Blitzkrieg is what the Wehrmacht miscalculated

Blitzkrieg is tactic of conducting an instant battle (German Blitzkrieg, from Blitz - lightning and Krieg -voyne), which brings victory to the army of conquerors. The basic conditions are the coordination of forces, the ability to act quickly and rigid discipline. The meaning of the word "blitzkrieg" was never taken literally by the Germans, and up to a certain point it was used only in military circles. In official sources, the term appeared only after Germany's attack on Poland in September 1939. In different publications, one can find descriptions of several versions of the appearance of the theory of blitzkrieg. Let us dwell in more detail on each of them.

Theory of Blitzkrieg Heinz Guderian

Most of the credit for its development is attributed to Colonel Heinz Guderian, who, in the presence of the highest German command, declared that he knew how to conquer the enemy's territory very quickly using light tanks, airplanes and small infantry squads. The response to this statement was predictable. No one believed him. However, Hitler entrusted Guderian to demonstrate the technique of blitzkrieg in action against the troops of France and the British Empire. The result did not take long: the enemy was pushed back to the beaches of Dunkirk in a matter of weeks. Also, the fact that the conservatives, the French and the British used only the strategic tactics tested for years, did not work for the Germans, without making any changes. Poland, using the plan Blitzkrieg, managed to enslave in just seventeen days.

Hans von Sect and his vision

Chief of Staff of the Army Hans von Sect in the twenties of the twentieth century, was engaged in research on the causes of the defeat of German troops in the First World War. He came to the conclusion that only the tactics of the last two years had a positive result, that's why it had to be taken as a basis for the preparation of a new generation of the German army. In his opinion, the offensive against the enemy was to follow the following pattern:

1. Initially, a short but powerful attack on the weakest flank of the enemy with the help of artillery, smoke and noise grenades.

2. Then the work of assault detachments on the final cleaning of the seized territories.

According to Hans von Sect, the blitzkrieg is an improvement in military affairs in general. He believed that modernization requires not only a theory of warfare, but also military equipment, including weapons.

Some sources argue that the technique of warfare "blitzkrieg" was discovered by Charles de Gaulle and in 1934 is described in his book, and the German command has only slightly modified it. In his understanding, blitzkrieg is a modernization of military power.

Operation Blitzkrieg in the interpretation of the USSR

"The theory of a deep offensive operation", described in the textbooks on tank battles, published in 1935, is a blitzkrieg in Soviet style. The main goal is a rapid, even rapid penetration into the territory of the enemy, using tanks not for prolonged fighting, but for destabilizing the fighting spirit of the enemy army and disrupting offensive and defensive operations.

The classical version of Operation Blitzkrieg

The first attacks on the target were carried from the aircraft on strategic targets, communication routes, storage of weapons, ammunition and military equipment, cutting off all the ways to retreat and reducing the opponent's ability to resist. Artillery was used to break through the enemy line, followed by tanks and assault units of marines. The main task of the second stage of Operation Blitzkrieg is to enter the enemy's deep rear and firmly consolidate its positions there. Assault detachments tried to destroy as much as possible the means of communication of the enemy, to deprive the command to destabilize the enemy and reduce his morale. To communicate with their units, German troops used only radio, which has already proved itself as the most reliable in the military field conditions.

Fiasco of the blitzkrieg of the Wehrmacht in the USSR

The main and fatal mistake of Germany in the attack on the USSR is a reliance on tactics of a positional offensive. The Russians, taking into account the experience of the civil war, made maximum use of the maneuvering technique, which often confused the advancing enemy. With the main emphasis on tanks, the Wehrmacht counted on maximally penetrating the territory of the USSR, using the tactics of "blitzkrieg". This worked only during the first years of the war, and then it became meaningless, because in Soviet factories tanks were made, capable of moving on wheels and tracks, which greatly complicated the task of the enemy.

Using the tactics of blitzkrieg, the Germans did not change anything in the course of the war, considering their strategy ideal. Their predictability and reluctance to move away from the chosen pattern of warfare played a cruel joke. This is exactly what the Soviet troops used, having won in heavy fighting victories and having liberated their native land from invaders, however, like most of Europe.