[OT] Military (non-political) discussion of Iraq war

[Axel]

I am reminded of the historical scenario of the battle of Smolensk (a battle memorialized in the wonderful Avalon Hill game, Panzergruppe Guderian). The crux of the German strategy against the Russians was Enkesselment (encirclement) in which the rapidly moving panzer columns would outpace their own slower infantry divisions, and to some degree their own supply lines, in order to outflank the enemy dug into and around cities and towns. The Infantry would slowly come up and close the net, but for a time the panzers would be vulnerable as the irregular, "untried" Russian units that were bypassed would harrass and cut their supply lines.