We've got 0 shorthands »

Acronyms that contain the term blitzkreig 

What does blitzkreig mean? This page is about the various possible meanings of the acronym, abbreviation, shorthand or slang term: blitzkreig.

We couldn't find any results for your search.

Couldn't find the right meaning of blitzkreig?
Maybe you were looking for one of these abbreviations:

BLITC, BLITCD, BLitt, BLittCelt, BLITZ, BLJ, BLK, Blk., BLK/WHT, BLKA

... or use our Power Search technology to look
for more unique definitions from across the web!

Search the web

What does blitzkreig mean?

Blitzkreig
Blitzkrieg ( BLITS-kreeg, German: [ˈblɪtskʁiːk] (listen); from Blitz 'lightning' + Krieg 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air support, that has the intent to break through the opponent's lines of defense, then dislocate the defenders, unbalance the enemy by making it difficult to respond to the continuously changing front, and defeat them in a decisive Vernichtungsschlacht: a battle of annihilation.During the interwar period, aircraft and tank technologies matured and were combined with systematic application of the traditional German tactic of Bewegungskrieg (maneuver warfare), deep penetrations and the bypassing of enemy strong points to encircle and destroy enemy forces in a Kesselschlacht (cauldron battle). During the Invasion of Poland, Western journalists adopted the term blitzkrieg to describe this form of armored warfare. The term had appeared in 1935, in a German military periodical Deutsche Wehr (German Defense), in connection to quick or lightning warfare. German maneuver operations were successful in the campaigns of 1939–1941 and by 1940 the term blitzkrieg was extensively used in Western media. Blitzkrieg operations capitalized on surprise penetrations (e.g., the penetration of the Ardennes forest region), general enemy unreadiness and their inability to match the pace of the German attack. During the Battle of France, the French made attempts to reform defensive lines along rivers but were frustrated when German forces arrived first and pressed on.Despite being common in German and English-language journalism during World War II, the word Blitzkrieg was never used by the Wehrmacht as an official military term, except for propaganda. According to David Reynolds, "Hitler himself called the term Blitzkrieg 'A completely idiotic word' (ein ganz blödsinniges Wort)". Some senior officers, including Kurt Student, Franz Halder and Johann Adolf von Kielmansegg, even disputed the idea that it was a military concept. Kielmansegg asserted that what many regarded as blitzkrieg was nothing more than "ad hoc solutions that simply popped out of the prevailing situation". Student described it as ideas that "naturally emerged from the existing circumstances" as a response to operational challenges. The Wehrmacht never officially adopted it as a concept or doctrine.In 2005, the historian Karl-Heinz Frieser summarized blitzkrieg as the result of German commanders using the latest technology in the most advantageous way according to traditional military principles and employing "the right units in the right place at the right time". Modern historians now understand blitzkrieg as the combination of the traditional German military principles, methods and doctrines of the 19th century with the military technology of the interwar period. Modern historians use the term casually as a generic description for the style of maneuver warfare practiced by Germany during the early part of World War II, rather than as an explanation. According to Frieser, in the context of the thinking of Heinz Guderian on mobile combined arms formations, blitzkrieg can be used as a synonym for modern maneuver warfare on the operational level.

see more »

Discuss these blitzkreig abbreviations with the community:

0 Comments

    Know the definition for blitzkreig? Know the meaning of blitzkreig? Don't keep it to yourself!

    Citation

    Use the citation options below to add these abbreviations to your bibliography.

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "blitzkreig." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 Jun 2024. <https://www.abbreviations.com/blitzkreig>.

    Browse Abbreviations.com

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    The ultimate acronym test

    »
    OCD
    A over conditions disorder
    B Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
    C Obsessive Compulsive Defect
    D obssesive compulsive disorder