The archetypal case is that of France and Germany in the 1930s. Both militaries had tanks, radios, and airplanes. But whereas the French chose to employ those technologies as part of their effort to build better versions of the fortifications they had relied upon in World War I, Germany combined those capabilities into a new concept called blitzkrieg, which enabled the German army to maneuver rapidly through France’s defensive positions, capturing Paris in roughly one month in 1940.
Digging trenches and slugging it out had failed spectacularly in WWI. “Lightning war” was as opposite of that as they could come up with. And if nothing else, they wouldn’t be trapped in pre-made graves while being shelled into hamburger.
Many of the staff officers involved in designing the Reich’s new military strategy had direct experience in WWI, the rest had plenty of peers who had been there. None of them wanted to go through that again.
The Fuhrer himself wanted no part of it either. He’d been there himself, and personally seen how that strategy worked out.
The Maginot line worked great everywhere it actually existed. The problem was basically myopia in not defending sectors they considered impassible (eg rocky and forested ardennes), and the political inconvenience of having the line cover the border of allied nations like Belgium as well.
The other problem was that the Frenxh regime at the time ran its military affairs the same way it ran society in general: with socialist proceduralism, and every decision needing to be routed through a central command first. The Heer on the other hand delegated mission command to local commanders, entrusting them to carry out broadly defined objectives as they saw fit in the moment.
The result was that most French forces stood around like potted plants as German spearheads moved around pockets of resistance, attacking logistical units and flanking fighting units.
The term ‘blitzkrieg’ itself in reality was invented by the British, as like an ex-post-facto exculpation of their performance on the continent. “We can not be blamed for this since we were facing a totally unprecedented development that nobody could have predicted.” Except of course it was an entirely predictable result of the organizational principles involved, and the German general staff did predict it, in many ways simply continuing philosophies of command that go all the way back to the Prussian army of von Moltke et al., and taking infiltration tactics developed during WW1 in particular, and scaling them up to an operational level.
Blitzkrieg Legend by Col. Karl Heinz Friser is an excellent tome that elaborates on many of these topics.
To wit, the common joke is “generals are always preparing for the last war,” but the difference between the German and the French forces in the summer of 1940 is that the latter did not really prepare for the last war at all, while the former did.
The German army actually did fight the last war in Poland, and they were not pleased with the results. During the phony war, they quickly adjusted tactics, retrained officers, and got combined arms warfare working properly based on the lessons they learned in Poland. Even the feint attacks into Holland and Belgium were incredibly effective for an army that had struggled against shitty Polish troops just 6 months before.
“an army that had struggled against shitty Polish troops ”
Fuck you. And your shitty education.
I will add a bit more. Our upper command was incredibly shitty. Our plans were stupid, because they were dictated by political goals, instead of by military. But given that the Germans attacked from three directions, had a numerical advantage of almost two to one (not counting Slovakian units and later Soviet attack), about three times more and better tanks, two times more artillery, three times more aircraft, the result couldn’t be anything other than defeat. And yet we held for a month.
Szopen,
I don’t think you should take offense to the offhand comment. Nationalism isn’t a sin, but it can cloud analysis. The Polish military was hamstrung by politics and encumbered by obsolete gear and useless command, which is sad given how good both were, relatively speaking, just 2 decades prior. Accounts of both wars and the interwar period are so rife with political bias and fallacy I don’t really trust the sources I used to consider good, but it has been documented that both Germany and USSR considered Polish Intelligence and Military a significant threat, with the latter dedicating a lot of counter-intel resources and the former choosing to invade as if they were confronting a peer. The “1 month” was not because of Polish tenacity, at least not entirely. IIRC Germany lost ~16000.
As we hurtle towards the next great war, I must sadly conclude that, once again, Poland will be the place where tragedy and calamity are made manifest. This saddens me, as I believe that Poland, with good leadership and a bit of luck, could become a great power in the next 100 years, though many will mock me for the assertion. If Poland could swallow its justified and all-consuming hatred for Russia and forge a non-aligned path forward, they could realize their re-Catholicization with a useful and sympathetic Orthodox ally to the east, an ally that could provide a nuclear shield, a large market, a vast array of resources, and a large army. But, assuming you are a Pole, I’m sure you can tell me that this is unlikely to the point of impossibility.
