Blitzkrieg, meaning ‘Lightning War’, was the method of offensive warfare responsible for Nazi Germany’s military successes in the early years of the Second World War.
Combined forces of tanks, motorized infantry and artillery penetrated an opponent’s defences on a narrow front, bypassing pockets of resistance and striking deep into enemy territory. The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) provided close air support, bombing key objectives and establishing local air superiority.
Radio communications were the key to effective Blitzkrieg operations, enabling commanders to coordinate the advance and keep the enemy off balance.
These techniques were used to great effect in 1939, when the Polish Army was destroyed in a series of encirclement battles. In May 1940 Hitler attacked France, his panzer divisions smashing through slow-moving French formations and cutting off the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk. Spectacular success was also achieved during the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 and large numbers of Soviet troops were captured.
Captured Polish troops marching out of Warsaw
Captured Polish troops march out of Warsaw after the city was taken by the Germans on 28 September 1939. The Polish Army was large, but poorly equipped and thinly spread. It lacked the means to counter Germany’s modern armoured forces.
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