The Impact of Blitzkrieg - Blitzkrieg. The blitzkrieg was very deadly and fast. Enemies were surprised because the blitzkrieg was a brand new attack strategy. The blitzkrieg is very different than other strategies. It is a very mobile strategy, unlike trenches, where you hardly move at all. The blitzkrieg used multiple angles of attacking, airplanes would come in and bomb them from the top, paratroopers would drop down and attack from the back, tanks and other troops would go in from the ...
How did the Blitzkrieg affect WW2?
Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) In the first phase of World War II in Europe, Germany sought to avoid a long war. Germany's strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns. Germany quickly overran much of Europe and was victorious for more than two years by relying on a new military tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war).
What is Blitzkrieg?
A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower.
What was the blitzkrieg economy?
Milward described an economy positioned between a full war economy and a peacetime economy. The purpose of the blitzkrieg economy was to allow the German people to enjoy high living standards in the event of hostilities and avoid the economic hardships of the First World War.
How did the Allies adapt Blitzkrieg to their own advantage in WWII?
The Allies adapted blitzkrieg to their own advantage by the end of World War II, including in the Battle of Stalingrad and the European operations commanded by U.S. General George Patton in 1944.
What was the blitzkrieg and why was it so effective during the war?
What was the blitzkrieg, and why was it so effective during the war? The blitzkrieg was a method of swift and fierce warfare used by the Germans. It was effective because it gave opponents little time to prepare their defenses.
What is blitzkrieg and how did it impact Poland?
Germany's blitzkrieg approach was characterized by extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy's air capacity, railroads, communication lines and munitions dumps, followed by a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops, tanks and artillery.
Why was blitzkrieg so effective in Poland?
Radio communications were the key to effective Blitzkrieg operations, enabling commanders to coordinate the advance and keep the enemy off balance. These techniques were used to great effect in 1939, when the Polish Army was destroyed in a series of encirclement battles.
Why did Germany use blitzkrieg?
"Blitzkrieg," a German word meaning “Lightning War,” was Germany's strategy to avoid a long war in the first phase of World War II in Europe. Germany's strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns.
What were the tactics of the Blitzkrieg?
Blitzkrieg tactics required the concentration of offensive weapons (such as tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow front. These forces would drive a breach in enemy defenses, permitting armored tank divisions to penetrate rapidly and roam freely behind enemy lines, causing shock and disorganization among the enemy defenses.
What was the second German offensive against the Soviet Union?
A second German offensive against the Soviet Union in 1942 brought German forces in the east to the shores of the Volga River and the city of Stalingrad. However, the Soviet Union launched a counteroffensive in November 1942, trapping and destroying an entire German army at Stalingrad.
Did Germany defeat Great Britain?
Germany did not defeat Great Britain, which was protected from German ground attack by the English Channel and the Royal Navy. Despite the continuing war with Great Britain, German forces invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. At first, the German Blitzkrieg seemed to succeed.
Blitzkrieg: Definition
The Blitzkreig definition translates to "Lightning War" in English and is one of the most well-known military strategies used in history. The concept of Blitzkrieg was formed during World War II (WW2), although other military commanders in history may have used similar strategies before.
Blitzkrieg Warfare: Background and Context
Blitzkrieg warfare was primarily developed at the end of World War I (WW1) and the inter-war period between WW1 and WW2. With the advancements in attack bombers, tanks, and motorized vehicles, warfare changed dramatically between the two wars. Some Blitzkrieg tactics were used in 1918 at the end of WW1 but mostly on a limited trial basis.
Blitzkrieg: Components and Strategy
By the mid-1930s, The German Reich was a powerhouse in economic and military development in the world. It had learned from its mistakes in WW1, created advancements in warfare technology, and changed its war strategy to meet these advancements.
What is the Blitzkrieg?
Here's What You Need To Remember: While “Blitzkrieg” is a useful shorthand for the revolution in mechanized warfare, it should not be misinterpreted as suggesting the Blitzkrieg arose from a doctrinal “master plan,” or that the victories were due to superior German technology. Instead, the Blitzkrieg arose organically from the interaction ...
When did the Blitzkrieg start?
When over 1.5 million German soldiers poured over the Polish border on September 1, 1939 in an Operation codenamed Fall Weiss (“Case White”), they kicked off not only the bloodiest conflict in human history, but also a terrifying new form of fast-paced mechanized warfare popularly known as the Blitzkrieg or “Lightning War.”.
What was Germany's most powerful air arm?
Germany also invested in what by 1939 was the world’s most powerful air arm. The Luftwaffe proved a potent force multiplier for mechanized units. Air power could be rapidly concentrated to key battlefronts and priority targets such as artillery and tank concentrations.
How many miles did the Panzers advance before the Third Belt?
