Advantages and Disadvantages of the Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg was a tactic based on speed and surprise and needed a military force to be based around light tank units supported by planes and infantry (foot soldiers). Its meaning is lighting war and it was first used by the Germans in World War II. The Blitzkrieg included surprise attacks, rapid advances into enemy territory, with coordinated massive air attacks, which struck and shocked the enemy as if it was struck by lightning. The Blitzkrieg main moves were technology, surprise, speed and move. The tactic was developed in Germany by an army officer called Hans Guderian. He wrote a military pamphlet called “Achtung Panzer” which got into Hitler’s hands.  As a tactic it was used as a devastating effect in the first years of World War II.

Germany used this tactic because they needed to maintain high mobility to succeed in an attack, in order to maintain the element of surprise. In the early war it was extremely successful, just like the Schliefflen Plan of World War I. By maintaining the element of surprise they could destroy the enemy before it has the chance to fight back. They used Blitzkrieg tactics in the early war as they needed to also maintain their numbers in order to fight a war against almost all of Europe.

Germany needed to be fast enough because it could kill everyone in their sleep before they can woke up and fight back in a counterattack. By maintaining the high mobility Germany was able to win battles very easily.

The Blitzkrieg was very useful for Germany. It had many advantages such as assuring success by attacking force; prevent reinforcement for defenders and supplies delivery for soldiers. The Blitzkrieg used less ammunition and equipment, and soldiers.

The most important advantage of Blitzkrieg was speed and mobility. Blitzkrieg was primarily a strategy of repeated “shock and awe” tactics that relied on overwhelming force directed through military hardware. The German military in World War II achieved most of its great victories with the Blitzkrieg tactic.

However, the Blitzkrieg had its disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage was that it becomes easy to overextend Germany in an invasion. Germany risk gaining too much ground too quickly, making it very easy for the enemy to slip in behind Germany and destroy its supply lines, which can destroy an entire invasion by breaking the will to fight and equipment needed to fight, as many generals have repeatedly learnt over time.

 By: Giovanna Trisoglio