German soldiers, organized into 150 divisions, invaded the Soviet Union along a 1,800-mile front. ...

The Kinetic Chain 1 Part 1: Alexander's Invisible Army 2 Part 2: Napoleon's Fatal Calculation 3 Part 3: The Railroad Revolution 4 Part 4: The Crimean Catastrophe 5 Part 5: Barbarossa and the Battle of the Gauges 6 Part 6: The Battle of the Bulge and the Tyranny of Fuel 7 Part 7: Wholesale Distribution and the American Way of 8 Part 8: The Pacific Logistics Challenge 9 Part 9: Victory Through Logistics 10 Part 10: Vietnam and the Tyranny of Terrain 11 Part 11: Giap's Bicycle Brigades 12 Part 12: The Ho Chi Minh Trail 13 Part 13: American Largesse in Vietnam 14 Part 14: The M16 Debacle and Logistics Failure 15 Part 15: The Falklands Logistics Miracle 16 Part 16: Desert Storm and the Logistics Miracle 17 Part 17: The Future of Contested Logistics ← Series Home Key Takeaways Infrastructure is strategy: Russia's wider railroad gauge (1,520mm vs. Germany's 1,435mm) meant German trains couldn't use Russian tracks—forcing either gauge conversion or transshipment at the border. Conversion takes time armies don't have: German engineers could convert about 50km of track per day. The front advanced 50km per day in the first weeks. The railhead never caught up. Trucks can't compensate: Germany tried to bridge the gap with trucks, but vehicles consumed fuel faster than they could deliver it over Russian distances and roads. The tyranny of distance: At 500km from the border, the logistics math collapsed. The German army was literally starving as it approached Moscow. The Plan That Ignored Logistics Operation Barbarossa, launched on June 22, 1941, was the largest military operation in history. Three million German soldiers, organized into 150 divisions, invaded the Soviet Union along a 1,800-mile front. ...

Key Takeaways Italian Origins: The first Lada was a Fiat 124 with 800+ modifications to survive Soviet roads and Siberian winters. Designed to Break – and Be Fixed: In a country with no repair shops, Ladas came with 21-piece toolkits and interchangeable parts any owner could swap. Third Best-Selling Platform Ever: Only the VW Beetle and Ford Model T sold more units of a single-generation design. The Niva Pioneered SUVs: The 1977 Lada Niva was the world's first monocoque-bodied SUV – a concept copied for decades. Full Circle: After 20 years of Renault partnership and modernization, 2022 sanctions returned Lada to isolation, producing cars without airbags or ABS. The Lada brand occupies a unique and paradoxical space in automotive history. It is at once a symbol of Soviet industrial might, the subject of persistent Western derision, and an enduring icon of rugged simplicity. ...

Key Takeaways SUV Pioneer: The 1977 Lada Niva was the world's first monocoque-bodied SUV – a design copied for decades. Sales Giant: Despite being "terrible to drive," the Lada platform is the third best-selling single-generation design in history. Built to Break – and Fix: Ladas came with 21-piece toolkits because owners were expected to repair them themselves. Reverse Exports: After UK sales ended, British Ladas were bought up and shipped back to Russia as superior "export spec" models. Extreme Explorer: Nivas served in Antarctica and reached Everest base camp at 17,080 feet. For decades, the Lada has been the four-wheeled punchline of the Western world. To many, the name conjures images of shoddy Soviet engineering, questionable reliability, and a litany of jokes about its performance—or lack thereof. ...