(Franning, 1997, p. 284) The idea of a quick and violent tactic such as Blitzkrieg did not develop in World War II; on the contrary, it was methodically practiced and perfected through campaigns in Ethiopia, Spain and Albania before proving its worth in Poland. (Reilly, 1940, p. 244) The original idea behind the blitzkrieg tactic was to introduce a sequence of short campaigns aimed at minimizing the duration of the war. Germany’s ability to rapidly employ a combined armed force of light armored tanks, airplanes and artillery allowed them to push through defenses with great precision and unprecedented power. Unlike the French tanks at the time, which were spread out in thin lines trying to occupy a greater stretch of defensive positions, the Germans massed their tanks in one dynamic and capable “spear” allowing them to punch holes in the French defenses. After they penetrated the defensive lines, they were then able to wreak havoc behind them. Furthermore, the superior German airpower made it extremely difficult for the Allies to resupply their lines. The British and French were at a constant state of demoralization, as they had few supplies to combat the advancing Nazis. The lack of resupply and reinforcement enabled the Germans to circle the allies and destroy them. (“Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)”,…
1939 Nazi Germany is invading Poland by using a new German tactic called Blitzkrieg, Poland surrenders on October 6, 1939. Blitzkrieg is a German tactic created by Colonel Heinz Guderian, who studied the mobile warfare tactics from one British officer who was General J.F.C. Fuller ("The Concept of Blitzkrieg"). Fuller was the one who studied the Blitzkrieg tactic first, but the British didn’t really care about this tactic. Only German leaders like Heinz studied this tactic (Simkin,…
It was a rapid series of simultaneous attacks. This tactic has resulted in Germany the invasion of Poland. This strategy developed by General Heinz Guderian, had a devastating impact as German armies swept through Western Europe in 1940. The Germans were undefeated in battle, they have invaded Greece, Yugoslavia, France, Netherlands, Denmark, and many other in the time before Operation Barbarossa. They were dominating Europe one invasion at a time. Historian BH Liddell Hart explains how the…
an air raid on undefended city of Wielun at 4:40am” (Parada). After five weeks of fighting, the Germans were able to defeat the Polish armies by using their military tactic Blitzkrieg. Poland surrendered on October 6, 1939, after fighting the Germans for only a month. Blitzkrieg was a German tactic created by Colonel Guderian Heinz, who studied the mobile warfare tactics from one British officer who was General J.F.C. Fuller ("The Concept of Blitzkrieg"). Fuller was the one who studied the…
and artillery, fighting in either World War was not a pleasant experience. In the World Wars, enemies used many different tactics to break each other, with the goal of winning in mind. World War I consisted of a long, drawn out trench war, with many battles ending in stalemate, up until the Germans ran out of morale to continue fighting the war, and surrendered. In World War II, strategies were largely the same, trying to break the economy and morale of the enemy and their people. However, there…
Battles Socials 11 Lesson 2 Who, What, Where, When, Why/How Blitzkrieg: 1939 - 1945 Is a military tactic that was used by german troops in the second world war The term Blitzkrieg refers to “lightening war” which was designed to create disarray amongst enemy forces through firepower The Phony War: September 1939 - April 1940 The Phoney War was a period of time during the Second World War when no major battles took place and there was little fighting During this period, Great Britain…
brought advanced forms of military tactics and maneuvers to the battle stage. The most prominent tactic for the Germans rapidly became the Blitzkrieg military strategy. Blitzkrieg accurately translates to “lightning war” and to Hitler this meant launching a substantial number of military units extremely rapidly in order destroy the opposition 's defense. The basis behind this war tactic is the concept of “combined arms.” The design called for numerous types of military units all at once, to…
brought new forms of military tactics and maneuvers to the battle stage. The most popular tactic for the Germans very quickly became the Blitzkrieg military strategy. Blitzkrieg literally translates to “lightning war” and to Hitler this meant pushing hard and fast with a large number of military units in order destroy the opposition 's defense. The basis behind this war tactic is the concept of “combined arms.” The plan was to use many different types of military units all at once, to cripple…
during der angriff or offensive operation ranging from; carrying out movement under heavy fire (unlike infantry), employing accurate, armor-destroying fire power, and reacting rapidly in changing direction and the schwerpunkt or main emphasis of the attacking element (Schneider 1). The German Army generally failed to capitalize on early developments in mechanization and armored vehicles during the second half of the First World War ultimately resulting in degrading defeat (Raths). The German…
Blitzkrieg: Definition The definition of Blitzkrieg is Lightning War, at it means concentrating your whole force on one point. The tactic was based on speed and surprise, it consisted of light tanks, planes and infantry following behind. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he immediately wanted to re-arm the Nation which , lead Winston Churchill to remark, afterwards, 'Thank God for the French Army'. To Churchill at that time, the army of France seemed a powerful strong stopping Power, which…