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About
In the spring of 1940, the German forces launched an attack on France that combined superb intelligence, cutting edge strategy, and new technology-the blitzkrieg, or "lightning war." In just six weeks, it would achieve what their fathers had failed to do in all four years of the First World War. It was a stunning victory.
But here, leading British military historian and academic Lloyd Clark argues that much of our understanding of this victory is based on myth. Far from being a foregone conclusion, Hitler's plan could easily have failed had the Allies been even slightly less inept or the Germans less fortunate. The Germans recognized that success depended not only on surprise, but also avoiding a protracted struggle for which they were not prepared-making defeat a very real possibility.
Their surprise victory proved the apex of their achievement; far from being undefeatable, Clark argues, the Battle of France revealed Germany and its armed forces to be highly vulnerable. And Hitler dismissed this fact as he planned his next move-and greatest blunder: the invasion of the Soviet Union.
But here, leading British military historian and academic Lloyd Clark argues that much of our understanding of this victory is based on myth. Far from being a foregone conclusion, Hitler's plan could easily have failed had the Allies been even slightly less inept or the Germans less fortunate. The Germans recognized that success depended not only on surprise, but also avoiding a protracted struggle for which they were not prepared-making defeat a very real possibility.
Their surprise victory proved the apex of their achievement; far from being undefeatable, Clark argues, the Battle of France revealed Germany and its armed forces to be highly vulnerable. And Hitler dismissed this fact as he planned his next move-and greatest blunder: the invasion of the Soviet Union.
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Reviews
"In Blitzkrieg, Clark... provides a good battlefield view of a crucial phase of World War II... More than earlier studies, like Alistair Horne's To Lose a Battle, Clark focuses not on generals and premiers but on the voices and experiences of the soldiers involved."
New York Times Book Review
"Blitzkrieg is a particularly successful synergy of correspondence and interviews, archival material from four countries, and the massive body of published literature... Lloyd Clark-a prolific military historian and a master of sources-makes a strong case for an alternative perspective... Blitzkrieg emphasizes operational and tactical evidence to persuasively argue that the 1940 campaign was decid
World War II Magazine
"A masterly account teeming with vivid personalities and the usual mixture of heroism, incompetence, and luck... Clark provides plenty of juicy details and a mildly controversial reinterpretation."
Kirkus Reviews