The word blitzkrieg (German for “lightning war”) was reportedly coined during the American Civil War. A Prussian military observer was fascinated by Union Army tactics that advanced forces in a zigzag pattern instead of a relatively straight line. This prevented the Confederate defenders from determining the real objective of the Yankee drive until it was too late. The zigzag route resembled a bolt of lightning, hence the reference to “lightning war.”
Today’s dictionaries, however, identify the term as originating in 1939, the year Nazi Germany invaded Poland. That is when the word acquired a whole new meaning. When the German forces attacked, they combined armor and infantry, supported by air power; the emphasis was on speed, mobility, and massive strength.
The Blitzkrieg Revolutionizes Modern Warfare
Guderian was largely responsible for the blitzkrieg in Poland. He appears here for two reasons: He revolutionized modern warfare, and his early victories came very close to winning the war in the west for Adolf Hitler (Number l). Only the defiance of Winston Churchill (Number 3) and his absolute refusal to come to terms with Hitler prevented an early victory for Nazi Germany.
Other military figures had studied and theorized about the possibilities inherent in combined units of armor and infantry as a way of avoiding the stalemate of trench warfare prevalent during World War I. But it was Guderian who put the idea into operation. His tactics in Poland, the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands), and France won Hitler’s admiration and support. The campaign in the Soviet Union would be a different story.
Leader of the Panzer Division
Heinz Guderian was born in 1888 in Kulm, Germany. A career officer, he served in World War I in both communications and infantry posts. Late in the war, he was assigned to the German general staff. Guderian studied motorized warfare, and in 1933, (the year Hitler came to power), he was promoted to colonel. Two years later, he was heading one of Germany’s new armored divisions. The German military called them panzer divisions; a rough translation of panzer is armor-plating or coat of mail.
Following World War I, military planners among the major powers examined the role of the tank in that bloody clash of arms. In England, France, the United States, and Germany, they weighed new possibilities for using armor. As always, the younger officers would come into conflict with the old guard, who tended to think of fighting in terms of the last war rather than the next.
Early Success, Followed by a Russian Winter
In Germany, Guderian championed the use of armor and then went on to prove what could be done. His Polish Corridor campaign was so successful that Hitler met with him at his headquarters in the field. The Führer congratulated him, then asked about casualties. Guderian reported that in the four divisions under his command, 150 men were killed and 700 wounded. A division, which consists of three regiments, can contain between 10,000 to 20,000 men. Hitler was amazed and told his general that in World War I, his regiment alone had suffered 2,000 dead and wounded on the very first day they were in battle.
Guderian’s success in Poland was matched in Belgium and France in the spring of 1940, when Allied armies were crushed in short order. So it was only natural that Guderian was one of the commanders chosen to take on the Soviet Union in June 1941. At first, the invasion went as planned. But when the Russian winter came early, Gude-rian wanted to withdraw somewhat to more defensible lines until spring. Hitler would not hear of it, and Guderian was relieved of his command and assigned elsewhere.
When spring finally arrived, German tanks and other armored vehicles were bogged down in the mud. In addition, Russian resistance was the fiercest ever encountered by the invaders. This battle would be different. Hitler called on Guderian to return to the Russian front, but Guderian still did not agree with Hitler’s tactics. As with others before—and after—him, he was replaced.
When D-Day came in June 1944, American generals, notably George S. Patton (Number 11), used the same blitzkrieg tactics against the Germans with great success.
Judging Other Nazi Officers
On July 20, 1944, German army officers attempted to assassinate Hitler and bring an end to the war. The Führer was wounded but survived. He began rounding up generals by the hundreds. Many went on trial and were executed; others committed suicide. Guderian fell under suspicion. He was not only cleared, but chosen along with Gerd von Rundstedt (Number 56) and Wilhelm Keitel (Number 48) to judge some of the accused officers.
Guderian took on other assignments afterward but never again had the chance to do what he did best: lead men in battle.After the war, he was a prisoner of the American army for almost three years. He died in 1954.
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