Which countries were involved in World War Two.It was used to devastating effect in Poland, western Europe where the Allies were pushed back to the beaches of Dunkirk and in the attack on Russia – Operation Barbarossa. Nazi Germany, if it was to fulfill Hitler’s wishes, had to have a modern military tactic if it was to conquer Europe and give to Germany the ‘living space’ that Hitler deemed was necessary for the Third Reich. British and French tactics were outdated and Britain still had the mentality that as an island they were safe as our navy would protect us.
What tanks they had were poor compared to the German Panzers. In 1940, Britain and France still had a World War One mentality. These were the type of officers despised by Hitler and he took to his Panzer officer, Guderian, over the old officers that were in the German Army (the Wehrmacht). The High Commands of both countries were dominated by the old traditional cavalry regiments and their political pull was great. In Britain and France, however, the cavalry regiments ruled supreme and they were adamant that the tanks would not get any influence in their armies. Ironically, he had got his idea for Blitzkrieg from two officers – one from France and one from Britain and he had copied and broadened what they had put on paper.
DEFINE BLITZKRIEG WW2 FULL
To that end, Hitler had given his full backing to Guderian. The Blitzkrieg was fundamentally about moving away from the tried and tested methods of modern warfare and creating a new, more effective doctrine. Why were the armies of Europe caught so badly prepared by this tactic? The communication technology promoted quick, decentralised decision-making that was key to this speed focused approach. This superior intelligence was a crucial tool at the German’s disposal and allowed them to perform far more organised assaults on the enemy.
Moreover, one of the key successes of the Blitzkrieg was its use of FM radios – these enabled the forces that had broken through the lines to inform support units as to their progress and relay information on what was behind enemy lines.
General Busch said to Guderian, “Well, I don’t think that you’ll cross the River Meuse in the first place.” The River Meuse was considered France’s first major line of defence and it was thought of as being impossible to cross in a battle situation. The German High Command told Hitler that his “boast” was impossible. When Guderian told Hitler that he could reach the French coast in weeks if an attack on France was ordered, fellow officers openly laughed at him. He was enthralled by Guderian’s plan that was based purely on speed and movement. Hitler had spent four years in World War One fighting a static war with neither side moving far for months on end. It was also pivotal in the German army’s devastation of Russian forces when they advanced through Russia in June 1941. As a tactic it was used to devastating effect in the first years of World War Two and resulted in the British and French armies being pushed back in just a few weeks to the beaches of Dunkirk. Guderian had written a military pamphlet called “Achtung Panzer” which got into the hands of Hitler.
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