Blitzkrieg

Phoebe Anderson =Blitzkreig=


 * Blitzkrieg:** //(German, "lightning war") is an anglicised term describing a method of warfare whereby an attacking force spearheaded by a dense concentration of armoured and motorized or mechanized infantry formations//

Before
 Years before, Hitler had been testing how many concessions Britain and France would be willing to make on his behalf. basically he was testing their limits, and the British and French response laid back. This easy going philosophy is better known to the public as "Appeasement", and has been named as one of the biggest causes of the Second World War. Britain felt guilty for the harsh measures that were taken under the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles and was trying to make up for it. From that point, It was under this policy that Adolf Hitler started to build up his military, reoccupy the Rhineland, annex Austria, and take Czechoslovakia. Hitler had used the Spanish Civil War as testing grounds for his new strategy: Blitzkrieg. He sent his Luftwaffe in to support the Nationalists during this war - they viciously bombed civilians at Guerenica from an air attack, and the German leader was satisfied with the horrendous result that it accomplished. He was convinced that this combined with operations from tanks was no-problem attack, one that could not fail. Blitzkrieg was then officially created, and ready to go. ---

In depth for the Blitzkrieg
 Since World War I, when weapons were experimental, planes and tanks had been dramatically improved. They were becoming deadlier by the day, and became much more of a threat. It became a constant race to see who could create the best and most brutal weapon. Countries preferred to be on the offensive, rather than on the defensive. This warfare relied on rapidness and relentlessness. Airplanes that would knock key positions of the enemy led it. After the Plans finished their jobs, tanks followed and attacked. The hope was that the speed would create a feeling of blindness among the enemy, thereby allowing the attacker to close in behind the enemy with a "pincer" action and trap them. This flanking and pincer movements were done repetitively. It was an absolute necessity with this kind of warfare that the front lines could be supplied; In general it left the targets feeling vulnerable.

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Near the end:
 On September 1, 1939, the Germans also released this brutal warfare strategy upon Poland. Poland rendered themselves fairly useless during these attacks and were helpless during the invasion as their biggest reliance for war was still cavalry. There wasn't anything that any other country could've done to help to defend Poland, because at that point Poland was already broken and destroyed. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later, but it still didn't manage to help Poland's cause. After that, since the warfare had proved itself to be momentously successful, Hitler found a place for it in countless battles and attacks. ---

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitzkrieg http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/blitzkrieg.htm Workbook