How Did the Nazis Conquer So Much Against Vastly Superior Numbers in WWII?
Fact Quickie
110,733 views
In the first two years of WWII, the German armed forces - or Wehrmacht [Ver - Macht] - and especially the Army - or ‘Heer’ [sounds like ‘Hair’]- stunned the world with an unprecedented string of victories against several otherwise prominent nations that it boggles the mind one small nation could so easily conquer, let alone so rapidly. From September 1939 to December 1941, German troops occupied Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia and Greece.
They also ejected the British Expeditionary Force from continental Europe, sank countless Allied convoys in the Atlantic, and, alongside Italy and other Axis powers, collected further victories in Northern Africa and the Soviet Union.
So what made the Wehrmacht so effective against so many other nation’s armies that on the surface should have been able to repel them? It is tempting to reply with a single, all-encompassing answer: It was because German soldiers were indoctrinated fanatics! It was down to superior German technology! The Germans won because they got as high as Stukas on meth! And another favourite go-to-answer for keyboard generals: Because Blitzkrieg Tactics!!!
But as you’ll no doubt guess from the length of this piece, contrary to popular belief, it’s not really so simple as that and there was a lot more that went into it.
To briefly address the first of the often put forth answers, the use of methamphetamine was introduced amongst both Axis and Allied soldiers, as a means to combat fatigue and to heighten morale. However, German officers realised early on that the negative side effects of the drug far outweighed its benefits and discouraged its use. Moving onto ‘Blitzkrieg’, or ‘Lighting War’, this has been described alternatively as strategy, a tactical mindset or a doctrine. But in reality, the German military despised the term, which was used by press and propaganda to describe the effects of a successful combined arms offensive.
Now, to be fair, the German approach to combined arms operations - although never described as ‘Blitzkrieg’ - played an important role in securing military successes - but they were not the single deciding factor.
To the surprise of absolutely no one - I hope - once again, the early victories of the III Reich were a combination of several factors, many of which had been at play since the early 1920s.
So let’s dive into it, shall we?
This is an abridged version of a video on our channel TodayIFoundOut which you can check out and subscribe to here: @todayifoundout
20 Comments
Thank you so much already - l just love those tiny litte gems of translation 😀
And the advandcment in tank technology and combined arms alone wasn't a gurantee either. WW2 had enough instances of fronts that were just locked down (esspecially if you look at all fighting areas and conflicts of the time). The Blitzkrieg in France for example was a payof of a massive gamble. Going through the Adrennes was deemed next toimpossible with armored troops. Logistics through there remained problematic and the German army lacking mechanised infantry made the armored push a high risk operation.
Ultimatley the intial victories of Germany in WW2 are a case of this is how it looks when the divide and conquer and flank and encircle plan on a massive scale works. And WW1 is a case study of the other side intercepts your manouver in time.
How Did the Nazis Conquer So Much Against Vastly Superior Numbers in WWII?
Fact Quickie
110,733 views
In the first two years of WWII, the German armed forces - or Wehrmacht [Ver - Macht] - and especially the Army - or ‘Heer’ [sounds like ‘Hair’]- stunned the world with an unprecedented string of victories against several otherwise prominent nations that it boggles the mind one small nation could so easily conquer, let alone so rapidly. From September 1939 to December 1941, German troops occupied Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia and Greece.
They also ejected the British Expeditionary Force from continental Europe, sank countless Allied convoys in the Atlantic, and, alongside Italy and other Axis powers, collected further victories in Northern Africa and the Soviet Union.
So what made the Wehrmacht so effective against so many other nation’s armies that on the surface should have been able to repel them? It is tempting to reply with a single, all-encompassing answer: It was because German soldiers were indoctrinated fanatics! It was down to superior German technology! The Germans won because they got as high as Stukas on meth! And another favourite go-to-answer for keyboard generals: Because Blitzkrieg Tactics!!!
But as you’ll no doubt guess from the length of this piece, contrary to popular belief, it’s not really so simple as that and there was a lot more that went into it.
To briefly address the first of the often put forth answers, the use of methamphetamine was introduced amongst both Axis and Allied soldiers, as a means to combat fatigue and to heighten morale. However, German officers realised early on that the negative side effects of the drug far outweighed its benefits and discouraged its use. Moving onto ‘Blitzkrieg’, or ‘Lighting War’, this has been described alternatively as strategy, a tactical mindset or a doctrine. But in reality, the German military despised the term, which was used by press and propaganda to describe the effects of a successful combined arms offensive.
Now, to be fair, the German approach to combined arms operations - although never described as ‘Blitzkrieg’ - played an important role in securing military successes - but they were not the single deciding factor.
To the surprise of absolutely no one - I hope - once again, the early victories of the III Reich were a combination of several factors, many of which had been at play since the early 1920s.
So let’s dive into it, shall we?
This is an abridged version of a video on our channel TodayIFoundOut which you can check out and subscribe to here: @todayifoundout