Blitzkrieg: A Means to an End

Running head: BLITZKREIG: A MEANS TO AN END
BLITZKREIG: A MEANS TO AN END
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BLITZKREIG: A MEANS TO AN END1
This essay intends to analyze the role played by Blitzkrieg in the military success attained
by the nation of Germany by comparing it with the different viewpoints pertaining to the
question-Was the blitzkrieg the main catalyst for the rapid shift from stagnation in World War I
to a tactical evolution in World War II?
The German army was defeated in the First World War and the nation had to pay
significant was indemnities and all her colonies were stripped away from her1. However, during
the Inter-War Years the German army underwent a transformation because of the guerilla war
techniques and also the formulation of the technique of Blitzkrieg2. The effective display of the
military prowess of Germany because of the usage of the above mentioned two techniques was
manifested on September 1, 1939 during the battle of Germany with Poland3. For example, in
this battle it was seen that the German army rather than following the simple military strategy of
attacking the Polish army through their cavalry resorted to the method of raiding bombing and
rapidly moving panzers. Furthermore, because of the aerial bombing it was seen that the Polish
army was not being able to see anything and this in turn greatly helped the military strategy used
by Germany4. Thus, it was seen that the strategy of “Lightning War” coupled with accuracy,
speed, less artillery and lesser number of deaths of the soldiers greatly contributed towards the
victory attained by Germany. While there are different views for the reason behind German
army’s transformation and success between the years 1939 and 1942, The Blitzkrieg was the
1 Foley, Robert T. "History - World Wars: Blitzkrieg." BBC. March 30, 2011. Accessed July 22, 2019.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/blitzkrieg_01.shtml.
2 "What Was Blitzkrieg and Who Created It." What Was Blitzkrieg and Who Created It - DailyHistory.org.
Accessed July 22, 2019. https://dailyhistory.org/What_was_Blitzkrieg_and_Who_Created_it.
3 Frieser, Karl-Heinz, and John T. Greenwood. The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West. Annapolis,
MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013.
4 Chisem, James A. "The Blitzkrieg Myth." Ordinary Times. January 23, 2018. Accessed July 21, 2019.
https://ordinary-times.com/2018/01/25/the-blitzkrieg-myth/.

BLITZKREIG: A MEANS TO AN END2
most eye-catching in that, it was a process in progress and a result of lessons learned from past
defeats. It was a pure and genius Rembrandt of military evolution and reevaluation that
surrendered most of Europe to the Germans.
Blitzkrieg can be defined as a military strategy which was used by the German army
during the Second World War for the purpose of creating disorganization among the armies of
their enemies5. In this relation, it needs to be said that the major techniques which were used by
the German military were the usage of mobile forces and the locally concentrated firepower
which could be used to destroy the enemy lines. More importantly, after the battle of Germany
with Poland it was seen that the many of the war critics pinned down the heavily loss faced by
Poland to their military inexperience or for that matter the usage of inadequate war strategies.
However, this viewpoint held by the war critics soon changed in a substantial manner when the
same military strategy was used by Germany for defeating the other European nations. This in
turn led to the creation of the idea that the Wehrmacht was the most powerful army in the wake
of the Second World War.
According to Vianueva6, the evolution of the concept of Blitzkrieg and its perfection by
the German armed forces was a gradual process rather than being a drastic one. For example, in
the aftermath of the First World War, particular during the Inter-War Years, it was seen that
Hitler, the dictator of Germany in order enhance the military might of the concerned nation
decided to integrate this particular war technique within the domain of the military strategies
5 Corum, James S. The Roots of Blitzkrieg: Hans Von Seeckt and German Military Reform. Lawrence, Kan.:
University Press of Kansas, 1992.
6 Vianueva, Michael. "Unleashing the Blitzkrieg: Precursors of a Tactical Revolution." (2009). Senior Honors
Theses. 202. Retrieved from https://commons.emich.edu/honors/202