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Article: Blitzkreig in retrospect.(Almanac)
- Article from:
- Military Review
- Article date:
- July 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Army CGSC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Film footage of German victories during the opening phases of World War II in Europe brings to mind a term synonymous with German successes--blitzkrieg. This word might be one of the most used and abused terms from the war, and after 60 years, it is still often misunderstood even by professional military officers.
Since 1945, the U.S. Army has studied German methods of war diligently and has even developed doctrine based on these studies. Still, too often, blitzkrieg is depicted as a new way of war, a doctrine, or a virtual revolution in military affairs.
"Blitzkrieg" combines two German words, one means "lightning," the other means "war," and should ...