If Poland could find the courage to Polexit the EU and withdraw from NATO, Hungary, Bulgaria, and all the other Slavic countries would follow. A new confederation, Central Bloc, could then negotiate with Russia, force equitable trade with China and India, and draw large numbers of conservative and religious Europeans to their cities. Russia would gain a bulwark on the European Plain (I am one of the vanishingly small people that does not at all buy into the “Putin as commie revivalist” narrative) without having to Special Operation its way to the Baltic and the Balkans, and the financial and domestic collapse of the GAE core and periphery would obviate a nuclear escalation.
Well, in Poland the Germans lost 17,000 troops against one million soldiers. In France they lost 27,000 against three million.
I would say we should leave the EU, but leaving NATO is out of the question, not with Russia being so close.
Szopen,
1. I can’t tell if the Poles are angry, arrogant or entitled [to Americans dying for them-yes, it's been coming across for years] but in any case it’s not working. You can pop off now, it changes nothing.
You are the next ally to be used and betrayed.
2. Here is your fate if you stay on this path with Uncle Sam The Pimp: you are already becoming the new Ukraine [our money laundering operation]. You will if you stay on this path be degraded, corrupted weakened, sold solutions that get you killed but not victory or survival.
3. You like Ukraine will be partioned.
It’s helpful to observe what happens: In the case of Ukraine we didn’t leave the bride at the altar.
Oh no.
What we did with Ukraine was rob the bride of her dowry then dump her gang raped corpse in the alley behind the Church.
What do you think happens to you?
Article 5 you know only leaves open the option of coming to the defense of members, it’s not a requirement.
As far as I know right now, no American has died for Poland.
The thing is, we have a choice to be hopeful for your help, or just fight alone against the Russians. The agreement with Russia is impossible. They seem to be unable to think about us as about partners or friends, only as vassals who should be subdued. Giving up is also impossible.
As far as I know no America will likely die for Poland. Indeed we should not die for any foreign lands. There’s nothing in this but misery for us and only our elites profit, moreover every conflict is used as leverage to increase ‘security’ that is tyranny over us by the American elites. Tyranny over Americans by American elites is their main object now and the rest including the fate of your country Poland is mere stratagem. Mr. Szopen, look what America’s elites did to Ukraine and tell me you have any hope of avoiding the same fate?
Now Poland has been spending 2% of GDP on defense. It’s going to increase to 3%, they say, by 2024. In WW2 America was spending 37.5% of GDP, during the Cold War averaged 15%, during Reagan about 8%. Now, I mean Poland or none of you any ill will, but 2–3% is fundamentally unserious. Poland should be surging already into double digits of GDP spending and training, arming and placing into reserves all adult males. Your entire country, if you mean this, should have every bridge mined, every airstrip with missiles or AAA guns pointed down it, the entire country militarized, and the bulk of men ready to defend their local areas. This is the defense of Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, South Korea. But, no, I see no such preparations in Poland.
“Poland is already spending 2% of GDP on defence and has been planning further increases. May 2020 national security strategy moved the goal of military expenditure reaching 2.5% of GDP forward to 2024 from 2030.”- Barrons.
America spends 3.7% and really 4% of GDP on defense. This doesn’t count large amounts on Intelligence, foreign aid, etc etc.
Our so-called allies, really hapless pawns on the chessboard of the mad oligarchs who rule America, none of you treat your own survival as nations seriously. NONE. So none of us should die for you.
As far as your hope, if you keep fsking around with these creatures in DC you will, will, will, be partitioned. As you can see your fate and do little but bluster and sputter [and launder American tax money into your politicians pockets with a generous cut back to the American Elites and the big guy] you deserve all the familiar ills that befall you.
All of you have used us, betrayed your own peoples for our dirty money and will be discarded.
Poland is now our new money laundering operation. Your fate is partition, unless you change your ways.
I actually mean you no ill will. The harsh truths are harsh but you must be it seems told the obvious or you will shuffle along to your doom.
I swore to America and none other. This is the common sentiment among the American warrior and defender families.
We’re not coming. Abandon that hope then deal from that core reality. You may reflect that Russia does not push around Finland…nor is Russia likely to act unless it must. You may reflect you yourselves have everything you need, what you don’t need is American government ‘help’.