At the beginning of World War II, Nazi Germany's blitzkrieg offensive was fierce and seemed invincible. So why did Germany adopt the blitzkrieg as a form of warfare? What are the requirements for blitzkrieg combat?
Judging from the contrast between the strengths of the two opposing sides, Germany lacks manpower and resources to support a protracted war, and only by using the "blitzkrieg" strategy can its hegemonic strategy succeed. That is to say, from a political point of view, "blitzkrieg" can also be said to be a manifestation of the aggressor's strong internal stubble and external strength.
Nazi Germany understood that the war it had waged was a war of aggression, a war of hegemony, a war of plunder, which was not only opposed to the fundamental interests of the peoples of the whole world, but also went against the will of its own people. The more protracted the war, the stronger the people's resistance. Nazi Germany tried to consolidate its internal rule and maintain the morale of the people with the victory of the blitzkrieg, so as not to affect the outcome of the war by the opposition of the masses of the people.
"If national goals, strategic objectives, and policy tactics mainly represent the country's 'needs' for war, then state power represents the 'possibility,' and only by organically combining needs with possibilities can strategic goals be achieved and wars won." The German fascists adopted the military strategy of dividing and disintegrating, avoiding two-front operations and blitzkrieg operations in World War II, which was largely related to Germany's national strength and comprehensive national strength.
Germany's territory before World War II was about 464,000 square kilometers, with a population of about 70 million, a small country, a small population, limited resources, especially a lack of strategic raw materials, and some strategic materials had to be imported. Before the war, Germany's imports of crude oil and iron ore accounted for 65%, rubber imports accounted for 85%, and imports of zinc, aluminum and alumina accounted for more than 90%.
The world economic crisis of 1929-1933 dealt a more severe blow to Germany than Britain and France, but the rapid development of the Nazi movement and the expansion of armaments after Hitler came to power made Germany's preparations earlier and in a leading position than its opponents, Britain and France.
For example, in 1938, Britain's military expenditure accounted for 7% of GDP, while Germany accounted for 17%; In 1939, British military spending soared to 18% of GDP, still below Germany's 23%, but despite the fact that on the eve of the war, the German economy had exposed many serious problems. For example, the national debt is high; Foreign exchange is depleted, and the storage is almost equal to zero; Many strategic raw materials are not yet self-sufficient; Ammunition supplies are also inadequate. The above economic weaknesses are also an important reason for determining the blitzkrieg of Germany's strategic approach.
Nazi Germany's blitzkriegs, which flourished in the early days of World War II, also had its own advantages. First of all, from the perspective of technical equipment, at that time, Germany had a huge ability to produce advanced tanks, aircraft and other weapons, providing it with the necessary material means to carry out blitzkriegs. Throughout human history, it has experienced a series of military revolutions such as freehand wars, cold weapons wars, hot weapons wars, mechanized wars, and informationized warfare under nuclear deterrence in the new era, and these military revolutions are inseparable from the development of science and technology.
Under the conditions of mass production and extensive use of new weapons and equipment such as tanks, aircraft, radio technology and equipment, before and after World War II, a military revolution from hot weapons war to mechanized war occurred, which had a major impact on World War II and the war after it. Developments in science and technology made it possible for Germany to launch blitzkriegs.
The fundamental reason why Germany can launch a blitzkrieg but Britain and France cannot is that Germany's scientific and technological and military concepts have been ahead of each other, and World War II is actually a confrontation of comprehensive national strength.