World War 2: The German Blitzkrieg

While World War 2 is regarded as the triumph of Allied Forces over the Axis, it is nonetheless important to note that Nazi Germany made great advances during the first three years of the War, conquering the majority of Europe and a large portion of Russia’s European territory. Although many people attribute this fact to Germany’s preparedness, military modernization and pre-war planning, the real reason lay in the Blitzkrieg military doctrine.

First let us quickly define the term Blitzkrieg. As a direct translation from German, it stands for lightning war.The Blitzkrieg military doctrine was just that – a quick and decisive attack carried out by a large “panzer” (mechanized) attack force, mainly tanks and aircraft, as well as mechanized artillery and infantry for support, which would pierce an enemy’s defensive line and quickly exploit it by continuing to attack through this point of weakness before the enemy could respond. Blitzkrieg quickly became the staple military strategy of Nazi Germany in World War 2 after being heavily developed and practiced during the 1930s.

Although tanks are largely regarded as the heart of the blitzkrieg, they were in fact only one component of the strategy. The Blitzkrieg was divided into 3 major components: tanks, infantry & light mechanized forces (such as motorcycles) and airplanes. Each part of Blitzkrieg worked in unison – the airplanes would clear dangerous areas for the tanks, such as artillery and heavy enemy fortifications by bombing, while the tanks themselves would break the enemy’s defensive lines, further protected by infantry, while providing protection for it at the same time. The infantry could then exploit the areas broken through by tanks, and continue to follow their path of destruction quickly on foot or by use of various vehicles, ranging from armored cars to motorcycles.

The defenders were also prevented from communication with each other and their superiors, due to the quick destruction or capture of key telephone, telegraph and radio stations either by the advancing infantry forces, air bombings or by paratroopers, who were parachuted into place shortly before the attack would take place. Enemy forces were unable to respond to such a systematic destruction of any possible way of retaliation to Blitzkrieg’s push and would eventually find themselves surrounded by a pincer of panzer forces.

Preparation

Germany practiced and developed Blitzkrieg all throughout the 1930s; as such they were very well prepared when World War 2 began.

Element of Surprise

The blitzkrieg, as its name implies, was incredibly fast, and as such was difficult to respond to.

It was Revolutionary

Blitzkrieg was a completely new, and unexpected strategy; while major European powers such as Britain and France had a far larger number, and higher quality of tanks and aircraft than the Germans, they simply incorporated them into the typical infantry-based army rather than create a completely new type of warfare.

Deadlock of Trench Warfare

All of Europe was still stuck in the “trench warfare” mindset of World War 1; a type of warfare which involved opposing forces occupying dug out trenches, thus preventing any offensive action on either side, as rushing a trench was considered suicide. Germany was the only nation to experiment with breaking this “deadlock” of trench warfare by use of mechanized forces like tanks and aircraft.

Pre-operation Intelligence Gathering

By the time of the actual attack, the German commanders often knew exactly where points of importance were located, and which areas were the easiest to break through. This was usually achieved through the work of special agents, who were often citizens of the country which the Germans planned to invade or by air reconnaissance of the area by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force).

Radios

The German Blitzkrieg pioneered the widespread use of radios for all mechanized forces in World War 2. This allowed the commanders of each unit to communicate with each other as well as the Luftwaffe and gain a much clearer view of the battlefield. Furthermore, decisions and important information could be spread around, and reacted to, much faster.

Mobile Headquarters

The Blitzkrieg was led by “mobile headquarters”; high ranking military officers could follow the panzer forces in order to give up-to-date orders in specially-designed armored cars. Whereas generals of other nations often stayed behind enemy lines, the German command was always aware of what was happening.

Military Logistics

The ability of the panzer forces to cover distances fast and with efficiency was key, as well as the ability to supply these forces adequately during their thrust through enemy territory. More importantly, tanks tended to perform a lot better on flat ground. As such, the spring Blitzkrieg of France and the early fall Blitzkrieg of Poland were very successful largely due to good weather, along with factors like the good quality of roads and the flat tendency of the majority of Polish and French landscape. Furthermore, the distance that the panzers had to cover in the above cases was quite short, and as such could be well supplied by railroad and other methods. This allowed the panzer forces to move together without many set-backs from things like refueling and mechanical breakdowns, as well as allowing the tanks to move ahead of the infantry.

Reliance on Good Weather

Blitzkrieg relied very strongly on good weather. This is one of the biggest reasons why it largely failed in Russia, where as it was highly successful in the warmer parts of Europe. The Russian winter was so brutal that it literally killed off a lot German soldiers; the Germans were simply not prepared for such a different type of climate.

Dwindling Resources

Nazi Germany’s campaign in Russia highlights this factor as well; the Blitzkrieg exhausted huge amounts of fuel and resources due to both Russia’s brutal weather, and incredibly large size. German forces had to travel over huge distances as they moved deeper and deeper into Russian territory. As such, the resources started to dwindle; and being a mechanized war strategy, Blitzkrieg could not work without fuel.

Reliance on good infrastructure and a flat landscape

Another major reliance of Blitzkrieg was on good infrastructure and a flat landscape. As mentioned earlier, tanks performed much better on flat, dry land; a fact which became very apparent during the Russian campaign, as well as Germany’s last attempt at an offensive during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. Good roads, which were widespread in Western Europe, were replaced by muddy, and broken down passages in Russia. Furthermore, railways, which were once again widespread and operational in Europe, were replaced by broken down railways in Russia. As a result, supply shipments of food and fuel suffered serious set-backs, forcing many German units to live without food for days.

Faltering of Germany’s air superiority

As the war moved into its later stages, air superiority switched to the side of the Allies. This was a huge downside; the Luftwaffe provided not only crucial air support to the tanks and infantry on the ground, but also acted as air reconnaissance.

Legacy

The legacy of the German Blitzkrieg is twofold. On one hand, it allowed Germany to reign supreme during the first half of the World War 2, even though they were faced with an exponentially-superior force of mechanized forces and infantry. On the other, Blitzkrieg revolutionized modern warfare; it highlighted the growing ineffectiveness of infantry-based armies and strategies, and as such is largely responsible for what we see in the military field today; a type of warfare based on the widespread use of machinery rather than purely infantry forces.