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Blitzkrieg

Also known as lightning war

thumb|upright=1.5|Tanks and [[mechanised infantry of the 24th Panzer Division advancing through Ukraine, June 1942, typifying fast-moving combined arms forces of classic blitzkrieg]]

AI overview

Blitzkrieg was a military strategy used by Nazi Germany that combined fast-moving tanks and mechanized infantry to overwhelm enemies quickly, as shown by German forces advancing through Ukraine in 1942. It matters because this approach to warfare—coordinating different types of forces to move rapidly—became one of the defining military tactics of World War II.

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Wikidata facts

Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-218-0504-36, Russland-Süd, Panzer III, Schützenpanzer, 24.Pz.Div. (cropped).jpg

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~68 min read

Article

47 sections

Contents

Definition
Common interpretation
Origin of term
Military evolution, 1919–1939
Germany
Britain
France
Russia and Soviet Union
Nazi Germany
Guderian
Rommel
Methods of operations
''Schwerpunkt''
Pursuit
Mopping-up
Air power
Stimulants
Limitations and countermeasures
Environment
Air superiority
Counter-tactics
Logistics
Military operations
Spanish Civil War
Poland, 1939
Low Countries and France, 1940
Eastern Front, 1941–1944
Western Front, 1944–1945
Post-war controversy
Strategy
Doctrine
Economics
''Heer''
''Luftwaffe''
Fuller and Liddell Hart
Continuity
Guderian
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
Books
Conferences
Journals
Websites
Further reading
External links

thumb|upright=1.5|Tanks and [[mechanised infantry of the 24th Panzer Division advancing through Ukraine, June 1942, typifying fast-moving combined arms forces of classic blitzkrieg]]

Blitzkrieg (Lightning/Flash Warfare) is a word used to describe a combined arms surprise attack, using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with artillery, air assault, and close air support. The intent is to break through an opponent's lines of defense, dislocate the defenders, confuse the enemy by making it difficult to respond to the continuously changing front, and defeat them in a decisive : a battle of annihilation.