However apart from the success of the Blitzkrieg, there were many other factors that contributed to the Polish defeat. Poland was being attacked by not only Germany in the West, but also Russia in the East due to the Nazi-Soviet pact. With two powerful countries attacking them from both sides, the Poles were at an unfair advantage, making it impossible for them to defend themselves properly. Another important factor that contributed to the German defeat was the allies’ failure to assist the Poles, as their response was weak and ignorant. They failed to take any military action and instead responded to the German invasion by “Western Air Plan 14”. This is was ineffective as it was where they dropped propaganda leaflets onto Germany. Their response was because when war broke out, the allies were not militarily prepared. They were also reluctant to be part of another war as a result of the expense. This was shown by their previous attempt to appease Hitler before they declared War. After 1st September, Britain and France agreed that Poland would fight a defensive campaign for two weeks during which the allies would prepare their forces for attack. During that time only one third of the Polish manpower was being used. The allies then failed to come to Poland’s aid as promised. The allies had also ignored the German Commander Guderian’s work in 1934 in which he explained the Blitzkrieg tactics. If they had not they would have been militarily prepared to fight the strong German army and would have been able to assist the Poles in defeating the Germans. Another factor that contributed to the German victory was that the Polish army itself was not strong enough to fight the Germans. There was also poor leadership in the army, as well as a lack of modern equipment and supplies as many parts still used horses instead of motorised cavalry. The Germans were better equipped as they had more tanks and guns, 210 fighters, 47 reconnaissance and transport machines, 97 bomber and dive-bombers, and ground attack aircraft. The surprised and under equipped Polish army was also overstretched as a result of Poland’s geographical situation. Poland’s flat land made it easier for the Germans to use Blitzkrieg, and its borders were too long to be properly defended. The Polish army was also arrogant. They had defeated Russia in 1920 and thought that they were strong and protected and so did not change their military methods and tactics. On 28th September Poland surrendered to Germany. As the Polish Government fled to Rumania 100,000 men were taken prisoner. The Polish defeat boosted the German army’s morale, which then went on to invade Western Europe.
In April 1940 Hitler invaded Norway and Denmark. By doing this he secured 80 percent of Germany’s iron ore supplies, which helped later on in the War. The British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was slow and hesitated to attack the neutral countries as he was worried that he would loose world sympathy. An effective move by the allies would have been to land allied forces at Narvik (Norway) before the Germans, however, this idea was abandoned because they would have been bombed by the enemy, and the allies were unwilling to subject civilians to German bombing. The Blitzkrieg Stuka Dive Bombers were effective when they were used against the small allied resistance. However it was not the only factor that contributed to the invasion of Norway and Denmark. Germany also had an advantage over Britain, as geographically it was closer to Norway and Denmark. British troops would have to cross over the North Sea. To add to this, the Danes were weak and surrendered immediately to Germany without any resistance.
On 10th May the Germans began the invasion of Holland and Belgium. As well as the Blitzkrieg tactics used in the invasion, the Belgium insistence on neutrality prevented the allies from defending it properly. As a result Holland was also cut off from the help of the allies and so was too captured by the Germans. The Blitzkrieg tactics played an important role in this particular victory. Paratroopers, who been training for six months, were able to capture the fortress of Eben-Emael.
After defeating Holland and Belgium, the Germans moved further West in an attempt to invade France. The Blitzkrieg tactics played an important role in the invasion of France as Stuka Dive Bombers crashed through Sedan on 14th May. In 1940 the allies had 600 more tanks than the Germans. However, the majority of them had no radio, were spread out ineffectively to support infantry units and the training of their crew was very poor. The French artillery, although better and more numerous, was not as mobile as the German artillery. The German anti-aircraft guns were also better as were their aircrafts. They also had a geographical advantage as one third of the allies aircraft had to fly from England.
However the strength of the German Blitzkrieg tactics was not enough to defeat it enemy. There were many other more factors that played an even more important role in the successful German invasion of France. The French were overconfident that they were prepared for German invasion and relied on their Maginot Line. The previously captured Schlieffen Plans showed that the Germans were planning an attack through Belgium. However this later changed to attack through the Ardennes forest, a hilly and wooded area in Southeast Belgium just North of the Maginot Line. The new German Tanks made fast movement in the area possible and so the French were surprised by the attack. The French and British were unaware of the renewed plans and waited in Belgium. They were not prepared for the renewed plans and so were easily defeated, as they did not expect an attack through the Ardennes forest. Also in the years prior to the War, France was politically divided and going through a financial crisis. Many right-winged movements emerged as unemployment level continued to increase. Many of these members later welcomed Hitler. During the invasion of France in May 1940, the confusion increased as the Government of Reynaud was replaced by Daladier. The division within France placed a strain on its ability to protect itself from the invasion of outsiders. French Communist propaganda continued to damage the French morale. French saboteurs were also active and sabotaged armaments and supplies. Many of the unenthusiastic and underpaid French troops were placed on the Maginot Line and so a defensive mentality crept it. German troops in comparison had more experience and were high-spirited from their previous victories.
The new Blitzkrieg tactics were extremely effective in assisting Germany to invade Poland and most of Western Europe. The basic principle behind it was to cripple the strength of the enemy by destroying its communications and control lines and to basically cause chaos. Although extremely successful it was not the only reason that the Germans were victorious. There were many other factors that contributed to the success of the invasion campaign. Without these, the Blitzkrieg alone would not have been enough. Luck and fate was also on the German’s side and so along with the powerful German army and its clever tactics, they were able to defeat their enemies quickly and successfully.
