What was blitzkrieg ww2

By the end of June, the French army had collapsed, and the nation sued for peace with Germany. In , German forces again employed blitzkrieg tactics in their invasion of the Soviet Union , expecting a short campaign like the one they had enjoyed in Western Europe the previous spring.

But the strategy proved less successful against the highly organized and well-armed Soviet defenses, and by Germany had been forced into a defensive war on all fronts. Rather than a completely new form of warfare, the strategy Germany followed in May and June had much in common with the strategy it employed at the outset of World War I, when strategists like Alfred von Schlieffen determined Germany should aim to defeat its enemies quickly and decisively, as it was ill-suited to win a long and drawn-out conflict against larger, better-prepared forces.

But unlike in , German forces fighting in had the benefit of new military technology developed or improved in the s and s, including tanks, motor vehicles, aircraft and radios. These new tools, combined with an emphasis on speed, mobility, focused attacks and encirclements, enabled the Wehrmacht to turn traditional military tactics into a devastatingly modern brand of warfare.

German commander Erwin Rommel , who led a Panzer division during the invasion of France, later employed blitzkrieg tactics against British forces in the deserts of North Africa in After blitzkrieg failed in the Soviet invasion, however, Hitler and German military leaders distanced themselves from the concept, claiming it was an invention of their enemies; Hitler himself denied he had ever used the word.

General George Patton in Patton had carefully studied the German campaigns against Poland and France and also favored quick, decisive action as a way to avoid more costly conflict. Robert T. David T. Zabecki, ed. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! German forces could in turn encircle opposing troops and force surrender. At first, the German Blitzkrieg seemed to succeed. Soviet forces were driven back more than miles to the gates of Moscow, with staggering losses.

In December , Hitler unilaterally declared war on the United States , which consequently added its tremendous economic and military power to the coalition arrayed against him. A second German offensive against the Soviet Union in brought German forces in the east to the shores of the Volga River and the city of Stalingrad.

However, the Soviet Union launched a counteroffensive in November , trapping and destroying an entire German army at Stalingrad. Germany proved unable to defeat the Soviet Union, which together with Great Britain and the United States seized the initiative from Germany.

Germany became embroiled in a long war, leading ultimately to its defeat in May We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies and the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. View the list of all donors. Bibliography: Corum, J. Teach students about the history of World War II and the conflict's lasting impact with online activities, lesson plans, and more. Create a List. List Name Save. Rename this List.

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