Transcript Operation Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg
Rocky et Jaime
Question
Why was the German strategy “Blitzkrieg” so effective in
the early years of World War II?
Blitzkrieg: Definition
Blitz·krieg (noun)
German Translation: Lightning War
War conducted with great speed and force; specifically: a
violent surprise offensive by massed air forces and
mechanized ground forces in close coordination.
Operation Blitzkrieg: STAGES
1.
First Column
2.
Sabotage
3.
Bomb Raids
4.
Light Attack
5.
Heavy Attack
6.
Regulars
Operation Blitzkrieg: POLAND
TIME: August 31, 1939
VICTOR: Germans
SIDE NOTES:
• German outnumbers Polish in fire power 2:1
• German outnumbered Polish in tanks 20:1
Operation Blitzkrieg: BELGIUM
TIME: May 10, 1940
VICTOR: Germans
SIDE NOTES:
• Leopold was afraid of going against Hitler and declared
neutrality; Hitler, despite saying he would respect Leopold’s
neutrality, invades Belgium
Operation Blitzkrieg: FRANCE
TIME: May 18, 1940
VICTOR: Germans
SIDE NOTES:
• The average French soldier was believed to have been more
prestigious and spirited than any other soldier; once Hitler
defeated France, the idea of the “Finest Army in Europe”
washed away.
Operation Blitzkrieg: BELGIUM & FRANCE
Operation Blitzkrieg: YUGOSLAVIA
TIME: April 6, 1941
VICTOR: Germans
SIDENOTES:
• Yugoslavia, already under German governance, experiences a
coup d'état. As a response, Hitler used Blitzkrieg to suppress
the revolt.
Operation Blitzkrieg: RUSSIA
TIME: June 1941
VICTOR: Germans
SIDENOTES:
• Blitzkrieg provides quick progress; the Nazi Army reaches
the edges of Moscow within the span of seven days into the
Russian campaign
• Cut through initial defenses, but one operation of Blitzkrieg
did not conquer the country
Operation Blitzkrieg: RUSSIA
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN AND
OTHERS
• Hitler’s direct leadership was not present
• Russia is BIG
• Russians were accustomed to the harsh winters and terrain,
employed partial use of guerilla tactics, relatively fluid
resistance
Operation Blitzkrieg: EUROPE
Operation Blitzkrieg: STRENGTHS
• It brought military strategies up to a new level (Fairly
revolutionary, strategically)
• If executed with great precision, the magnitude of its effect
was devastating
• A strategy that achieved focused on swift victory
• The various stages orchestrated the demise for all enemy
forces: ground troops, airplanes, tanks.
Operation Blitzkrieg: WEAKNESSES
• The dependence upon Hitler for the Orchestration upon the
various instances Blitzkrieg was used
• The dependence on the first stage, First Column (no First
Columns were apparent in Russian campaign)
• By the Russian campaign, the Blitzkrieg was not familiar;
hence, the element of surprise was not as apparent.
Historiography
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