Irony of Democrats Celebrating the 4th of July.......

[Bengalzona]

(07-05-2018, 01:13 PM)hollodero Wrote: I learned two things from that. First, "hinterland" is an English word somehow.

 
LOL!

You've probably heard the old joke: Other languages borrow words and phrases from each other. English jumps them in a back alley, beats them up and steals whatever loose words and phrases they can find.

Quote:Second, you might be right. I'm still not sure, as the Japanese seemed to have learned throughout the ensuing months and I can't quite imagine the Russian forces staying that superior, especially after moving that mighty general and all that forces to the west. But, you're probably right.

The Soviets still maintained a sizeable army in the East even after Zhukov and his troops left. The difference between the two was primarily in heavy weapons such as tanks, artillery and weapons and in tactics (the Soviets had one of the earliest and best combined arms doctrines), which were pretty standardized throughout the Red Army. That combined with the terrain (mostly flat steppes) put the Japanese at an extreme disadvantage.

The Japanese could have challenged the Soviets if they had changed their emphasis from naval power. The political infighting between the Japanese Army and the Japanese Navy in the 1920's and 1930's was legendary. Ultimately, the Navy won out and received more emphasis. Tank development was pretty much scrapped, as well as armor and combined arms tactics (really important for that time in history).

Quote:I guess we won't celebrate the US independence day then. We should share Russian holidays though.