“Not quite another German Blitzkrieg”

Fighting talk once again from Berlin, with threats aimed at Russia which are no doubt intended to intimidate the Kremlin. You know, there are some who are just incapable of learning from previous mistakes in history. The German government join a very long line of similar thinking Leaders in Europe whose innate grasp of history, both recent and more distant, concerns me.

Back in the thirteenth century, the Teutonic Orders fancied a piece of then Lithuania, but that did not end well as they were unceremoniously kicked out by a coterie of local tribes, not to try their hand again for some six hundred years.

Of course, we all remember how the German army swept into Lithuania during the Great Patriotic war only to be unceremoniously evicted once again, this time by the Red Army. You are welcome, but gratitude for such acts is in short supply in this part of the world that many Russians viewed as nothing more than villages, but today make up the Baltic States. Excuse the levity, but in the grand scheme of things??… That said, these small States are causing problems well beyond their global importance by creating such instability in this region as their current leaders allow their respective countries to be ‘pimped out’ to Washington whilst crying about a non-existent Russian threat to their borders. For goodness’ sake, where do they find such incompetent Leaders.

A return to Lithuania with this 20-man task force, however, belies Berlin’s true intentions. This is more about Germany’s status within Europe, and the fact they feel the need to establish themselves once again as a power in Europe given that both France and the UK are currently leading the rest of the flock, who drag their heals behind them. Germany does not wish to be in the background. It is not in the German psyche to be also rans. They have allowed themselves to become an impotent industrial force since hitching their wagon to the NATO caravan as it trundled headlong into the black hole that is Ukraine. Once again, Berlin totally ignored history. A Russo-German industrial alliance was never, ever going to be allowed to develop under the watchful eye of Washington. The Washington inspired destruction of the Nordstream II pipeline put an end to that once and for all, leaving German industry today in a state of permanent decline.

So, Berlin reverts to its roots. Germany has always been, historically, a military power, yet following their disastrous defeat following World War II, although they rebuilt their industrial base, their military prowess was stripped to the bone. Support for Ukraine as a Washington lackey, however, has enabled them to develop their military potential with a view to challenging both the UK and France as a producer of defence equipment. Germany’s supply of weapons to Ukraine has been substantive.

Just listening to German politicians as they pump up their military muscles with the proposed deployment of German troops to Lithuania, it is like watching scenes from an old World War II movie. German is such an aggressive language……menacing, and one cannot help but imagine these fellows bedecked in their Hugo Boss designed black uniforms as they discuss Wehrmacht plans, albeit for a party of twenty.

Whilst the UK dives ever deeper into the abyss with seemingly evermore reckless actions in Ukraine and the Middle East, and France struts around more like a Mother Hen than a Fighting Cock, as Macron defends his wife’s sexuality under a constant barrage of cows’ manure, Germany has taken the opportunity to place itself right in the spotlight as NATO’s new poster boy, promising the arrival of 5000 troops with armored support on NATO’s  Eastern flank in Lithuania. Watching the representatives of the two governments gratifying each other in front of the media has something of a desperate air to it, whilst Russia is quick to chasten the very idea of direct German involvement. To add insult to injury, Germany issues a not so veiled threat to Russia not to test the resolve of NATO when it comes to Article 5 of the Convention. In the light of such provocation, Russia and President Putin are showing great restraint as these former powers, whose glory days are now nothing but historic footnotes, continue to poke the bear unabated. The fear being, that an event as we have just witnessed with German troops arriving on Lithuanian soil, presents a very real challenge to Moscow and the security of its borders which could lead to even accidental contact having the potential to escalate into a full-blown military conflict, or worse.

Germany is no longer a military power to be reckoned with. President Macron is no Napoleon Bonaparte, and Great Britain no longer has an Empire upon which the sun never sets. There is, however, even today, an apparent continuation of the centuries old long struggle for supremacy in Europe, despite the fact that the outcome is always the same, namely that all of Europe is forced to bear the brunt of this total folly which has been played out time and time again – and even now, with the very real possibility of total obliteration staring each and every one of us in the face.

Germany is not alone in playing such irresponsible games, with both France and the UK being equally culpable. We are indeed living in very dangerous times, and foolish behaviour from our leaders in order to score points against their own allies, is bordering on the insane when one considers the potential consequences of such reckless actions. Whilst sabre rattling rhetoric is to be expected in times of confrontation, it has to be said that recent statements emanating from London, Paris and now Berlin have all had one theme in common, and that is the prospect, even likelihood of direct confrontation with Russia on the battlefield which will escalate very quickly to widen the zone of  conflict with the very real possibility that nuclear weapons, even those with limited capability, could well be utilised with catastrophic results for the global community.

This latest move by Germany, which on the face of it must be taken seriously, undoubtedly sends out all the wrong signals, not only to Moscow, but also to her European and NATO allies, who will see this move as an undoubted power play by Berlin. In a confrontation where the lines between truth and lies are at best, distorted, where the media is under the control of unscrupulous government agencies, crisis management is the order of the day for the western allies which is causing the friction we see developing today.  The difficulty arises when we try and discern who is actually promoting the narrative. Europe’s leaders are playing a very dangerous game with our very existence.  Despite the unabashed bravado prompted by a sense of misplaced nationalism, this distorted perception of reality should be of great concern to the ordinary citizens of the UK, France, and Germany, who will now find themselves very much in the sights of the Russian military.

Boris Pistorius might very well be rekindling memories of Germany’s former military might to his fellow parliamentarians in Berlin, but the rest of us are a bit more aware that we are living in the reality that is ‘now’ – and as one former NATO General put it, Russia cannot be defeated on the battlefield. Read up on your history Mein Herren, the arrival of 20 German troops in Lithuania does not signal the revival of Teutonic military might”.