Blitzkrieg Halted on the Western Front
Blitzkrieg Halted on the Western Front
I.
Danzig,1 the 9th of May 1940, and Western Europe is ablaze.
With Poland's demise, the Phoney War2 that followed has expired
As von Manstein’s3 plan, Case Yellow,4 is put into action,
And with lightning speed, the Wehrmacht5 launches the offensive.
A three-pronged spearhead against Belgium and Holland
While Panzer Group Kleist6 blitzes the Ardennes,7
Thereby avoiding the Maginot Line8 of defence,
And races to the French coast to cut off Allied escape.
The deception is successful when the Allies respond
With troop movements to the Lowlands to counter the assault
And prepare for a war of attrition, as in World War I—
A miscalculation that bears consequences for the outcome.
In two weeks, Holland, Belgium, and France have succumbed,
Which leaves Great Britain stoically defiant, standing alone
And initiating Operation Dynamo9 to evacuate the Allied soldiers
From Dunkirk, enabled by sacrifices from British troops at Calais.
But the Blitzkrieg10 Panzerwaffe11 offensive is halted
At the English Channel by Berlin directives,12
Where German generals await further orders;
The battle is incomplete, though the Führer13 is euphoric.
II.
Leaning over the Panzerwagen14 roll bars,
The General eyes through his binoculars the Jean Bart15 statue,
Then watches the British Expeditionary Force16 fleeing,
While his Panzer tank commanders stand down in bewilderment,
Denied authority to strike the retreating army.
This being based on the assumption that time would factor in
The Luftwaffe bringing the British nation to a surrender.
However, strategy and logistics dictate disagreement;
The initiative must continue in the mobility of armoured units
With tactical superiority in motorized warfare,
And annihilation as the objective, ensuring total victory.
(A tactical blunder halting the advancement
Of his armoured battalions from engagement.)
“Achtung - Panzer!” (Attention - Tanks!) wrote Guderian.17
***
Notes:
1 Danzig: “Danzig” was the code word used by the Wehrmacht at 9 p.m. on May 9, 1940, to begin the attack on Western Europe (France, the Netherlands, and Belgium). The Allies had previously declared war on Nazi Germany on September 3, 1939, following the German invasion of Poland.
2 Phoney War: The “Phoney War” was the time period between the defeat of Poland and the beginning of the invasion of France (September 1939 to April 1940). No major military operations were happening in Europe.
3 Erich von Manstein: Erich von Manstein (1887–1973) was a German commander of the Wehrmacht who architected the invasion of France.
4 Fall Gelb (Case Yellow): “Fall Gelb” was the code name for von Manstein’s plan for the invasion of France.
5 Wehrmacht (defence power): The “Wehrmacht” (Wehr—defence and Macht—force) was the unified armed force of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945, consisting of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy), and the Luftwaffe (air force).
6 Panzer Group Kleist: “Panzer Group Kleist” was the first Panzer army, named after its commander, Colonel General Ewald von Kleist (1881–1954).
7 Ardennes: The Ardennes is a mountainous area of Belgium bordering the French border, considered impassable for tanks.
8 Maginot Line: The “Maginot Line” was a French-installed concrete fortification along the German border designed to deter a German invasion of France, or to slow one down long enough for French troops to mobilize and counterattack.
9 Operation Dynamo: “Operation Dynamo” was the code name given by the British for the evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk between May 27 and June 4, 1940. 338,226 troops were rescued.
10 Blitzkrieg: “Blitzkrieg” was a term coined by the British to describe Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, which began WWII. (The German meaning for “Blitz” is “lightning” or “flash,” and for “Krieg” is “war.”)
11 Panzerwaffe (later Panzertruppe): “Panzerwaffe” was the name given to the German Armoured Force or tank force of the Heer (panzer—tank or German armoured vehicle; waffe—arm or weapon).
12 Halt Order: On May 24, 1940, Adolf Hitler issued the “Halt Order,” which ceased the advancement of German armoured units toward capturing the port of Dunkirk, thereby allowing the evacuation of the trapped British Expeditionary Force from France. The directive is reported to have said, “Leave Dunkirk to the Luftwaffe. If the capture of Calais proves difficult, it too may be left to the air force.” General Heinz Guderian later wrote concerning the order, “What could we say? We had no way to refute it because we didn’t know the reasoning. The Panzer divisions were told: ‘Hold the canal line. Use the pause for repairs.’”
13 Reichsführer: (Reich—Empire or Regime; Führer—Leader) refers to the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler (1889–1945). Adolf Hitler served as the leader (Führer) of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) from 1921 to 1945 and as Chancellor (1933) and Führer (1934) of Germany until his suicide in 1945.
14 Leichter Funkpanzerwagen (Light Radio Armoured Car); model—Sd.Kfz. 251/3 half-track vehicle.
15 Jean Bart (1650–1702): Jean Bart was a Dunkirk corsair/pirate (French naval commander and privateer) during the reign of Louis XIV of France (1643–1715). On June 29, 1694, during the Nine Years’ War (1688–1697) between France and a European coalition consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, England, Spain, Savoy, and Portugal, Jean Bart led a fleet of ships to recapture a French convoy of grain-laden ships that had been seized by the Dutch and was credited with saving Paris from starvation. Jean Bart was born in Dunkirk, France, where a statue honouring him for his heroics was erected. During World War II, three-quarters of the town of Dunkirk was destroyed, but the statue of Jean Bart remained intact.
16 British Expeditionary Force (BEF): The “British Expeditionary Force” was the name given to the British Army in Western Europe during WWII. It was formed on September 2, 1939, in response to Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, and lasted until May 31, 1940, when GHQ (General Headquarters) was closed down following the fall of France and the Dunkirk evacuation.
17 Heinz Guderian: Heinz Guderian (1888–1954) was a German general who, in 1937, wrote the book “Achtung - Panzer!”, advocating tank warfare and strategy. Guderian commanded and led Panzer tank units in the battles against Poland, France, and the Soviet Union during World War II (1939–1945).
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