BLITZKRIEG FROM THE GROUND UP

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An examination of the German Blitzkrieg operations -- and why they were so successful -- from Poland to Operation Barbarossa using accounts previously unpublished in English by the enlisted men and junior officers. These narratives fit into a broader perspective to offer a better understanding of why the Germans were so successful in 1939-41.

It has been argued that German victories in the early part of the war rested less upon newly developed tanks and aircraft and more on German military traditions: rather than creating a new way of war based on new technology, the Germans fitted the new weapons into their existing ideas on warfare. These doctrines focused on independent action, initiative, flexibility, decentralized decision-making, and mobility. The conduct of German soldiers, particularly the lower-ranking men, on the battlefield was at the core of the concept and German victories rested upon the quality of the small combat units.