Hitler's Blitzkrieg Campaigns: The Invasion And Defense Of Western Europe, 1939-1940 [9780306812163]

On September 1, 1939, Adolph Hitler inaugurated a new style of warfare-blitzkrieg-that terrorized Europe for half a decade. This "lightning war" provoked panic in millions and led to the downfall of entire nations: Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and, one of the greatest military powers of the day, France. By summer of 1940, Hitler's triumphant blitzkrieg cam-paigns gave his armies a veneer of invincibility. Yet, the German strongman had not achieved complete victory, causing Europe to plummet into world war.Hitler's Blitzkrieg Campaigns: The Invasion and Defense of Western Europe, 1939-1940 is an in-depth study of Hitler's early campaigns in World War II. It describes in detail the German forces that were used in blitzkrieg and the Allied armies that stood against them, the many weapons fielded, and the offensive and defensive strategies that were employed.The book presents some of the most complete maps of these early World War II campaigns, complex diagrams of the Maginot fortifications and orders of battle for German, French and British armies. Unlike most treatments of the campaigns which focus on British contributions to the war against Hitler in 1939-1940, the authors also analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the other Allies-Poland, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.This is a book about an evolution in warfare. It tells how the Germans were able to master modern weapons to make an awesome military machine for frightful purposes and about the initial Allied attempts to stop its march across Europe.Richly illustrated with photos, maps and diagrams