In eleven grueling days, the Panzers advanced roughly 20 miles before foundering before the third belt. While “Blitzkrieg” is a useful shorthand for the revolution in mechanized ...
How much armor could an anti-tank rifle penetrate?
Artillery and anti-tank rifles could easily penetrate their 5 to 15 millimeters of armor. That meant only 17 percent were Panzer III and IV tanks and Czech Panzer 35 (t) and 38 (ts) with more capable guns and a modest 15-30 millimeters of armor.
What was the name of the war that wiped out 28 German divisions?
From then on “Blitzkrieg”-style mechanized campaigns were frequently attempted by all belligerents, leading to the devastating initial Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union ( Operation Barbarossa ), the Soviet Bagration offensive of 1944 that wiped out 28 German divisions, and the U.S. breakout from Normandy ( Operation Cobra ).
How fast is the Luftwaffe?
In the air, the Luftwaffe possessed a more decisive technical lead in its Messerschmitt Bf-109E fighter, which had a top speed of 354 miles per hour, compared to Poland’s PZL P.11 fighters that could barely exceed 240 mph.
Uses of Blitzkrieg in World War II
- German forces employed some tactics associated with blitzkrieg in the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and the invasion of Polandin 1939, including combined air-ground attacks and the use of Panzer tank divisions to quickly crush the poorly equipped Polish troops. Then in April 1940, Germany in…
Was Blitzkrieg Truly A New Form of Warfare?
- In the stunned aftermath of France’s fall, both Nazi propaganda and Western media attributed Germany’s success to the revolutionary new form of warfare known as blitzkrieg. But in reality, though the word “blitzkrieg” had been used in German military writings before World War II to describe a short conflict, as opposed to a drawn-out war of attrition, it was never officially adopt…
Later Uses of Blitzkrieg
- The Allies adapted blitzkrieg to their own advantage by the end of World War II, including in the Battle of Stalingrad and the European operations commanded by U.S. General George Pattonin 1944. Patton had carefully studied the German campaigns against Poland and France and also favored quick, decisive action as a way to avoid more costly conflict. Though Germany’s quick vi…
Sources
- Ian Carter, “The German 'Lightning War' Strategy of the Second World War.” Imperial War Museums. Robert T. Foley, “Blitzkrieg.” BBC. Karl-Heinz Frieser, The Blitzkrieg Legend. David T. Zabecki, ed., Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History.
Overview
Blitzkrieg is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armoured and motorised or mechanised infantry formations, together with close air support, has the intent to break through the opponent's lines of defense, then dislocate the defenders, unbalance the enemy by making it difficult to respond to the continuously cha…
Post-war controversy
Blitzkrieg had been called a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) but many writers and historians have concluded that the Germans did not invent a new form of warfare but applied new technologies to traditional ideas of Bewegungskrieg (manoeuvre warfare) to achieve decisive victory.
In 1965, Captain Robert O'Neill, Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford produce…
Definition
The traditional meaning of blitzkrieg is that of German tactical and operational methodology in the first half of the Second World War, that is often hailed as a new method of warfare. The word, meaning "lightning war" or "lightning attack" in its strategic sense describes a series of quick and decisive short battles to deliver a knockout blow to an enemy state before it could fully mobilize. Tactic…
Military evolution, 1919–1939
In 1914, German strategic thinking derived from the writings of Carl von Clausewitz (1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831), Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (26 October 1800 – 24 April 1891) and Alfred von Schlieffen (28 February 1833 – 4 January 1913), who advocated manoeuvre, mass and envelopment to create the conditions for a decisive battle (Vernichtungsschlacht). During the war, officer…
Methods of operations
Schwerpunktprinzip was a heuristic device (conceptual tool or thinking formula) used in the German army since the nineteenth century, to make decisions from tactics to strategy about priority. Schwerpunkt has been translated as centre of gravity, crucial, focal point and point of main effort. None of these forms is sufficient to describe the universal importance of the term and the concept of …
Limitations and countermeasures
The concepts associated with the term blitzkrieg—deep penetrations by armour, large encirclements, and combined arms attacks—were largely dependent upon terrain and weather conditions. Where the ability for rapid movement across "tank country" was not possible, armoured penetrations often were avoided or resulted in failure. Terrain would ideally be flat, firm, unobstructed by natural b…
Military operations
German volunteers first used armour in live field-conditions during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. Armour commitment consisted of Panzer Battalion 88, a force built around three companies of Panzer I tanks that functioned as a training cadre for Spain's Nationalists. The Luftwaffe deployed squadrons of fighters, dive-bombers and transport aircraft as the Condor Legion. Guderian said that th…
See also
• AirLand Battle, blitzkrieg-like doctrine of US Army in 1980s
• Armoured warfare
• Maneuver warfare
• Shock and awe, the 21st century US military doctrine.