The Nightmare: World War II

Interpreting “Blitzkrieg”How was Hitler’s Germany able to accomplish an impossible victory in only months, when Germany had not accomplished that victory in 4 years of fighting in World War I?

Interpreting “Blitzkrieg”Questions:

Was the German war machine truly unstoppable? Was Blitzkrieg truly the strategy that defeated the Allies in June 1940?

Previous Historiography of WWII: Blitzkrieg = overall German strategy, bent on world domination Foreign & Domestic implication of Blitzkrieg = rapid mobilization of war machine and homefront, quick victory Blitzkrieg demonstrates dominance of German war machine over Western powers

Time Magazine on the invasion of Poland, Sept 1939: “This was no war of occupation, but a war of quick penetration and obliteration - Blitzkrieg, lightning war.” French Supreme Commander Gamelin, May 1940: The French Army was defeated due to three reasons - “Inferiority of numbers, inferiority of equipment, inferiority of method.”

The Great War as Teacher

Allied Lessons Learned: Air force for recon. and strategic bombing Large, slow tanks

German Lessons Learned: Stoßtrupp-Taktik clear resistance, level barriers, surprise disrupt communications Small tanks w/ radios & large fuel capacity punch holes, rapid mobilization Half-tracks/Motorcycles rapid mobilization MUST be a war of movement

Sept 1, 1939 Invasion of Poland Poland falls in 3 weeks

Soviets invade Finland Next 6 months =

Invasion of France delayed Norway & Sweden, April 1940

Allied Strategy defense/attrition Maginot Line, minimize loss of life

Invasion of France (May 1940)

Ardennes, attack at Sedan

Paris falls w/in 6 weeks

Lightning Strikes

1 million Allied soldiers surrounded German decision to halt =

Rescue of 340K BEF “The Hinge of Fate”

Hitler’s Luftwaffe Targets = BOTH industry & civilians

England’s Finest Hour

Nazi Invasion of USSR (June 1941) Purposes:

Knock out Soviet Union w/ preemptive strike

Lightning Strikes

Problems:

Italians fail in Greece Yugoslavian quagmire Libya & Egypt Result = delays Eastern push

Eastern Theater (Barbarossa) German supply lines/organization not prepared

Lightning Strikes