Blitzkrieg: The Fast Paced Warfare Conducted by Adolf Hitler during WWII

When the triumphant German Army marched through Paris on 14 June 1940, it added the final humiliation to an already shocked and defeated French nation. The unprecedented speed with which Germany defeated France in 1940 sent shock waves around the world. The first-rate military power had been completely defeated in just six weeks.
In September of 1939, the French waited for the expected blow to come. While the German army was fully occupied in crushing Poland, the French launched a minor offensive into the Saarland, but the French did not advance beyond the range of the guns in their Maginot Line forts. After Poland was defeated, the troops returned to the safety of the forts, and both sides settled into what became known as the Phoney War. By May of 1940, the Allies looked to be as strong as the Germans, both in manpower and equipment. The total Anglo-French force amounted to 2,500,000 men, which was slightly more than the German army fielded. …