Blitzkrieg

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Blitzkrieg Sitzkrieg

• Hitler Takes Europe In A Season

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Blitzkrieg

• Also known as Lightning Warfare
• An intense military attacked designed to bring
  about a swift victory
• Used by the Germans in World War II

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Elements of Blitzkrieg

• 1. Surprise
• 2. Psychological Warfare
• 3. Concentration of Firepower
• 4. Speed
• 5. Leadership from the Front
• 6. Co-odination

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The Theory of Blitzkrieg

• The tactic was developed by German army officer
  Hans Guderian
• Designed to hit hard and move on instantly
• It aimed to create panic amongst civilians

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The Theory of Blitzkrieg

• Once a strategic target had been selected, Stuka
  dive bombers were sent in to soften up the
  enemy, destroy all rail lines, communication
  centres and major rail lines
• Done as the German tanks were approaching
• Planes would withdraw last minute so the enemy
  did not have time to recover

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Blitzkrieg Unleashed

• The German Air Force (Luftwaffe), tank divisions
  (Panzers), and the army (Wehrmacht) smashed into
  Poland
• Poland was the perfect target for a blitzkrieg
  attack
• A flat country with no natural obstacles large
  out of date army
• September 1st 1939, surprise bombing raids began
  on Polands aerodromes
• Polands air force is destroyed

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Blitzkrieg Unleashed

• Luftwaffe began bombing raids on Polands
  railways and military convoys to disrupt
  mobilization
• German ground forces moved in from the North and
  South
• Polands army had nowhere to retreat
• The final blow came in mid-September when the
  USSR invaded Poland from the East

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Blitzkrieg Unleashed

• Two days later, honouring their obligations to
  Poland, France and Britan declare war on Germany
• On September 9th 1939, Canada declares war on
  Germany
• The USSR invaded Poland from the East on
  September 17th under the terms of a secret pact
  with Germany
• Warsaw surrended on September 27. By october 6,
  Poland ceased to exist as a country. World War II
  had begun.

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Sitzkrieg

• Also known as Phoney War
• There was no fighting in Europe until Hitler
  turned his attention to the rest of Europe in
  April 1940
• Prime Minister King President Roosevelt hoped
  that Hitler would stop with Poland. They were
  sadly mistaken

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The Fall of European Nations

• In April of 1940 Denmark Norway fall to Nazi
  Germany
• Soon after Holland falls to Nazi Germany
• Then on May 10th 1940 the Germans invaded France

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The Fall Of France

• German forces pushed through the Ardennes,
  outflanking the Maginot Line and unhinging the
  Allied defenders
• Paris was occupied on June 14
• For Hitler, it was a spectacular victory

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The Effects of Blitzkrieg

• France was divided into a German occupation zone
  in the north and west, a small Italian occupation
  zone in the southeast, and a collaborationist
  government in the south, Vichy France
• The British Expeditionary Force and many French
  soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk
• France remained under German occupation until
  after the Allies defeated the German forces in
  France following the Allied landings on D-Day 1944

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The Rescue At Dunkirk

• Allied troops were trapped by an advancing German
  Army at Dunkirk
• With their backs to the sea and Germans closing
  in, Hitlers army ceases to pursue their capture
• The Allies launch a massive rescue by sending 900
  ships across the English Channel they save 14,000
  French Troops and 200,000 British Troops
• The troops would form the core of the allied
  invasion that liberates Europe (in 1944)

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The Effects of Blitzkrieg

• Due to the success of Blitzkrieg the Nazis swept
  through Europe from Poland to the Atlantic in 9
  months
• The Nazis now effectively held the mainland of
  Europe
• What was next..?