The German Invasion Of Poland

     In the first phase of World War II in Europe, Germany sought to avoid a long war. Germany's strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns. Germany quickly overran much of Europe and was victorious for more than two years by relying on a new military tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war). Blitzkrieg tactics required the concentration of offensive weapons (such as tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow front. These forces would drive a breach in enemy defenses, permitting armored tank divisions to penetrate rapidly and roam freely behind enemy lines, causing shock and

World War II officially began on September 1, 1939 the invasion of Poland. Adolf Hitler was wanting to conquer all of Europe and its living space. A military tactic used in World War II was “Blitzkrieg” a tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces such as planes, artillery and tanks. Blitzkrieg meaning “lightning war” was first used in the invasion of Poland and later on officially established in the Invasion of France, Netherlands, and Belgium. Not only did the Germans use the tactic of blitzkrieg they also had a powerful army that consisted of four groups the: Luftwaffe(Air Force) ,Weimar(Regular Nazi Army) , SS (Special Forces), and the SA(Racially superior soldiers). Hitler almost conquered all of Europe, but there were some mistakes in this war that costed him the win such as: Dunkirk, The Invasion of Russia and the Allies victories.

The terms of the German-Soviet Pact stated that the two countries were not to attack each other, independently or in alliance with another country, and to always have each other in the best interests ("German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact"). Germany was free to strike at Poland without having to worry about the interruption of the Soviet Union. The blitzkrieg strategy is what the Germans used to take over Poland. This was distinguished by, “extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps, followed by a massive land invasion with overwhelming numbers of troops, tanks, and artillery” (“Germany Invades Poland”). The German armies made their way through Poland, while soldiers eliminated any surviving opposition. Hitler began constructing an organized body of military police to obliterate racial, political, or religious enemies that threatened his Nazi ideology. Within one day of the German annexation, Hitler had already established concentration camps for slave laborers and the execution of Jewish

Although the Germans managed to successfully invade and conquer Poland, it came at a price for Germany. The Polish had survived for nearly twice as long as anticipated and had done more damage to the Germans than the British and French combined in 1940 ("The Second World"). The Germans lost 50,000 men from the one and a half million that

Germany and the Soviet Union had signed what is known as “Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact” of 1939 in order to acquire Poland’s land together. Although Hitler and Stalin did not like one another, they decided to put their differences aside for the moment in order to seize the opportunity. Hitler was interested in what was known as the Polish Corridor which had separated Germany from another piece of its property due to the Treaty of Versailles. Stalin was simply interested in expansion of Russia, and had plans to attack Germany once taking over Poland was successful. Germany took part in what was known as the

The next morning, troops with Poland uniforms within the invasion, damaging Germany’s side of the border. The Polish army was hopeless winning against the Germans. (A&E Television Networks, “Germans invade Poland”)

Germany was not able to claim victory during World War II due to poor military guidance. Hitler’s military tactics led

Thus, this article can serve as a foundational text for the American perception of the German military and its tactics. Although the article focuses on a particular commander, the level of respect showed towards Brauchitsch reveals the writer’s understanding of the power of Germany. The modern connotation of the word (quick and hard striking maneuver warfare) as a form of military strategy is used and explained here by the author as if it is the official German military doctrine. Historians argue endlessly over the idea of an “origin” and it remains the same here. When was “Blitzkrieg” introduced to the American public? Was it invented by Western journalists to for sensationalism purposes or rather, German propaganda that was “swallowed up” by the Allied press? The author of the article seemed very educated in the concept of Blitzkrieg (if it indeed is an official military concept) and used appropriate language to emphasize the speed aspect of the tactic. Some phrases depicting Blitzkrieg included “a war of quick penetration and obliteration,” “Swift columns of tanks… plunged through Poland…broken down the Polish defenses before they had time to

Prior to the onset of WWII, conditions throughout occupied Poland & Belarus varied greatly. In some areas, especially in eastern Poland, which the Soviet Union invaded in 1939, and subsequently "formally" annexed, the situation was particularly volatile.1

The carnage of world war one was the result of the clash between new technologies, but old strategies. Blitzkrieg warfare would be the first form of modern military tactics for it fully utilizes the technological advancements of that time. The term “Blitzkrieg” was not invented by the Germans, but by an English magazine that described the invasion of Poland (Showalter). While many accredit the invention of Blitzkrieg warfare to Heinz Guderian, Germany's Chief of Mobile Troops during WWII, it was actually invented far before that. In fact, it was developed right after WWI after seeing the devastating effects of trench warfare(Showalter). Ironically, the basis of Blitzkrieg warfare was also laid by German Field Marshall Alfred von Schlieffen of the famous Schlieffen plan of WWI(Showalter). The basic essence of Blitzkrieg warfare was built upon the belief that Germany was always going to be out resourced and out numbered in every war and thus in order to win it, the Germans must strike hard and fast and penetrate deep behind enemy lines(Showalter). Thus, Blitzkrieg warfare was the most effective military tactic of its time because it utilized all of the technology of its time, it not only utilized physical warfare, but also psychological warfare, and because Germany’s opponents were not prepared for this kind of warfare.

By the summer of 1943, the German army was retreating to Poland. The city of Lublin fell, and Warsaw fell afterwards. Unfortunately, the Poles discovered that their “liberation” only meant that the Nazis were replaced by the Soviets.

“The outbreak of the war of 1939 was caused directly by the conflict between Poland and Germany over the “Corridor” and Danzig problems.”

During September of 1939 a barrage of German soldiers crossed over into the borders of Poland and every step they took would ultimately leave behind devastation and destruction. For the next five years the evil Nazi regime would wreak havoc and shake Europe’s foundation to it’s core. Nation’s from all over the world came together once again to defeat Germany and its allies, otherwise known as the of World War Two. Nazi Germany quickly occupied all of Europe and would establish its control by the use of quick and efficient military tactics, known as blitzkrieg. Although this was a brand new style of war it was very effective and executed to perfection by the German military. Blitzkrieg was a strategy of air superiority

At the end of the First World War, many changes were about to happen. The countries on the winning side did not feel victorious after millions had died because of the war. The countries on the losing side would now have to deal with settlements with the western allies. The great empires that once dominated central and Eastern Europe and West Asia had fallen. There was great uncertainty. Today I will discuss the Western Ideals and World War II. I will talk about the rise of totalitarianism, evaluate the causes of World War II, explain the Holocaust, describe the major figures, events, and technological innovations of

In the first phase of World War II in Europe, Germany sought to avoid a long war. Germany's strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns. Germany quickly overran much of Europe and was victorious for more than two years by relying on a new military tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war). Blitzkrieg tactics required the concentration of offensive weapons (such as tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow front. These forces would drive a breach in enemy defenses, permitting armored tank divisions to penetrate rapidly and roam freely behind enemy lines, causing shock and disorganization among the enemy defenses. German air power prevented the enemy from adequately