A method of
warfare developed by
German tacticians to avoid further incidents of
attrition warfare, such as the
trench warfare that occurred in
World War I. The
German objective in
World War I was a quick
decisive strike in
Western Europe to overcome
France. They were stopped 40 miles out of
Paris, and the
two-front war resulted in a long,
protracted conflict that ultimately led to their
defeat.
Blitzkrieg, or lightning war, was designed to utilize German tanks (panzers) to spearhead attacks. It used the mobility and flexibilty of armor to rush through enemy lines. Before each attack, the German air force (Luftwaffe) would strafe and bomb enemy positions, then the panzer divisions would quickly rush the positions, leaving the enemy battered and confused. The mobilized infantry and accompanying artillery then would mop up the opposition. By using a continuously moving battle front, the Germans managed to surprise the enemy with the speed and firepower of the attack, hence "lightning war". By striking deep they isolated enemy divisions on the front and left them seperated, hence easily mopped up by the infantry following along. France and the Low Countries fell to Germany in quick fashion, unable to defend against the mobility of the German army.
German army divisions were specially tailored for this type of offensive manuever. Each panzer division leading the attack had its companion mobilized infantry and artillery, equipped with bridge-building equipment to raid deep into enemy territories to cut supply lines. The failure of Operation Barbarossa was due to the slowing of the panzers, defeating the concept of blitzkrieg, by the heavy Russian winter and the overextension of the German's own supply lines. Moscow would have fallen if the operation was launched two or three weeks earlier.