The Blitzkrieg and the Invasion of Poland... This is a study of the events leading up to the German invasion of Poland and the influence of Guderian and the Blitzkrieg on the outcome.

Essay by JTN375University, Bachelor'sB, December 2002

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Late summer of 1939 was a pivotal time in European military history. The nazi government under Adolph Hitler had gone to great lengths to fund and revolutionize the German armed forces, particularly with the Luftwatte and the newly created Panzer Division. These two assets combined with infantry units were the main elements of Germany's Blitzkrieg or Lightening War. These methods were new and unproven by the Germans and would be put to the ultimate test of combat in Poland on September 1, 139. Complications between the German states were inevitable, and in this paper, I will examine and answer two main questions. These questions are:

1.What elements created the hostilities between Germany and Poland that led to the events of 1 September 1939?

2.What advancements regarding the military made the Blitzkrieg possible and successful in the conquest of Poland, and what role did General Heinz Guderian play in these advancements?

The Versailles Treaty of 1919 had as much to do with the onset of WWII and German aggression as any other one thing, maybe more than any other.

It was this treaty that completely and purposefully humiliated the entire German nation. Heavy war reparations were to be paid to the allies according to the treaty, as well as a limit in the ranks of the standing army to 100,000. These things coupled with defeat left the German population angry and feeling betrayed by not only their own government, but by the world. The most infuriating outcome of the treaty was the Polish occupation of Dazing and East Prussia, which gave the Poles a corridor to the sea. Although the invasion and subsequent German occupation happened in 1939, German officials openly spoke of their contempt of the state of affairs with Poland. As early as 1922, General Von Seekt...