preparing for Blitzkrieg HELP!!! (1 Viewer)

[tim_daniela]

ok our class has all been given a topic of their own to give a 2 minute speech on. I got the Blitz and i am finding it very difficult to summarise the battle all down into 2 minutes, it was like 100 days of bombing yeah? any help that can be offered?

 

[akatsukisan]

not only 100 days of bombing. There are other key points as well such as the backwardness of the Polish Army (if you're doing the blitz as in that of Poland), its lack of modern equipment.

Alternatively if the talk is purely on the tactics developed for it then you must include the German employment of armoured formations, use of bombers as tactical air support e.g. how the Luftwaffe was superb in supporting the German army as well as how the Germans made extensive use of motorised infantry divisions.

 

[Kujah]

Are you referring to the German tactic of Blitzkrieg or are you focussing on the Blitz only?

 

[Kittikhun]

He's probably referring to the Blitz, you know with the 100 days of bombing. (which is incorrect by the way. It lasted from the start of the Battle of Britain from September 1940 all the way to May 1941.)

The best thing to do is to go to wikipedia and read the Blitz off from that. Keep in mind that Wikipedia is great for quotes and very 'accurate' in comparison with other particular books whatever your history teacher might say.

The Blitz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Check your school and local library also and look for any books pertaining to the Battle of Britain. They should have references to your topic either in the borrowing section or reference section. I would be really surprised if they don't. The Second World War by John Keegan also provides a good overview if I recall correctly but make sure you cross reference with his work and wikipedia. He can be incorrect sometimes since he is a more of a journalist than a historian in my mind.

not only 100 days of bombing. There are other key points as well such as the backwardness of the Polish Army (if you're doing the blitz as in that of Poland), its lack of modern equipment.

Alternatively if the talk is purely on the tactics developed for it then you must include the German employment of armoured formations, use of bombers as tactical air support e.g. how the Luftwaffe was superb in supporting the German army as well as how the Germans made extensive use of motorised infantry divisions.

And call it 'Vernichtungsgedanken' (the nifty name for this i.e the encirclement of the enemy as fast as possible in a pincer movement using the element of surprise, speed and the firepower of combined arms to eliminate and destroy the enemy, seen in Poland, France and Russia, before 1943) which was the fundamental principle of Blitzkrieg and which ironically the Russians used back on the Germans after the Battle of Stalingrad.

So basically in your 2 minute speech, refer to the invasion of Poland, follow it with a quick reference to the Phoney war, then refer to the Battle of France and the early successes of the Operaiton Babarossa and how the Russians used the same tactic back against them in Operation Uranus, Bagration etc. (I don't know any more than these two).

 

[tim_daniela]

its the blitz ive just been informed, and my topic is preparing for the blitz, i need a sheet of notes to hand to the class and have to talk on the preperations for the blitz in 3 minutes, including gas masks, anderson shelters, i can mention these things but im really struggling to talk about it for 3 minutes, what are the most important things to mention and preperations that can easily be summarised.

 

[Kittikhun]

Well you must mention the Battle of Britain in there somewhere, that's a fact, and also a big one would be the evacuation of children from London but besides that I'm lost since I'm not really an expert in this field. Are you talking about the German preparations on the Blitz and the reasons behind it or on the British preparations during the Blitz? If it's both your speech I think your speech will easily reach the 3 minute mark but then again you need resources. That being said, go to your library and read any books pertaining to the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. here's what my Dk book 'World War Two' writes about the Blitz (don't be discouraged from reading it because it is long please!)-

'Between September 7 and November 12 London was spared bombing on a mere 10 nights. Some 13, 000 tons of high explosive and almost one million incendiaries fell on the city, killing 13, 000 people (from Septmber to November) and injuring 20, 000 more. At this stage in the war, the RAF's night defenses were little more than a collection of hasty improvisations. Only a handful of fighters were equipped with a primitive form of airborne radar. Nor had the Luftwaffe's bombers much to fear from antiaircraft guns. In September 1940 an expenditure of some 20, 000 shells was needed to down one plane.

