Quote:
Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch
You've got 'trained' soldiers versus determined people. A determined shoe-maker is better than a soldier who knows what he's been asked to do is wrong, or is doubtful in any way.
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Mercenaries do not ask for morals, but money. Gaddafi loyal troops were nursed and favouired over the past 30 years. They also tend to not ask too many questions. Especially not in Africa, where there is a different valuing of living and killing anyway, due to the omnipresent violence and barbaric civil wars every couple of years.
Determination does not protect you from being untrained a fighter - thinking so is cynical romantism that does not see the dying by which the noble attitude of being perceived as "determined" is being bought. Modern weapons are of little use for the rebels if they do not know how to use them and to handle them for effect. And their losses would still remain high - too high, as I see it.
In WWII - I summarize it drastiucally here to cut it short - often the Germans found that the highest losses of their troops in battle were suffered by those who had just become soldiers and had a military experience of less than I think 4 weeks or so. The experienced and trained soldiers showed smaller losses. Survival chances of soldiers dramatically increased if they survived just the first couple of weeks.
And is this really any news, is this really a surprise? The newbies die first - it has been like that in so many wars. For that reason they are even orderedf to serve in the first attack wave, as cannon fodder. Overlord being a prime example for that.