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World War II - Blitzkrieg- The Lighting War- Invasion of Poland 1939

Portfolio Task

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Joana Pires Martins dos Santos Porugal 130311006

February of 2013

The main topics:

❖ The meaning of Blitzkrieg

In the first phase of World War II in Europe Germany's strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns called the Blitzkrieg (the lighting war). Those campaigns required the concentration of offensive weapons (such as tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow front.

❖ Invasion to Poland – 1939

Nazi's army and artillery allowed them to invade Poland mitigating all of the territory and therefor conquering it. The destruction in Poland was simply overwhelming, with 70.000 deaths and 130.000 on the Polish side. This invasion subsequently began World War II.

The success of this German campaign was due to:

➢ Anticipation of the attack

➢ Make a surprise night attack

➢ Great mobility which compensate the outnumbered

➢ Advanced offensive weapons against lances and swords on the Polish side.

➢ Dislocation in panzers (Germany) provided a great mobility compared to cavalry (Poland)

➢ Equipped with speed, strength and massive presence, panzers penetrated the enemy lines and destroyed their communications.

❖ Vocabulary based on the documentary about Blitzkrieg- Invasion of Poland and further research:

➢ Aggression: Warlike act by one country against another without a just cause

➢ Air Craft: Any machine capable of flying by means of buoyancy or aerodynamic forces, such as a glider, helicopter, or airplane.

➢ Air Force: The branch of a nation's armed services primarily responsible for air warfare

➢ Allies: WWII military alliance of Britain, France,