The Germans, moreover, had a secret weapon, described by Churchill as 'a radio beam which, like an invisible searchlight, would guide bombers... to their target.' Dubbed Knickebein (crooked leg), it consisted of two radio beams directed from stations in Europe. Aircraft would fly along one beam and release their bombs when the first beam was intersected by the second. The Luftwaffe had foolishly tested the system over Britain in March 1940, at a time when it was not contemplating large-scale night bombing operations. The examination of an He111 shot down by a night fighter enabled scientists to work out how to jam the beams. A more sophisticated version of this system- X-Verfahren- used four beams and a clockwork timer linked to the beams and bomb release. A crack unit, Kampfgruppe (KGr) 100, was formed early in 1940 to test this system. By mid-October a regular pattern of night raids had emerged: KGr 100 acted as a pathfinding force, marking targets for the main force flying in behind. Late in the afternoon of November 14 an X-beam was detected crossing the Midlands, an area as yet largely unscathed by heavy night raids. This confirmed reports that the Germans were planning a major night offensive, code named Mondscheinserenade (Monnlight Serenade), timed to take advantage of the full moon.

Less than two hours later the first of 13 He 111s of KGr 100 arrived over Coventry. The aiming point was to the east of the city center and when the last of the Heinkels flew away, numerous fires had been started. These lit the way for 449 bombers which dropped 1500 HE bombs, 50 huge parachute and lind mines, and some 30, 000 incendiaries. The city was devasted and 21 factories- 12 of them connected with the aircraft industry- severely damaged. Yet Coventry quickly recovered. Just over a month of industrial output waslost but most of the factories were back in production within days. Nor had civilian morale collasped. After the initial shock there was no mass panic.

Throughout January and February, in the fact of winter weather, the Luftwaffe fought to maintain the pressure on London, the industrial centers of the Midlands, and Britain's western ports, the last links in the Atlantic supply chain. However, air defences were now making life more difficult for the German bombers. By March, improved radar equipment was reaching the night fighter squadrons. In march, night fighters shot down 22 bombers and AA guns claimed another 17. In April, the figures rose to 48 and 39 respectively andreached a peak in May, with 96 fighter victories and 32 claimed by guns. The final phase of the Blitz began in mid-April 1941 and concluded with a heavy raid on London on the night of May 10/11 in which some 1,436 civilians were killed and 16 aircraft were brought down by air defences, the highest total in ono=e night. These losses were not sufficient in themselves to bring a halt to the Blitz. Rather it was a the transfer of the East of units earmarked for the invasion of the Soviet Union, which Hitler launched on June 22, 1941. By the end of June two-thirds of the Luftwaffe had been removed form the bombing operations against Britian.'

'The whole sky to the east was blazing red... it seemed as though half of London must be burning... In Shaftesbury Avenue, five miles from the blaze, it was possible to read an evening paper.' - Air Raid Warden Barbara Nixon on September 7 1940.

-pg 62-63 ,Cross, Robin; Hillmott H.P; Messenger, Charles, (2004) World War Two, DK Publishing 375 Hudson Street New York, NewYork 10014.

There's more but I don't have the time to type them all. Go to these websites too if you have the time-

YouTube - A People's War - The Blitz (1 of 5)


World War Two - The Blitz

And ask for help here. This forum is the best place to guide you in your modern history studies and ANYTHING BY OSPREY IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON!

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=132

I hope that I've helped. Good luck with your speech.

 

[awaitingtrain]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I love the thread title, i had to do a double take.
The Blitz in 2 minutes?? That's a bit harsh, but i'm guessing it's a strategic move by the teacher to improve your summarising skills.. Do the usual stuff, like dates, casualities, the effect on the people (this is important i think) and the effect on battle...
Hope I helped somewhat