Course: German advances: the fall of Poland, the Low Countries and France Flashcards
Nazi-soviet non agression pact
What: A pact promising not to react or engage in the event that one party went to war against another country
Secret Protocol: The Soviet Union would be able to have access to half of Poland and Lithuania/Latvia/Estonia without German resistance
Why was it significant: It shocked the West, causing them to make pacts with Poland. It gave Germany the green light to attack.
(Hitler wouldn’t have to fight a war on two fronts; Russia wouldn’t have to retaliate if Germany invaded Germany)
Majority of German advances take place in summer due to bigger opportunities to fight, rather then winter will provide hazardous conditions. → Hitlers advance had to be done quick → Shocked the West and made pacts with Poland even though they weren’t prepared for war
Stalin thought he had the upper hand against a man he absolutely opposed → Gave hitler the entrance into eastern Europe
Historical language
Historical Language
Wehrmacht: the German army
Luftwaffe: the German air force
Panzer: German tank
Maginot Line: the French defensive line, consisting of strong underground fortifications. Built during the interwar period.
Blitzkrieg: lightning war strategy used by Germany
Hitler wanted retribution on France → were most enthusiastic and adamant about the treaty of Versailies
Differences and strategies
Aims
Plans/goals
What they wanted to achieve
Battle plans or goals - much more broad
Strategies
The WAY they would achieve their goals
Methods, weapons, tactics
What happens on the ground
Highlight Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg: means ‘lightning war’. A new and radical technique of warfare designed by German commanders and used by German forces (Wehrmacht) who had learnt the lessons of the problem of stalemate in World War One.
Originally outlined in the book Achtung - Panzer! by Heinz Guderian in 1937 which considered new forms of motorised warfare. As a General in the German army, he led Panzer units into Poland. → Aim to take over as quickly as possible
Key features of Blitzkrieg
Highly mobile, mechanised German units led by mass columns of tanks worked in close cooperation with the Luftwaffe
Attacks were made at a weak point, making deep inroads into the defence. The enemy would be scattered. Their supply lines would be overrun so that they couldn’t regroup or bring in reinforcements. Confused enemy formations would be encircled
German units would stay in constant communication via radio, coordinating with each other and the luftwaffe
Blitzkrieg stage 1
Aim: To disrupt enemy communication and transportation, penetrate quickly, create panic to slow the movement of the army.
Strategy: The Luftwaffe use dive bombers to attack airfields and communication positions - power lines, phone lines, bridges, roads, railways. Strafing (attack with low flying aircraft) was also conducted, flying low and firing at ground targets
Weapons/Tactics: The Germans used Junkers (aircrafts) to bomb civilian areas and roads to create panic and destruction. They used whistling bombs and sirens to push the people out into the open, blocking the movement of the enemy army.
Blitzkrieg Stage two:
Aim: using the confusion of the aerial attack, mechanised units would ‘spearhead’ across a narrow front to pierce deep into enemy territory
Strategies: spearhead attacks would be made by Panzer units (other countries didn’t have panzer units → the only way to take these down is through bombing the wheels), followed by other mechanised units (cars, trucks, motorcycles) and finally foot soldiers. Fast moving units would aim for focused targets, subdue them, then move on while slower units would ‘mop up’ behind.
Weapons/Tactics: Germany had 7 Panzer divisions. They would punch through the enemy lines, isolating enemy units and destroying them.
How effective was Blitzkrieg
Hitlers testing the waters → assumes britain and France will adopt appeasement
Aggressive propaganda to justify Germany’s opposition to Poland
Suitable for multiple front attack → the Polish plan offered a flat an easy terrain for a mobile invader
Pincer moves → Panzers incircle the area (creates surplus of prisoners of war), infantry comes from behind and locks everyone in
Einsatzgruppen (soldiers who identify the undesirables e.g. Jews, commies)
The Glewitiz was a fake attack on a radio station orchestrated by Germany to make Poland appear aggressive and justify Hitlers invasion
Context of France
During the post-WW1 period, France struggled with an unstable political system and constantly changing government.
They were largely blinded by their victory in World War One, and returned to outdated tactics and perceptions of warfare.
Their strategies revolved around strong defences along the Franco-German border, which would funnel Germany into Belgium where preparations could be made to station the best of the French army. The area between Belgium and the Maginot Line - the Ardennes Forest - was deemed impenetrable.
The maginot line
An extensive defensive structure largely underground. It included defensive pillboxes which faced the German border. A small train system moved troops along the line. The Maginot Line included kitchens, sleeping arrangements, ammunition stores and even leisure spaces. - alsace lorraine to Belgium
