Battlefield Guide: Blitzkrieg

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Battlefield Guide By: Janie Massie P.5 Blitzkrieg Event: Blitzkrieg Date: September 1, 1939-Attack on Poland Quote: “Speed and still more speed, and always speed was the secret…and that demanded audacity, more audacity and always audacity.” – Major General Fuller Events: On September 1, 1939, Germany successfully invaded Poland, using the Blitzkrieg tactic. They were attacked from East Prussia ad Germany in the north, and Silesia and Slovakia in the south. More than 2,000 tanks and 1,000 planes broke through Polish border, and used an encirclement attack. After lots of bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans. Outcome and Impact: The Germans used this tactic to successfully take over many countries; and even though they lost to Great Britain, the German Blitzkrieg still invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941. At first they were succeeding, but the Soviet troops pushed them back 600 miles to Moscow. In 1941, Hitler declared war on the U.S, which was another problem. Germany was unable to defeat the Soviet Union, who had the aid of Great Britain and the United States, which lead to Germany’s defeat in May 1945. Primary Source Description: The most effective tactic is when the Germans attack, they used most of their bombers as a flying artillery. The second factor is their use of heavy tanks that are powerfully armored. They also attack in a line, rather than scattered. -Tom Wintrinham, New Ways of War. (1940) The Battle of Britain Event: The Battle of Britain Date: June 1940-October 1940 Quote: “The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin” –Winston Churchill, British House of Commons, June 18, 1940 Events: On July 10, 1940, the first German bomber attacked over t... ... middle of paper ... .... Primary Source Description: Allen W. Stephens was an American pilot in the 397th Bomb Group on D-Day. The troops were awakened at 2:00 in the morning to start Operation Overlord; this was Stephens 21st mission. They moved toward the beaches and they could see the ships in the channel below them. “We saw hundreds upon hundreds of ships below, moving toward the coast of France…” Stephens saw most of the fight from his airplane. “we could see the big naval guns shelling the coast…I saw one large ship going down but still throwing shells at the coast…We saw hundreds of discarded parachutes that had been thrown off by paratroopers…I saw one B-26 Marauder explode in midair near the target area.” Every move of the bombings was timed to the split second. “Our bombs went away at 6:30 a.m., the precise time planned.” –Allen W. Stephens, American Pilot, 397th Bomb Group

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