Former commander of US Army Europe (2011-2012) retired Lt. Gen. Mark Gertling (file photo)
General Mark Hertling, the former commander of US forces in Europe, expressed his admiration for the scale and organization of the recent Ukrainian invasion of Kursk. In a post on Twitter, he compared the operation to the famous Doolittle raid, the first US air raid on Japan during World War II, which shocked the Japanese command and boosted American morale.
Gertling emphasized that the Ukrainian operation demonstrates a high level of training, intelligence and coordination between various military units. According to him, this attack is an example of a military “demonstration” – an operation that does not aim at long-term seizure of territory, but is aimed at disorienting the enemy and achieving a short-term advantage.
The general also noted that the duration of such an operation can vary from several days to weeks, depending on the possibility of replenishing resources and protecting against counterattacks. Describing the Ukrainian invasion, Hertling called it the “land equivalent” of the Doolittle raid, which once demonstrated Japan’s vulnerability to surprise attacks.
Historical parallel: Doolittle’s raid
The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, took place on April 18, 1942, when American bombers struck the Japanese islands for the first time. Although the damage from this raid was minimal, it had a significant psychological effect, forcing Japan to reconsider its defense strategies.
This raid became a symbol of retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor and proved that even at the height of the war, Japan was not beyond the reach of American strikes.
Comparing the two operations, Hertling emphasized that the Ukrainian invasion, like Doolittle’s raid, was intended to expose the enemy’s vulnerability and force him to change tactics.
