BLITZKRIEG Bobby Kashani, Jane Deleon, Andrew Chin

Lightning War Blitzkrieg translates to lightning war in German Uses element of surprise, extreme speed, and constant barrage Was extremely effective at the beginning of the war

Components of Blitzkrieg Tanks Planes Infantry

Blitzkrieg Tanks Hitler began building Panzer tank divisions in 1934 Made a moving line of artillery LKANSLDKNLAKNSDl;asd;’l;’KLAL;SKNDKLan’ Heavily armored Very powerful and destructive Intimidation

Blitzkrieg Planes The German Luftwaffe (airforce) was created in 1936, by 1938 it had 3350 combat aircraft's During Blitzkrieg, it added to the constant moving artillery Also served as reconnaissance were also very intimidating/demoralizing

Blitzkrieg Infantry Units By 1937 Hitler had amassed an army of 3 million Was mostly just an addition to the power of the tank-plane combination

Retreat? When multiple divisions of tanks, a horde of plane squadrons, and thousands of German troops are rushing at you what can you do besides being confused and demoralized? do you retreat? Well guess what...

YOU CAN’T! German Panzer tanks were too effective They made effective retreat impossible

“The dive bombers will form flying artillery, directed to work with ground forces through good radio communications…tanks and planes will be at the commander’s disposition. The real secret is speed. Speed of attack through speed of communication”-Erhard Milch, German airforce general at a pre-war conference on Blitzkrieg tactics

“The real secret is speed…” Amphetamines were widely used by German troops during WWII The use of speed releases huge amounts of dopamine and noradrenaline They induce exhilarating feelings of power, strength, energy, self-assertion, focus and enhanced motivation. "Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." Hunter S. Thompson

“Speed of Communication” WWII Radios far surpassed that of WWI Miniaturization and Mechanization made Radios usable on the battlefield Radios allowed tanks, planes, and troops to receive constantly updated information from one another and from the higher command The speed of communication was the foundation for the effectiveness of Blitzkrieg

MaterialSchlat Germans claimed that the allied victory was largely based on the materialschlat, or the war of materials Blitzkrieg was comparatively cheap Germans could enjoy the fruits of victory without the financial sacrifice

Why the Germans Chose Blitzkrieg German war strategists had realized before World War I that Germany could not win a long, defensive war Germany would have to defeat it’s enemies swiftly and decisively Led to a smaller, highly trained army that could move faster

Flexibility of Blitzkrieg Strategy encouraged field commanders to make quick decisions without waiting for higher orders Created aggressive leaders Units were allowed to fight where they thought they were needed, instead of waiting for higher orders.

Effectiveness of Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg was highly effective early in the war because French and British commanders expected a slow, defensive war. Germans also utilized surprise and the confusion that followed the initial push to press their advantage

Drawbacks to Blitzkrieg Required good weather for bombers and firm ground for tanks to be effective Due to the speed, Blitzkrieg left flanks (sides) open to counterattack Enemy eventually would expect Blitzkrieg, and lack of confusion would allow a counterattack

Defenses Against Blitzkrieg French Maginot Line was built on Franco-German border Germans chose to go around it, through the Ardennes forest where the French didn’t expect them Russians defense focused on depth, and a counterattack on flanks

Ideas of Charles De Gaulle De Gaulle had fought in the First World War, and was a critic of trench warfare, instead advocating a strategy of movement Ironically, the Germans read his essays on his strategy, and used it to defeat the French in World War II

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