The world situation in recent years has been turbulent, and the smoke of war seems to be looming over people's heads again. In particular, the war in Ukraine is heartbreaking. Standing in front of this failed counterattack, I can't help but think of the appalling First World War in history. At 18:48 Beijing time on January 7, 2024, Ukraine's misjudgment of the counterattack turned out to be exactly the same as World War I.
The brutal history of the First World War, how can Ukraine repeat itself?
We begin with the battle of July 1, 1916. On a 30-kilometer-long front, the British 750,000 allied troops raised their arms and began the offensive. Douglas Haig, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force at the time, was optimistic that he would be able to defeat the 400,000 German army and attack Babom. Such a misjudgment led to a tragic **, and the entire battlefield was like a piece of bright red cotton. On this tragic day, the British army lost nearly 20,000 dead and 350,000 people. In the five-month battle, the coalition suffered 600,000 losses, including 150,000 killed.
The tragedy of history always repeats itself quietly and inadvertently. It is a pity that Ukraine will be caught in a similar quagmire in the summer of 2023. Looking back at the battlefield in Ukraine, the tragedy of trench warfare makes people feel as if they have traveled into the smoke of World War I. Every inch of the trench was stained with blood, and the fallen soldiers became a part of history, as if repeating the sad song of a hundred years ago.
The key to victory or defeat: the wrong tactical decision.
In the early days of World War I, commanders seemed to be obsessed with the tactics of the past, clinging to the seemingly standard method of warfare of "infantry daily assault after shelling". This may have been understandable a hundred years ago, but in today's highly technologically advanced era, it is really staggering that similar misjudgments have occurred.
On the battlefield in Ukraine, despite having advanced information acquisition technology, they are trying to break through the Russian defense line head-on, just like the British army a hundred years ago. This clinging to outdated tactics doomed the Ukrainian army to defeat. In the war, as in the First World War, the soldiers once again faced the baptism of machine guns, although the technology developed, but the combat did not change with it. This contradiction became a decisive factor in the defeat of Ukraine.
Lessons from history, early warnings for the future.
In the face of history's lessons, it seems that we never really learned enough lessons. Both the British army during World War I and the army on the battlefield in Ukraine are on the same wrong track. The arbitrariness of leaders and the stubbornness of new tactics are not uncommon throughout history.
A hundred years have passed, science and technology have developed, and society has progressed, but in the face of war, the weakness of human nature still seems to exist. The main body that starts the war will always have difficulty making correct judgments and will always fall into the wrong decision. And such a mistake is likely to be repeated in future wars.
China's persistence and self-reflection.
From the perspective of a bystander, watching the defeat of Ukraine, we may have more self-reflection. Over the past few decades, China has adhered to its own path of development, always based on peace. Despite the difficulties and pressures, we remained calm and did not act rashly.
In this uncertain world, perhaps we should ask ourselves: Can we be more cautious and avoid making the same mistakes as in World War I or Ukraine? We should cherish peace even more and think deeply about the consequences of every decision.
Epilogue: The bells of history.
History is a mirror, and every war calls us to be vigilant. In these rapidly changing times, we can no longer indulge in old ideas and tactics. We must learn from history, learn from it, and be vigilant not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Because the days when the smoke of war is far away from us is the real happy time. In the bell of history, let us cherish peace, pursue development and create a better future.