(2/5)TANKS!: Blitzkrieg; A Blueprint for Victory

Videos Running Time 00:48:00 in 5 Parts

TANKS!: Blitzkrieg A Blueprint for Victory

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This episode of the excellent series Tanks; chronicles the early days of the panzer force, and blitzkrieg tactics.

The dominance of blitzkrieg lay with superior tactics, radio communication, training and air support of the Whermacht. Before World War II the German Army spent considerable time training armored forces. Many in the German High Command refused to be swayed by the younger officer corps, that deep attacks into the enemy rear was the wave of the future. Many conservative generals reasoned that; logistical problems would doom a deep thrust attack to failure. Prior to World War II, then Col. Heinz Guderian authored a book titled Auctung Panzer. Guderians brilliant theories expanded on the prior writings of British General Fuller and Liddell Hart. Most nations still clung to the old theory of tanks supporting infantry, rather than infantry supporting tanks. Guderians theories found acceptance with Hitler, who expanded the armor program into practice.

Even though, the French and British based their defense of France and the Low Countries on old military theories, their equipment in some cases was superior to the Germans. The Panzer I was considered a training tank, with halftrack armor protection and 2 machine guns. The Panzer II was a reconnaissance tank with little armor protection and a 20mm cannon. These two panzers were almost worthless in tank to tank duels with the Allies Char-1b, S-35 and Matlida tanks. The Panzer III, with heavier armor protection, and a 37mm anti-tank gun, was the Germans main battle tank. The heavier Panzer IV possessed similar amour protection as the Panzer III, but was designed as an infantry support tank. The Panzer IV possessed a 75mm low-velocity gun. The captured stock pile of Czech T-38s after the invasion of Czechoslovakia added a welcomed addition to most panzer divisions.

Gen. Mansteins brilliant plan played into the Allied High Commands assumption that the main German attack would drive through the Low Countries. The Whermachts superior tactics and the Allies panic turned the German attack into a rout.

World War II Tank Tanks Guderian German Hitler Panzer Allied Manstein French British Allies Blitzkrieg Military Armor Whermacht



Enjoy this excellent episode of TANKS!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• World
• War
• II
• Tank
• Tanks
• Guderian
• German
• Hitler
• Panzer
• Allied
• Manstein
• French
• British
• Allies
• Blitzkrieg
• Military
• Armor
• Wh

[Wushuki]

According to wikipedia it is a myth that polish cavalry charged the panzer tanks with swords and lances. Instead they were used as pseudo-motorized cavalry to quickly move infantry over long distances. In battle they used anti tank rifles and other guns.

Wikipedia also claims that it is a myth that the polish air force was destroyed on the ground.

[2bn442RCT]

Many books claim this was a myth.

[MalteseFalcon786]

The documentary makes an important point that many people overlook - the campaign in Poland is much more a case of Kesselschlacht (encirclement or envelopment) than of Blitzkrieg, although it did have elements of the latter. The invasion of France in 1940 was much more a case of classic Blitzkrieg.

[Sunder61]

@Wushuki This is true what you say. They used the horse as a transport element. The Polish Army did use horse cav against an assembly area in a fast strike manner. This was more a guerrilla attack in force.

[Spartan0339]

@Wushuki well wikipedia is not always right. remember it is written by men and men make mistakes, like the war for example...

[ClaireetReid]

I forget to precise that It's true that the polish cavalry charge against tanks is a myth.

[ClaireetReid]

The cavalry charge against infantry was still very effective like German soldiers later told as they remembered their Polish campaign, many of them where shocked and only the tanks could save the day. furthermore it wasn't worse to be on a horse unit against tanks than on a foot one.... the horses are faster and can operate in terrains where tanks are totally unadequate.

[ClaireetReid]

this is true you even see it from minutes 08.02 to 08.10 the horses carriages are training infantry cannons for dismounted firefight. even Germans still had a lot of artillery and troops still using horses but only to travel and carry loads. like mountain infantry even in late eighties in Switzerland

[TQLCVNCH]

@MalteseFalcon786

Encirclement is later phase of Blitzkrieg, instead of trying to flank the enemy from his sides or his back, Blitzkieg hits the enemy right to his front of defense, split it in half, making the way for motorized infantry advance, then encircle the halves and finish them off.

[Schensue]

As far as I know the myth was made up by German propaganda.

Somehow historiography had a tendency to believe the German Wochenschau with this kind of information.

For example you can still read about the horrible mutilations perpetrated by the Red Army in the massacre at Nemmersdorf in many legitimate books. As it turned out the only source for these mutilations is the Wochenschau. Recent research revealed the bodies were in fact maimed by the Germans before filming. It's downright embarrasing.

[Schensue]

@MalteseFalcon786

I would argue that Blitzkrieg (a phrase coined by the British media) is in fact encirclement warfare. Motorised infantry and armoured troops with air support advanced along the flanks of the enemy force. Thereby the enemy found himself encircled when the main body of the army arrived. This tactic was also employed by the Soviet army during through Eastern and Central Europe.

The French army collapsed after absolutely misjudging German plans of advance.

[BelisariuSF]

Polish Cavalry did not charge German tanks with horse-mounted cavalry. It only charged resting tank crews. The myth originated from war correspondents reports of the Battle of Krojanty, where a Polish cavalry brigade was fired upon in ambush by hidden armored vehicles, after it had mounted a sabre-charge against German infantry. Weapons that were used against tanks were anti-tank rifles "UR" and light artillery such as the highly effective Bofors 37 mm antitank gun.

[BelisariuSF]

Polish Air Force was not destroyed on the ground. It had been moved from air bases to small camouflaged airfields shortly before the war. It remained active up to the second week of the campaign. The Luftwaffe lost 285 aircraft, with 279 more damaged, while Polish air force lost 333 aircraft.