Bringing History to Life - Blitzkrieg Part 1 - 75 Years Since Victory in Europe

Aug 7, 2026

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Tracking Germany’s early campaign from the invasion of Poland to the rapid fall of multiple European nations, this Part 1 issue explains how blitzkrieg tactics combined panzer divisions and Luftwaffe air power to overwhelm defenses. It details key turning points, from fuel and food rationing to the occupation’s different faces across Denmark, France and Poland, and highlights notable events shaping the war’s first year.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages124

Reading Time5 h 12 min

AccessFree to download

How the war began

Attack on Poland

Lightning war rolls through Europe

The outbreak of war and rationing

The fall of Finland and shifting alliances

Timeline of key dates

✦ 75 YEARS SINCE VICTORY IN EUROPE ✦ PART1 ~Howthe warbegan ~ stormed through Europe and Holland fell in six weeks ATTACK ON POLAND • STALIN ’S DEFEAT £9.99 Churchill and Hitler fought for control of the North Atlantic Lightning war rolled through Europe On 1st September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. The country needed to be subjugated quickly before Britain and France could intervene. Germany’s Panzer divisions proved unstoppable. Backed by the Luftwaffe, they smashed through Poland’s defences, destroying roads, bridges and radio stations. The Polish defended valiantly, but were eventually forced to surrender. By 6th October, Poland was in German hands. In spring 1940, the blitzkrieg rolled through Europe again – within a few months, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway all fell. But when Hitler attacked Britain, he discovered the British were tougher than expected. This issue of Bringing History to Life tracks the Germans’ early advances to discover how a relatively small nation could take a continent by storm. 3 German tanks roar forward A brand new tactic makes the Germans almost invincible in the war’s first year. Country after country falls to Hitler. Follow the blitzkrieg war in Europe on page 6 1939 12 German troops invade Poland Hitler plays a high-stakes game by invading his neighbour. 22 U-boat sneaks into British naval base German strike on HMS Royal Oak shakes the British. 30 Petrol & sugar are worth more than gold The outbreak of war leads to fuel and food rationing. 38 Frost shatters Stalin’s plans Frozen Finland proves too hard for the Red Army to crack. 46 Graf Spee loses her final battle Allied warships surround German pocket battleship off Uruguay. 1940 54 Two men race for Norway Hitler and Churchill compete for the first foothold in the north. 60 Denmark sleeps through blitzkrieg The Danish government capitulates after four hours of fighting. 68 Norway falls German troops encounter fierce resistance in Narvik. 78 Elite soldiers capture Belgian fort Nine German gliders sneak into Belgium’s most-guarded fortress. 86 Blitzkrieg forces Europe to its knees Innovative new tactic makes German panzer divisions invincible. 94 The miracle at Dunkirk 400,000 Allied soldiers are surrounded by German tanks. 104 British pilots hold off the Luftwaffe German bombers terrorise Britain for 114 days. 114 Lenient, harsh and inhuman The occupation had different faces in Denmark, France and Poland. 122 Picture index List of picture credits, plus contact information. blitzkrieg 5 4TH JANUARY: Hermann Göring appoints Reinhard Heydrich to lead the operation to eradicate all Jews from Europe. 24TH JANUARY: Earthquake in Concepción, Chile. 30,000 people perish. 26TH JANUARY: General Franco’s Falangists capture Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. 30TH JANUARY: Adolf Hitler openly threatens the Jews in a speech at the German Reichstag. 6TH FEBRUARY: The Spanish democratic government flees to France. 15TH FEBRUARY: Germans launch the Bismarck battleship. 16TH MARCH: Nazi Germany occupies Czechoslovakia. 21ST MARCH: Hitler demands that Gdansk, which has been administered by the League of Nations since World War I, is returned to Germany. MARCH 28: The Spanish Civil War ends with Madrid’s capture. Youngsters in uniform 5TH APRIL: New law requires German teenage boys to join the Hitler Youth. 6TH APRIL: Britain and Poland make a pact to secure Poland against a German invasion. 7TH APRIL: Italy invades the Kingdom of Albania. Novel about US crisis 14TH APRIL: John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is published. 17TH APRIL: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin signs an anti-Nazi pact with France and Britain. 7TH MAY: Italy and Nazi Germany announce an alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. JUNE: The first Superman comic book is published. 17TH JUNE: The guillotine takes its last victim. Eugen Weidmann is convicted of serial

FAQs

What starts the blitzkrieg campaign described in Part 1?

On 1st September 1939, Hitler invades Poland to secure control before Britain and France intervene, using Panzer divisions supported by the Luftwaffe.

Which events show the war’s expansion in 1940 across Europe?

In spring 1940, the blitzkrieg advances again, with France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway all falling within a few months.

Why does the document emphasize rationing after the outbreak of war?

As war makes shipping commodities between nations dangerous, shortages of petrol, food and medicine follow, leading most countries to introduce rationing.

Aug 7, 2026

Upload by Logic