WW2- The Blitzkrieg (Part-5)

 The Blitzkrieg

(Lightning-War)

Following Germany's invasion of Poland, resulting in the British declaration of war, there was a fallow period of inaction, now known as the Phony war, lasting just over eight months. During this time, Hitler was sizing up the enemy and allowing their forces to become complacent with boredom.

 He made gestures suggesting that he was hoping they may acquiesce and allow him to keep Poland, but it transpired that he was amassing a large military force ready to invade France and the Lowlands. When the offensive was implemented it caught the Allied forces by surprise. The Germans struck so hard and fast that there was little the opposing forces could do except retreat and attempt to slow down the Nazi advance.

The Germans had introduced a new mode of warfare called Blitzkrieg(Lightning-War). It was designed to be swift and overwhelming, rather like a tsunami, so that resistance was futile. A German officer, named Heinz Guderian had developed the concept in the early 1930s by optimizing tank designs along with that of armoured cars and artillery, so that they were highly effective at moving rapidly over rough terrain.

There were a vast number of different vehicles and armoured cars used in Blitzkrieg. The tanks like the Pz1 Ausf A-B, Pz2 Ausf A-B-C-D, Pz3 Ausf E-F-G, Pz4 Ausf A-B-C-D, and etc. were extensively used by the German forces in this campaign.

Panzer 1 Ausf A-B

Panzer 2 Ausf A-B-C-D

Panzer 3 Ausf E-F-G

Panzer 4 Ausf A-B-C-D

Panzer 35(T) Light

These tanks were also fully equipped with radios. This was done, so that communication was state-of-the-art and efficient. This was a very crucial step. As the tanks forged their way forwards, blasting any key opposition units out of action, they were followed by crack division of storm troopers, who dealt with the enemy troops while they were still in a state of trauma. To the rear, the artillery would be instructed to take out any enemy positions inaccessible to the tanks.

The spearhead of the Blitzkrieg emerged from the Ardennes forest on the 110th May, 1940 and proved unstoppable as it widened and continued westwards. Another advantage of its rapid progress was that the Allies were unstable to relocate and deploy forces from elsewhere to impede the Blitzkrieg. Added to that, the equipment that the Allies had was inferior and they had a different strategic mind-set, so they were outgunned and outmaneuvered. To avoid being killed or taken captive, the Allies had no choice but to make a rapid tactical retreat and figure out what to do next.

The Role of the Luftwaffe

An important factor in the success of the Blitzkrieg was air support. The German air force, the Luftwaffe, was very effective in dive-bombing Allied columns and strategically bombing installations farther away. This had the effect of weakening supply lines and softening targets to enable the offensive to continue unabated. All in all, the Germans had devised a war machine, which the Allies were unable to counter at that stage of the war, thereby allowing the Germans territorial purchase  on mainland Europe

  

Thank for reading this article. Stay tuned for more war-related blogs. I will be posting them daily. Also check out the previous articles of this series. Make sure to follow and comment if you have any doubts or questions. PEACE