Importance of Blitzkrieg in World War II

World War II spawned the creation of many new inventions, inventions that were greatly needed in order for whole countries to survive the war, and one such creation was introduced by the Germans, the Blitzkrieg. The word "Blitzkrieg" is German for "lightning war," and it describes the military tactic used by the Germans and was coined by Western newspapermen in 1939 to convey the immense speed and powerful destruction caused by the three week German campaign against Poland. The term Blitzkrieg is mainly used to describe German tactics, however the general tactic itself was not entirely unique to only the Germans. The lightning quick method was used whenever the opportunity presented itself, particularly by the forces under the command of General Patton. In analyzing the German utilization of this “lightning war” tactic it becomes clearer how much of an intricate role the Blitzkrieg played in the Second World War, and how it could have completely succeeded.

Blitzkrieg was a fast and open style of warfare, heavily reliant on new technologies. First aircrafts were used as long-range artillery to destroy enemy strongholds, attack troop concentrations, and spread panic. Then combined arms forces of tanks and motorized infantry coordinated by two-way radio destroyed tactical targets before moving on, deep into enemy territory. A key difference to previous tactical models was the devolution of command. Fairly novice officers in the field were encouraged to use their own initiative, rather than rely on a centralized command structure. Essentially, the idea behind Blitzkrieg was organizing troops into mobile forces with exceptional communications and command, being able to keep the onslaught up as the battle unfolded, and basically the plan was to concentrate all available forces at a single spot in front of the enemy lines, and then break a hole in it with artillery and infantry. Once the hole was opened, tanks could rush through and strike hundreds of miles to the rear. This allowed the attacking force to fight against lightly armed logistics units, starving the enemy of information and supplies. In this way even a small force could destroy a much larger one through confusion, and effectively avoiding as much direct combat as possible. In the ideal Blitzkrieg confrontation, the enemy would be retreating to the rear in an attempt to construct n...

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...er became increasingly interested in capturing Stalingrad itself, allowing the Soviet forces to regroup and counterattack.

An example where the lightning fast Blitzkrieg was not so successful is when Germany tried another offensive against the western forces during the Battle of the Bulge in the later part of 1944. This time the allied planners had their counter-strategy well developed. With the opening of the battle, forces were rushed to fold in onto the Germans. The Allied forces were not in front where their heaviest concentration of forces was placed, but in fact, at the sides, and in an attempt to avoid direct combat, the armored spearhead, was forced into a short narrow street. The idea behind the amrored spearhead was to concentrate as much firepower into a small front as possible, so any defenders in front of them will be overwhelmed. But the spearhead was ambushed and its plan unsuccessful.

The German tactic of Blitzkrieg allowed for many advances by Germany, and an overwhelming majority of them were extremely successful. Utilizing this lightning war maneuver was tremendously efficient and startlingly powerful, which made Germany such a tough opponent in World War II.