Was blitzkrieg really that revolutionary?

[TRDG]

1. Combined Arms

1-A. Air Support

Here is one of them, WW I introduced this new one, and had some success, but in WW II, the actual machines, weapons carried and the tech (radios anyone?) as well made this first group of the combined arms topic a "heavy hitter" and I think a key component. At least in the first and second year of the war. The dive bombers seemed to play a critical role here, more so than the fighters and some other types of bombers of the time.

Just a short intro for now, so feel free to comment on this 1-A. sub-topic for a while, it is not in order of rank or importance for me, but that is where I started. Intel, I think would be another (and the first concept rated as the first step in any list here) feature that may have applied here, and didn't some of this get done by the air? So I would ad this in, but will skip another "sub-topic" on this......

Cheers, Lets say 1-B. would be the armoured forces used for the second sub-section, when we get to that part!!

Tom

[TRDG]

WOW, no takers yet, I guess I will have to wait for fs to show up, or a little "helping hand" with a PM as well!! Ha Ha

Cheers

Tom

[MAGNA]

I agree with the aircraft being a key component of Blitzkreig in WWII. The most noticeable attribute for me with aircraft was the shock value on a retreating or forming enemy. Confusion and sheer terror from constant attacks kept the enemy on the hop so to speak and did not allow time to react in mobile operations.

Dive bombers were also useful as forward artilllery since most ground artillery was not motorised and simply had trouble keeping up with armoured units.

The shock value to me is the most important as it was followed up by the further shock value of tanks, giving many units the impression that they were being assailed from every direction - the real key component of blitzkreig.

Reconnaissance by aircraft gave long range eyes to ground units and allowed them to head for areas of least resistance - again very important.

[TRDG]

Thanks for the reply Dave, IF you have total control of the air, recon and air strikes on retreating forces and fixed positions is the wat they went it seems. I'm not the best at the air war, but did'nt they Germans "drive" civs onto the road from towns as well to further choke the road routes the Allied forces had to use to retreat, OR go forward to try to stem the German Blitz tide as well?

Cheers, something maybe to add to the air component, did the Germans "plan" on this, or was it just happeneing to further benefit the German amy for the France battle?

TRDG

Tom

[MAGNA]

Not sure on the civilian thing TRDG. It did happen though. I would also imagine the civilians mostly went of their own accord to avoid the fighting so it may have an automatic by product.

I know the planes were communicating via ground air controllers who were usually in half tracks with good comms systems. This was a vital component for picking targets and giving immediate feedback on results. It would have made the target units very edgy when each plane or wave seemed to be able to zero in so well.

It didn't always work well as Guderian found out in France. He was attacked by a couple of planes, one of which was shot down by German troops as it attacked. Guderian told the pilot off but also congratulated him on his tenacity - something like that.

The impact on rear area supplies and command posts must have had a huge effect on coordination of the defending forces too. Communications and transport would have been the other obvious targets.

[Freightshaker]

But aircraft used in a recon or ground support role is still WW1 technology. Radio is still the big one. Without it, aircraft are flying willy-nilly around the battlefield, attacking uncordinated and at will.

[TRDG]

You bet fs, but I think the actual way they were deployed, and what actual intel did they contrubute BEFORE the war in France got started might be an interesting side-track here!

Cheers

Tom

[Coloursfly]

Originally Posted by Freightshaker

Wireless allowed commanders to operate within the command cycle of their opponents. Whatever the enemy did, the Germans were one step ahead of them, which overwhelmed the enemy command.

Radio allowed commanders to direct vastly separated units and have them culminate on a single location. The tools for blitzkrieg where there 20 yrs previous, the ability to control them all was new.

I would greatly agree that radio played a key point in Germans advance early in the war. I does seem this effect was greatly negated later on with the code cracked on the enigma. Just a thought. It seems later on, everyone was one step ahead of the Germans, as they knew exactly what they were planning.

[MAGNA]

As I posted in the WWI armour section for TRDG, Guderian spent the First World War in technical and comms work which exposed him to the possibilities of radio and fast transport (at that time trucks). When he was later exposed to the tank and other AFV's it all fell into place for him.

Kesselring also learned a lot in WWI about comms and observation since he was trained and first employed as an artillery officer. He saw the obvious advantages of first, observation balloons and then aircraft. His later work as a staff officer and then training service allowed him to help build the tactical Luftwaffe at the same time as Guderian headed the Armour Inspectorate and built the Panzerwaffe.

Thus, two new arms for Germany from the ground up with the experience behind them of two highly capable men. The Panzerwaffe and Luftwaffe as originally devised had not been seen before and were very hard to counter. They did however, have other parallels through history and were only new in the tactical sense.

[Freightshaker]

Originally Posted by Coloursfly

I would greatly agree that radio played a key point in Germans advance early in the war. I does seem this effect was greatly negated later on with the code cracked on the enigma. Just a thought. It seems later on, everyone was one step ahead of the Germans, as they knew exactly what they were planning.

Blitzkrieg is a short term doctrine that relies on speed and surprise. Once the surprise is gone, it's not very effective. It also has failings with fortifications and built up areas. Later in the war, surprise wasn't an option strategically (except for the Allied bungle in the Ardennes) and not very often operationally.